Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37268859›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2023

Urinary concentrations of GHB and its novel amino acid and carnitine conjugates following controlled GHB administration to humans.

Andrea E Steuer, Francesco Bavato, Laura K Schnider, Dario A Dornbierer, Oliver G Bosch, Boris B Quednow, Erich Seifritz, Christian Steuer, Thomas Kraemer

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 20% 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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Interpol review of forensic drug chemistry, 2022-2025.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026
    Review
  4. Review
  5. 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

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Andrea E SteuerDepartment of Forensic Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190/52, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland. andrea.steuer@irm.uzh.ch.
Francesco BavatoDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
Laura K SchniderDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
Dario A DornbiererDepartment of Forensic Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190/52, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
Oliver G BoschDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
Boris B QuednowDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
Erich SeifritzDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland.
Christian SteuerInstitute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland.
Thomas KraemerDepartment of Forensic Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190/52, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
University Hospital of Zurich · CHUniversity of Zurich · CHÉcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) remains a challenging clinical/forensic toxicology drug. Its rapid elimination to endogenous levels mainly causes this. Especially in drug-facilitated sexual assaults, sample collection often occurs later than the detection window for GHB. We aimed to investigate new GHB conjugates with amino acids (AA), fatty acids, and its organic acid metabolites for their suitability as ingestion/application markers in urine following controlled GHB administration to humans. We used LC-MS/MS for validated quantification of human urine samples collected within two randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover studies (GHB 50 mg/kg, 79 participants) at approximately 4.5, 8, 11, and 28 h after intake. We found significant differences (placebo vs. GHB) for all but two analytes at 4.5 h. Eleven hours post GHB administration, GHB, GHB-AAs, 3,4-dihydroxybutyric acid, and glycolic acid still showed significantly higher concentrations; at 28 h only GHB-glycine. Three different discrimination strategies were evaluated: (a) GHB-glycine cut-off concentration (1 µg/mL), (b) metabolite ratios of GHB-glycine/GHB (2.5), and (c) elevation threshold between two urine samples (> 5). Sensitivities were 0.1, 0.3, or 0.5, respectively. Only GHB-glycine showed prolonged detection over GHB, mainly when compared to a second time- and subject-matched urine sample (strategy c).

Indexed as

Sodium OxybateAmino AcidsCarnitineChromatography, LiquidGlycineHumansHydroxybutyratesSubstance Abuse DetectionTandem Mass SpectrometryAmino AcidsCarnitineGlycineHydroxybutyratesSodium Oxybate

Identifiers

PMID37268859
PMCPMC10238486
OpenAlexW4379197339

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.