title: Screening and determination of methamphetamine and amphetamine in the blood, urine and stomach contents in emergency medical care and autopsy cases.
abstract: Methamphetamine (MA) and amphetamine (AMP) were screened and their levels were determined using the Toxi-Lab thin-layer chromatography system and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively, in the blood, urine and stomach contents from 211 emergency medical care and 417 autopsy cases. MA and AMP were detected in 5 emergency medical cases, and the blood MA and AMP concentrations ranged from 0.697-0.041 micromol/100 g and from 0.0944-0.0003 micromol/100 g, respectively. MA and AMP were detected in 19 autopsy cases, in which blood MA and AMP concentration ranged from 14.3-0.123 micromol/100 g and from 0.256-0.0017 micromol/100 g, respectively. The autopsy cases included 5 cases of sudden death with blood MA concentration of less than 3 micromol/100 g. MA and AMP screening and determination in emergency medical care and autopsy cases provide useful information and are indispenable in clarifying the dimensions of MA abuse in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Kanazawa 920, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takayasu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohshima
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nishigami
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagano