State institutions, political power and social policy choices: Reconstructing the origins of Nordic models of social policy

Abstract.  The origins of the Nordic social policy model(s) need to be viewed broadly and historically from its late nineteenth-century initiation to the immediate postwar period (1940s to the early 1960s), when a social democratic model began to consolidate. In reference to the alternate social policy traditions of British poor relief and German occupational insurance, this article analyzes the sociopolitical contexts that finally prevented Scandinavian states from developing similarly, instead enabling development of universalistic social policy. The historical narratives are arranged with respect to four analytical aspects: policy development; the configuration of state institutions; the strength of liberal, conservative and leftist power blocs; and intra-Nordic divergence in all these respects. Such an approach integrates state-centred and power-resources-focused analyses of Nordic welfare.     

The use of serial measurement of plasma cholinesterase in the management of acute poisoning with organophosphates and carbamates

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the benefits of using serial measurements of plasma cholinesterase (butyrylcholinesterase, BuChE) activity in the management of cholinesterase inhibitor insecticidal poisoning. METHOD: After establishing and validating BuChE activity test, and making it available for clinical service in the toxicology laboratory at Jordan University Hospital. Serial measurements of BuChE were performed on samples taken from 10 symptomatic patients presented with the manifestations of poisoning due to acetylcholinesterase inhibitor insecticides during the year 2001. The number of serial repeats of BuChE activity tests ranged from 2 to 4 and from 8 to 11 for patients with carbamates and organophosphates (OPs) poisoning, respectively. The results of serial measurement of BuChE obtained from each patient's samples were used to draw a curve; three different types of curves were obtained from all patients samples. RESULT: The obtained curves were found to follow our three proposed curves, which support our point view regarding the importance of the proposed curves in the differential diagnosis and treatment of cholinesterase inhibitor pesticides poisoning. CONCLUSION: This study pointed out the importance of utilizing serial measurements of BuChE activity in the diagnosis and the management of organophosphates and carbamates poisoning. The BuChE activity results were used to support diagnostic and prognostic criteria that guided patient management and follow up. Applying those curves to large number of patients' samples will enhance its credibility. The study also demonstrated the importance of direct contract between toxicologist and physician in treatment of the pesticides poisoned patients.     

Determination of tramadol in hair using solid phase extraction and GC-MS

Tramadol is a centrally acting synthetic analgesic with mu-opioid receptor agonist activity, it is a widely prescribed analgesic used in the treatment of moderate to severe pain and as an alternative to opiates. Tramadol causes less respiratory depression than morphine at recommended doses. Its efficacy and low incidence of side effects lead to its unnecessary prescribing in patients with mild pain. Tramadol was classified as a "controlled drug" long after its approval for use in Jordan. Analysis of drugs of abuse in hair has been used in routine forensic toxicology as an alternative to blood in studying addiction history of drug abusers. A method for the determination of tramadol in hair using solid phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is presented, the method offers excellent precision (3.5-9.8%, (M)=6.77%), accuracy (6.9-12%, M=9.4%) and limit of detection 0.5 ng/mg. The recovery was in the range of 87-94.3% with an average of 90.75%. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 0.5-5.0 ng/mg hair with correlation coefficient of 0.998. The developed method was tested on 11 hair samples taken from patients using tramadol as prescribed by their physician along with other different drugs in treating chronic illnesses. Tramadol was detected in all hair samples at a concentration of 0.176-16.3 ng/mg with mean concentration of 4.41 ng/mg. The developed method has the potential of being applied in forensic drug hair testing. In Jordan, hair drug testing started to draw the attention of legal authorities which stimulated forensic toxicologists in recent years to develop methods of analysis of drugs known or have the potential to be abused.     

Fatal poisoning with alcohol and drugs in the Greater Amman County

A study of fatal poisoning due to alcohol and drugs was carried out, to examine the mortality resulting from alcohol and drugs in the Greater Amman County, Jordan. A retrospective review of all autopsy records and certified deaths issued by the Department of Forensic Medicine at Jordan University Hospital in the greater Amman county was undertaken. During the 18 years (1978-1996) 6109 postmortem cases were performed in our department. A total of 60 cases were identified and analyzed according to age, race, sex, manner of death of the victims along with blood alcohol concentration, the drug detected at autopsies, the scene circumstances, and the geographic location of the accident and death.