Sex differences and driving impairment related to psychoactive substances.

OBJECTIVE: The first aim of the study was to identify sex differences in the use of psychoactive substances among subjects with a previous driving under the influence (DUI) episode. The secondary objective was to propose specific strategies for medico-legal improvements. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study that took place between June 1, 2019, and August 31, 2023. It was conducted on DUI subjects examined for reinstatement of their driver's license using an integrated medico-legal and toxicological approach. Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and illicit psychoactive substances were determined from hair samples. We performed descriptive statistical analyses for the entire sample as well as separately by sex. Additionally, we conducted binary logistic regression analyses separately for males and females to identify protective/risk factors associated with previous road accidents and judgments of unfitness to drive due to excessive alcohol consumption (EtG ≥ 30 pg/mg). RESULTS: The study included 2,221 subjects, comprising 1,970 men and 251 women. Men exhibited a higher prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit psychoactive substance use. Women were more frequently co-users of alcohol and psychoactive substances and involved in road accidents at the time of DUI. Among the men, being married or having a partner was found to be a protective factor concerning past traffic accidents. For both sexes, a DUI episode with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeding 1.5 g/L or the co-ingestion of alcohol and drugs was identified as a risk factor for road accident involvement. For men, smoking more than 20 cigarettes per day and, for women, having a DUI episode with a BAC over 1.5 g/L were the main factors indicating unfitness to drive, as determined through high hair EtG levels (> 30 pg/mg). Women with a previous history of road accidents were less likely to have EtG levels of 30 pg/mg or more. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed sex differences in subjects with a previous DUI episode. A BAC exceeding 1.5 g/L or the simultaneous use of alcohol and drugs at the time of DUI necessitate careful assessment of both men and women seeking driver's license reinstatement. In women, a BAC exceeding 1.5 g/L is considered a risk factor for a subsequent judgment of unfitness to drive. The medico-legal assessment should also involve a thorough investigation of smoking habits in men, as these habits could be related to an increased risk of excessive alcohol consumption.

Hair toxicological analysis of infants and their mothers: a 5-year retrospective study focusing on cocaine.

Prenatal and infant exposure to drugs of abuse is an emerging social and public health problem affecting children health and which may relate to child abuse and neglect. Exposure to drugs of abuse may occur through different routes, including intrauterine, breastfeeding, accidental intake, passive inhalation, and intentional administration. Currently, cases of suspected exposure can be investigated by hair toxicological analysis, the interpretation of which is, however, often difficult, leading to consequent difficulties in the management of such cases. In order to provide a contribution in terms of interpretation of the analytical results, this study aimed to search for the possible existence of elements, from a toxicological point of view, indicative towards the route of exposure. A retrospective study was performed on cases of suspected exposure to drugs of abuse in children aged 0-1 year, evaluated at a University Hospital between 2018 and 2022. Data of children hair toxicological analysis were analyzed and then compared with those of their mothers, when available; 41.6% children tested positive for cocaine. The study found a significant correlation between cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations, and a benzoylecgonine/cocaine ratio that tends to decrease as the age of children increases. From the comparison with mothers, a child/mother cocaine concentration ratio lower than 1 was found in all cases of hair sampled within the first week of life, and a ratio greater than or equal to 1 in all cases in which the sampling was performed later. These results, if confirmed in a larger cohort, could represent a contribution in the interpretation of cases of infant exposure to drugs of abuse and be integrated in the context of their multidisciplinary evaluation.

Bitemarks and 3D scanner: An objective comparison for bitemarks. A pilot study.

The marks left by the bite of a subject (bitemark) represent an unequivocal character, being useful in identifying the possible perpetrator of a crime. To date, the analysis of bitemarks is mainly based on the direct vision of photographic finds and on the visual comparison with the teeth of the hypothetically responsible person. However, the bitemark also retains three-dimensional characteristics detectable with a 3D scanner. In this pilot study, an innovative method of bitemark analysis, utilizing a three-dimensional scanner and some software, will be introduced, enabling a quantitative comparison of bitemarks and their corresponding human dentitions. For this purpose, 10 complete plaster models (human dentitions) of 10 adult subjects were used to make 20 experimental bitemarks on dentistry wax. All materials were individually scanned with the iTero® 3D scanner and reworked with MeshMixer software. A visual analysis of the characteristics and a computerized analysis with the CloudCompare software were also performed. Study showed a different trend of the distribution curves of the points which were obtained comparing the human dentition and coincident and non-coincident bitemarks. Current results support that the intraoral 3D scanner allows the fast record and the preservation of the three-dimensional characteristics of the bitemarks, and it allows computerized analyses to be carried out.

Intrinsically disordered Prosystemin discloses biologically active repeat motifs.

The in-depth studies over the years on the defence barriers by tomato plants have shown that the Systemin peptide controls the response to a wealth of environmental stress agents. This multifaceted stress reaction seems to be related to the intrinsic disorder of its precursor protein, Prosystemin (ProSys). Since latest findings show that ProSys has biological functions besides Systemin sequence, here we wanted to assess if this precursor includes peptide motifs able to trigger stress-related pathways. Candidate peptides were identified in silico and synthesized to test their capacity to trigger defence responses in tomato plants against different biotic stressors. Our results demonstrated that ProSys harbours several repeat motifs which triggered plant immune reactions against pathogens and pest insects. Three of these peptides were detected by mass spectrometry in plants expressing ProSys, demonstrating their effective presence in vivo. These experimental data shed light on unrecognized functions of ProSys, mediated by multiple biologically active sequences which may partly account for the capacity of ProSys to induce defense responses to different stress agents.