Building Community Partnership to Sustain the Minnesota Student Parent Support Initiative.

PURPOSE: Considerable attention has been given to the sustainability of adolescent health programs as federal funds have become limited. This article describes important steps and lessons learned in seeking buy-in from stakeholders to promote sustainability and secure non-federal funds to maintain the Minnesota Student Parent Support Initiative (MSPSI) after federal funding ended. DESCRIPTION: MSPSI was established in 2010 to address the academic and health needs of expectant and parenting postsecondary students. MSPSI provided coordinated case management and referrals to health, education, and social services for expectant and parenting adolescents, as well as for their children, through Student Parent Centers (SPCs). Six important actions sustained the SPCs after the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) grant funds ended in November 2017: (1) preparing and planning for sustainability, (2) creating and engaging a sustainability committee, (3) assessing sustainability needs and creating a sustainability plan, (4) creating a data system to collect relevant data, (5) building capacity to support communication with decision makers, and (6) sharing data and success stories. ASSESSMENT: The implementation of the sustainability plan resulted in ongoing communications and data sharing with key partners that helped secure additional funds for continuing the program after OPA funding ended. CONCLUSION: Implementing the MSPSI sustainability plan developed from OPA's sustainability framework was effective in sustaining the SPCs after federal funding ended. The sustainability planning, the ability to secure funds, the attempt at passing legislation, and the lessons shared in this article provide valuable guidance to organizations seeking strategies to sustain adolescent health programs.

Identification of pyrolysis products of the new psychoactive substance 2-amino-1-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanone hydrochloride (bk-2C-B) and its iodo analogue bk-2C-I.

2-Amino-1-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanone hydrochloride (bk-2C-B) has recently emerged as a new psychoactive substance (NPS). It is most commonly consumed orally, although there are indications that it might also be ingested by inhalation or 'smoking'. Information about the stability of bk-2C-B when exposed to heat is unavailable and the potential for pyrolytic degradation and formation of unknown substances available for inhalation prompted an investigation using a simulated 'meth pipe' scenario. Twelve products following pyrolysis of bk-2C-B were detected and verified by organic synthesis of the corresponding standards. In addition, 2-amino-1-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanone hydrochloride (bk-2C-I) was characterized for the first time and subjected to pyrolysis as well. Similar products were formed, which indicated that the replacement of the bromo with the iodo substituent did not affect the pyrolysis pattern under the conditions used. Two additional products were detected in the bk-2C-I pyrolates, namely 1-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-ethanone and 1-iodo-4-ethenyl-5-methoxyphenol. The potential ingestion of pyrolysis products with unknown toxicity adds an element of concern. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Do You Get What You Paid For? An Examination of Products Advertised as Kratom.

Although some novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are newly discovered chemicals, others are traditional or indigenous substances that are introduced to new markets. One of these latter substances is a plant many people refer to as kratom. Indigenous to Southeast Asia and used for a variety of instrumental and recreational purposes, kratom has recently become available to Western drug users. Kratom is somewhat unique in that the plant contains two different psychoactive chemicals, which have both stimulant (mitragynine) and narcotic (7-hydroxymitragynine) properties. Thus, kratom may appeal to different types of drug users for reasons other than curiosity. In the current study, 15 samples of products that were either directly advertised as kratom or were listed in the results of a web search (but were not directly advertised as kratom) were purchased for testing. After laboratory testing, it was determined that all products advertised as kratom contained the active chemical mitragynine, but 7-hydroxymitragynine was not detected in any of the samples. Implications are discussed.

Identification of 2-(ethylamino)-1-(4-methylphenyl)-1-pentanone (4-MEAP), a New "Legal High" Sold by an Internet Vendor as 4-Methyl Pentedrone.

Online vendors are offering a new legal high, 4-methylpentedrone (4-MPD). Information for potential users provided by internet vendors of 4-MPD includes incorrect structures and nonexistent CAS numbers. A sample of 4-MPD was obtained and analyzed using GC-MS, NMR, and LC-EIS. The fragmentation data from the GC-MS and LC-EIS produced an M-1 ion that suggested the molecular mass was 219 amu, rather than 205 amu as calculated for 4-methylpentedrone. The difference in molecular mass corresponded to the addition of a methyl group. Based on the mass and fragmentation pattern, two standards were synthesized, 2-(ethylamino)-1-(4-methylphenyl)-1-pentanone and 1-(4-methylphenyl)-2-(propylamino)-1-butanone. The synthesis involved bromination of the appropriate ketone followed by the reaction with ethylamine or propylamine. Based on the NMR data and unique fragmentation patterns produced by these molecules, the sample was identified as 2-(ethylamino)-1-(4-methylphenyl)-1-pentanone, not 4-methylpentedrone.

The syntheses, characterization and in vitro metabolism of nitracaine, methoxypiperamide and mephtetramine.

Three legal highs; nitracaine (3-(diethylamino)-2,2-dimethylpropyl 4-nitrobenzoate), methoxypiperamide (MEOP, (4-methoxyphenyl)(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)methanone) and mephtetramine (MTTA, 2-((methylamino)methyl)-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one) appeared in 2013 as new psychoactive substances (NPS) on Internet websites selling 'research chemicals'. These compounds were synthesized and analyzed via our synthesize, analyze, and metabolize (SAM) protocol. Nitracaine was synthesized by the transesterification of methyl 4-nitrobenzoate with 3-(diethylamino)-2,2-dimethylpropan-1-ol. Methoxypiperamide was synthesized by the reaction of 4-methoxybenzoyl chloride with 1-methylpiperazine, and mephtetramine through the Mannich reaction of 1-tetralone with paraformaldehyde and methylamine hydrochloride. Each compound was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography with electron impact mass spectrometry (GC-EIMS), liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS), and high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS). A sample of nitracaine was also test-purchased from an Internet vendor and its structure confirmed by GC-EIMS and LC-ESI-MS. Finally, the in vitro metabolism of the nitracaine, mephtetramine, and methoxypiperamide was investigated, using a human microsomal liver extract, in order to tentatively identify potential metabolites that may be encountered in the analysis of biological samples in clinical or toxicology labs. The use of our SAM protocol highlights the ability of academic research labs to quickly respond to and disseminate information about emerging NPS.

Characterization of the pyrolysis products of methiopropamine.

1-(Thien-2-yl)-2-methylaminopropane (methiopropamine, MPA), appeared as a 'legal high' in late 2010. It is structurally similar to methamphetamine, with a thiophene ring replacing the benzene moiety. Methiopropamine reportedly retains the pharmacological properties of amphetamine stimulants, but it does not fall under existing drug laws in the USA and Ireland. The objective of this research was to identify the pyrolysis products formed under conditions that mimic those used by recreational drugs users. Thirteen pyrolysis products were identified and ten were confirmed by comparison to synthesized standards. Methods for synthesizing the standards as well as an alternative method for the synthesis of methiopropamine were developed. The MPA pyrolysis products are formed through N-dealkylation, N-alkylation, N-formylation, ß-carbon oxidation, ß-carbon oxidation/N-alkylation, amine elimination and carbon-carbon bond cleavage. Two pyrazine isomers also formed. Some of these products have the potential to be psychoactive while others are potentially toxic.

Identification of (2-aminopropyl)benzofuran (APB) phenyl ring positional isomers in internet purchased products.

5-(2-Aminopropyl)benzofuran (5-APB), a 'research chemical' that was first reported by UK authorities to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) in 2010, is anecdotally reported to produce a combination of stimulant and entactogenic effects. More recently, in 2011, 6-(2-aminopropyl)benzofuran (6-APB) was identified by Hungarian authorities. To confirm positional isomer identity in Internet purchased products, 4- 5- 6- and 7-APBs were synthesized and found to be separable by gas chromatography (as heptafluorobutyramide derivatives) and liquid chromatography. The analyses of products purchased from online vendors of 'research chemicals' identified the presence of 5- or 6-APBs. These findings were further confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and (1) H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In products containing 6-APB, the 4- positional isomer was also identified and this may have arisen during the manufacturing process.

Microcrystal analysis of cocaine hydrochloride and added adulterants.

The objective of this project was to investigate the trends of changes in the crystal morphology of cocaine in the presence of the common adulterants, caffeine and lidocaine HCl. By performing gold chloride microcrystal tests on samples of cocaine with adulterants at 10, 20, and 50% concentrations, trends in the changes of the crystal morphology can be linked to specific adulterants and concentrations. For cocaine/caffeine mixtures, the trend is elongation of one axis, additional branching, and brown discoloration of the crystals. At 50:50 cocaine/caffeine mixtures, branched spherical crystals and long needles appear. The trends for cocaine/lidocaine mixtures include elongation of one axis with an X-shaped middle axis. The axes continue to grow and branching decreases until at 50%, spherical clusters of needles appear. These results indicate microcrystal analysis can be used as a novel method for presumptively identifying not only cocaine but also the identity and concentration of the adulterant.

Particle-particle interactions between layered double hydroxide nanoparticles.

Changes in chemical properties of nanoscale particles include quantum size effect, changes in the cell parameters and lattice symmetry, and surface and interface effects. In the case of layered double hydroxides (LDHs), surface and interface effects dominate for nanoparticles of MgAl LDHs. Using TEM micrographs of nanoparticle-sized LDHs, we have found that the increased number of surface atoms relative to the internal atoms increases the surface-to-surface interparticle attractions. As a result, nanosize LDH particles are able to form continuous oriented films that adhere well to a polar substrate.