A new, simple and rapid procedure has been developed and validated for the determination of cocaine and its main metabolite, benzoylecgonine, in human hair samples. After extraction from within the hair matrix by a mixture of methanol/hydrochloric acid (2:1) at 65 degrees C for 3 h, and sample cleanup by mixed-mode solid-phase extraction (SPE), the extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography/m...

The 125I-radioimmunoassay (RIA) for benzylecgonine (cocaine metabolite) in urine was evaluated by comparison with gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and the Enzyme-Multiplied Immunoassay Technique (EMIT). By RIA, a statistically significant concentration, 2 microng/liter, was observed for urinary benzoylecgonine. The coefficient of variation for the RIA was 2.58...

BACKGROUND Currently the rate-limiting step for mass spectrometric analysis of drugs in biological samples is sample preparation. Many gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) methods are specific for a certain class of compounds, requiring extraction and/or derivatization before analysis. The purpose of this study was to develop a broad spectrum liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/...

OBJECTIVE To assess whether there is an association of level of fetal cocaine exposure to developmental precursors of speech-language skills at 1 year of age, after controlling for confounding factors. DESIGN In a prospective, longitudinal, quasi-experimental, matched cohort design, 3 cocaine exposure groups were defined by maternal self-report and infant meconium assay: nonexposure (n = 131)...

Purpose: To develop a simple yet sensitive, reliable and robust method for qualitative determination of cocaine and a series of its tropane metabolites in biological samples (blood, urine, etc.). The method should be optimized for routine forensic expertise in analytical toxicology. Material/Methods: Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been used as the method for analy...

OBJECTIVE Cocaine use is associated with arterial thrombosis, including myocardial infarction and stroke. Cocaine use results in increased plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF), accelerated atherosclerosis, and platelet-rich arterial thrombi, suggesting that cocaine activates the endothelium, promoting platelet-VWF interactions. APPROACH AND RESULTS Human umbilical vein endothelial cells, brain ...

Even though hair analysis often seems to be the best choice for retrospective monitoring of cocaine intake, differentiating between incorporated cocaine and external contamination is widely debated. In this study we report results obtained in 90 hair samples from addicts. All samples were analyzed for cocaine, benzoylecgonine, norcocaine, cocaethylene, and tropococaine by gas chromatography-mas...

We compared pharmacokinetics of cocaine and its metabolite, benzoylecgonine, in pregnant rhesus monkeys and their fetuses at mid-gestation: 1) after a single intravenous dose of cocaine, 2) after a single oral dose of cocaine, 3) after the last oral cocaine administration of a 50-day-long chronic cocaine treatment, and 4) on the last day of a 50-day-long chronic treatment with five daily intrav...

INTRODUCTION Over the past two decades, the study of chronic cocaine and crack cocaine exposure in the pediatric population has been focused on the potential adverse effects, especially in the prenatal period and early childhood. Non-invasive biological matrices have become an essential tool for the assessment of a long-term history of drug of abuse exposure. CASE REPORT We analyze the signif...