Questions Flashcards
In the case of poisoning, would thallium be destroyed by cremation?
No
What is 1 of the main distinguishing features of thallium poisoning?
Hairloss
Cyanide is termed A “metabolic poison”. What is the main biological process that cyanide effects?
Energy production in the mitochondria
What kind of radioactive particle does polonium emit?
Alpha
What is 1 of the distinguishing features of radioactive poisoning?
Hairloss
Botox is derived from what source?
Clostridium Botilinium
What is the main mechanism of mercury poisoning?
Effects nervous system and neurological
What is the major route of mercury poisoning in humans?
Ingestion
List 5 things which make an ideal homocidal poison
Cheap and easy to produce
Odourless
Colourless
Tasteless
Works efficiently
Define the term poison
Disruption of the body’s mechanisms by a biological or chemical agent
Where are the 4 chambers and major arteries/veins of the heart?
Ventricles bottom, atriums top, aorta top right, pulmonary vein is under the pulmonary artery which is under the aorta (top right), vena cava top left
Where is the blood flow in the heart?
Oxygen poor blood - down from the vena cava and out the pulmonary artery
Oxygen rich blood - down right the atrium and out of the aorta
What is tachycardia?
Fast heart rate
Name the layers of the heart tissue?
Pericardium
Endocardium
Myocardium
What are the 2 nodes that are involved in the coordination of the heart beat?
Sinus atrial and atrial ventricular
Name the 5 main diseases of the heart
Myocardial infraction
Congestive heart failure
Hypotension
Cardiac arrhythmia
Coronary artery disease
What are the two phases of blood pressure?
Diastolic and systolic
How can cardiac arrhythmia’s be detected?
ECG
What class of chemicals are most nerve agents derived from?
Organophosphates
What is the molecular target for nerve agents?
Acetycholinesterase
Where is the cellular location of the molecular target of nerve agents?
Neuromuscular junction
What are the 2 classes of nerve agents?
G-series and V-series
Novichok is termed as a binary agent, what does this mean?
2 non or less toxic substances when combined become toxic
What are the initial symptoms of nerve agent poisoning?
Muscle spasms
Difficulty breathing
Nausea
Runny nose
Seizures
What is the main distinguishing feature between nerve agent poisoning and cyanide attack?
Nerve agents cause muscle spasms, cyanide doesn’t
What are the two main antidotes for nerve agent poisoning?
2-pam and atropine
How can most nerve agents be detected?
Gas chromatography
How can you determine if someone has been poisoned with a nerve agent?
Acetycholinesterase level is measured
Name some of the drugs used in criminal assault?
Ketamine, rohypnol, GHB
What is the “gold standard” for detection of drugs in bodily fluids?
GCMS
What are 3 possible problems with bringing cases of assault involving drugs to court?
Drugs metabolise fast - might be out of the victim’s system
Might not be any or many witnesses
Witness and victim are usually the same person - may be memory problems
What type of drug is flunitrazapam?
CNS depressant - benzodiazepine
At what kind of receptor site does flunitrazapam work?
GABA
What is the traditional use of ketamine?
Horse tranquilizer
What receptor sites does ketamine work on?
NMDA
Which metabolic product of ketamine can be used to confirm ingestion of ketamine?
Norketamine
What is the original intended use of doxylamine?
Antihistamine
What is GHB short for?
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate
In which year did the government’s psychoactive substance bill come into effect?
2016
2-aminoindane (2-AI) is an analogue of which drug?
Amphetamine
What techniques can be used to detect 2-aminoindane?
ELISA and GCMS
Piperazine is commonly used as an adulterant in what kind of tablets?
Anthelmintics
BZP has been shown to have A mixed mechanism of action, acting on which receptors?
Serotinergic and dopaminergic
What does DMT stand for?
Di-methyltriptamine
Does DMT use result in addiction
Physiologically No
What is the main kind of receptor that DMT binds to
Serotinergic
What class of drug is DMT classed as in the UK?
Class A
What does ELISA stand for
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
Name the different types of ELISA?
Sandwich
Competitive
Direct
Indirect
Which ELISA method involves labelling of the drug to be tested?
Competitive
What is the detection antibody labelled with?
Fluorescence tag - colourmetric
ELISA should not be used as a confirmatory test - true or false?
True
What is the gold standard for drug testing?
GCMS
Why is GCMS not used as a screening test?
They are not capable of analysing non-volatile, polar or thermally labile
