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Biomedical subjects

H Gjerde

Publications and source records attributed to H Gjerde.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Determination of mangafodipir trisodium and related impurities in bulk substance and pharmaceutical formulation by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography.

The development of an ion-pair liquid chromatographic method for determination of mangafodipir trisodium and related impurities is described. Good resolution was obtained when using a polymeric reverse-phase column and a mobile phase of pH* 10.5 composed by borate buffer, acetonitrile, and tetrabutylammonium hydrogensulphate as ion pair agent. Validation of the method showed good selectivity, precision, accuracy and linearity, and detection limits of 0.1--0.2 microg/ml.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical↗
PubMed1993

Incidence of alcohol and drugs in fatally injured car drivers in Norway.

Blood samples from 159 fatally injured drivers from 1989 and 1990, corresponding to 57% of all fatally injured drivers in Norway during this period, were analysed for alcohol and psychoactive drugs. Alcohol was found in 28.3% of the drivers, 27.0% above the legal limit of 0.05%. Drugs were found in 16.4% of the drivers; benzodiazepines and tetrahydrocannabinol were the drugs most frequently found. Among 79 drivers fatally injured in single-vehicle accidents, 41.8% were positive for alcohol and 21.5% were positive for drugs.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1992

[Alcohol consumption among convicted drivers].

150 males imprisoned for drunken driving were assessed by means of a questionnaire and medical examination. The objectives were to study alcohol consumption and frequency of alcohol-related problems. Half of the assessed persons were less than 30 years of age. 62% had a blood alcohol concentration > 1.50%. 36% had previously been convicted for drunken driving. Average alcohol consumption was 58 gram per day. 40% of the convicted persons reported a consumption of more than 40 gram alcohol per day. Corrected for under-reporting the consumption was even higher. The CAGE questionnaire was positive in 54%, indicating an alcohol-related problem. GGT (gamma-glutamyltransferase) was elevated in 23% and CDT (carbohydrate deficient transferrin) in 35%. This study indicates that 50-60% of convicted drunken drivers were excessive drinkers or/and had alcohol-related problems. Imprisonment and fines seem to have a limited impact on occurrence of drunken driving. Other strategies are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Simultaneous determination of common benzodiazepines in blood using capillary gas chromatography.

Blood samples were extracted with n-butyl acetate, and the extracts analysed by capillary gas chromatography using DB-1 and DB-1701 capillary columns with electron-capture detection. The DB-1701 column was found to give better separation of different benzodiazepines (BZDs). Recoveries ranged from 79 to 98%. Detection limits ranged from 0.005 to 0.015 microM for triazolam and flunitrazepam, and from 0.02 to 0.1 microM for other BZDs. Data on accuracy and precision are given for diazepam, desmethyldiazepam, flunitrazepam and nitrazepam.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1991

A case of high opiate tolerance: implications for drug analyses and interpretations.

A case of driving under the influence of extremely high concentrations of codeine and ethylmorphine is reported. A high blood concentration of morphine was also found, which in this case was probably a metabolic product of codeine and ethylmorphine. This illustrates that when morphine is found in blood, the sample should also be analysed for other opiates in order to avoid misinterpretations.

Automobile Driving↗
PubMed1991

Evaluation of a method for simultaneous quantification of codeine, ethylmorphine and morphine in blood.

Codeine, ethylmorphine and morphine are the most commonly detected opiates in forensic blood samples in Norway. A method for the simultaneous quantification of these opiates utilizing solid phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been evaluated. The detection limits were 0.026 mumol/l for codeine, 0.025 mumol/l for ethylmorphine and 0.032 mumol/l for morphine (corresponding to 7.8, 7.8 and 9.1 micrograms/l, respectively). The analytical variations at concentrations of 1.0 mumol/l codeine, 1.0 mumol/l ethylmorphine and 0.5 mumol/l morphine were less than 5%.

Codeine↗
PubMed1990

Driving under the influence of toluene.

Toluene is the most common volatile used for sniffing among adolescents. During 1983-1987, 114 drivers were arrested in Norway with blood toluene concentrations (BTCs) greater than 10 microM. Only four of these drivers were women. The age range was 15-34 years, and the mean age was 21. The mean BTC was 109 microM. There was no simple relation between blood toluene concentration and degree of impairment, however, most drivers with BTCs greater than 100 microM were considered as impaired or probably impaired by toluene. In a five year prospective study of rearrests among drivers arrested for driving after toluene sniffing, 12 out of 15 drivers were rearrested. They were responsible for 40 cases of suspected driving under influence of toluene, alcohol, or other drugs. The blood levels of toluene determined in this study must be regarded as minimum concentrations, since the toluene concentration fell rapidly in samples stored at 4 degrees C or 23 degrees C. Blood samples from drivers suspected of driving under influence of toluene must therefore be kept frozen.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1990

Screening for drug use among Norwegian drivers suspected of driving under influence of alcohol or drugs.

Two hundred and seventy blood samples selected at random from Norwegian drivers apprehended on the suspicion of drunken or drugged driving were screened for the presence of amphetamine, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cocaine. Of the samples tested, 223 were from drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol only (A-cases). In the rest (n = 47) of the cases, the police also suspected drugs as a possible reason for driving impairment (D-cases). In the A-cases, benzodiazepines were found in 17%, cannabinoids in 26%, THC in 13% and amphetamine in 2% of the blood samples. One or more drugs besides ethanol were found in 38% of the A-samples. In the D-cases, benzodiazepines were found in 53%, cannabinoids in 43%, THC in 43%, amphetamine in 13% and 77% of these samples contained one or more drugs. Cocaine was not detected in any sample. Blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) above the legal limit of 0.05% were found in 80% of the drug positive A-cases and in 28% of the drug positive D-cases. The frequency of drug detection in A-samples was similar (40%) in samples with BAC above and below 0.05%, while this frequency was much higher (above 90%) in D-samples with BAC below 0.05% than in D-samples with BAC above 0.05% (53%). Benzodiazepines were most frequently found among drivers above 25 years of age, while cannabinoids were most frequently found among drivers below 35 years. For about 15-20% of the A-cases with BAC below 0.05%, other drugs were detected at concentrations which may cause driving impairment. It was concluded that analysis of alcohol only might often be insufficient in A-cases to reveal driving impairment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Screening for drugs in forensic blood samples using EMIT urine assays.

A screening method for the detection of drugs in haemolysed whole blood has been evaluated. Methanolic extracts of 300 forensic blood samples known to be positive or negative for drugs were analysed with EMIT d.a.u. assay kits for amphetamine, cannabinoids, opiates and benzodiazepines (the latter to analyse for diazepam and the main metabolite N-desmethyldiazepam). There were very few false positive results, except for the amphetamine assay in postmortem blood samples, where 9% were false positive. For amphetamine and cannabinoids a few false negatives were found, these were from samples with very low drug concentrations. No false negatives were found for opiates and diazepam. The present modification of the EMIT d.a.u. method seems to be a good method for screening of drugs in forensic blood samples, except for amphetamine in postmortem samples. The method is simple and requires only 0.5 ml blood.

Amphetamine↗
PubMed1989

Evidence for a primary association of celiac disease to a particular HLA-DQ alpha/beta heterodimer.

Typing of DNA from 94 unrelated children with celiac disease (CD) with HLA-DQA1 and -DQB1 allele-specific oligonucleotide probes revealed that all but one (i.e., 98.9%) may share a particular combination of a DQA1 and a DQB1 gene. These genes are arranged in cis position on the DR3DQw2 haplotype and in trans position in DR5DQw7/DR7DQw2 heterozygous individuals. Thus, most CD patients may share the same cis- or trans-encoded HLA-DQ alpha/beta heterodimer.

Celiac Disease↗
PubMed1988

A three-year prospective study of rearrests for driving under influence of alcohol or drugs.

Fifty drunken drivers and 50 drivers with high blood drug concentrations arrested during the first four months of 1983 were selected for a study of rearrests for driving under influence of alcohol or drugs. Of the drugged drivers selected, 32 had been driving with high blood concentrations of diazepam (greater than 1.0 microM). 50% of these drivers were rearrested during the subsequent three years. The rearrest rate was low (6%) among those who had been driving with high blood concentrations of amphetamine (greater than 2.0 microM) or THC (greater than 0.010 microM). Among the drunken drivers arrested (BAC greater than 0.05%), the rearrest rate was 20%. The drivers were mostly rearrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

A two year prospective study of rearrests for drunken driving.

393 drunken drivers, arrested within a six-month period in 1984/85, were selected for a prospective study of rearrests for drunken driving. Within the following two years, 119 (30%) of the drivers were rearrested. They were responsible for 232 detected drunken driving offences. The rearrest rate increased with increasing blood alcohol concentration (measured at the time of selection). The rearrest rate was greater for those with elevated blood gamma glutamyltransferase (a marker of excessive alcohol consumption), and was markedly greater for those with more than one arrest for drunken driving preceding the observation period.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

A comparison of serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin with other biological markers of excessive drinking.

In a study of suggested biological markers of excessive drinking, serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) was compared with serum activities of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, amylase, aspartate aminotransferase and gamma glutamyltransferase; serum concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; and erythrocyte mean cellular volume. Analytical data were studied in relation to self-reported alcohol consumption during the latest month for the 69 participating subjects. CDT was found to be the most sensitive and most specific marker of excessive drinking, and was also found to be the best marker for monitoring abstinence under treatment of alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

A retrospective study of drugged driving in Norway.

The National Institute of Forensic Toxicology, Oslo, receives blood and urine samples from all Norwegian drivers apprehended on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In 1983 we received samples from 1446 drug-suspected drivers, out of which 445 underwent toxicological analysis. The drugs found most frequently were tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (n = 199), diazepam (n = 166) and amphetamine (n = 102). A cautious interpretation of the data indicate that about 200 of the 445 subjects selected for toxicological analysis drove under severe influence of drugs. Because of the high percentage of submitted cases not analysed for drugs, this figure represents a minimum estimate. Compared with the results from 1978, we found a several-fold increase in detections of THC and amphetamine in 1983. The number of diazepam detections did not increase in a similar way, but we estimated that the diazepam detections would have increased 3-fold if we had analysed as frequent for this drug in 1983 as in 1978.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Daily drinking and drunken driving.

In a study of 3,658 drunken drivers, it was found that eight percent reported daily drinking of alcohol, 82% reported no daily drinking, and 10% gave no information about drinking frequency. Measurement of gamma glutamyl-transferase (a biological marker for heavy drinking) in a selection of blood samples from drunken drivers reporting daily drinking, indicated that the majority of these drivers were heavy drinkers. The drunken drivers who reported daily drinking, had higher blood alcohol concentrations, were responsible for a larger number of previously detected drunken driving offences, and were more prone to being arrested for drunken driving during working days and during daylight hours than other drunken drivers. Among the repeating offenders, it was estimated that 13% would report daily drinking, and 74% would not.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Concentrations of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in dialysed plasma from drunken drivers.

Serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) has previously been found to be a sensitive and specific biological marker of excessive alcohol consumption. In order to study the prevalence of excessive drinking among arrested drunken drivers, CDT was measured in plasma samples from 50 drunken drivers after dialysis against 0.9% NaCl. 60% of the drivers had elevated CDT. When data on CDT from other studies were used to interpret our CDT results, it was estimated that at least 60% of the drunken drivers were consuming at least 50 g pure alcohol per day. Drunken drivers involved in road traffic accidents tended to have higher CDT values than other drunken drivers, indicating a higher alcohol consumption, while drivers below 30 years of age had lower CDT values than older ones.

Accidents, Traffic↗