Forensic Toxicological Aspects of Tramadol : Focus on Enantioselective Drug Disposition and Pharmacogenetics

Abstract

Dear Reader, I am so glad that you hold this book in your hands! Primarily because it means that I made it. I have crossed the finish line following one of the toughest journeys I have ever been on, a journey that provided me with a huge learning experience. On the winding and twisting trails that I have travelled, I learned as much about people as I did of science, and as much about leadership as I did of research. But most of all, it taught me about myself. You holding this book in your hands also makes me very happy because chances are good that you are either a dear family member or friend, whom I will soon have more time to spend with. Or you are one of my friendly, knowledgeable and inspiring colleagues that I am very grateful to have gotten to know through the years. Or perhaps you are, or are soon to become, a researcher curious of the fascinating tramadol molecules, just like me. My journey is scientifically depicted in the following chapters of this book. However, herein I would also like to share some of my thoughts and reflections that goes beyond the formulas, laboratory results and papers. Luckily, these will not occupy many pages, since I have realized that they already have been formulated to perfection by others. Accordingly, they are not, as opposed to research, in any way new or innovative. Although, to create a research environment that favours learning and development of aptitudes, they are equally important. On the next page, I will therefore communicate some of my favorite quotes*. To me they either serve as guiding principles in the world of research, or as encouragement and tribute to the PhD-students who do not (or did not) give up in spite of being assigned the mission impossible. Sincerely, Pernilla Haage October 2018 "To me, the rainbow was a profoundly hopeful symbol, separating the white light of appearances into its multiple spectrum and revealing a hidden dimension. It reminded me of my belief that it was the mission of science to pierce through the layers of everyday reality and penetrate to the truth." Candace B. Pert "You can't learn to play the piano without playing the piano, you can't learn to write without writing, and, in many ways, you can't learn to think without thinking. Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard." David McCullough "Ambition has its disappointments to sour us, but never the good fortune to satisfy us. Its appetite grows keener by indulgence and all we can gratify it with at present serves but the more to inflame its insatiable desires." Benjamin Franklin "Ambition and the belly are the two worst counselors." German Proverb "Fear is not your enemy. It is a compass pointing you to the areas where you need to grow." Steve Pavlina "Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss." Ralph Waldo Emerson "Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again." Nelson Mandela "Courage isn't having the strength to go on-it is going on when you don't ...