Biomedical subjects

D N Sims

Publications and source records attributed to D N Sims.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Putrefactive pleural effusions as an alternative sample for drug quantification.

In the investigation of drug-related deaths it is occasionally necessary to examine putrefied bodies. In such cases the availability of conventional body fluids for toxicologic analysis is usually limited, whereas blood-stained pleural effusion is often present in adequate quantity in the pleural cavity. Fifty-five cases involving numerous drugs are presented in which pleural effusion drug concentrations are compared with corresponding blood or liver concentrations. More than 90% of comparisons produced coincident interpretations of the role that drugs played in the deaths. In most instances pleural effusion analysis was shown to be a valid alternative to the analysis of blood or other conventional fluids or tissues in cases exhibiting advanced putrefaction.

Autopsy↗

PubMed1999

Another death due to ingestion of Nicotiana glauca.

Deaths attributed to ingestion of Nicotiana glauca are extremely rare. We report here a case where a 43-year-old man was found dead after apparently drinking a water extract of Nicotiana glauca. The primary alkaloid in the plant is anabasine. Toxicological analysis by capillary gas chromatography showed the deceased had a blood anabasine concentration of 2.2 mg/L. Clinically, the features of poisoning are nicotine-like and if death occurs it results from respiratory paralysis. The case further supports the view that, in the human, anabasine is considerably more toxic than nicotine.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Sudden death due to intravenous infusion of hair conditioner.

A case of sudden death in a 14-year-old girl due to self administration of hair conditioner through an intravenous infusion pump is described. This report demonstrates difficulties that may occur in determining the manner of death in such cases and outlines a specific danger that may occur when adolescents have unsupervised access to intravenous infusion equipment.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Application of a simple extraction procedure using aqueous ammonia to the analysis of basic drugs in blood by gas chromatography.

A simple and reliable previously reported extraction procedure has been extended to the analysis of a wide range of basic and neutral drugs in postmortem blood and other tissues. The method employs 200 microliters of blood treated with water and ammonia and extracted with diethyl ether. The concentrated extract is generally sufficiently clean for direct analysis by gas chromatography and high pressure liquid chromatography. Recovery, precision and linearity data are presented for selected drugs.

Ammonia↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Recent paramethoxyamphetamine deaths.

Paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA) is a methoxylated phenethylamine derivative that has been used illicitly in Australia since late 1994. It is purportedly sold under the guise of "ecstasy", which is the colloquial name for methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Methods for extraction, identification, and quantitation are presented. Toxicology findings in six fatalities involving the drug are discussed. Femoral blood PMA levels ranged from 0.24 to 4.9 mg/L (mean, 2.3 mg/L). Liver PMA levels ranged from 1.4 to 21 mg/kg (mean, 8.9 mg/kg). Other amphetamines were found in five of the six cases. Blood PMA levels in three nonfatal cases are also presented. PMA appeared to be more toxic than MDMA, and blood levels greater than 0.5 mg/L seemed likely to be associated with toxic effects.

Adult↗