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Wachholz P, Skowronek R, Pawlas N. Assessing the applicability of cerebrospinal fluid collected from the spinal cord for the determination of ethyl alcohol in post-mortem toxicology. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2023; 19:44-49. [PMID: 36441476 PMCID: PMC9707177 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-022-00560-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a study on the applicability of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected from the spinal canal in the post-mortem determination of ethyl alcohol. The present study reviewed data of autopsy cases (n = 45), in which ethyl alcohol was detected in CSF using gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (HS-GC-FID), to investigate ethyl alcohol concentrations in CSF, compared with blood. As a result of statistical analysis of the obtained data, a high positive correlation was found between blood ethanol concentration and cerebrospinal fluid collected from the spinal canal ethanol concentration. The Pearson correlation coefficient was statistically highly significant (p < 0.001) (r = 0.9503). The data obtained allowed us to conclude that cerebrospinal fluid collected from the spinal canal can be collected during an autopsy as an alternative biological specimen to assess the ethanol content. Cerebrospinal fluid collected from the spinal canal can corroborate and lend credibility to the results obtained for blood and, in special cases, when blood is drawn from putrefied bodies and may even be a superior specimen to blood for assessing ethyl alcohol intoxication status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Wachholz
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, 38 Jordana Street, 41-808, Zabrze, Poland
- Toxicology Laboratory ToxLab, 6 Kossutha Street, 40-844, Katowice, Poland
| | - Rafał Skowronek
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Toxicology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 18 Medyków Street, 40-752, Katowice, Poland.
| | - Natalia Pawlas
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, 38 Jordana Street, 41-808, Zabrze, Poland
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Musile G, Pigaiani N, Pasetto E, Ballotari M, Tagliaro F, Bortolotti F. Validation of a New Salt-Assisted HS-GC-FID Method for the Determination of Ethanol in the Vitreous Humor. J Anal Toxicol 2023; 46:e274-e279. [PMID: 36346343 DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkac087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Headspace gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (HS-GC-FID) is a well-established approach for determining blood alcohol concentration, including in cadaveric specimens. Although the integrity of blood specimens can be adequately guaranteed after the sampling, the quantification of ethanol in cadaveric blood can be affected by postmortem fermentative phenomena occurring between the time since death and the sampling of biofluids. The vitreous humor is less affected by putrefactive phenomena allowing compound determination and its use as an alternative biological matrix. The present work aimed to develop and validate a method using the salting-out effect and based on HS-GC-FID for the determination of ethanol in the vitreous humor. The reported analytical method is based on a simple vitreous humor pre-treatment consisting of a dilution (1:9) with a solution of 2.5 mol/L K2CO3 and 0.0012 mol/L tert-butanol (internal standard). After 1 min of incubation, part of the specimen evaporated in the headspace (2,000 µL) is injected into the chromatographic system and analyzed in isothermal mode (40°C), with a chromatographic time of 1.6 min. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, the lowest limit of detection, intraday and total imprecision, and trueness (bias). The determination of ethanol in the vitreous humor and blood was carried out in 75 cases. The correlation between the two matrices was confirmed in 61 cases. However, 14 vitreous humor specimens showed lower ethanol concentrations, and in the related blood specimens, it was possible to identify the signal of n-propanol, a typical product of postmortem microbial fermentation, that justifies the excess of ethanol in the blood specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Musile
- Unit of Forensic Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, Verona 37134, Italy
| | - Nicola Pigaiani
- Unit of Forensic Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, Verona 37134, Italy
| | - Emma Pasetto
- Unit of Forensic Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, Verona 37134, Italy
| | - Marco Ballotari
- Unit of Forensic Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, Verona 37134, Italy
| | - Franco Tagliaro
- Unit of Forensic Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, Verona 37134, Italy.,Laboratory of Pharmacokinetics and Metabolomics Analysis, Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Bolshaya Pirogovskaya Street, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Federica Bortolotti
- Unit of Forensic Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, Verona 37134, Italy
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Boumba VA, Exadactylou P, Velivasi G, Ziavrou KS, Fragkouli K, Kovatsi L. The frequency of ethanol, higher alcohols and other low molecular weight volatiles in postmortem blood samples from unnatural deaths. Forensic Sci Int 2022; 341:111503. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2022.111503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Boumba VA. Modeling Postmortem Ethanol Production/Insights into the Origin of Higher Alcohols. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27030700. [PMID: 35163964 PMCID: PMC8840458 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27030700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The forensic toxicologist is challenged to provide scientific evidence to distinguish the source of ethanol (antemortem ingestion or microbial production) determined in the postmortem blood and to properly interpret the relevant blood alcohol concentration (BAC) results, in regard to ethanol levels at death and subsequent behavioral impairment of the person at the time of death. Higher alcohols (1-propanol, 1-butanol, isobutanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol (isoamyl-alcohol), and 3-methyl-2-butanol (amyl-alcohol)) are among the volatile compounds that are often detected in postmortem specimens and have been correlated with putrefaction and microbial activity. This brief review investigates the role of the higher alcohols as biomarkers of postmortem, microbial ethanol production, notably, regarding the modeling of postmortem ethanol production. Main conclusions of this contribution are, firstly, that the higher alcohols are qualitative and quantitative indicators of microbial ethanol production, and, secondly that the respective models of microbial ethanol production are tools offering additional data to interpret properly the origin of the ethanol concentrations measured in postmortem cases. More studies are needed to clarify current uncertainties about the origin of higher alcohols in postmortem specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassiliki A Boumba
- Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
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Bogusz MJ. Comment on "High Correlation between Ethanol Concentration in Postmortem Femoral Blood and in Alternative Biological Specimens, but Large Uncertainty When the Linear Regression Model Was Used for Prediction in Individual Cases". J Anal Toxicol 2021; 45:e13-e14. [PMID: 33693874 DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkab024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maciej J Bogusz
- Retired toxicologist, Burghäldeweg 51, Sinsheim 7889, Germany
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Velivasi G, Sakkas H, Kourkoumelis N, Boumba VA. Modeling postmortem ethanol production by C. albicans: Experimental study and multivariate evaluation. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 324:110809. [PMID: 33993011 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In previous research, we modeled the ethanol production by certain bacteria under controlled experimental conditions in an attempt to quantify the production of microbial postmortem ethanol in cases where other alcohols were co-detected. This contribution on the modeling of postmortem ethanol production by Candida albicans is complementary to these previous studies. Τhis work aimed to study ethanol, higher alcohols (1-propanol, isobutanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol), and 1-butanol production by Candida albicans: (i) in different culture media (Brain Heart Infusion, BHI and, Sabouraud Dextrose Broth, SDB), (ii) under mixed aerobic/anaerobic or strict anaerobic conditions, and (iii) at different temperatures (37 °C, 25 °C and, 4 °C), and develop simple mathematical models, resulted from fungal cultures at 25 °C, to predict the microbially produced ethanol in correlation with the other alcohols. The applicability of the models was tested in the C. albicans cultures in BHI and SDB media at 37 °C, in denatured human blood at 25 °C, acidic and neutral with different concentrations of additional glucose, in acidic denatured blood diluted with dextrose solution and in blood from autopsy cases. The received results indicated that the C. albicans models could apply in cases where yeasts have been activated in blood with elevated glucose levels. Overall, the in vitro ethanol production by C. albicans in blood depended on temperature, time, glucose (or carbohydrate) content, pH of the medium and endogenous changes in the medium composition through time. Our results showed that methyl-butanol is the most significant indicator of fungal ethanol production, followed by the equally important isobutanol and 1-propanol in qualitative and quantitative terms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glykeria Velivasi
- Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Hercules Sakkas
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Kourkoumelis
- Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Vassiliki A Boumba
- Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
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Tsujita A, Nagasaka A, Okazaki H, Ogawa S, Gohda A, Matsui T. Quantitative Determination of H 2 in Human Blood by 22Ne-aided Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Using a Single Quadrupole Instrument. ANAL SCI 2020; 36:1231-1235. [PMID: 32475892 DOI: 10.2116/analsci.20p042] [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: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Here, we present a quantitative method for H2 detection by gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring-mass spectrometry (GC-SIM-MS) using a single quadrupole instrument. Additionally, the developed method was applied to the detection of H2 in human blood by GC-SIM-MS analysis using the existing 22Ne in air as an internal standard (IS). H2 was analyzed by GC-SIM-MS using a single quadrupole instrument with double TC-Molsieve 5A capillary columns for the separation of permanent gases. The detections of H2 (analyte) and 22Ne (IS) were performed at m/z 2 and 22, respectively, by GC-SIM-MS. The analyte and IS were separated using He as the carrier gas. The ratio of the peak area of H2 to 22Ne was employed to obtain a calibration curve for H2 determination in the gas phase. The proposed GC-SIM-MS method exhibited high sensitivity in terms of the limits of detection (LOD) (1.7 ppm) and quantitation (LOQ) (5.8 ppm) for H2 analysis. The developed quantitative assay of H2 in the headspace of blood samples achieved high repeatability with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.4 - 4.7%. We successfully detected and quantified H2 in the headspaces of vacuum blood-collection tubes containing whole blood from 11 deceased individuals with several causes of death by employing the developed GC-SIM-MS method. The quantitative value of H2 ranged from 5 to 905 ppm. The proposed GC-SIM-MS method was applicable to the quantitative assay of H2 in biological samples without tedious pretreatment requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akira Tsujita
- Forensic Science Laboratory, Fukuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters, 7-7 Higashikoen, Fukuoka 812-8576, Japan.
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Graduate School of Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Asami Nagasaka
- Forensic Science Laboratory, Fukuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters, 7-7 Higashikoen, Fukuoka 812-8576, Japan
| | - Hidehiko Okazaki
- Forensic Science Laboratory, Fukuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters, 7-7 Higashikoen, Fukuoka 812-8576, Japan
| | - Shin Ogawa
- Forensic Science Laboratory, Fukuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters, 7-7 Higashikoen, Fukuoka 812-8576, Japan
| | - Akinaga Gohda
- Forensic Science Laboratory, Fukuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters, 7-7 Higashikoen, Fukuoka 812-8576, Japan
| | - Toshiro Matsui
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Graduate School of Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
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Ceciliason AS, Andersson MG, Lundin E, Sandler H. Microbial neoformation of volatiles: implications for the estimation of post-mortem interval in decomposed human remains in an indoor setting. Int J Legal Med 2020; 135:223-233. [PMID: 33026504 PMCID: PMC7782407 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-020-02436-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine if a relationship between microbial neoformation of volatiles and the post-mortem interval (PMI) exists, and if the volatiles could be used as a tool to improve the precision of PMI estimation in decomposed human remains found in an indoor setting. Chromatograms from alcohol analysis (femoral vein blood) of 412 cases were retrospectively assessed for the presence of ethanol, N-propanol, 1-butanol, and acetaldehyde. The most common finding was acetaldehyde (83% of the cases), followed by ethanol (37%), N-propanol (21%), and 1-butanol (4%). A direct link between the volatiles and the PMI or the degree of decomposition was not observed. However, the decomposition had progressed faster in cases with microbial neoformation than in cases without signs of neoformation. Microbial neoformation may therefore act as an indicator of the decomposition rate within the early decomposition to bloating stages. This may be used in PMI estimation based on the total body score (TBS) and accumulated degree days (ADD) model, to potentially improve the model's precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Sofie Ceciliason
- Forensic Medicine, Department of Surgical Sciences; Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala University, SE-751 85, Uppsala, Sweden. .,Department of Forensic Medicine, The National Board of Forensic Medicine, Box 1024, SE-751 40, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - M Gunnar Andersson
- Department of Chemistry, Environment and Feed Hygiene, The National Veterinary Institute, SE-75189, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Emma Lundin
- Department of Forensic Medicine, The National Board of Forensic Medicine, Box 1024, SE-751 40, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Håkan Sandler
- Forensic Medicine, Department of Surgical Sciences; Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala University, SE-751 85, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Forensic Medicine, The National Board of Forensic Medicine, Box 1024, SE-751 40, Uppsala, Sweden
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Thelander G, Kugelberg FC, Jones AW. High Correlation between Ethanol Concentrations in Postmortem Femoral Blood and in Alternative Biological Specimens, but Large Uncertainty When the Linear Regression Model Was Used for Prediction in Individual Cases. J Anal Toxicol 2020; 44:415-421. [DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkaa018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
In connection with medicolegal autopsies peripheral blood (e.g. from a femoral vein) is the specimen of choice for toxicological analysis, although alternative specimens are also sometimes submitted, such as bile, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), vitreous humor (VH), bladder urine, pleural effusions and/or lung fluid. Ethanol concentrations were determined in duplicate in femoral blood and in various alternative biological specimens by headspace gas chromatography. The analysis was carried out on two different fused silica capillary columns furnishing different retention times for ethanol and both n-propanol and t-butanol were used as internal standards. The results were evaluated by linear regression using blood alcohol concentration (BAC) as dependent or outcome variable and the concentrations in an alternative specimen as independent or predictor variable. The Pearson correlation coefficients were all statistically highly significant (P < 0.001); r = 0.94 (bile), r = 0.98 (CSF), r = 0.97 (VH), r = 0.92 (urine), r = 0.94 (lung fluid) and r = 0.96 (pleural cavity effusions). When the regression model was used to predict femoral BAC from the mean concentration in an alternative specimen the mean and 95% prediction intervals were 1.12 ± 0.824 g/L (bile), 1.41 ± 0.546 g/L (CSF), 1.15 ± 0.42 g/L (VH), 1.29 ± 0.780 g/L (urine), 1.25 ± 0.772 g/L (lung fluid) and 0.68 ± 0.564 g/L (pleural cavity effusions). This large uncertainty for a single new observation needs to be considered when alcohol-related deaths are evaluated and interpreted. However, the analysis of alternative specimens is recommended in medical examiner cases to provide supporting evidence with regard to the origin of ethanol, whether this reflects antemortem (AM) ingestion or postmortem (PM) synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Thelander
- Department of Forensic Genetics and Forensic Toxicology, National Board of Forensic Medicine, SE-587 58 Linköping, Sweden
| | - F C Kugelberg
- Department of Forensic Genetics and Forensic Toxicology, National Board of Forensic Medicine, SE-587 58 Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Division of Drug Research, University of Linköping, SE 581 85 Linköping, Sweden
| | - A W Jones
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Division of Drug Research, University of Linköping, SE 581 85 Linköping, Sweden
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