Temperature and time after urine collection affect the detection of phenethylamine, a substance prohibited in sports.

2-Phenylethylamine (phenethylamine) and its derivatives are stimulant drugs, which are prohibited in sports because of their potential performance-enhancing properties. If phenethylamine is detected in an athlete's urine, the athlete may be subjected to serious sanctions, such as disqualification for both domestic and international competitions. Given the serious consequences athletes face for phenethylamine detection, great care should be taken to avoid false positive tests. In forensic medicine, it is widely known that phenethylamine is produced by putrefactive bacteria in autopsy urine samples; it is possible that this process could also occur in an athlete's urine sample without proper storage. In this study, human urine samples were stored at -20, 4, or 22°C for 14 days, and phenethylamine in the samples was quantitatively analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. No phenethylamine was detected in urine samples stored at -20°C throughout 14-day period. Nevertheless, phenethylamine was detected after 6 days in these samples stored at 4°C and after only 1 day in samples stored at 22°C. Additionally, the concentration of phenethylamine in these samples increased each day after detection. These results suggest that urine samples should be stored immediately at -20°C after collection when testing athletes for phenethylamine, especially if the sample must be stored for extended period before testing.

A Fatal Case of Poisoning with Fentanyl Transdermal Patches in Japan.

Fentanyl transdermal patches have been used to treat cancer- and noncancer-related chronic pain. However, its inappropriate or illegal application may cause fatal poisoning. We herein present the case of a Japanese woman in her 40s who was found dead with seven 25-µg/h fentanyl transdermal patches on her body. We established a detailed toxicological analysis procedure to quantify fentanyl, and its metabolite norfentanyl, and other drugs (acetaminophen, allylisopropylacetylurea, celecoxib, estazolam, promethazine, and sertraline) in human whole blood by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The measured fentanyl and norfentanyl concentrations in the femoral and cardiac blood were 0.051 and 0.072 µg/mL and 0.033 and 0.076 µg/mL, respectively. The decedent's fentanyl concentrations were consistent with previously reported postmortem blood levels for fatal cases of poisoning by fentanyl transdermal patches. Based on the decedent's case history, autopsy findings, and toxicological analyses, the cause of death was identified as intoxication with transdermal fentanyl.

New device for collecting intra-oral findings of unknown body.

In dental identification, the collection of intra-oral images is extremely important. We propose the Dental Watch(®) as a new device for collecting intra-oral findings in situations where sufficient jaw-opening or adequate lighting cannot be obtained in such cases of dead bodies within a day after death or burned bodies encountered in mass disaster. This device is an improved home video camera for taking intra-oral images. It is lightweight and cordless, allowing it to be operated with one hand, and an audio function allows comments to be made and recorded on obtaining findings at the same time as images are taken. In addition, this device allows images of the entire oral cavity to be taken comparatively easily, even when only a minimal degree of jaw movement is available. This device is extremely useful in situations where a single dentist inspector must obtain findings and make an accurate and detailed Dental Chart.

Collection of intraoral findings in corpse with small-scale color dental scanner system.

Together with X-ray radiography and the description in the dental chart (odontogram), the collection of intraoral images is extremely important in dental identification. Recently, thanks to advances in digital devices for taking images in the oral cavity, problems with developing images and images being lost due to scanning errors have been minimized. However, in corpses where postmortem rigidity has firmly set in and burned bodies where the jaw has to be forced open, it is difficult to open the jaw enough to allow images to be taken. In addition, collection of intraoral images requires skill. Our goal was to determine the efficacy of a newly developed, small-scale color dental scanner in collecting intraoral images. The results showed that it was comparatively easy to obtain an entire image of the oral cavity with even a minimum degree of jaw opening. This should enable even a non-expert to perform oral image collection.

Detection of cfxA and cfxA2, the beta-lactamase genes of Prevotella spp., in clinical samples from dentoalveolar infection by real-time PCR.

While most bacteria involved in dentoalveolar infection are highly susceptible to penicillin, some Prevotella strains exhibit resistance to this agent through the production of beta-lactamase. The production of beta-lactamase by Prevotella spp. is in turn associated with the expression of the genes cfxA and cfxA2. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of cfxA and cfxA2 in Prevotella strains by use of real-time PCR and to assess the performance of this molecular method for the direct detection of the genes in 87 clinical samples (pus and root canal exudates) from dentoalveolar infection. Production of beta-lactamase by each isolate was determined using a nitrocefin disk. beta-Lactamase production was seen in 31% of Prevotella isolates, while all isolates of other species were beta-lactamase negative. The penicillin resistance of isolates strongly correlated with the production of beta-lactamase. Real-time PCR was found to detect the cfxA and cfxA2 genes from at least five cells per reaction mixture (5 x 10(3) CFU/ml of pus). Using real-time PCR, the presence of cfxA and cfxA2 was evident for all 48 beta-lactamase-positive Prevotella strains. In contrast, neither beta-lactamase-negative Prevotella (n = 91) or non-Prevotella (n = 31) strains were positive for the genes. In this study, 31 of the 87 samples yielded beta-lactamase-positive Prevotella results, and cfxA and cfxA2 were detected in all 31 samples. Of the 56 culture-negative samples, 8 (14%) were positive for cfxA and cfxA2 by the real-time PCR. This sensitive and specific molecular method offers a rapid clinical test for aiding in the selection of an appropriate antibiotic for treatment of dentoalveolar infection. Although penicillin remains largely effective in the treatment of dentoalveolar infection, beta-lactamase-stable antibiotics should be considered in cases in which beta-lactamase-positive Prevotella strains are involved.