Two DFSA cases involving midazolam clarified by the micro-segmental hair analyses

Xu, Duoqi; Ji, Jiaojiao; Xiang, Ping; Yan, Hui; Shen, Min

doi:10.1007/s11419-022-00621-1

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The details of the sample preparation are described in our previous study (Xu et al, 2022), hairs were wiped with acetone to avoid external contamination that could interfere with the analysis, and each sample was allowed to dry at room temperature. Then, the length of single hair was measured and then it was cut at 0.4 mm intervals with surgical scissors while viewing under an illuminated magnifying glass (×30).…”

Section: Micro-segmental Analysis Of Single Hair Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Micro-segmental analysis of the entry pathway and distribution of zolpidem in hair from different scalp regions after a single dose

Yan

et al. 2023

Front. Chem.

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Introduction: Hair testing is well established for the assessment of past drug exposure; however, more research is needed to understand drug incorporation mechanisms and drug entry pathways into hair.Method: In this study, a micro-segmental LC–MS/MS method was used to analyze a 0.4 mm segment of hair after a single oral administration of zolpidem. Five single hairs were plucked at 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, and 28 days after administration from the vertex posterior of three subjects, and 5 single hairs were also plucked from the parietal, left temporal, and right temporal regions of the head at 28 days.Results and discussion: Proximal S1 (0–0.4 mm) in hair plucked at 1 day had the highest level of zolpidem at 1.5–2.4 pg/mm; much lower concentrations (< 1 pg/mm) were detected at proximal S2–S8 (0.4–3.2 mm). The drug concentration decreased gradually in S1 for 7 days after drug intake and disappeared by 28 days, suggesting that the drug from the bloodstream initially combined with the hair follicle and then gradually moved to the hair tip as the hair grew. The zolpidem concentration–hair segment profiles exhibited a large peak (root side) and a small peak (tip side) for the four sampling times in all three subjects, indicating that drug incorporation in the hair bulb occurred mainly from the blood but probably also entered the hair through sweat and sebum. Zolpidem was also detected in all hairs from the vertex posterior in all three subjects but was not detected in 1 hair from the parietal region and 2 hairs from the left temporal region. The consistency in drug detection, drug concentration level, and peak position was better in hair from the vertex posterior than from the other three regions, indicating that the vertex posterior is a suitable sampling region for estimating drug intake.

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Section: Micro-segmental Analysis Of Single Hair Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Micro-segmental analysis of the entry pathway and distribution of zolpidem in hair from different scalp regions after a single dose

Yan

et al. 2023

Front. Chem.

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“…Recently, Xu et al [43] applied MSA to drug-facilitated sexual assault cases. They showed the distribution of midazolam along the hair strands of the victim and demonstrated that MSA was useful in corroborating the narrative of the investigators in DFC cases.…”

Section: Estimation Of the Time Of Drug Ingestionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Micro-segmental hair analysis: detailed procedures and applications in forensic toxicology

et al. 2022

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Purpose Since the 1980s, the detection sensitivity of mass spectrometers has increased by improving the analysis of drugs in hair. Accordingly, the number of hair strands required for the analysis has decreased. The length of the hair segment used in the analysis has also shortened. In 2016, micro-segmental hair analysis (MSA), which cuts a single hair strand at a 0.4-mm interval corresponding to a hair growth length of approximately one day, was developed. The advantage of MSA is that the analytical results provide powerful evidence of drug use in the investigation of drug-related crimes and detailed information about the mechanism of drug uptake into hair. This review article focuses on the MSA technique and its applications in forensic toxicology. Methods Multiple databases, such as SciFinder, PubMed, and Google, were utilized to collect relevant reports referring to MSA and drug analysis in hair. The experiences of our research group on the MSA were also included in this review. Results The analytical results provide a detailed drug distribution profile in a hair strand, which is useful for examining the mechanism of drug uptake into hair in detail. Additionally, the analytical method has been used for various scenarios in forensic toxicology, such as the estimation of days of drug consumption and death. Conclusions The detailed procedures are summarized so that beginners can use the analytical method in their laboratories. Moreover, some application examples are presented, and the limitations of the current analytical method and future perspectives are described.

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“…The day of death estimated using hair analysis (52.9 ± 3.2 days after the surgery day) corresponded to approximately 4 days before the corpse was discovered ( Kuwayama et al, 2019b ). Midazolam was successfully detected in proximal 5.6–6.8 mm segments by micro-segmental hair analysis in three hair strands collected 16 days after the event, whereas it had not been detected in the proximal 3 cm by conventional segmental hair analysis ( Xu et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Using this method, a drug ingested in a single dose can be located in a specific region of a hair strand several millimeters in length, thereby pinpointing the day of ingestion ( Kuwayama et al, 2018a ). This micro-segmental hair analysis method was capable of estimating the day of drug ingestion in DFSA (Drug-facilitated Sexual Assault, DFSA) or other forensic cases involving drug intake ( Kuwayama et al, 2018b ; Kuwayama et al, 2019a ; Kuwayama et al, 2019b ; Wiedfeld et al, 2021 ; Xu et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time course of estazolam in single-strand hair based on micro-segmental analysis after controlled oral administration

Ji²,

Xiang³

et al. 2022

Front. Chem.

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The mechanism of estazolam incorporation into hair was investigated by studying the time course of estazolam along single-strand hair after two oral administration of estazolam at 28 days interval. Estazolam in single hair segments 0.4 mm in length was verified and quantified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The distributions of estazolam within a strand of hair (collected at 12 h, 28 days, and 56 days post-administration) were visualized by micro-segmental analysis. The highest estazolam concentration (1.5–9.9 pg/mm) was detected in the hair bulb region (S1), and it then decreased through the hair shaft to the distal end, with a small fluctuation (0.3–3 pg/mm) near the junction of the hair roots and shafts (S4–S7) 12 h after drug intake. These findings suggested that the incorporation of estazolam occurred in two regions, mainly in the hair bulb and to a lesser extent in the upper dermis zone. Models using internal temporal markers (TIMs) and temporal intervals (TIs) were constructed to estimate the day of estazolam ingestion. The estimation accuracy was within an average error of 1.7 mm and 3.0 mm between the calculated and actual positions, based on the TIMs and TIs 56 days after estazolam intake. These findings can help in further elucidation of the drug incorporation mechanism, which is crucial for interpreting hair analysis results used to reveal individual drug-use history.

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Two DFSA cases involving midazolam clarified by the micro-segmental hair analyses

Cited by 6 publications

References 29 publications

Micro-segmental analysis of the entry pathway and distribution of zolpidem in hair from different scalp regions after a single dose

Micro-segmental analysis of the entry pathway and distribution of zolpidem in hair from different scalp regions after a single dose

Micro-segmental hair analysis: detailed procedures and applications in forensic toxicology

Time course of estazolam in single-strand hair based on micro-segmental analysis after controlled oral administration

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