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Cestonaro C, Terranova C, Carollo M, Russo A, Rosa-Rizzotto M, Viel G, Favretto D, Aprile A. Hair toxicological analysis of infants and their mothers: a 5-year retrospective study focusing on cocaine. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:1307-1314. [PMID: 38400921 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-024-03180-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Prenatal and infant exposure to drugs of abuse is an emerging social and public health problem affecting children health and which may relate to child abuse and neglect. Exposure to drugs of abuse may occur through different routes, including intrauterine, breastfeeding, accidental intake, passive inhalation, and intentional administration. Currently, cases of suspected exposure can be investigated by hair toxicological analysis, the interpretation of which is, however, often difficult, leading to consequent difficulties in the management of such cases. In order to provide a contribution in terms of interpretation of the analytical results, this study aimed to search for the possible existence of elements, from a toxicological point of view, indicative towards the route of exposure. A retrospective study was performed on cases of suspected exposure to drugs of abuse in children aged 0-1 year, evaluated at a University Hospital between 2018 and 2022. Data of children hair toxicological analysis were analyzed and then compared with those of their mothers, when available; 41.6% children tested positive for cocaine. The study found a significant correlation between cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations, and a benzoylecgonine/cocaine ratio that tends to decrease as the age of children increases. From the comparison with mothers, a child/mother cocaine concentration ratio lower than 1 was found in all cases of hair sampled within the first week of life, and a ratio greater than or equal to 1 in all cases in which the sampling was performed later. These results, if confirmed in a larger cohort, could represent a contribution in the interpretation of cases of infant exposure to drugs of abuse and be integrated in the context of their multidisciplinary evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Cestonaro
- Legal Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
| | - Claudio Terranova
- Legal Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Massimo Carollo
- Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Alessia Russo
- Legal Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Melissa Rosa-Rizzotto
- Child Abuse and Neglect Crisis Unit, Paediatrics Department, Padua University Teaching Hospital, Padua, Italy
| | - Guido Viel
- Legal Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Donata Favretto
- Legal Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Anna Aprile
- Legal Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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Wang X, Drummer OH. Review: Interpretation of drug presence in the hair of children. Forensic Sci Int 2015; 257:458-472. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Revised: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Analytical methods for abused drugs in hair and their applications. Anal Bioanal Chem 2010; 397:1039-67. [PMID: 20232061 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-010-3569-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2009] [Revised: 02/08/2010] [Accepted: 02/10/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Hair has been focused on for its usability as an alternative biological specimen to blood and urine for determining drugs of abuse in fields such as forensic and toxicological sciences because hair can be used to elucidate the long intake history of abused drugs compared with blood and urine. Hair analysis consists of several pretreatment steps, such as washing out contaminates from hair, extraction of target compounds from hair, and cleanup for instrumental analysis. Each step includes characteristic and independent features for the class of drugs, e.g., stimulants, narcotics, cannabis, and other medicaments. In this review, recently developed methods to determine drugs of abuse are summarized, and the pretreatment steps as well as the sensitivity and applicability are critically discussed.
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Mistry V, Jeffery AJ, Madira W, Padfield CJH, Rutty GN. Methadone toxicity in infants: a report of two fatalities. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2010; 6:116-20. [PMID: 20087792 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-009-9138-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/19/2009] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Fatalities in infants resulting from methadone toxicity are rare within the United Kingdom. We report two cases of fatality attributed to methadone toxicity in infants aged 3(1/2) and 15 months of age, respectively. One of the two cases was also associated with diazepam ingestion. We discuss the difficulties with the interpretation of paediatric forensic toxicology and review the current literature related to methadone and diazepam toxicity in infants and older children.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Mistry
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
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