[The effect of the risk of a complaint on treatment decision making. An explorative investigation in fourth-year dental students]. / Het effect van de klachtkans op een behandelbeslissing. Een exploratief onderzoek onder vierdejaarsstudenten tandheelkunde.

The perception of the seriousness of a false-negative or false-positive diagnosis could influence treatment decision making for carious lesions. In order to investigate this hypothesis, the perceived risk of a complaint at a disciplinary tribunal was used as an indicator of the seriousness of the consequences of treatment decision errors. Using a computer programme for caries diagnosis on radiographs and by means of a questionnaire, was investigated in a group of fourth-year dental students whether their accuracy of treatment decision making for carious lesions was dependent on the perception of the risk of a complaint at a disciplinary tribunal. The perception of the likelihood of complaints does not seem to play a significant role in the accuracy of decision making. However, the students demonstrated unrealistical high risk perceptions of a complaint at a disciplinary tribunal following a treatment decision making error by a false diagnosis of a carious lesion on a bitewing radiograph.

Liquid chromatographic-thermospray tandem mass spectrometric quantitative analysis of some drugs with hypnotic, sedative and tranquillising properties in whole blood.

Results are presented of a liquid chromatographic-thermospray tandem mass spectrometric method of analysing different drugs in whole blood. Substances with hypnotic, sedative and tranquillising properties from the benzodiazepine, the thioxanthene, the butyrophenone, the methadone and the diphenylbutylpiperidine groups were investigated. It appears that ten to hundred times lower detection limits for the substances in whole blood can be reached with this method compared with methods more commonly used. Detection limits in the range 10-100 pg per injection (equivalent to 0.05-0.5 ng/ml whole blood) were reached for the majority of the compounds.

[Mass spectrometry data of some metabolites of the amphetamine derivatives 3,4-(methylenedioxy) amphetamine (MDA) and 3,4-methylenedioxy)methylamphetamine (MDMA)]. / Massenspektrometrische Daten einiger Metabolite der Amphetaminderivate 3,4-(Methylendioxy)-amphetamin (MDA) und 3,4-(Methylendioxy) methylamphetamin (MDMA).

Mass spectrometric data are presented for the detection of metabolites of the amphetamine derivates 3,4-(Methylenedioxy)amphetamine (MDA) und 3,4-(Methylenedioxy)methylamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) as well as some other derivatives.

Quantitative liquid chromatographic thermospray-tandem mass spectrometric analysis of some analgesics and tranquilizers of the methadone, butyrophenone, or diphenylbutylpiperidine groups in whole blood.

The results of a liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for the quantitative determination of some medicaments of the methadone, butyrophenone, or diphenylbutylpiperidine groups in whole blood are presented. The method includes an extraction procedure with Bond Elut columns. The liquid chromatograph is connected to a mass spectrometer by a thermospray interface, and to obtain as high a sensitivity and selectivity as possible, a selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometric technique in the daughter ion mode is applied.

[Contamination in illegal amphetamine. Contaminants resulting from the synthesis of 3,4-(methylenedioxy)amphetamine (MDA) via condensation between nitroethane and piperonal]. / Verunreinigungen in illegalem Amphetamin. Verunreinigungen, die bei der Herstellung von 3.4-(Methylendioxy)amphetamin (MDA) durch Kondensation zwischen Nitroethan und Piperonal aufgefunden wurden.

Some impurities of illegally synthesized 3.4-(methylenedioxy)amphetamine (MDA) are presented. These compounds were detected in laboratory glassware which had been used for the synthesis of MDA via phenyl nitropropene route.

Quantitative liquid chromatography, thermospray/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/TSP/MS/MS) analysis of some thermolabile benzodiazepines in whole-blood.

An LC/TSP/MS/MS selected reaction monitoring (SRM) method in the daughter ion scan mode can be applied successfully for the quantitative determination of thermolabile benzodiazepines in whole-blood following an Extrelut extraction method. Detection limits as low as 100 pg per injection can be reached for all benzodiazepines. The benzodiazepines under investigation proved to be stable, with the exception of ketazolam for which complete degradation to diazepam was observed.

Impurities in Illicit Drug Preparations: 3,4-(Methylenedioxy)amphetamine and 3,4-(Methylenedioxy)methylamphetamine.

Attention is given here to the mass spectral data of impurities present in illicit drug preparations of 3,4-(methylenedioxy)amphetamine and 3,4-(methylenedioxy)methylamphetamine. These "designer" drugs, having emphatic properties, were synthesized following well-known procedures such as the reductive amination route, the Leuckart reaction, and the nitropropene and the bromopropane routes. Based on the structure elucidation of impurities - especially those so-called "route specific" ones - present in these illicit drug preparations conclusions can be drawn about the method of preparation of a drug sample. Furthermore, on the basis of this kind of information methods can be developed for the comparison of drug samples, by which questions about the origin of drug samples can be solved (commonly known as the signature method).

[Contaminants in illegal amphetamine. Basic contaminants in drug market 3,4-(methylenedioxy)methylamphetamine]. / Verunreinigungen in illegalem Amphetamin. Basische Verunreinigungen in auf dem Drogenmarkt käuflichem 3,4-(Methylendioxy)methylamphetamin.

In this paper a survey is given concerning the production of illegal MDMA preparations. It was found that the reductive amination and the Leuckart syntheses were used for this purposes.

[Contamination of illegal amphetamine. Hydrastatinine as a contaminant in 3,4-(methylenedioxy)methylamphetamine]. / Verunreinigungen in illegalem Amphetamin. Hydrastinin eine Verunreinigung in 3,4-(Methylendioxy)methylamphetamin.

A new impurity was found in MDMA preparations, the tricyclic alcaloid hydrastinine. Production of MDMA was done by low pressure amination of 3,4-(methylenedioxy)propanone-2 with methylamine.

Impurities in Illicit Drug Preparations: Amphetamine and Methamphetamine.

In this review, attention is paid to chromatographic and mass spectral properties of already identified impurities found to be present in frequently abused drug preparations of illegal origin of amphetamine and methamphetamine. The most commonly employed methods of synthesis of drugs of this type are briefly described. Special emphasis is given to the Leuckart route, found to be the preferred method, in the illicit production of amphetamine. Furthermore, some isolation and preconcentration methods for the contaminants are discussed. The importance of identifying impurities present in amphetamine or methamphetamine cannot be overestimated. These impurities originate mostly from the improper purification in the end stage of the different syntheses used in the clandestine manufacture of the substances; it is possible to differentiate between the several kinds of illegal drug preparations, synthesized by various methods, by means of so-called "route specific" impurities. Finally, a survey is given of the impurities already known to be present in amphetamine and methamphetamine, together with their mass spectral and some chromatographic properties.

Urinary pathogenicity of Proteus mirabilis strains isolated from faeces or urine.

Urinary and faecal isolates of Proteus mirabilis were studied with respect to a number of bacterial properties as possible virulence factors in the pathogenesis of urinary tract infections: experimental virulence in a mouse model, haemolysin production, haemagglutinating properties, hydrophobicity of the bacterial surface, sensitivity to the bactericidal effect of human serum, serotype and cell invasiveness. Urinary isolates were slightly more virulent than faecal isolates in the mouse model. No other significant differences were found between both groups. So urinary strains seem to be selected from the faecal reservoir mainly on the basis of their prevalence in the faeces and not on the basis of the possession of particular virulence factors.

Analysis of thiodiglycol in urine of victims of an alleged attack with mustard gas.

A procedure for the semi-quantitative determination of thiodiglycol, a metabolite of the vesicant mustard gas, in urine has been developed. Thiodiglycol was converted into mustard gas using concentrated HCl at temperatures close to 100 degrees C. The headspace of the solution containing mustard gas, was trapped on an adsorption tube filled with Tenax-GC which was subsequently analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Using 10 mL of urine, a detection limit of a few ng/mL of thiodiglycol was achieved. The procedure was applied to urine samples obtained from Iranian patients who were the alleged victims of an attack by chemical warfare agents (probably mustard gas). A number of control samples were investigated as well. Thiodiglycol was found in the urine of the Iranian patients in concentrations varying between 3 and 140 ng/mL. However, the detection of thiodiglycol in concentrations up to 55 ng/mL in control samples excluded the unambiguous verification of the use of mustard gas against the Iranian patients.

Uropathogenic properties of Proteus mirabilis and Proteus vulgaris.

A group of faecal isolates of Proteus vulgaris and P. mirabilis was studied for the presence of possible virulence factors such as growth rates in urine and broth, haemolysin production, hydrophobicity, sensitivity to the bactericidal activity of human serum and cell invasiveness. Differences were found in haemolysin production, cell invasiveness and experimental virulence in a mouse model. These differences might explain why P. mirabilis is much more common in human urinary-tract infections than P. vulgaris.

Killing capacity of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

The killing by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes of several species of bacteria, some of which were catalase positive, was examined in vitro in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. When all conditions other than the oxygen tension were identical, killing after 30 min was slightly greater in aerobic than in anaerobic conditions. However, after 60 and 120 min the difference between aerobic and anaerobic killing was smaller, and killing was nearly complete for all strains tested. These results conflict with the common opinion that oxygen is essential for efficient killing. Minor differences in experimental conditions can greatly influence results, and may be responsible for the discrepancy between this study and some previous studies on this subject.

[Hydrolysis of lorazepam with hydrochloric acid. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of byproducts of hydrolysis]. / Hydrolyse des Lorazepams mit Salzsäure. Qualitative und quantitative Analyse von Nebenprodukten der Hydrolyse.

Results of the identification of some additional products in the hydrochloric acid hydrolysis of lorazepam are reported, together with some quantitative results about the hydrolysis products under varying circumstances. It appeared that the amount of byproducts was reduced by applying hydrochloric acid of good quality and further on hydrolysis time had to be short.