Search

Objectives: Smartphones have become everyday objects on which the accumulation of fingerprints is significant. In addition, a large proportion of the population regularly uses a smartphone, especially younger people. The objective of this study was to evaluate smartphones as a new matrix for toxico-epidemiology., Methods: This study was conducted during two separate events (techno and trance) at an electronic music nightclub in Grenoble, France. Data on reported drug use and whether drugs were snorted directly from the surface of the smartphone were collected using an anonymous questionnaire completed voluntarily by drug users. Then, a dry swab was rubbed for 20 s on all sides of the smartphone. The extract was analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry on a Xevo TQ-XS system (Waters)., Results: In total, 122 swabs from 122 drug users were collected. The three main drugs identified were MDMA (n=83), cocaine (n=59), and THC (n=51). Based on declarative data, sensitivity ranged from 73 to 97.2 % and specificity from 71.8 to 88.1 % for MDMA, cocaine, and THC. Other substances were identified such as cocaine adulterants, ketamine, amphetamine, LSD, methamphetamine, CBD, DMT, heroin, mescaline, and several NPS. Numerous medications were also identified, such as antidepressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics, and painkillers. Different use patterns were identified between the two events., Conclusions: This proof-of-concept study on 122 subjects shows that smartphone swab analysis could provide a useful and complementary tool for drug testing, especially for harm-reduction programs and toxico-epidemiolgy studies, with acceptable test performance, despite declarative data., (© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

A middle-aged woman was found dead with multiple empty blisters of midazolam (MDZ) (DORMICUM®), equivalent to 450 mg, near her body. The autopsy revealed that the cause of death was secondary to an asphyxia syndrome. Standard toxicological procedures identified MDZ only in blood, urine and gastric content. A quantitative analytical method for MDZ and 1-hydroxymidazolam (1-OH-MDZ) was validated using protein precipitation, a phospholipid removal Ostro® plates and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. MDZ and 1-OH-MDZ were quantified in peripheral blood at 910 and 534 ng/mL, respectively, and superior to 2000 ng/mL in urine. Reported to the body weight, the dose, which was lethal, was estimated to be 6.7 mg/kg. The usual dose used in the intensive care unit is 0.03-0.3 mg/kg. MDZ intoxication outside of hospital is rare given the restricted availably of this drug in France. Nevertheless, MDZ under oral form remains available in several countries. Toxic MDZ blood concentrations are described after intravenous administration for anesthesia and are not suited for oral intoxication. Based on the autopsy findings, police investigation and toxicology results, the cause of death was determined to be a self-inflicted oral MDZ acute intoxication, which is the first to be documented to the best of our knowledge. This fatal intoxication provides analytical data that could support subsequent toxicological result interpretation in similar forensic cases., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)