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Biomedical subjects

J Sakshaug

Publications and source records attributed to J Sakshaug.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
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↗
PubMed1989

Ethanol elimination-rates determined by breath analysis as a marker of recent excessive ethanol consumption.

The rate of ethanol elimination was studied in two groups of men by means of an Alcotest 7010 breath analyser. The experimental group consisted of 15 skid-row alcoholics undergoing detoxification. Their median daily ethanol consumption was 211 (range 26-476) g pure ethanol during the last year. The control group was made up of 12 age-matched healthy social drinkers consuming 9 (range 4-23) g day-1 pure ethanol during the last year. The median ethanol elimination-rate in the elimination phase was 0.25 (range 0.13-0.31) g 1-1 h-1 during the detoxification period in the experimental group. This value was approximately 70% higher than in the control group (0.14(0.12-0.17) g 1-1 h-1). Some correlation was found between reported ethanol intake, and the calculated ethanol elimination-rate, as well as gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine amino transferase (ALAT), aspartate amino transferase (ASAT), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and HDL-cholesterol. Of these measures, ethanol elimination-rate showed highest sensitivity and efficiency for detection of ethanol consumption above the limit of 50 g per day.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

An experimental study on ethanol elimination at subphysiological temperatures.

Hepatocytes isolated from fed and fasted rats have been used to study the rate of ethanol elimination at different incubation temperatures. In the presence of exogenous pyruvate, hepatocytes from fed and 42 hr fasted rats, eliminated ethanol at 37 degrees by a rate of 11.6 +/- 3.4 and 6.4 +/- 0.8 nmol/min./mg of cell protein (+/- S.D.; n = 5), respectively, which are comparable to the rates obtained in vivo. The ethanol oxidation rate in cells from rats of both nutritional states correlated linearily to the incubation temperature (t = 24-37 degrees) with a temperature coefficient (Q10) of 1.8-2.3. (Q10, (= temperature coefficient) is the factor by which the enzyme activity is increased on raising the temperature 10 degrees). These findings indicate that the oxidation is not controlled by processes which involve membrane transitions in the temperature range 24-37 degrees. Our results indicate that a hypothermic individual with a body temperature of 27 degrees would have a 40-50 per cent inhibition of the ethanol elimination rate. Thus, the observed dependency of the ethanol oxidation on the body temperature has to be regarded in back-calculations of blood ethanol concentrations in forensic toxicology.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Storage of blood samples containing alcohol.

The storage of blood alcohol samples was studied. The samples were analysed and then frozen and kept at -20 degrees for 6 months before reanalysis. The results from this reanalysis did not deviate to any significant extent from those originally obtained. The process of freezing and thawing the same samples before analysis was repeated three times without any significant difference from the results with the fresh blood samples.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Heavy drinking among Norwegian male drunken drivers: a study of gamma-glutamyltransferase.

The distributions of blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of different age groups of drunken drivers suggested that a large number of the drunken drivers above 29 years of age had high tolerance to alcohol, and many of these might be heavy drinkers. In order to study the extent of heavy drinking, gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) activities were measured in 269 blood samples from male drunken drivers using a new method suitable for hemolyzed blood samples. Of the drunken drivers above 29 years of age, 40% had elevated GGT activities, indicating that roughly one-third of these drivers might be heavy drinkers (consuming more than 80 g of alcohol/day). Of the drunken drivers above 29 years of age with BACs above 55 mmol/liter (250 mg/100 ml), 63% had elevated GGT, indicating that a large majority of these drivers were heavy drinkers. Fewer of the younger drivers had elevated GGT activities. The GGT activities of the repeating offenders indicated that the percentage of heavy drinkers in this group was approximately the same as in the total population of apprehended drunken drivers.

Adult↗