Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Toxidromes: Clinical Features

Toxidromes: Clinical Features

Toxidromes are specific patterns of symptoms resulting from toxic substance exposure. They help in the identification and treatment of poisoning. The symptoms of each toxidrome group indicate poisoning by a certain class of chemicals or drugs.1. Sympathomimetic: Stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. Symptoms include agitation, increased heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), respiratory rate (RR), temperature, and pupil size. Drugs like cocaine and amphetamines, along with tremors and...

Drug Toxicity: Overview

Drug Toxicity: Overview

Drug toxicity quantifies the harm a compound causes to an organism, varying by dose and potentially impacting whole systems or specific organs like the liver. Toxic reactions may arise from venomous insect or spider bites, with effects ranging from mild symptoms to severe outcomes such as brain damage or death. Common forms of acute poisoning include ethanol intoxication and overdose of pain or fever medications, with substances like GHB and heroin being particularly lethal at doses close to...

Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios

Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios

Pharmaceutical poisoning can occur through various channels, impacting an estimated 2 million hospitalized patients in the U.S. annually with serious adverse drug responses. These scenarios encompass both therapeutic uses, such as drug toxicity, where even standard dosages can lead to severe central nervous system depression, and non-therapeutic exposures, including accidental ingestion by children, and environmental and occupational exposures.Unintentional poisonings often involve exploratory...

Drug Toxicity: Risk factors

Drug Toxicity: Risk factors

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are potential complications that arise during pharmacotherapy, influenced by multiple risk factors. Age plays a significant role; both neonates and the elderly are at heightened risk due to their respective immature and diminished metabolic and elimination processes. Gender also impacts ADRs, with females experiencing a 1.5 to 1.7-fold greater risk than males, which may be linked to pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and hormonal differences. Notably, neonates, the...

Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions

Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions

Drug toxicities can be stratified into pharmacological, pathological, or genotoxic based on their mechanisms. The incidence and severity of these toxicities generally increase with the drug's concentration in the body and exposure time.Pharmacological toxicity is evident when the therapeutic effects of drugs overshoot into adverse reactions in a predictable, dose-dependent manner. Central nervous system (CNS) depression from barbiturates is a classic example, with effects escalating from...

Drug toxicity: Idiosyncratic Reactions

Drug toxicity: Idiosyncratic Reactions

Idiosyncratic drug reactions represent abnormal chemical responses that vary significantly among individuals, ranging from extreme sensitivity to low doses to insensitivity to high doses. These reactions often occur due to the drug's covalent binding with serum proteins, forming a foreign hapten that triggers an immunotoxicological response. The variability in drug reactions has a strong pharmacogenetic foundation, with genetic differences crucial in how individuals metabolize drugs. For...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Enantioselective analysis of synthetic cathinones and amphetamine-type stimulants in biological fluids via LC-MS/MS.

Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences·2026

Same author

Semisynthetic Cannabinoids Detected in Cannabis-Derived Products in Poland: Statistical Overview, Analytical Challenges, and Legal Interpretative Considerations.

Drug testing and analysis·2025

Same author

Development and validation of a fast TEIS-TQMS screening method for the identification of 8 NPS in non-biological samples.

Science & justice : journal of the Forensic Science Society·2025

Same author

"New kid on the block"-MDDM as a new ingredient in Ecstasy tablets.

Journal of forensic sciences·2025

Same author

Alternative sweat collection for forensic drug analysis using wound dressings in drug-facilitated crimes.

Forensic science international·2025

Same author

Implementation of a miniaturized sensor system using screen-printed carbon electrodes for on-site detection of MDMA in seized drugs.

Forensic science international·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

Color Spot Test As a Presumptive Tool for the Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cathinones

Color Spot Test As a Presumptive Tool for the Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cathinones

Published on: February 5, 2018

Fatal mephedrone intoxication--a case report.

Piotr Adamowicz¹, Bogdan Tokarczyk, Roman Stanaszek

¹Institute of Forensic Research, Westerplatte 9, 31-033 Krakow, Poland. padamowicz@ies.krakow.pl

Journal of Analytical Toxicology

|November 9, 2012

Summary

A young male died from a new designer drug, 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone). Forensic analysis confirmed fatal mephedrone intoxication, excluding other substances initially suspected.

More Related Videos

Rapid High-throughput Species Identification of Botanical Material Using Direct Analysis in Real Time High Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Rapid High-throughput Species Identification of Botanical Material Using Direct Analysis in Real Time High Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Published on: October 2, 2016

Fentanyl Analog Screening using LC-TIMS-TOF MS/MS

Fentanyl Analog Screening using LC-TIMS-TOF MS/MS

Published on: November 8, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 17, 2026

Color Spot Test As a Presumptive Tool for the Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cathinones

Color Spot Test As a Presumptive Tool for the Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cathinones

Published on: February 5, 2018

Rapid High-throughput Species Identification of Botanical Material Using Direct Analysis in Real Time High Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Rapid High-throughput Species Identification of Botanical Material Using Direct Analysis in Real Time High Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Published on: October 2, 2016

Fentanyl Analog Screening using LC-TIMS-TOF MS/MS

Fentanyl Analog Screening using LC-TIMS-TOF MS/MS

Published on: November 8, 2024

Area of Science:

Forensic Toxicology
Analytical Chemistry
Pharmacology

Background:

Designer drugs pose emerging public health challenges.
Accurate identification of novel psychoactive substances is critical in forensic investigations.
Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) is a synthetic stimulant with increasing illicit use.

Observation:

A deceased young male was found with multiple small bags of white powder.
Initial field tests suggested the presence of 2C-B, but laboratory analysis ruled it out.
Powder samples were analyzed using GC-MS and HPLC-DAD.

Findings:

The white powder was identified as mephedrone with a purity of 80.4-87.3%.
Subsequent LC-MS/MS analysis of biological samples detected mephedrone in blood (5.5 µg/mL) and vitreous humor (7.1 µg/mL).
These concentrations confirmed mephedrone as the cause of death.

Implications:

This case highlights the importance of comprehensive toxicological screening for designer drugs.
Accurate analytical methods are crucial for determining cause of death in suspected drug fatalities.
Understanding mephedrone's toxicity is vital for public health and law enforcement.