1. Long-term storage of authentic postmortem forensic blood samples at -20°C: measured concentrations of benzodiazepines, central stimulants, opioids and certain medicinal drugs before and after storage for 16-18 years.
- Author
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Karinen R, Andresen W, Smith-Kielland A, and Mørland J
- Subjects
- Amphetamine blood, Amphetamine chemistry, Analgesics, Opioid chemistry, Benzodiazepines chemistry, Central Nervous System Stimulants chemistry, Codeine blood, Codeine chemistry, Diazepam blood, Diazepam chemistry, Flunitrazepam blood, Flunitrazepam chemistry, Forensic Toxicology methods, Freezing, Humans, Morphine blood, Morphine chemistry, Nordazepam blood, Nordazepam chemistry, Substance Abuse Detection methods, Time Factors, Analgesics, Opioid blood, Benzodiazepines blood, Blood Preservation methods, Central Nervous System Stimulants blood
- Abstract
The long-term stability of benzodiazepines, opioids, central stimulants and medicinal drugs in authentic postmortem blood samples was studied. All together, 73 samples were reanalyzed after storage at -20°C for 16-18 years. At reanalysis samples containing diazepam, nordiazepam and flunitrazepam demonstrated only small changes during long-term storage when mean and median drug concentrations were compared, while clonazepam concentrations tended to decrease. Samples containing amphetamine, morphine, codeine and 'acidic' medicinal drugs as paracetamol and meprobamate also showed small changes over 16-18 years in mean and median drug concentrations at a group level. For many drugs, however, single samples could demonstrate marked concentration changes, both increases and decreases during storage. For 'alkaline' medicinal drugs, concentration losses were observed in most cases., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)
- Published
- 2014
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