Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36454408›Full record

ArticleForensic toxicology2022

Histological paraffin-embedded block: a good alternative specimen to detect the use of opiates at least 20 years ago.

Domenico Di Candia, Michele Boracchi, Guendalina Gentile, Gaia Giordano, Riccardo Zoja

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Forensic toxicology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 39% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Effect of transversus abdominis plane block combined with low-dose dexmedetomidine on elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy.Wideochirurgia i inne techniki maloinwazyjne = Videosurgery and other miniinvasive techniques · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Domenico Di CandiaDipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute-Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via L. Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Michele BoracchiDipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute-Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via L. Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy. mboracchi@hotmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-4240-4121
Guendalina GentileDipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute-Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via L. Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Gaia GiordanoDipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute-Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via L. Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Riccardo ZojaDipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute-Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via L. Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.
University of Milan · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSince the solely certain remnants of a performed autopsy are formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, stored in the archives of every institute of legal medicine, we managed to extract molecules of toxicological interest from these specimens.

methodsWe assessed the analysis of ten fresh liver samples collected from heroin-related deaths and then histologically processed the same samples. The embedded blocks were then extracted by means of a new extracting method and the eluates were measured. We also selected five toxicological cases of heroin-related fatalities that were examined 20 years ago, collected the toxicological result documents of the analysis that were carried out at the time and then processed the corresponding FFPE liver samples that were stored in the archives.

resultsWe managed to isolate heroine-related metabolites from 20-year-old paraffin-embedded blocks and calculated ratios to evaluate the performance of our new extraction.

conclusionsAccording to our study, it is feasible to carry out a toxicological examination on old histological samples and, therefore, this matrix can be considered as a new alternative specimen for chemical-analytical evaluations of past cases or when fresh samples are not available anymore. The new extractive method was evaluated as efficient in treating these complex, paraffin-embedded samples. It was surprising that the target compounds could be quantitated from FFPE bocks created as long as 20 years ago.

Indexed as

Opiate AlkaloidsAcademies and InstitutesAnalgesics, OpioidHeroinParaffin EmbeddingAnalgesics, OpioidHeroinOpiate AlkaloidsGood alternative specimenHeroin-related deathsNew extractive methodParaffin-embedded blocksStability for 20 years postmortem

Identifiers

PMID36454408
PMCPMC9715498
OpenAlexW4220762087

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.