Growth behavior of the blue blowfly Calliphora vicina maggots

Fifty-three clusters of blowfly eggs of the genus Calliphora vicina were observed in the laboratory up to the hatching stage under reproducible and virtually field-like conditions. Rearing the larvae was then continued up to pupation, the larval growth in length being recorded several times a day. As the object was to study the dependence of the larvae increase in length on the temperature conditions in vitro, the substratal humidity and food supply were kept unchanged during the entire study. The temperature ranged from 6.5 degrees C to 35 degrees C, with the temperature for the individual cluster kept constant during the entire developmental process. Data on about 5500 measured larvae were statistically evaluated. The basic result established was that in the case of the blowfly of the genus Calliphora vicina in vivo, all developmental stages relevant to the entomologic determination of the time of death depend on the temperature conditions: (1) the duration of the egg stage increases with decreasing temperature; (2) the speed of larval growth is slower at lower temperatures; (3) the maximal larval length is reached earlier at higher temperatures; (4) the mean value of maximal length decreases with increasing temperature; (5) larvae under all temperature conditions decrease in size after having reached their maximal length, the decrease in length being more rapid at higher temperatures; (6) constant temperatures over 30 degrees C lead to "stunted forms" which do not pupate and die; (7) constant temperatures under approximately 16 degrees C after the peak of growth has been reached inhibit the readiness to pupate, which causes the larvae to fall into a stationary state of rest, which will be interrupted only when the temperature is raised and resumption of the metamorphosis is thus induced. To allow rapid reconstruction of the larval age in general practice, the established growth data were set out in the form of a diagram designated isomegalendiagram, which permits temperature-fluctuation-related entomologic determination of the time of death with a maximum degree of accuracy.     

Fatal versus non-fatal heroin "overdose": blood morphine concentrations with fatal outcome in comparison to those of intoxicated drivers

The study was performed to distinguish fatal from non-fatal blood concentrations of morphine. For this purpose, blood levels of free morphine and total morphine (free morphine plus morphine conjugates) in 207 cases of heroin-related deaths were compared to those in 27 drivers surviving opiate intoxication. The majority of both survivors and non-survivors were found to show a concomitant use of depressants including alcohol or stimulants. Blood morphine levels in both groups varied widely, with a large area of overlap between survivors (free morphine: 0-128 ng/ml, total morphine: 10-2,110 ng/ml) and non-survivors (free morphine: 0-2,800 ng/ml, total morphine: 33-5,000 ng/ml). Five (18.5%) survivors and 87 (42.0%) non-survivors exhibit intoxication only by morphine. In these cases, too, both groups overlapped (survivors-free morphine: 28-93 ng/ml, total morphine: 230-1,451 ng/ml; non-survivors-free morphine: 0-2,800 ng/ml, total morphine: 119-4,660 ng/ml). Although the blood levels of free or total morphine do not allow a reliable prediction of survival versus non-survival, the ratio of free/total morphine may be a criterion to distinguish lethal versus survived intoxication. The mean of the ratio of free to total morphine for all lethal cases (N=207) was 0.293, for those that survived (N=27) 0.135, in cases of intoxication only by morphine 0.250 (N=87) and 0.080 (N=5), respectively. Applying a cut-off of 0.12 for free/total morphine and performing ROC analyses, fatal outcome can be predicted in 80% of the cases correctly, whereas 16% of the survivors were classified as dead. Nevertheless, in this study, all cases with a blood concentration of 200 ng/ml and more of free morphine displayed a fatal outcome.     

Periventricular fatty metamorphosis in neuroglia--a morphologic substrate in SIDS

In 7 of 15 cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), distinct periventricular fatty metamorphosis of the neuroglia could be demonstrated by a histological staining technique. None of the six children (under 1 year of age) used as a control group whose cause of death was not SIDS showed this morphological change. Thin-layer chromatographic analysis of the lipids accumulated in the glial cells in SIDS established a high amount of esterified cholesterol whereas the content of esterified cholesterol in the control group was low. We presume that fatty metamorphosis of the neuroglia represents the morphological substrate of a metabolic disorder of the sensitive, immature glia of the periventricular white cerebral matter caused by various kinds of damage.     

Militarized Justice in New Democracies: Explaining the Process of Military Court Reform in Latin America

While a large body of literature emphasizes the importance of judicial reform in new democracies, few scholars have examined the reform of military justice systems in these settings—despite the potential for these courts to compete directly with civilian courts and subvert the rule of law. This article focuses on Latin America to empirically examine how the process of reforming military courts has played out in each democracy following authoritarian rule. We outline two distinct pathways: (1) unilateral efforts on the part of civilian reformers, and (2) strategic bargains between civilian reformers and the military. Within the unilateral category, we further distinguish efforts driven by civilian courts, those pursued by politicians, and those undertaken in the context of larger political transformations. Ultimately, we find that, absent a dramatic defeat of an authoritarian regime and its armed forces, reform efforts that do not engage and bargain with the military directly often fail to achieve long‐term compliance and improvements in human rights practices. The success of such reform efforts, therefore, may come at a cost in other areas of democracy and civil‐military relations. We conclude the article by summarizing our findings and reflecting on the lessons they provide for ongoing military justice reform efforts around the globe.     

Large droplet lipids in blood in the right ventricle

In several cases of fatal blunt-trauma injuries or after exposure to severe burning, large-drop fatty substances, discernible to the naked eye, were found in the venous blood of the right ventricle. Thin-layer chromatographic separation of the extracted lipids demonstrated an increase in the triglyceride fraction. Analysis of the fatty acids by means of combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry showed a shift towards oleic acid. The distribution pattern of the molecular weights was determined by means of DCI-mass spectrometry in order to characterize the triglycerides in detail. The total chemical findings indicated that the visible lipids present in the right ventricle had predominantly derived from the adipose tissues. In cases of post mortem burning (without vital traumata) no typical pulmonary fat embolism had developed despite massive lipemia in the venous blood.