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Testing for Caffeine Could Help Foil Fake Urine Scam By Andy Extance on January 9, 2019 In a disturbing trend, scam artists are using commercially sold fake urine to fool doctors i
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FCC · 2019
Testing for Caffeine Could Help Foil Fake Urine Scam
By Andy Extance on January 9, 2019
In a disturbing trend, scam artists are using commercially sold fake urine to fool doctors into prescribing pain medications such as hydrocodone − which can then be consumed or illegally sold. The synthetic pee lets patients pass tests intended to ensure they are not already taking opioid medications or drugs of abuse.
Hoping to address the situation, Patrick Kyle, director of clinical chemistry and toxicology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and his pathologist colleague Jaswinder Kaur have now shown how legal indulgences − including chocolate, coffee and cigarettes − can help distinguish real pee from fake.
Past approaches to spotting fake specimens have included testing urine’s acidity and density and assessing concentration of a metabolic waste substance called creatinine. But some synthetic products now pass these evaluations, Kyle says.
The new method looks for four substances common in urine: caffeine and theobromine, both found in chocolate, tea and coffee; cotinine, produced as nicotine breaks down; and urobilin − degraded hemoglobin that gives urine its yellow color.
The scientists studied the various substances in four different groups. One group of 100 urine samples came from people who had been observed providing them. A second set of 100 came from individuals seeking pain medication, who were not observed. A third came from 200 unobserved job applicants. And the final group consisted of 10 samples of commercially available synthetic urine.
All samples provided by observed individuals were positive for at least one of the four test substances; three from the pain medication group and two from the job applicants lacked them. No synthetic urine samples contained any of the four substances. Negative results do not prove criminal activity − but they can indicate attempted deception, Kyle says. In such cases, he adds, “the clinic or the business should simply collect another specimen from the individual.”
(Adapted from: www.scientificamerican.com)
De acordo com o texto,
- a ausência de vestígios de cafeína, teobromina, cotinina ou urobilina é indicativa de urina falsa.
- o teste para detectar a presença de creatinina na urina foi eficaz na identificação de amostras de urina falsa.
- o chocolate, o café e o cigarros são substâncias viciantes legais.
- a urina falsa destinava-se, originalmente, a testes laboratoriais.
- os médicos, em caso de resultados suspeitos, têm exigido que a urina seja colhida na presença de um profissional.
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Comentário do professor
A alternativa está correta porque o estudo indica que a falta de vestígios de determinadas substâncias comuns em urina humana sugere que a amostra é sintética.
Os autores testaram quatro marcadores: cafeína, teobromina, cotinina e urobilina, que aparecem na urina por consumo de café/chocolate, tabaco e pela degradação da hemoglobina.
Na pesquisa, todas as amostras colhidas sob observação apresentaram pelo menos um desses marcadores, enquanto as amostras de urina sintética não continham nenhum deles. Assim, a ausência desses compostos funciona como um indicativo de urina falsa.
Importante: esse resultado não prova, por si só, conduta criminosa; serve como sinal para recolher nova amostra ou adotar medidas investigativas.
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