The Ratio of 6β‐Hydroxycortisol to Cortisol in Urine as a Measure of Cytochrome P450 3A Activity in Postmortem Cases

Poisoning can occur with chronic accumulation of a drug due to reduced metabolic capacity; conversely, under‐treatment may occur due to an increased metabolic rate. Over half of all drugs are metabolized by the cytochrome P450 3A complex (CYP3A). The activity of CYP3A can be assessed by the urinary ratio of 6β‐hydroxycortisol to cortisol. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of this ratio as a postmortem marker for determining whether altered CYP3A enzyme activity occurred prior to death. In a series of 244 postmortem cases, this ratio ranged from 0.014 to 78.6 (median 3.50). The median was significantly higher (5.14) in a subgroup of 28 cases that exhibited the presence of CYP3A‐inducing drugs. In cirrhosis, the median ratio was 1.69. This pointed to a reduced metabolic capacity of CYP3A. Thus, the ratio may constitute a rough indicator of the CYP3A metabolic capacity, which could be of value in special cases.     

G. M. Dawson and the economic development of western Canada

Abstract. Dr G.M. Dawson was considered the leading Canadian scientist of the latter part of the nineteenth century, and was widely recognized abroad. Besides his scientific contributions, and the technological and economic benefits derived from them, he contributed much to administration as Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, as an advisor to government officials and leaders, in the training of younger men, and as Commissioner on the Bering Sea arbitration. The purpose of this paper is to perpetuate awareness of his contributions, which are not now so well known as at the turn of the century, to show the complex and often long-term benefits that can accrue from geological investigations, and to try to indicate the extent to which it is possible to analyse such benefits and their costs. Although mainly a geologist, Dawson was versatile and made many contributions to geography, botany and anthropology. His education, which was particularly thorough in geology as applied to ores, was completed just in time for him to take a leading part in western developments. In 1873-5 he was geologist and botanist to the Commission surveying the 49th parallel from Lake of the Woods to the Rockies. He was then appointed to the Geological Survey, and made brilliant reconnaissances in many western regions; he was assistant director in 1883-95 and director from then to 1901. Althoilgh his advice was greatly beneficial to prospectors and technical developers, much of his influence was also in encouraging sound investments. The author tried several complex ways of estimating the value of benefits but discarded them because so many other factors were involved, some being long-term. It seems practical, therefore, merely to explain verbally that, for very small expenditures, Dawson was probably more responsible than anyone else for production worth about 240 million, in 1885 to 1905 alone, and that other benefits were derived then and up to the present. Sommaire. Le Dr G.M. Dawson était considéré comme « le » savant canadien à la fin du 19^e siècle et il était bien connu à l'étranger. En plus de son apport dans le domaine des sciences et des avantages technologiques et économiques qui en ont été la conséquence, il joua un rôle important d'administrateur en tant que directeur du relevé géologique du Canada, conseilleur des membres du gouvernementet chefs politiques, éducateur de jeunes et commissaire chargé d'arbitrer la question du détroit de Béring. Le but de cette étude est de consigner ses réalisations, moins connues aujourd'hui qu'elles ne l'étaient au début du siècle, de montrer les résultats complexes et souvent à long terme de ses étudesg géologiques et d'essayer d'indiquer dans quelle mesure il est possible d'analyserces avantages et ce qu'ils ont coûté. Bien que Dawson ait été surtout un gélogue, il ne s'est pas cantonné exclusivement dans ce domaine et son influence s'est fait sentir en géographie, botaniqueet anthropologie. Ses études particulièrement poussées en gélogie dans le domaine des minerais prirent fin juste à temps pour lui permettre de jouer un rôle de premier plan dans le développement de l'Ouest. De 1873 à 1875, en tant que gélogue et botaniste, il fit partie de la Commission chargée de relever le 49^e parallèle du « Lake of the Woods » aux Rocheuses. Il fut ensuite nomméà la Commission du relevé gélogique et s'acquitta brillamment de cette tâche dans diverses parties de l'Ouest; il occupa le poste de directeur-adjoint de 1883 à 1895 et de directeur de 1895 à 1901. Ses conseils furent précieu pour les prospecteurs et les techniciens mais il usa aussi de son influence pour encourager des placement judicieux. L'auteur a essayé de différentes fawns complexes d'estimer la valeur de l'apport de Dawson mais a dû les abandonner parce qu'elles, ne tenaient pas compte d'autres facteurs nombreux, dont certains à long terme. Il semble doncpratique d'expliquer verbalement qu'en ne dépensant que des sommes très minimes, Dawson plus que tout autre, a été responsable d'une production évaluééà 240 millions, de 1885 à 1905 en dehors d'autres bénéfices recueillis à l'époque et jusqu'à nos jours.     

Revisiting the legal infrastructure for the confiscation of Armenian and Greek wealth: an analysis of the CUP years and the early modern Republic

Properties belonging to Ottoman Armenians and Greeks were seized through various laws, decrees and other legal regulations passed by the Committee of Union and Progress (hereafter CUP) government, and later the cadres of the Republican regime. Both governments concocted ways of making this illegal process look legitimate by using the legal veil of the law. Central to this process were the economic outcomes of violence committed against Armenians and Greeks. The aim of this article is to analyze these laws and statutes, which were known as the Abandoned Properties Laws, and discuss the impact of this legislation on the process of the changing of hands of Armenian and Greek properties. It attempts to elucidate the dominant logic of the laws, decrees, and regulations concerning the abandoned properties in the periods of 1915–1923 and post-1923.     

运筹帷幄 坚持东北--东北解放战争时期的陈云

东北解放战争时期,陈云同志作为中共中央东北局的重要领导成员,一直战斗在白山黑水之间,他在政治和军事上卓越的领导和指挥才能在东北战场上得到了充分的体现。抗日战争胜利后,鉴于东北在战略上的重要性,中共中央决定组建以彭真为书记,陈云、伍修权、程子华、林枫为委员的中共中央东北局,并先后调集了10万军队和2万干部进入东北。陈云于9月18日到达沈阳后,即开始了领导接收和建立东北根据地的伟大斗争。到达沈阳之初,陈云同志就以一个政治家和军事家的战略眼光,对东北的形势做出了正确的分析和判断,指出:满洲的斗争是长期的武装斗争与非武装…     

简析马来西亚留华同学会

由于中国的快速发展,留华学生日益增多,马来西亚留华同学会应运而生。其成立后开展的活动涉及层面相当广泛,但它成立后与留台联总之间发生了争论。马来西亚留华同学会给马来西亚华人社团带来了生机,也为广大的留华学生提供了许多帮助,对于促进中马之间的文化、学术等交流做出了积极贡献。     

Family Support Groups for family members of mentally ill offenders: a pilot study

To date, there is a lack of family interventions for family members of persons with a mental illness who offended (PMIO). With the aim of addressing this issue, a Family Support Group (FSG) has been developed. The current pilot study investigated the impact of two pilot FSGs for family members of PMIO in relation to quality of life, burden, coping strategies, and resilience. Family members completed several questionnaires (i.e. WHOQOL-BREF, ZBI-22, CERQ, RS-nl) both before and after the group intervention. A total of 20 family members participated in both FSGs. The results indicated that participants experienced less self-blame, a decrease in loss of control over their lives, and improved emotional well-being. The findings showed that attending an FSG can be empowering for family members as it offers support in the management of emotional experiences and coping strategies.     

Legacy of the Housing Act of 1949: The Past,Present, and Future of Federal Housing and Urban Policy

Abstract

This article summarizes a special issue of Housing Policy Debate, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Housing Act of 1949. The act is best remembered for its declaration that every American deserves a “decent home and a suitable living environment.” The articles in this collection offer varying perspectives on how this act helped shape the postwar metropolis. The authors—urban planners, historians, and public officials—each consider a different part of the legacy.

The first three articles deal primarily with the act's creation and social and political ramifications, while the next three look at how Titles I, II, and III have influenced the past 50 years of housing and urban policy. The record of the Housing Act of 1949 is mixed, and so are its lessons. There remains an ongoing struggle to find the right mix of housing support to reach the goals first expressed in this landmark legislation.     

From seaside to Southside: New urbanism's quest to save the inner city

Abstract

In this article, we use a random sample of urban community development corporations (CDCs) to determine whether distinct types exist and, if so, to estimate their prevalence in the industry. The typical urban CDC has a diversified portfolio of economic and social development activities, including community organizing, and is likely to have a housing development program, although not necessarily a large one because relatively few are high producers.

Large‐scale housing producers, defined in the study as having produced at least 500 units during the previous 10 years, comprise 18 percent of CDCs. A large organizational capacity, an affiliation with national intermediaries, the training of staff and the adoption of computers, the length of executive directors’ tenure, and the share of funding devoted to housing programs are the most important factors increasing the odds that a CDC will belong to the group of high producers.