In this week's episode, we delve into the rising concern of nitazenes in the recreational drug market. Our discussion centers on a recent study that examines 15 previously uncharacterized nitazene analogues, assessing their potency, μ-opioid receptor activity, and effects in mice. Join us as we break down the study's findings and discuss their real-world implications for public health and safety.

Hope you enjoy!

Find us on Instagram: @the_tox_lab

Link to the papers we discussed:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661824004481?via%3Dihub

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10320493/

In this week's episode, we explore the unexpected ways loud music might influence methamphetamine toxicity in mice. We discuss the behavioural and neurological changes observed after mice were exposed to tracks by the Prodigy, potential mechanisms behind the effects and how this might impact humans in similar situations.

Hope you enjoy!

Find us on instagram: @the_tox_lab

Link to the paper we discussed: https://journals.lww.com/neuroreport/abstract/2001/10290/methamphetamine_toxicity_in_mice_is_potentiated_by.26.aspx

In this week's episode, we delve into the chilling reality of slushie poisoning. We discuss real-life cases making headlines, explore the symptoms of glycerol intoxication, and break down the metabolic pathways potentially affected in these scenarios. Join us as we uncover the hidden dangers lurking in seemingly innocent treats.

Hope you enjoy!

Find us on instagram @the_tox_lab

Link to the paper we discussed:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15563650.2022.2114911?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

In this week's episode, we explore the growing impact of street benzodiazepines on drug-related deaths across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Join us as we delve into the latest trends in benzodiazepine detections and discuss the implications for toxicology and public health.

Hope you enjoy!

Link to the paper we discussed:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.13979

What happens when scientific curiosity crosses ethical boundaries? In this week's episode, we examine the infamous 1962 experiment involving Tusko the elephant and a massive dose of LSD, discuss what went wrong, and what we can learn from this cautionary tale.

Hope you enjoy!

Links to papers we've discussed:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.138.3545.1100

https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03333759

As the New Year kicks off, countless resolutions center around weight loss and fitness. But in the quest for quick results, how far is too far? In this week's episode, we dive into the dark side of two substances, caffeine and 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4 DNP), and how their misuse in the world of fitness can have deadly consequences.

Hope you enjoy!

Links to papers we've discussed:

https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2018/bcr-2018-224185

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11628266/

Have you ever wondered how toxic your festive flora is? Does Nutmeg have a dark side?

In this week's episode, we discuss poinsettia, holly, and mistletoe to try and determine if they really are as toxic as we are all led to believe. We also talk about nutmeg and its potential for abuse.

We will be taking a break for a couple of weeks after this episode but will be back on the 6th of January.

Hope you all have a lovely festive season, and we will see you in 2025!

Go and check out our Instagram @the_tox_lab

Links to papers we have discussed:

Poinsiettia: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675796900868?via%3Dihub

Holly: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3555592/

Mistletoe: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675797901996?via%3Dihub

https://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(86)80619-9/abstract

Nutmeg:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4057546/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0379073800003698

In this week's episode we aim to answer the question: can people really be trusted to report their own drug use?

We discuss a paper by Wolfe et al. which looks at self-reported drug use compared to the results of laboratory testing from patients presenting to a london emergency department with acute drug toxicity.

Hope you enjoy!

Link to the paper we've discussed:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15563650.2024.2402070

In this week's episode, we discuss the methanol poisonings in Laos, and a paper by Doreen et al. which covers methanol poisoning from contaminated alcohol in Uganda in 2017.

Hope you enjoy!

Links to papers we have discussed:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7204301/

In this week’s episode we discuss a paper by Linqvist et al. on Swedish poisoning deaths from 2000-2022 and a paper by Rhode et al. on sauna deaths in Sweden. Is there a link between carbon monoxide deaths and saunas?

Hope you enjoy!

Papers we have discussed:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bcpt.14097

https://journals.lww.com/amjforensicmedicine/abstract/2008/03000/sauna_deaths_in_sweden,_1992_2003.7.aspx

Find us on Instagram @the_tox_lab