Comparison of the variables affecting the recovery of DNA from common drinking containers

As the boundaries of forensic DNA profiling continue to expand, less obvious sources of biological evidence are being collected at crime scenes for DNA profiling. One example is the recovery of biological evidence from common drink containers, such as bottles and cans, which have been found at crime scenes. There are many variables that may have an impact on recovering a DNA profile from such exhibits. In this research, the effects of person to person variation, time, type of drink (including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages), and type of drink container, were assessed for their impact on the major analytical outcomes of the DNA process. The results show that the alpha-amylase activity varies from individual to individual and is reduced in the presence of some alcoholic drinks. A reasonable DNA yield was obtained from all samples, however, the concentrations exhibited significant person to person variation. The type of drink container influenced the DNA yield with cans giving a higher yield than bottles of the same drink type. To a reduced extent the presence or absence of alcohol affected the overall DNA yield and when partial or failed DNA profiles were produced they were more likely to be associated with alcoholic drinks than non-alcoholic drinks.     

血液乙醇同源化合物分析及其法医学意义

酒精饮料申除含多量乙醇外,还含有微量甲醇、杂醇等乙醇同源化合物,且具有和乙醇类似的代谢及药代动力学特征,均参与肝ADH代谢,并与乙醇存在条件性竞争抑制。利用其代谢特性,在某些复杂醉酒驾车案件的法医学调查中,可根据血液中乙醇同源化合物的定量检测结果,结合对应血液乙醇质量浓度,帮助核实或推算饮酒者申诉的饮酒时间的真实性。     

Absinthe: enjoying a new popularity among young people?

Absinthe, an alcoholic drink used in certain artistic circles and considered the inspiring muse of many famous artists because it was reputed to stimulate creativity and possess exciting, aphrodisiacal and healing properties, in the past enjoyed enormous popularity so much so that it led to a real collective abuse so causing its prohibition in many countries, is again enjoying a new period of popularity. Also in Italy there is increasing information about the use and abuse of this drink. We received a request to analyse and determine the nature of two samples of alcoholic drinks, obtained by macerating Artemisia absinthium leaves in ethanol. Analyses of extracts by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) identified beta-thujone, which is responsible for the activity and toxic effects on the CNS of absinthe, in both alcohol samples.     

Alcohol metabolism of local Chinese in Hong Kong: a statistical determination on the effects of various physiological factors

A study was designed to examine the elimination rate of alcohol from the body of the local Chinese after consumption of different types of alcoholic drinks. The breath alcohol of 184 healthy volunteers was determined and converted into blood alcohol levels after they finished drinking. Information on the type and volume of alcoholic drinks consumed, age group, sex, drinking habit, and drinking on empty stomach or with/after meal was recorded for each participant. The results show that the elimination rate of an individual can be explained in terms of physiological variables including sex and drinking habit. The determined elimination rates allow forensic toxicologists to back calculate the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of the drivers at the time of accident in drunk driving cases. The elimination rates of blood alcohol at 95% prediction intervals for male and female are in the range of 9.5-23.8 mg/100 ml/h and 11.1-37.1 mg/100 ml/h, respectively.     

Enzymatic detection of γ-hydroxybutyrate using aldo-keto reductase 7A2

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a prescribed medication as well as a drug of abuse. Its detection in various matrices for in-field forensic scientists remains a challenge. We have developed an assay that uses aldo-keto reductase 7A2 (AKR7A2) for the specific determination of GHB in various drinks. AKR7A2 was purified using Ni-affinity chromatography. The Michaelis-Menten constant for the GHB oxidation reaction was 10 mM, and the minimum detection limit was 4 mM. Ethanol was not a substrate for AKR7A2. In a coupled reaction with NADP(+), phenazine methosulfate (PMS), and 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol, various beverages (orange juice, milk, soda, and numerous alcoholic drinks) containing GHB turned from blue to light yellow. In a second coupled reaction where diaphorase replaced PMS, the presence of GHB also caused the expected change of color in various beers.     

The association of alcohol-induced blackouts and grayouts to blood alcohol concentrations

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the association between measured blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and the presence and degree of amnesia (no amnesia, grayout, or blackout) in actively drinking subjects. A secondary aim was to determine potential factors other than BAC that contribute to the alcohol-induced memory loss. An interview questionnaire was administered to subjects regarding a recent alcohol associated arrest with a documented BAC greater than 0.08 g/dL for either public intoxication, driving under the influence, or under age drinking was administered. Demographic variables collected included drinking history, family history of alcoholism, presence of previous alcohol-related memory loss during a drinking episode, and drinking behavior during the episode. Memory of the drinking episode was evaluated to determine if either an alcohol-induced grayout (partial anterograde amnesia) or blackout (complete anterograde amnesia) occurred. Differences in (1) mean total number of drinks ingested before arrest, (2) gulping of drinks, and (3) BAC at arrest were found for those having blackouts compared with no amnesia; while differences in drinking more than planned were found between the no amnesia and grayout groups. A strong linear relationship between BAC and predicted probability of memory loss, particularly for blackouts was obvious. This finding clinically concludes that subjects with BAC of 310 g/dL or greater have a 0.50 or greater probability of having an alcoholic blackout.     

Somnophilia and Sexual Abuse Using Vaginal Administration of Triazolam

Somnophilia is a rare paraphilia, a form of sexual fetishism which is characterized by the desire to have sex with an unconscious human object who is unable to respond. To the author's knowledge, this is the first case study concerning somnophilic sexual abuse associated with vaginal administration of triazolam. The perpetrator video‐recorded his sexual acts with two unconscious female victims with whom he also had normal sexual intercourse and who were unaware of his paraphilic activities. His Internet conversations with other persons whom he thought to be interested in somnophilic sex and his plans to kidnap a child were recorded by the police. It was evident that sex with an unconscious object played a specific fetishistic role for this man. He obviously used a combination of drugs mixed with alcoholic drinks to make his victims fall sleep and videotaped vaginal administration of triazolam used to deepen the victim's unconscious state.     

Microscopic examination of Guaraná powder--Paullinia cupana Kunth]

Guaraná is a product from the seeds of the Amazonian liana Paullinia cupana that is also cultivated since a couple of years. It is rich in caffeine and serves in Brasil for the production of stimulants, soft drinks, and sweets. In the drug scene it is sometimes trafficked as natural stimulant or drug surrogate. Microscopic examination shows the presence of starch and tannins and provides a simple, quick and cheap method to distinguish guaraná from drugs of abuse.     

Childhood Abusive and Supportive Experiences, Inter-Parental Violence, and Parental Alcohol Use: Prediction of Young Adult Depressive Symptoms and Aggression

Issues in both the children of alcoholics and child abuse literatures were addressed in an attempt to disentangle the effects on young adults of growing up in alcoholic homes versus abusive homes. Using multiple regression, retrospective reports of parental abuse (emotional, physical, and sexual) and parental support (love/support, independence, and fairness), witnessing violence between parents, and parental alcohol use were used as predictor variables for outcomes noted by both literatures. When the effects of all other predictors were statistically controlled, parental alcohol use was not significantly related to depressive symptoms or aggression. Different abusive and supportive behaviors, depending on sex of parent and sex of participant, were significant predictors of both depression and aggression. Results underscore the importance of including and controlling for inter-parental violence and for different types of child abuse (especially emotional abuse) and parental supportive behaviors in investigations of outcomes related to abusive and alcoholic families. Implications for treatment of individuals from these families are discussed.     

Chemical Contamination of Soft Drinks in Sealed Plastic Bottles by Environmental Stress Cracking

Abstract:  A contamination of soft drinks in sealed bottles by organic solvents is reported: closed bottles full of soft drinks were accidentally placed on a cardboard soaked with thinner and the organic fluid subsequently fissured the bottom of the bottles and penetrated into the soft drinks without any apparent leakage of the soft drinks. Experiments were carried out to simulate the process: the penetration of different organic solvents into soft drinks through the bottom of closed bottles was tested. The penetration occurred only when the closed bottles contained carbonated soft drinks (CSD), indicating that inner pressure is a necessary condition for the fissuring of the bottles. This paper discusses environmental stress cracking of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles by organic solvents and migration of chemicals to CSD. Experiments were conducted to determine the conditions in which PET can be permeable to poisoning organic products.     

Unusual findings in a death caused by a car fire

Witnesses detected a burning car in the parking lot next to a discotheque in the early morning hours. After the fire had been extinguished, the charred body of the 23-year-old car owner was found in the driver's seat. The young man had been a guest of the discotheque the previous night and consumed plenty of alcoholic drinks. The traces left by the fire on the car suggested that the fire had started in the passenger compartment. At autopsy, greyish-brown discoloration and induration of the mucosa of the respiratory tract were found in addition to massive aspiration of soot and signs of soot swallowing. The macroscopic and histological findings pointed to a chemical burn of the airways probably caused by chlorine gases developing when the covering of the passenger compartment was burning. Chemical burns due to inhalation, aspiration and swallowing of soot are all signs of vitality, so that a smoldering fire must have gone on for a while inside the car with the windows closed. The most probable cause of the fire is that clothing or textile material in the car was set on fire by a burning cigarette.     

Driving under the influence of alcohol: a sequence analysis approach

Driving under the influence of alcohol is a contributing factor to a number of road traffic accidents. There is, however, a lack of research into the behaviours that lead to drink driving. The current research used a novel approach, behaviour sequence analysis, to investigate the chains of behaviours that lead to drink driving. Statements were taken from individuals (N?=?60) in an interview, reporting a time they had consumed alcohol and driven a vehicle. Statements were coded and the sequences of behavioural pairs were analysed. Results were presented in a state transition diagram, and indicated a variety of behavioural sequences leading to drink driving. A significant chain of events showed that individuals who had attempted to calculate their blood alcohol concentration and then drive a vehicle felt unsafe to drive, after driving. Also, many individuals did not intend to drink and drive; however, influences such as peer pressure and being surrounded by alcohol lead to them being more likely to consume multiple alcoholic drinks, and then drive a vehicle. The current research outlines future research, and implications for polices and laws on behaviours that surround drink driving, as well as providing a new method for research.     

Nitrogen narcosis and alcohol consumption--a scuba diving fatality

Nitrogen narcosis can cause death among experienced scuba divers. Nitrogen under pressure affects the brain by acting as an anesthetic agent. Furthermore, the consumption of ethanol along with diving will cause the symptoms of nitrogen narcosis to occur at depths less than 30 m. Our case deals with an experienced diver who drank alcoholic beverages before diving and developed symptoms of nitrogen narcosis at a shallow depth. These two conditions contributed to his death by drowning.     

Estimating the uncertainty associated with Widmark's equation as commonly applied in forensic toxicology

No computation is performed more frequently by forensic toxicologists than that involving Widmark's equation. The equation is employed to estimate either the number of drinks consumed or the corresponding blood or breath alcohol concentration. Despite the wide use of Widmark's equation, rarely is an uncertainty estimate also provided. Estimates from Widmark's equation involve at least seven uncertain random variables. Uncertainty estimates are presented that rely on methods of general error propagation compared to a method developed by Widmark. Assuming reasonable variable and uncertainty estimates, the error propagation method yielded for N=10.4 drinks, a combined uncertainty (standard deviation) of 1.3 drinks (CV=12.3%). Similarly, estimating the blood alcohol concentration yielded for 0.120 g/100 ml, an uncertainty of 0.0255 g/100 ml (CV=21.2%). Widmark's uncertainty method yielded 1.6 drinks (CV=15.4%). The derivation of Widmark's uncertainty estimate is also presented, showing that he considered only rho and beta to be uncertain. Widmark estimates for the number of drinks should include a 2CV estimate of approximately 25% while the blood alcohol concentration estimate should include a 2CV estimate of approximately 42%. Including valid estimates of uncertainty should enhance the legal admissibility and confidence for Widmark estimations.     

论禁止自带酒水的店堂告示的法律效力

餐饮企业禁止消费者自带酒水的店堂告示侵害了消费者的自由选择权与公平交易权,属无效的不公平格式合同,而非企业的正当经营自由。禁带酒水的行规为非会员的消费者设定义务,违反了行规的自律本质,应属无效。     

Pouch shapes--origin unknown

The makers of the popular Capri-Sun drinks were unable to convincethe European Court of Justice (ECJ) that their flat-bottomedpouches for fruit drinks would be perceived as indicating origin.     

Effects of synthetic cannabinoids on electroencephalogram power spectra in rats

Several synthetic cannabinoids have recently been distributed as psychoactive adulterants in many herbal products on the illegal drug market around the world. However, there is little information on pharmacology and toxicology of such compounds. Although Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC), a psychoactive cannabinoid of marijuana, was reported to affect electroencephalograms (EEG) of rats, the effects of synthetic cannabinoids are unknown. We examined the pharmacological activities of three synthetic cannabinoids; cannabicyclohexanol (CCH), CP-47,497 and JWH-018; by analyzing EEG power spectra and locomotor activity after intraperitoneal administration to rats and compared them with those of Δ(9)-THC. The three compounds significantly increased the EEG power in the frequency range of 5.0-6.0 Hz for the first 3h, while Δ(9)-THC decreased the power spectra in the wide range of 7.0-20.0 Hz during the first hour. These results indicate that the effect of the three compounds on EEG is different from that of Δ(9)-THC. Additionally, CCH, CP-47,497 and JWH-018 significantly decreased the locomotor activity for 11.5h, 11h and 4.5h, respectively, after administration which was longer than that of Δ(9)-THC (3.5h). Furthermore, all three compounds significantly reduced the total amounts of locomotor activity during a 3-h, 6-h and 12-h period after injection, whereas no statistical difference was observed for the Δ(9)-THC injection. Among the three compounds, CCH and CP-47,497 exerted a longer duration of the change in the EEG power spectra and suppression of the locomotor activity than JWH-018.     

Multiple Symmetric Lipomatosis

A significant number of medicolegal deaths involve ethanol. Deaths may be related to the acute, intoxicating effects of ethanol, either in decedents or within persons responsible for causing the deaths of others. Additionally, deaths may be related to chronic alcoholism. A chronic alcoholic may display characteristic external features which allow an observer, such as a forensic pathologist or other physician, to conclude that he/she is probably an alcoholic. Herein, the authors report two decedents with a rare condition known as “multiple symmetric lipomatosis” (MSL), which has a strong correlation with chronic alcoholism. Identification of the peculiar features associated with MSL should prompt the forensic pathologist to consider chronic alcoholism as a probable diagnosis.     

Postmortem differential diagnostics of diabetic and alcoholic ketoacidosis

It was shown that ketoacidosis may be an immediate cause of death in subjects suffering chronic alcoholic intoxication. The authors present a list of biochemical studies and parameters that can be used for differential diagnosis between diabetic and alcoholic ketoacidosis.     

Unexpected death as a result of infective endocarditis

Thirteen cases of infective endocarditis (IE) diagnosed for the first time at autopsy or, in those patients with a previous diagnosis of IE, not thought to be active at the time of death, are presented. Of the six patients who died within 24 h of the onset of symptoms, two died of obstruction of a valve orifice, two died of sepsis, one died of sepsis and alcoholic cardiomyopathy, and one died of a coronary artery embolus. Of the five patients with symptoms lasting more than 24 h, three died of sepsis and congestive heart failure. One died from sepsis alone and one died from congestive heart failure (CHF). In two patients whose duration of symptoms is unknown, one died of sepsis and CHF, and in the other the mechanism of death is unknown. Predisposing factors present in 11 of 13 patients included alcoholism (three), intravenous (IV) drug abuse (three), prosthetic valves (three), aortic stenosis (two), past rheumatic fever (one), and nonstenotic congenitally bicuspid valves (two). The reasons for no antemortem diagnosis were a missed or incorrect clinical diagnosis in three patients seen by a physician shortly before death, no signs or symptoms or found dead (four), non-specific signs and symptoms (three), refusal of medical treatment (one), and a solitary lifestyle (one); there was insufficient information about one patient. Individuals with needle tracks, generalized petechiae. Osler's nodes, splinter hemorrhages, intravenous catheters, pacemaker wires, and infected aortic-valve (A-V) shunts are at risk of IE. Blood and the vegetations should be cultured. The attending physician should be notified of the diagnosis in such cases.