Narcotics are the substances used to treat moderate to severe pain. They could be natural like opiates such as morphine, codeine etc., synthetic like fentanyl, methadone etc., and semi-synthetic like oxycodone, hydrocodone etc. These drugs act as pain relievers, induces the state of stupor or sleep, and increase the physical dependence on them. In forensic autopsy case, the forensic pathologist may require a complete toxicological investigation for different poisons including stimulants. In India, Forensic Science Laboratories run by Government under the Home ministry usually carry out this. The samples must be analysed by the forensic toxicologist/chemists/scientist. This article deals with the screening/spot test for narcotics. It attempts to simplify the standard procedures in a step-wise manner, which can be of handy reference for the forensic toxicologist.
Cobalt is one of the essential Components found in trace amounts in human beings, has an atomic number of 27, molecular mass of 58.93 units and represented by the symbol Co. It is important for the formation of Cyanocobalamin or Vitamin B 12 . Normally a healthy diet contains 5 to 50g of cobalt in a day. Cobalt generally does not cause any toxicity or poisoning until the exposed to large amounts and for longer time period. Poisoning can be caused by three ways which include-Swallowing too much, inhaled too much in lungs and constant contact with the skin. Various effects are visible in case of cobalt poisoning which includes cardiovascular effects, neurological, haematological, immunological, dermatological, ophthalmological, gastrointestinal and reproductive system dysfunction. The biological samples which are analysed for cobalt poisoning includes urine, blood, serum and tissues. The various aspects along with the treatment and hospital management is discussed in this paper. Other than that, the analytical techniques which include HR-ICP-MS, XRF, UV Spectrophotometry, ICP-OES are also discussed which are used in the diagnosis.
The tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plant belongs to solanaceae family. It is an annual herbaceous plant. Over 0.45 million hectares of land are used for growing tobacco commercially, with a total production of over 750 million kg of tobacco. According to the Global adult tobacco survey held in the year 2016-2017, there are nearly 267 million adults (above 15 years of age) in India abusing tobacco. Nicotine can be extracted from biological samples by liquid-liquid extraction, small volume liquid extraction, etc. Thin-layer chromatography is a very effective technique as it can be employed for many samples simultaneously, which is cost-effective and easy to perform without any errors. A new technique, the Ultrasonic bath technique (Sonication technique) is used for the same. Four different types of solvents were used for extraction purposes out of which two gave favorable results. This methodology is proven to be cost-effective, consumes fewer chemicals, less manpower, and is effective.
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