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Biomedical subjects

B Ludes

Publications and source records attributed to B Ludes.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Suicidal hanging resulting in complete decapitation: a case report.

This paper reports the case of a 22-year-old man, weighing 87.5 kg, who committed suicide by jumping from a bridge over a canal with a nylon rope tied around his neck. The drop height was between 3.70 and 5.30 m before the rope tightened and the subject was completely beheaded. The head sank straight under the bridge, while the torso floated 205 m downstream. Pertinent autopsy findings were a sharp decapitation wound with circumferential skin abrasion and cervical spin transection between C1 and C2. Decapitation is a complication of extreme rarity in the event of a suicidal hanging and is always related to a drop of several metres with a poorly extensible line used as the hanging ligature.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Paleogenetic analysis of the skeletons from the sepulchral cave of Elzarreko Karbia (Bronze Age, Basque Country)].

Through paleogenetic studies we have characterised the sampling of a sepulchral cave named Elzarreko Karbia, in the Basque Country (France). Four people had been buried in this cave in the Ancient Bronze Age, three men, including an adolescent, and a woman, dating from 3,700 BP. In addition to a confirmation of the anatomical sex determination through amelogenin first intron amplification, we obtained a mitochondrial second hypervariable region (HVR II) sequence for each individual, and thus, we excluded maternal relationship between some of the skeletons.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Identification of Mycobacterium DNA in an Egyptian Pott's disease of 5,400 years old.

The antiquity of tuberculosis in the Old World is controversial because the morphology of the lesion in skeletal remains is non-specific. We report the recovery of a DNA fragment from a 5,400-year-old Predynastic Egyptian skeleton that exhibits a kyphotic, 'hunchback' spinal deformity consistent with Pott's disease and suggestive of tuberculous vertebral involvement. The recovered DNA fragment was sequenced and is consistent with an original Mycobacterium sequence. We cannot prove that it is M. tuberculosis, M. bovis or an ancient mycobacteria resembling the two current forms because the observed modifications in the sequence could be attributed to the antiquity of Mycobacterium and/or to the effects of Taq polymerase. This provides the most specific evidence for the antiquity of human Mycobacterium disease in the world.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Evaluation of acetylcodeine as a specific marker of illicit heroin in human hair.

In addition to acetylmorphine (6-AM), acetylcodeine (AC) has been suggested as a marker for the use of illicit heroin. Because no procedure was available for AC testing in hair, a new method was developed for the simultaneous identification and quantitation of morphine (MOR), codeine (COD), 6-AM, and AC. After decontamination, each hair specimen was cut into 1-mm pieces. A 50-mg aliquot was incubated overnight at 50 degrees C in 1 mL Soerensen buffer (pH 7.6) in presence of 200 ng of MOR-d3, COD-d3, 6-AM-d3, and AC-d3. After pH adjustment to 8.4, the analytes were extracted in 5 mL of chloroform/isopropanol/n-heptane (25:10:65, v/v/v). The organic phase was removed and evaporated to dryness, and the residue was derivatized by silylation (BSTFA + 1% TMCS). Drugs were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in electron impact mode. Limits of quantitation were set to 0.1 ng/mg. Fifty hair specimens obtained from subjects who died from fatal opiate overdose were analyzed. AC was detected in 22 samples in concentrations ranging from 0.17 to 5.60 ng/mg with a mean value of 1.04 ng/mg. 6-AM was also present in these samples at concentrations ranging from 1.35 to 41.10 ng/mg with a mean value of 7.79 ng/mg. Of the 28 specimens negative for AC, 21 were positive for 6-AM at concentrations ranging from 0.18 to 7.13 ng/mg. When detected, the AC concentrations were an average of 15.5% (2.8 to 32.6%) of the 6-AM concentrations. There was a positive relationship between AC concentrations and 6-AM concentrations (r = 0.915, p = 0.001). Neither AC nor COD was identified in hair specimens collected from 20 subjects taking part in a heroin-maintenance program in Switzerland and receiving pure pharmaceutical heroin hydrochloride daily. Although it is indicative of illicit heroin use, AC would not make a suitable biomarker in place of 6-AM because of its low concentration in hair compared with that of 6-AM and its absence in about 50% of the specimens that tested positive for 6-AM.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed1998

Buprenorphine-related deaths among drug addicts in France: a report on 20 fatalities.

This paper reports a series of 20 fatalities involving a high-dose, sublingual buprenorphine (BUP) formulation recently marketed in France for the substitutive therapy of opiate addicts. The files were recorded over a 16-month period from five different urban areas in France. All subjects but one were male, aged 14-48 (mean 26.6). BUP and its primary metabolite norbuprenorphine (norBUP) were assayed in postmortem fluids and viscerae by HPLC-MS. Blood levels for BUP and norBUP ranged from 1.1 to 29.0 ng/mL (mean 8.4 ng/mL) and 0.2 to 12.6 ng/mL (mean 2.6 ng/mL), respectively, that is, within or slightly over the therapeutic range. BUP exhibited extensive tissue distribution, with average postmortem concentrations of 6.0, 35.0, 45.5, and 80.0 ng/g in the myocardium, kidney, brain, and liver, respectively. In blood, as in viscerae, norBUP levels were generally lower than BUP. The highest concentrations were found in the bile for both BUP (range 575-72,650 ng/mL) and norBUP (range 41-30,000 ng/mL). Therefore, bile may represent a sample of choice for postmortem screening. BUP was identified in 9 of the 11 hair samples assayed at concentrations ranging from 6 to 597 ng/g (mean 137 ng/g), whereas norBUP was never detected. Intravenous injection of crushed tablets, a concomitant intake of psychotropics (especially benzodiazepines), and the high dosage of the BUP formulation available in France appear to be the major risk factors for such fatalities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Enantioselective analysis of methadone in sweat as monitored by liquid chromatography/ion spray-mass spectrometry.

In recent years, remarkable advances in sensitive analytical techniques have enabled the analysis of drugs in unconventional samples, such as sweat. In a study conducted during a methadone maintenance program, PharmChek sweat patches were applied to 20 subjects. The subjects were orally administered methadone in 1 dosage/day, and doses ranged from 80 to 100 mg. The sweat patch was applied 10 minutes before administration and removed 72 hours later just before a new administration of methadone. The absorbent pad was stored at -20 degrees C until analysis in plastic tubes. Methadone was extracted in 5 ml methanol in presence of 200 ng of racemic methadone-d3, used as internal standard. After a 30-minute agitation, the methanol solution was evaporated to dryness. Enantioselective separation of methadone was obtained using an alpha-1-acid glycoprotein column (100 x 4 mm ID) and liquid chromatography/ion spray-mass spectrometry. In all 20 specimens obtained from subjects under racemic methadone treatment, R- (the active form) and S-enantiomers of methadone were identified with the following concentrations: 26 to 1118 ng/patch for R-methadone and 28 to 1114 ng/patch for S-methadone. The ratio between R- and S-methadone was in the range of 0.72 to 2.66 and was higher than 1.00 in 15 samples. No correlation between the doses of methadone administered and the concentrations of methadone in sweat was observed.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1998

Comparison of genetic variability in wild insular and mainland populations of Eulemur macaco: implications for conservation strategy.

DNA fingerprinting analysis was used to investigate genetic variability within and between three wild populations of Eulemur macaco living on two islands and on the mainland. The analyses revealed that the genetic variability of the population from the smaller island was, as expected, lower than that from the larger island. Surprisingly, on the larger island the genetic variability was greater than on the mainland. These results, in agreement with those previously obtained from blood markers, are discussed in relation to the history of these populations. In addition, the study suggests that settlement of the smallest island was not only by animals originating from the mainland, as previously proposed on the basis of blood marker data, but also by lemurs from the nearby, larger, island. Evidence is presented that reliable information about population structure can be derived only from studies using different genetic markers. This information is important to enable appropriate conservation programmes to be designed.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Screening for forensically relevant benzodiazepines in human hair by gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionization-mass spectrometry.

A procedure is presented for the detection in human hair of forensically relevant benzodiazepines, i.e. nordiazepam, oxazepam, bromazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, flunitrazepam, alprazolam and triazolam. The method involves decontamination of hair with methylene chloride, pulverization in a ball mill, incubation of 50 mg powdered hair in Soerensen buffer (pH 7.6) in the presence of prazepam-d5 used as internal standard, liquid-liquid extraction with diethyl ether-chloroform (80:20, v/v) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using negative chemical ionization after derivatization with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide plus 1% trimethylchlorosilane. The limits of detection for all benzodiazepines ranged from 1 to 20 pg/mg using a 50-mg hair sample. Coefficients of variation and extraction recoveries, ranging from 7.4 to 25.4% and 47.6 to 90%, respectively, were found suitable for a screening procedure. One hundred and fifteen samples were submitted to this screening procedure, and specimens tested positive for nordiazepam (0.20-18.87 ng/mg, n=42) and its major metabolite oxazepam (0.10-0.50 ng/mg, n=14), flunitrazepam (19-148 pg/mg, n=31), lorazepam (31-49 pg/mg, n=4) and alprazolam (0.3-1.24 ng/mg, n=2). Bromazepam, diazepam and triazolam were not detected.

Benzodiazepines↗
PubMed1997

High-performance liquid chromatography-ionspray mass spectrometry for the specific determination of digoxin and some related cardiac glycosides in human plasma.

An original method based upon high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to ionspray mass spectrometry (HPLC-ISP-MS) has been developed for the identification and quantification in plasma of several cardiac glycosides, namely digoxin, digitoxin, lanatoside C and acetyldigitoxin. After single-step liquid-liquid extraction by chloroform-2-propanol (95:5, v/v) at pH 9.5 using oleandrin as an internal standard, solutes are separated on a 4 microm NovaPak C18 (Waters) column (150x2.0 mm, I.D.), using a gradient of acetonitrile-2 mM NH4COOH, pH 3 buffer (flow-rate 200 microl/min, post-column split 1:3). Detection is done by a Perkin-Elmer Sciex API-100 mass analyzer equipped with an ISP interface. In most instances the major ion observed is not [M+H]+ as expected, but [M+NH4]+. The mean retention times (min) are: lanatoside C, 5.74; digoxin, 6.00; digitoxin, 8.08, oleandrin, 8.30, acetyldigitoxin, 8.66 and 9.01 (isomers alpha and beta, respectively). The lower limits of detection in single ion monitoring mode range from 0.15 ng/ml (alpha- and beta-acetyldigitoxin) to 0.60 ng/ml (lanatoside C), making the method less sensitive than radioimmunoassay, whereas it is much more specific.

Acetyldigitoxins↗
PubMed1997

Acute fatal poisoning with dichlorophen.

A case is presented involving an acute fatality resulting from self-administered dichlorophen, a chlorophenol fungicide. The compound was quantified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry after extraction with methyl-tert-butyl ether, derivatization by methylation and separation on a HP5-MS capillary column. The blood concentration was 9.77 mg/l and other drugs, including ethanol, were not detected.

Dichlorophen↗
PubMed1997

[Patient information and obtaining informed consent in laparoscopic surgery].

Since the advent of laparoscopic surgery, the number of suits against surgeons has risen. One of the most frequent complaints is the lack of sufficient information. Physicians in France have a formal obligation to provide information in the contractual legal context established since 1936. This notion has been confirmed in several court cases. The requirement for patient informed consent has been confirmed by several decisions of the Appeals Court and is stated in the code of deontology. The value of classical oral information has been recently questioned in certain court cases. We analyse the current legal situation in France and try to define the content of information required in the case of laparoscopic surgery in addition to the way this information is provided and the means of obtaining informed consent. The information provided must be personalised. The patient must informed that laparoscopy remains a surgical operation. It is licit to warn the patient of predictable risks according to statistical probabilities, of the team's experience and of the patients own status including past history and psychological factors. A written statement may be prepared but must remain a document complementary to personalised oral information. The surgeon must obtain and assure good patient comprehension. The surgical community should publish risk rates in order for surgeons to have reliable references which can be used to define the notion of exceptional risk.

Cognition↗
PubMed1996

High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to ion spray mass spectrometry for the determination of colchicine at ppb levels in human biofluids.

An original method based upon high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to ion spray mass spectrometry (HPLC-ISP-MS) has been developed for the identification and quantification of colchicine (COL) in human blood, plasma or urine. After single-step liquid-liquid extraction by dichloromethane at pH 8.0 using tofisopam (TOF) as an internal standard, solutes are separated on a 5-microns C18 Microbore (Alltech) column (250 x 1.0 mm, I.D.), using acetonitrile-2 mM NH4COOH, pH 3 buffer (75: 25, v/v) as the mobile phase (flow-rate 50 microliters/min). Detection is done by a Perkin-Elmer Sciex API-100 mass analyzer equipped with a ISP interface (nebulizing and curtain gas: N2, quality U; main settings: ISP, +4.0 kV; OR, +50 V; Q0, -10 V; Q1, -13 V; electron multiplier, +2.2 kV); MS data are collected as either total ion current (TIC, m/z 100-500 or 380-405), or selected ion monitoring (SIM) at m/z 400 and 383 for COL and TOF, respectively. COL mass spectrum shows a prominent molecular ion [M + H]+ at m/z 400. Increasing OR potential fails to provide a significant fragmentation. Retention times are 2.70 and 4.53 min for COL and TOF, respectively. The quantification method shows a good linearity (r = 0.998) over a concentration range from 5 to 200 ng/ml. The lower limit of detection in SIM mode is 0.6 ng/ml COL, making the method convenient for both clinical and forensic purposes.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1996

First isolation of tandemly repeated DNA sequences in New World vultures and phylogenetic implications.

A highly repeated DNA sequence composed of closely related subunits that ranged from 171 to 176 base pairs has been cloned and characterized in the king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa). Related sequences were also isolated in the black vulture (Coragyps atratus). This new family of avian repetitive DNA elements is here termed the "HaeIII family." Genomic DNAs from a number of avian species were probed with one of the king vulture restriction fragments. In the cathartids, the hybridization patterns showed no individual or sexual variations. A strong HaeIII ladder was present in the two aforementioned species as well as in the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), but in the black vulture the bands of the ladder alternated in intensity. Weaker hybridization signals were obtained in two ciconids, the jabiru stork (Jabiru mycteria) and the white stork (Ciconia ciconia). The HaeIII repeat was not detected in accipitrid birds of prey, a Polyborinae falconid, pelecanids, and psittacids.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Continuous river monitoring of the diatoms in the diagnosis of drowning.

The diagnosis of drowning is one of the most difficult in forensic pathology. Diatom analysis has been proposed to provide supportive evidence of drowning but the reliability and applicability of quantitative and qualitative diatom analysis in the diagnosis of drowning is still disputed in the literature. In order to further examine such cases, the authors report the development of a water monitoring system based on algae performed each month at three aquatic locations where drowning victims are frequently found. Water samples and stones were taken from the surface and from the bed of the river. This protocol was performed during 1993 with analyses both on water samples and human tissue samples (30 bodies). The diatom profile of the drowning sites was compared with the tissue analysis. The extraction of diatoms from the tissues was performed with an enzymatic digestion method using Proteinase K. Results indicate that the monitoring of river diatom populations is an accurate method of generating profiles of the river flora, which can then be compared with the diatom genera found in tissues.

Diatoms↗
PubMed1995

Odontological identification of the victims of flight AI. IT 5148 air disaster Lyon-Strasbourg 20.01.1992.

The authors report on the contribution of odontological identification of the flight AI. IT 5148 air disaster victims, which occurred on 20th January 1992. The identification procedure was difficult due to large numbers of bodies and mutilations and required the involvement of multidisciplinary teams composed of odontologists, forensic pathologists, radiologists and biologists. The authors set up a simple, discriminant classification which was easy to handle by a multidisciplinary team. Four groups were defined according to the matching characteristics between ante and post mortem data. Perfect matching characteristics between ante and post mortem data were achieved in only 44 cases (Group A). Partial matching characteristics between ante and post mortem data were achieved in 12 cases (Group B). In 29 cases, the insufficiency or absence of odontological data (Group C and D) did not enable the victim to be identified. The results of the investigations showed that the dental examination alone enabled 17 victims to be identified and by including a morphological examination the figure reached 33. By the end of the investigations, 85 of the 87 victims were positively identified. Odontological identification is an essential, accurate and rapid method with allows a body to be identified from its dental characteristics. This anthropometrical method of identification is included with the descriptive and the biological methods. The authors present their experience in performing a formal identification of 44 victims in less than 15 days.

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed1995

The detection of opiate drugs in nontraditional specimens (clothing): a report of ten cases.

We present a series of 10 fatalities involving opiate overdosage, in which morphine, codeine, and 6-monoacetylmorphine were identified and quantified, not only in postmortem biological samples, but also in pieces of underwear taken from the bodies. Small tissue samples (about 1 g) were cut off from several parts of the underwear, stored at ambient temperature until analysis, then extracted by agitation in a mixture of chloroform/2-propanol/n-heptane (60:14:26, v/v/v) and assayed using GC/MS in the single ion monitoring mode. Morphine, codeine and 6-monoacetylmorphine concentrations were in the range 0.02 to 9.27 micrograms/g. These results indicate that the impregnation of underwear by sweat and sebaceous secretions and/or urine provides detectable levels of the drugs excreted by these ways. Even in the absence of biological samples, assaying pieces of clothing may bring some evidence about the drug abuser status of their owner.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

French Caucasian population data for HUMTH01 and HUMFES/FPS short tandem repeat (STR) systems.

The recent technology of amplification of DNA sequences by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has already proved to be a very useful tool for the analysis of variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) loci. Short tandem repeat (STR) loci appear as other promising PCR-based identification systems. In fact, DNA typing based on PCR amplification of STRs is very sensitive and allows to overcome major problems encountered when using the RFLP method, such as typing of very small amounts of DNA, highly degraded DNA or mixtures of DNA from more than one individual. Two STR systems, HUMTH01 (a tetranucleotide repeat (AATG) sequence located on chromosome 11) and HUMFES/FPS (a tetranucleotide repeat (ATTT) sequence located on chromosome 15) were investigated in order to determine allele and genotype frequencies for a French caucasian population sample. HUMTH01 and HUMFES/FPS alleles were amplified by the use of PCR and amplified STR sequences were analyzed on 6% Hydrolink Long Ranger gels and visualized by silver staining. The study was conducted on a sample of unrelated individuals (N approximately 190) randomly selected from the French caucasian population. The genotype distributions met Hardy-Weinberg expectations for both HUMTH01 and HUMFES/FPS STR systems. Furthermore, an additional allele, never reported before was observed at the HUMFES/FPS locus: it migrates as an allele containing 7 repeat units and corresponds to the smallest allele identified for this locus.

Alleles↗