Cocaine-associated rhabdomyolysis and excited delirium: different stages of the same syndrome.

Previous case reports indicate that cocaine-associated rhabdomyolysis and excited delirium share many similar features, suggesting that they may be different stages of the same syndrome. We tested this hypothesis by comparing data from 150 cases of cocaine-associated rhabdomyolysis reported in the medical literature with data from an autopsy registry for 58 victims of fatal excited delirium and 125 victims of fatal acute cocaine toxicity. Patients with rhabdomyolysis are similar to victims of fatal excited delirium with regard to age; gender; race; route of cocaine administration; the experiencing of excitement, delirium, and hyperthermia; and the absence of seizures. Compared with victims of fatal acute cocaine toxicity, patients with rhabdomyolysis are different with regard to each of these variables. Compared with victims of fatal acute cocaine toxicity, both victims of rhabdomyolysis and fatal excited delirium are more likely to be black, male, and younger; to have administered cocaine by smoking or injection; and to have experienced excitement, delirium, and hyperthermia; they are also less likely to have had seizures. Because cocaine-associated rhabdomyolysis and excited delirium have similar clinical features and risk factors, occur in similar populations of drug users, and can be explained by the same pathophysiologic processes, we conclude that they are different stages of the same syndrome. It appears that this syndrome is caused by changes in dopamine processing induced by chronic and intense use of cocaine rather than by the acute toxic effects of the drug.     

Arresting Statistics: The Drift to Informal Justice in England and Wales

This paper re-examines some of the current theoretical models and paradigms of criminal justice in England and Wales based on an analysis of national arrest statistics between 1981 and 1997. The data show that there has been a large increase in the number of arrests in the period but the number of people prosecuted has declined. An increasing number of people are being arrested and released without any further action. The principal argument is that there has been a radical shift in power away from the formal open and public system of justice towards a more informal closed system. The paper concludes that while these trends lend support to a number of theoretical perspectives on the criminal justice process, particularly Choongh's social disciplinary model, the radical transformation which has taken place in the form of criminal justice can only be understood within the broader politics and economic structures of modern Britain.     

The use of the Foster & Freeman Fx5 Fibre Finder in forensic textile examinations.

The Fx5 Fibre Finder has been developed by Foster & Freeman Ltd to automatically search tape lifts for coloured fibres specified by the operator. Experiments and casework studies have been conducted to assess primarily the performance of the instrument but also, where possible, to compare it with manual searching. Tape lifts have always been manually searched at this laboratory and it is a laborious task. The use of a machine such as the Fx5 would release a scientist from many hours of low power microscopy to be free for other duties and therefore could be a valuable labour saving device in forensic textile examination.     

The Extension of the Criminal Law to Protecting Confidential Commercial Information: Comments on the Issues and the Cyber-Context

Confidential commercial information is an increasingly valuable commodity and commercial resource which may be inadequately protected by the traditional approach of English criminal law against misappropriation. This paper reviews the nature of the problem and some of the relevant legal issues. Notwithstanding that a global reform of the law in this area is probably not on the cards, the position advocated here is that the direct application of the criminal law is indeed an appropriate vehicle through which to deter the misappropriation of confidential commercial information. However, the scope of any new law must be carefully circumscribed - if it is drawn too wide, the law runs the danger of acting outside of the articulated rationale for criminal liability and endangering other legitimate interests (particularly in the cyberspace context). If it is drawn too narrow, any new law may very well prove ineffective. It is suggested that there are a number of difficulties, both doctrinal and practical, that must be resolved prior to enacting new legislation in this area. Some observations are presented upon the more critical issues for those interested in the implications of law reform in this area for cyberspace.