Toxicological Investigation of Drug-Related Cases in Greece: Interpretation of Analytical Findings

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Stefanidou ◽  
Constantine Maravelias ◽  
Artemis Dona ◽  
Sotiris Athanaselis ◽  
Hara Spiliopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Drug Metabolism ◽  
Matrix Effect ◽  
Drug Concentration ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Chemical Changes ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Toxicological Analysis ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Toxicological Investigation

The process of toxicological analysis of postmortem specimens can reveal some special difficulty compared to the clinically derived specimens. Many drugs are not stable and the chemical changes that occur in the specimens, due to the hydrolysis processing, the time passed, the drug metabolism, and matrix effect, even when the postmortem interval is short, may affect the interpretation of the toxicological results. This interpretation may be critical, not only to the thorough investigation of different kind of forensic cases, but also to clinical or other cases as it provides very significant challenges to the scientists. This article reviews (a) particular toxicological issues associated with some toxic substances responsible for common lethal or nonlethal poisonings, such as opiates, cannabis, and cocaine and the vast number of factors that affect drug concentration; and (b) focuses on toxicological issues associated with the analytical findings of certain postmortem specimens. The toxic substances cited in the present paper are the most commonly found in forensic cases in Greece. The investigation of these drug-related deaths has revealed that heroin, alone or in combination with other psychoactive substances, such as cannabis and cocaine, is the main drug involved in these deaths.

Stock Market Prediction using Data Mining Techniques

2020 ◽  
pp. 310-313
Author(s):  
Karunesh Makker ◽  
Prince Patel ◽  
Hrishikesh Roy ◽  
Sonali Borse
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Stock Market ◽  
Prediction Model ◽  
Efficient Market Hypothesis ◽  
Deterministic System ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Robust Prediction

Stock market is a very volatile in-deterministic system with vast number of factors influencing the direction of trend on varying scales and multiple layers. Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) states that the market is unbeatable. This makes predicting the uptrend or downtrend a very challenging task. This research aims to combine multiple existing techniques into a much more robust prediction model which can handle various scenarios in which investment can be beneficial. Existing techniques like sentiment analysis or neural network techniques can be too narrow in their approach and can lead to erroneous outcomes for varying scenarios. By combing both techniques, this prediction model can provide more accurate and flexible recommendations. Embedding Technical indicators will guide the investor to minimize the risk and reap better returns.

scholarly journals Risk factors of early psychoactive substances dependence among youth

2022 ◽  
pp. 174-179
Author(s):  
R. M. Sadykov ◽  
N. L. Bolshakova
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Peer Groups ◽  
Psychoactive Substance ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Psychoactive Substance Use ◽  
Informal Groups

The article considers a number of factors that influence the use of psychoactive substances by young people in Russia: psychological, social, economic, medico-biological, spiritual and moral and others. The main reasons for psychoactive substance use among this age group are: neglect by parents, psychoactive substance use by parents and other relatives, abuse by parents and guardians, low family income, conflicts and lack of understanding of the age-specific characteristics of adolescents by parents, low motivation to study, low status among peer groups, youth informal groups. In addition to risk factors, protection factors – circumstances that reduce the likelihood of a person becoming involved with psychoactive substances have also been identified: a strong family, with a healthy and supportive psychological atmosphere, success in educational activities, parental involvement in the life of their children, etc. 

scholarly journals Reviewing Effective Factors of Alimentary Deficiency in Animals Reproductive Functions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-169
Author(s):  
Pavlo Skliarov ◽  
Serhiy Fedorenko ◽  
Svitlana Naumenko ◽  
Oleksandr Onyshchenko ◽  
Alina Pasternak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
The Body ◽  
Reproductive Capacity ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Animal Reproduction ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Negative Impacts

Animal reproduction is one of the main factors limiting the efficiency of livestock production. Its optimal level is possibly achieved when certain conditions are created for animals. As reproduction is a complex reflex process depending on neuroendocrine regulatory mechanisms, the character and strength of stimuli, which, in turn, is due to a number of factors. Under normal conditions, the body of animals is affected by many different factors, which are appropriately transformed and specified by positive or negative reactions. Inhibitory factors include air pool, saturated with harmful substances and gases, ionizing radiation, poor water quality along with altered redox properties, hypokinesia combined with poor unbalanced feeding, systematic chronic stress, presence of toxic substances in feed, and the deficiency of vitamins and other bioantioxidants in feed or their excessive spending. Of the wide range of genetic and paratypic factors of negative impacts on reproductive capacity, the most common one is alimentary, which causes impaired reproductive function due to deficiencies in the rules, regulations, and feeding regime of animals. In particular, the alimentary can be associated with both general malnutrition (starvation) and overfeeding (obesity). However, the alimentary form of infertility mostly occurs due to low-quality diets when the diet lacks vital components (mainly vitamins, macro-, and micronutrients) or the quantitative ratios of the ingredients are violated. This is possible even if the total nutritional value of the diet meets the established requirements for the physiological needs of the body. Vitamins, micro-, and macronutrients are ecologically deficient factors of disturbance of animal reproductive function, the influence of which is observed on all processes of reproduction, from fertilization to the postpartum period and the preservation of young animals. The pathogenesis of their insufficiency is associated with the violation of steroido-, gameto-, and embryogenesis and the emergence of ante-, intra-, neo- and postnatal pathologies, respectively. Therefore, treatments and prevention measures should be aimed at providing animals with biologically complete balanced feeding and replenishment of the body with vitamins and minerals. However, all these issues remain incompletely studied and need further research.

Plasma Levels of Imipramine and Desmethylimipramine during Therapy

1967 ◽  
Vol 113 (495) ◽  
pp. 183-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Moody ◽  
A. C. Tait ◽  
A. Todrick
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Level ◽  
Drug Metabolism ◽  
Drug Concentration ◽  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Clinical Effectiveness ◽  
Optimal Concentration ◽  
Side Reactions ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Individual Variations ◽  
Site Of Action

Individual variations in drug metabolism are important factors affecting both toxicity and clinical effectiveness (Brodie, 1964; Kalow, 1965; Price Evans, 1965). In most cases the best available index of the drug concentration at the site of action is the plasma level. An estimate of this will show whether the optimal concentration is present and in some cases may indicate whether new symptoms can be attributed to toxic side reactions.

Recent Advances in the Molecular Imaging of Atherosclerosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (05) ◽  
pp. 563-586
Author(s):  
Mélusine Larivière ◽  
Samuel Bonnet ◽  
Cyril Lorenzato ◽  
Jeanny Laroche-Traineau ◽  
Florence Ottonès ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Molecular Imaging ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Tunable Properties ◽  
Number Of Factors

AbstractAtherosclerosis is the major underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases, the prevalence of which is continuously increasing, thus currently standing as the leading global cause of death. This pathology gradually develops over the course of 50 or more years throughout the life of an individual under the influence of a vast number of factors, both environmental and pathophysiological. This wealth of factors has elicited much research into molecular imaging, with purely diagnostic purposes or with the hope of engineering an efficient theranostic tool. To these ends, diverse nanomaterials with desirable, tunable properties have been explored by different teams, as described in this review.

Subset Selection Using Frequency Decomposition with Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (01) ◽  
pp. 195-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. M. Tang ◽  
K. F. C. Yiu ◽  
H. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Road Traffic ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Subset Selection ◽  
Selection Method ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Time Series Modeling ◽  
Target Variable ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Frequency Decomposition ◽  
Number Of Factors

In time series modeling, one problem is to identify a small number of influential factors to explain variations in the variable of interest. With a vast number of possible factors available, suitable features need to be identified to yield multi-factor models with good explanatory power. In this paper, we propose a novel subset selection method which makes use of the properties in the frequency domain environment. The proposed system ensures key patterns in the target variable be sought and suitable factors be selected based on frequency peaks in common. It can perform well even when the number of factors is significantly greater than the sample size. Moreover, a very important feature of the proposed system is the capability of handling factors with different timeframes, which is lacking in existing methods. We demonstrate the system via several examples with dataset from finance, economic, road traffic and air pollution.

scholarly journals The Concept of Access and the Mechanisms of the Threshold Space in Arab Traditional Built Environment: The Case of Najd, Saudi Arabia

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Mohammed Mashary Alnaim
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Space Syntax ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Crucial Aspect ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Built Form ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
The Relationship

Contemporary built environments experience a vast number of factors due to globalization, which effected and influenced how the built form is generated and used. The relationship between the urban and the building levels is a crucial aspect that needs a thorough investigation to understand how these two levels can integrate and complement the built environment's overall identity. This paper examines the concept of access and its location within the urban fabric and how an access influenced the formation of physical and nonphysical threshold spaces to overcome the number of socio-cultural issues. Space Syntax convex map and justified access graphs were used to understand the connectivity, density, and integration of the access and the threshold space in relation to the overall built form.

Use of entomotoxicology in estimating post-mortem interval and determining cause of death

2017 ◽  
Vol 295 ◽  
pp. 56-63
Author(s):  
Joanna Stojak ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
The Body ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Toxicological Analysis ◽  
Post Mortem Interval ◽  
The Impact

Entomotoxicology allows the estimation of the post-mortem interval and the determination of the cause of death in cases in which the corpse has decomposed and the tissues necessary for toxicological analysis are no longer available. Obtaining information about toxic substances potentially present in the body is possible by isolation of larvae and pupae of true flies (Diptera) and/or adult forms of, e.g., beetles (Coleoptera) present on or near the corpse. This article was intended to summarize the current knowledge in the field of entomotoxicology, including examples from the literature, and to present the impact of selected toxic substances and medicines on the development of necrophagous larvae of insects.

A Collection of Therapeutic, Toxic and Fatal Blood Drug Concentrations in Man

1983 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.H. Stead ◽  
A.C. Moffat
Keyword(s):  
Drug Metabolism ◽  
Drug Concentration ◽  
Blood Concentration ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Blood Concentrations ◽  
Drug Levels ◽  
Drug Concentrations ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Degrees Of Severity

1 In order to assess the significance of drug concentrations measured in clinical and toxicological investigations, it is essential that good collections of data are readily available. As a guide to interpreting findings, the present work provides a compilation of therapeutic, toxic and fatal blood concentration ranges of 298 drugs of interest to clinical pharmacologists, clinical toxicologists, and forensic toxicologists. 2 Wherever possible, ranges are expressed concisely in terms of the maximum blood concentrations which account for 10, 50 and 90% of the data collected. They provide easy access to the most reliable information which relates the blood drug concentration to the biological response it produces. Where appropriate, the different toxic effects of a drug and/or the different degrees of severity of toxic symptoms associated with different drug levels are clearly defined. 3 The original sources of all data used are provided to allow the analyst to obtain further analytical, pharmacokinetic and toxicological information should this be necessary. 4 Those factors (e.g. age, capacity for drug metabolism, drug interactions, etc) which can modify the relationship between a drug concentration and the response it produces are briefly discussed.

scholarly journals Unexpected results found in larvae samples from two postmortem forensic cases

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olwen Groth ◽  
Simon Franz ◽  
Helena Fels ◽  
Julia Krueger ◽  
Gabriele Roider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Synthetic Cannabinoids ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Pericardial Fluid ◽  
Supplementary Information ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Toxicological Analysis

Abstract Purpose In forensics, entomological specimens can be used as additional/alternative matrices to detect xenobiotics when human specimens are limited in their application. Despite some advantages over implementing putrefied human remains, most medico-legal laboratories do not include entomotoxicological procedures as routine analytical methods. We thus applied two authentic cases to evaluate necrophagous larvae’s potential as complementary matrices for toxicological analysis after extensive postmortem decomposition. Methods Larvae and postmortem human samples, including hair, stomach contents, pericardial fluid, liver, lung, and skeletal muscle, were collected at autopsy. Samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for pharmaceutical substances, illicit drugs, and new psychoactive substances, including synthetic cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, new synthetic opioids, and stimulants. Results Nearly all substances detected in human specimens, including several benzodiazepines and synthetic cannabinoids, were also detected in larvae. Surprisingly, some drugs, including the new psychoactive substances EAM-2201 and U-47700, were found exclusively in larvae and hair. The benzodiazepine etizolam was detected only in liver, lungs, and stomach contents, possibly resulting from characteristic tissue distribution in humans and/or larvae. Conclusions Antemortem external hair contamination with synthetic cannabinoids from side-stream smoke and postmortem hair contamination with substances in putrefaction fluids can be supposed in these cases. Our findings suggest that supplementary information can indeed be gained from analyzing larvae additional to those human specimens that are typically used for toxicological analysis after extensive postmortem decomposition. Nevertheless, these results represent merely two cases, requiring in-depth studies to determine whether such findings can identify acute intoxications as possible causes of death.

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