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We investigated the differences in the levels of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), cyanide (HCN) and petroleum fuels (gasoline and kerosene) between left and right ventricular bloods from fire victims. COHb was slightly, and HCN and petroleum fuels were markedly higher levels in the left than those in the right. These effects were so called 'first pass phenomena' due to the circulation, diffusion and metabolization before the deaths of fire victims.

A method of gas chromatography-chemical ionization selected ion monitoring (GC-CI-SIM) is described for the determination of cocaine, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester in biological materials using an Extrelut extraction technique. Recoveries of cocaine, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester by this technique were 95, 81 and 97%, respectively. The method uses cocaine-d5, benzoylecgonine-d5 and lidocaine as internal standards, and isobutane as reagent gas for chemical ionization. Sensitivity of the method proved to be 1 ng/ml for cocaine and benzoylecgonine, and 10 ng/ml for ecgonine methyl ester when used in a 10-ml urine sample. With animal experiments, ecgonine methyl ester as well as benzoylecgonine was confirmed as a major metabolite of cocaine.

A method is described for the determination of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC) in the saliva by the use of a combination of moving-precolumn injector and glass capillary gas chromatograph with electron capture detector (GC/ECD). There were no interfering peaks due to impurities around the peak of pentafluoropropyl derivative of delta 9-THC (delta 9-THC-PFP). This GC/ECD method was linear over the range of 5-200 ng/ml of delta 9-THC-PFP. The lower detection limit was approximately 1 ng/ml. delta 9-THC content in the saliva after experimental marihuana smoking was measured by this method. It was demonstrated that for at least 4 h after smoking the level of delta 9-THC was sufficient for detection.

Characteristics of cytochrome oxidase prepared from hearts of Sprague-Dawley male rats were studied with the use of the fourth derivative spectrophotometry in respect to the cytotoxic effects of carbon monoxide (CO). CO-exposed rats tended to show lower specific activities of cytochrome oxidase than control and recovered rats. Moreover, there was a significant difference in the fourth derivative spectral features of the enzyme: CO-exposed groups indicated peaks at 412 nm in the spectra while controls at 408 nm. This spectral difference seemed to reflect specific effect of CO on cytochrome oxidase, though such trace remained for not more than a day after death.