Detection of amitriptyline, nortriptyline and bromazepam in liver, CSF and hair in the homicidal poisoning of a one-month-old girl autopsied 8 months after death

We reported on the death by poisoning of a one-month-old baby that had followed the death of one of her sister (due to cyamemazine overdose). Exhumation of the corpse was done 8 months after burial and revealed the presence of amitriptyline. Parent drug and its metabolite were analysed by HPLC-MS/MS in positive ionisation mode on a C(18) analytical column using a gradient of acetonitrile and 2mM formate buffer at pH=3. Quantification is based on the main ion m/z=233, the common product ion of nortriptyline (MH(+), m/z 264), amitriptyline (MH(+), m/z 278) and nortriptyline D3 used as internal standard (MH(+), m/z 267). Amitriptyline and nortriptyline in the liver were measured at a concentration of 29.8 and 3.6 μg/g, respectively. Hair analyses revealed the presence of amitriptyline and nortriptyline at concentrations of 1811 and 43 pg/mg, respectively, while complementary analyses showed the presence of bromazepam in the hair at a concentration of 740 pg/mg, thus documenting previous administrations. The mother confessed later having used the drinkable form of the pharmaceutical LAROXYL(?) by pouring the content of a 20 ml bottle (at 40 mg/ml) into the feeding-bottle of her child. The milk was sweet but still bitter and following the testimony of a close relative, the whole family helped to feed the crying baby.     

Can service providing NGOs build democracy? Five contingent features

This article studies the role of service providing NGOs in the Middle East in promoting democracy. Challenging the assumption that service providing NGOs are apolitical, the authors argue that service providing NGOs play important roles in promoting democracy. They do so by serving as public arenas, or spaces in which members and beneficiaries practice democratic habits such as discussion and debate, collective problem solving, free expression, rights claiming, and the like—all of which contribute to the cultivation of a participatory form of democracy. Drawing upon existing literature, interviews, and participant observation of NGOs in Egypt, Lebanon, and Palestine, the authors argue that five features shape the role of service providing NGOs in promoting democracy. These include: (1) organizational readiness, or the organization's embeddedness in its beneficiary community and its organizational capacity; (2) organizational governance, or organization's commitment to participatory representation and transparency; (3) the nature of service an organization provides; (4) an NGOs' collaboration with other NGOs and the government; and (5) donor risk tolerance. The article's analysis contributes to our understanding of the varied, and often overlooked, roles of service providing NGOs, advancing the literature on NGO-state relations, NGO-donor relations, and democracy promotion.