ArticleForensic toxicology2022
Unexpected results found in larvae samples from two postmortem forensic cases.
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 14 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Direct and Indirect Effects of Methamphetamine on Fetuses and Infants.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Postmortem toxicological investigations in cases with an extended postmortem interval and advanced decomposition.International journal of legal medicine · 2026Review
- The combined analysis of hair samples with fly larvae for the forensic identification of skeletonized human remains.Forensic toxicology · 2026Article
- Entomological consequences and toxicological detection of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) in necrophagous larvae (Diptera: Calliphoridae).International journal of legal medicine · 2026Article
- Review
- Evaluating the value of entomotoxicology in forensic toxicology casework using the first minipig model.Forensic toxicology · 2025Article
- Simultaneous multi-targeted forensic toxicological screening in biological matrices by MRM-IDA-EPI mode.Archives of toxicology · 2024Article
- A review of multi-disciplinary decomposition research and key drivers of variation in decay.International journal of legal medicine · 2024Review
- Article
- Effects of aluminium phosphide on larval morphometry of two important Chrysomya species.International journal of legal medicine · 2024Article
- Review
- Article
- Preliminary Analysis of Methamphetamine Detection inJournal of arthropod-borne diseases · 2023Article
- "Spice"-related deaths in and around Munich, Germany: A retrospective look at the role of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists in our post-mortem cases over a seven-year period (2014-2020).International journal of legal medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeIn forensics, entomological specimens can be used as additional/alternative matrices to detect xenobiotics when human specimens are limited in their application. Despite some advantages over implementing putrefied human remains, most medico-legal laboratories do not include entomotoxicological procedures as routine analytical methods. We thus applied two authentic cases to evaluate necrophagous larvae's potential as complementary matrices for toxicological analysis after extensive postmortem decomposition.
methodsLarvae and postmortem human samples, including hair, stomach contents, pericardial fluid, liver, lung, and skeletal muscle, were collected at autopsy. Samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for pharmaceutical substances, illicit drugs, and new psychoactive substances, including synthetic cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, new synthetic opioids, and stimulants.
resultsNearly all substances detected in human specimens, including several benzodiazepines and synthetic cannabinoids, were also detected in larvae. Surprisingly, some drugs, including the new psychoactive substances EAM-2201 and U-47700, were found exclusively in larvae and hair. The benzodiazepine etizolam was detected only in liver, lungs, and stomach contents, possibly resulting from characteristic tissue distribution in humans and/or larvae.
conclusionsAntemortem external hair contamination with synthetic cannabinoids from side-stream smoke and postmortem hair contamination with substances in putrefaction fluids can be supposed in these cases. Our findings suggest that supplementary information can indeed be gained from analyzing larvae additional to those human specimens that are typically used for toxicological analysis after extensive postmortem decomposition. Nevertheless, these results represent merely two cases, requiring in-depth studies to determine whether such findings can identify acute intoxications as possible causes of death.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.