- Email: [email protected]
Drugs and poisons: a practical Japanese handbook
Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 25, No. 1, 2006
Book reviews
Drugs and poisons: a practical Japanese handbook Drugs and Poisons in Humans (A Handbook of Practical Analysis), Osamu Suzuki and Kanako Watanabe (Editors), Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany, Heidelberg, New York, 2005, XVI + 672 pages, ISBN 3-540-22277-4 (Hardback), Price: $259.00 This book is the updated English language version of the Japanese handbook originally published in 2002. It is a fully Japanese book; not only are the two editors Japanese but the 67 contributors are from various Japanese university departments, hospital and forensic laboratories. The first part of the book (90 pages) summarizes general aspects of poisoning and related issues. Short, but very informative, chapters deal with handling biological specimens (blood, urine, vomitus, gastric lavage fluid, saliva, sweat, meconium, pericardial and cerebrospinal fluids, vitreous humor, skeletal muscle, hair and nails). The pitfalls of handling (e.g., postmortem production, decomposition, diffusion, and redistribution of drugs and poisons) are also discussed. In the chapter dealing with sample pre-treatment deproteinization, extraction (including liquid-liquid and solid-phase (micro)extraction, headspace and derivatization methods) is discussed. In the subsequent chapter devoted to detection methods, various chromatographic and spectroscopic methods and their coupled versions are dealt with. The organization, information and data handling are demonstrated by describing the system of the Japan Poison Information Center in Tokyo and Poison-Net developed by the Japan Poison Information Network in Hiroshima. There are separate chapters dealing with toxin analysis in emergency medicine and with chemical warfare agents. The second, much longer part of the book (567 pages), describes toxicological and analytical aspects of various classes of poisons and drugs that can also be poisons under certain circumstances. In the first of these chapters, volatile compounds are discussed (from gases, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide, to liquids, such as methanol, formic acid, ethanol, aromatics, alkyl nitrites and components of gasoline and kerosene. Chapter 2, with the title ‘‘Controlled drugs’’, deals with drugs of abuse (e.g., amphetamines, morphine, cocaine, pentazocine, LSD, phencyclidine, and c-hydroxybutyric acid) as well as their analogues and metabolites. 0165-9936/$ - see front matter doi:10.1016/j.trac.2005.11.010
Psychopharmaceuticals and hypnotics (phenothiazines, butyrophenones, tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and bromisovalum) are the subject of the Chapter 3, while Chapter 4, entitled ‘‘General drugs’’, discusses antihistaminics, analgesic and antipyretic drugs (including paracetamol and aspirin), antiepileptics, b-blockers, local anesthetics and b-lactam antibiotics. After drug-related issues, the subsequent chapters cover other groups of (potentially) hazardous materials. Among these, Chapter 5 covers chemicals of daily necessities, including hypochlorite, benzalkonium chlorides, hair dyes, permethrin, boric acid, naphthalene, p-dichlorobenzene, ethylene glycol. Chapter 6 deals with toxins (e.g., aconite, mushroom and oleander toxins, and tetrodotoxin) and alkaloids (nicotine, cotinine, tropane and methylxanthine alkaloids). Pesticides discussed in Chapter 7 include organophosphorus derivatives, glufosinate, glyphosate, carbamates, paraquat, diquat, cresol, diazine and triazine herbicides, and coumarin rodenticides. Chapter 8 deals with miscellaneous compounds, such as sarin, organophosphorus nerve agents, sodium azide, nitrate, nitrite, arsenic compounds and other inorganic poisons, and, finally, the diagnostically important methemoglobin. Dioxins are missing, probably due to the fact that the dioxin-related scandals have occurred only in the recent years. I am sure that the above list has convinced the reader of this review that the book covers an extremely wide range of poisons and potentially poisonous drugs. It was a pleasant surprise to read the book. On the basis of its title, I believed that the drugs would be restricted to drugs of abuse. However, contrary to my expectations, practically all classes of important drugs, moreover their main metabolites, are represented, including those with low toxicity, such as aspirin or paracetamol. The subsections of the eight chapters of Part 2 are very concise, informative and homogeneous, the latter feature being especially remarkable in the case of a III
Book reviews
multi-author book. All subsections begin with an introduction presenting the formulae of the compounds, the mechanism of their action and the adverse effects. There follows the description of the most important up-to-date analytical methods, including detailed analytical protocols, spectra, chromatograms and assessment of the methods, poisoning cases, toxic and fatal concentrations and finally references. To help the reader, there are 236 high-quality figures and 90 very informative tables. As a result of these features, the book is an excellent source of information and, at the same time, an extremely useful laboratory handbook for practical analysts. The description of the analytical methods is so much practice-oriented that these can be reproduced without the need to read the papers in the reference section. The fully Japanese origin of the book is an advantage, rather than a disadvantage, for the non-Japanese readers. The description of the above-mentioned Japanese organizations is interesting and instructive to read. The analytical parts illustrate well the high standards of forensic laboratories in Japan. The only subsection of purely Japanese nature is the 10 pages dealing with the toxin (tetrodotoxin) of fugu
IV
http://www.elsevier.com/locate/trac
Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 25, No. 1, 2006
fish (Takifugu rubripes), which is very popular in Japan. However, this is also of interest to those who are fond of Japanese cuisine. In a nice figure illustrating the correlation between blood-ethanol concentration and intoxication rate, in addition to the quantities of beer and whisky causing different levels of intoxication, the effect of Japanese sake is also presented. Of the 1100 or so references at the end of the individual chapters, papers of Japanese authors are naturally highly represented. The majority of these were published in international journals; however, a considerable proportion is available in Japanese only. This excellent book is highly recommended, mainly to forensic scientists, organizers of forensic networks, and analytical chemists working in forensic laboratories, but it would also be a useful handbook for drug researchers, drug toxicologists and drug analysts. ´ NDOR GO ¨ RO ¨G SA ANDOR OROG Gedeon Richter Ltd., P.O.B. 27, H-1475 Budapest, Hungary E-mail address: [email protected]
Book reviews
Drugs and poisons: a practical Japanese handbook Drugs and Poisons in Humans (A Handbook of Practical Analysis), Osamu Suzuki and Kanako Watanabe (Editors), Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany, Heidelberg, New York, 2005, XVI + 672 pages, ISBN 3-540-22277-4 (Hardback), Price: $259.00 This book is the updated English language version of the Japanese handbook originally published in 2002. It is a fully Japanese book; not only are the two editors Japanese but the 67 contributors are from various Japanese university departments, hospital and forensic laboratories. The first part of the book (90 pages) summarizes general aspects of poisoning and related issues. Short, but very informative, chapters deal with handling biological specimens (blood, urine, vomitus, gastric lavage fluid, saliva, sweat, meconium, pericardial and cerebrospinal fluids, vitreous humor, skeletal muscle, hair and nails). The pitfalls of handling (e.g., postmortem production, decomposition, diffusion, and redistribution of drugs and poisons) are also discussed. In the chapter dealing with sample pre-treatment deproteinization, extraction (including liquid-liquid and solid-phase (micro)extraction, headspace and derivatization methods) is discussed. In the subsequent chapter devoted to detection methods, various chromatographic and spectroscopic methods and their coupled versions are dealt with. The organization, information and data handling are demonstrated by describing the system of the Japan Poison Information Center in Tokyo and Poison-Net developed by the Japan Poison Information Network in Hiroshima. There are separate chapters dealing with toxin analysis in emergency medicine and with chemical warfare agents. The second, much longer part of the book (567 pages), describes toxicological and analytical aspects of various classes of poisons and drugs that can also be poisons under certain circumstances. In the first of these chapters, volatile compounds are discussed (from gases, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide, to liquids, such as methanol, formic acid, ethanol, aromatics, alkyl nitrites and components of gasoline and kerosene. Chapter 2, with the title ‘‘Controlled drugs’’, deals with drugs of abuse (e.g., amphetamines, morphine, cocaine, pentazocine, LSD, phencyclidine, and c-hydroxybutyric acid) as well as their analogues and metabolites. 0165-9936/$ - see front matter doi:10.1016/j.trac.2005.11.010
Psychopharmaceuticals and hypnotics (phenothiazines, butyrophenones, tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and bromisovalum) are the subject of the Chapter 3, while Chapter 4, entitled ‘‘General drugs’’, discusses antihistaminics, analgesic and antipyretic drugs (including paracetamol and aspirin), antiepileptics, b-blockers, local anesthetics and b-lactam antibiotics. After drug-related issues, the subsequent chapters cover other groups of (potentially) hazardous materials. Among these, Chapter 5 covers chemicals of daily necessities, including hypochlorite, benzalkonium chlorides, hair dyes, permethrin, boric acid, naphthalene, p-dichlorobenzene, ethylene glycol. Chapter 6 deals with toxins (e.g., aconite, mushroom and oleander toxins, and tetrodotoxin) and alkaloids (nicotine, cotinine, tropane and methylxanthine alkaloids). Pesticides discussed in Chapter 7 include organophosphorus derivatives, glufosinate, glyphosate, carbamates, paraquat, diquat, cresol, diazine and triazine herbicides, and coumarin rodenticides. Chapter 8 deals with miscellaneous compounds, such as sarin, organophosphorus nerve agents, sodium azide, nitrate, nitrite, arsenic compounds and other inorganic poisons, and, finally, the diagnostically important methemoglobin. Dioxins are missing, probably due to the fact that the dioxin-related scandals have occurred only in the recent years. I am sure that the above list has convinced the reader of this review that the book covers an extremely wide range of poisons and potentially poisonous drugs. It was a pleasant surprise to read the book. On the basis of its title, I believed that the drugs would be restricted to drugs of abuse. However, contrary to my expectations, practically all classes of important drugs, moreover their main metabolites, are represented, including those with low toxicity, such as aspirin or paracetamol. The subsections of the eight chapters of Part 2 are very concise, informative and homogeneous, the latter feature being especially remarkable in the case of a III
Book reviews
multi-author book. All subsections begin with an introduction presenting the formulae of the compounds, the mechanism of their action and the adverse effects. There follows the description of the most important up-to-date analytical methods, including detailed analytical protocols, spectra, chromatograms and assessment of the methods, poisoning cases, toxic and fatal concentrations and finally references. To help the reader, there are 236 high-quality figures and 90 very informative tables. As a result of these features, the book is an excellent source of information and, at the same time, an extremely useful laboratory handbook for practical analysts. The description of the analytical methods is so much practice-oriented that these can be reproduced without the need to read the papers in the reference section. The fully Japanese origin of the book is an advantage, rather than a disadvantage, for the non-Japanese readers. The description of the above-mentioned Japanese organizations is interesting and instructive to read. The analytical parts illustrate well the high standards of forensic laboratories in Japan. The only subsection of purely Japanese nature is the 10 pages dealing with the toxin (tetrodotoxin) of fugu
IV
http://www.elsevier.com/locate/trac
Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 25, No. 1, 2006
fish (Takifugu rubripes), which is very popular in Japan. However, this is also of interest to those who are fond of Japanese cuisine. In a nice figure illustrating the correlation between blood-ethanol concentration and intoxication rate, in addition to the quantities of beer and whisky causing different levels of intoxication, the effect of Japanese sake is also presented. Of the 1100 or so references at the end of the individual chapters, papers of Japanese authors are naturally highly represented. The majority of these were published in international journals; however, a considerable proportion is available in Japanese only. This excellent book is highly recommended, mainly to forensic scientists, organizers of forensic networks, and analytical chemists working in forensic laboratories, but it would also be a useful handbook for drug researchers, drug toxicologists and drug analysts. ´ NDOR GO ¨ RO ¨G SA ANDOR OROG Gedeon Richter Ltd., P.O.B. 27, H-1475 Budapest, Hungary E-mail address: [email protected]