Specimen preparation for ABO determination of various kinds of blood stains

Trying to optimize the preparation of blood stains, we found methanol fixation not to produce very good results for the determination of ABO blood group antigens. It is advantageous to transfer blood stains before testing to cotton cloth. This transfer is also of practical use if blood stains are to be saved on a smooth surface for lateral determination. We testet on 35 different carrier materials, on which blood stains in casework often were found, whether blood grouping gave better results on either the original material or after transfer. Results are shown on a table. The test revealed, that solubility of the stain in aqua dest is a good sign for a successful transfer. Blood stains on pine-wood soil, soil and loam were not suited for ABO grouping.     

The cost price of expertise as an objective index of the work-share coefficient of the forensic medical expert]

The author suggests a method for estimating the net cost of a forensic medical expert investigation, consisting in calculation of an objective real coefficient of the ratio of various expert investigations to the reference value. The ratio between forensic medical investigation budget and the total number of these investigations forms the basis for the estimation of the net cost of an expert evaluation.     

Trilateral trade relations among China,Japan and South Korea: Challenges and prospects of regional economic integration

China’s emergence as a global and regional manufacturing center has significant implications for the Northeast Asian economies of Japan and South Korea. China's trade with Japan and South Korea has been rapidly growing in relative importance, largely facilitated by China's rise as a regional production base as well as changes in the trade structures between China and her neighbours. Indeed, in recent years, China has been the main driving force behind Northeast Asian trade interdependency. The strong economic linkages and complementarities among China, Japan and South Korea augur well for the further integration among the three Northeast Asian countries. Establishing a trilateral free trade arrangement (FTA) provide new opportunities to enhance the three countries’ overall growth potential through trade and investment. However, such Northeast Asian regional integration is destined to be a long, drawn out process. The forging of a trilateral trading arrangement between China and her two neighbours remain a long term vision in view of the many outstanding issues and obstacles.     

Report of a European collaborative exercise comparing DNA typing results using a single locus VNTR probe

A collaborative exercise was carried out in 1989 among 12 European forensic laboratories using the single locus VNTR probe pYNH24, the restriction enzyme HinfI, the same set of human genomic DNA samples, and a standardized DNA size marker. The objectives of the exercise were: (1) to study the degree of variation within and between laboratories, (2) to obtain information on requirements for technical standardization allowing the exchange of typing results and (3) to compare different approaches for the identification of allelic DNA fragments of unknown size. Each laboratory carried out up to 10 independent typing experiments using the same DNA samples. The results were analysed independently by two laboratories using three different methods. The results of the exercise demonstrate the correlation of typing that can be achieved within and between laboratories under conditions of minimal standardization.     

The polymerase chain reaction and post-mortem forensic identity testing: application of amplified D1S80 and HLA-DQ alpha loci to the identification of fire victims.

The application of DNA typing methods after amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of DNA derived from body tissues from charred fire victims was investigated. A total of 26 different tissue specimens from ten extensively burned individuals were analyzed. The samples included femoral muscle, psoas muscle, bone marrow and blood. The post-mortem period varied from 38 to 183 h. After amplifying the DNA by PCR from the various tissues, the D1S80 locus was analyzed with a high resolution polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis technique followed by silver staining and the alleles of the HLA-DQ alpha locus were detected by using a reverse dot blot format. All samples could be typed for both loci and the genotypes were consistent in the various tissues from each individual. A parentage test was performed in two cases and Mendelian inheritance of the alleles for both loci was observed.     

The characteristics of injuries to the thoracic spine in children with a forward flexion

Excessive flexure of the thoracic spine in childhood may result in latent lesions of the middle thoracic vertebra and intervertebral disks visible by X-ray and on sagittal cuts. The prior deformation may be judged by their morphological signs. Ability of infantile vertebral bodies to recover their form after load removal reduces reliability of mathematical processing of X-ray data. Use of X-ray method for examination of thoracic spine in expert practical work makes it possible to detect lesions and mechanism of their formation.