A comparison of post-mortem ethanol levels obtained from blood and subdural specimens

Post-mortem subdural ethanol levels have been proposed as a useful test in certain forensic cases involving head trauma, particularly when the time interval from injury to death may have caused a lowering of the blood ethanol concentration to insignificant or undetectable levels. This study of 75 autopsied persons from whom both blood and subdural ethanol levels were obtained, shows the usefulness of the subdural ethanol level, especially where there is a prolonged or unknown post-traumatic time interval. Use of such a test is recommended in these situations.     

Ethnography of a policy process: a case study of land redistribution in Bangladesh

Throughout the developing world, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are involved in various aspects of an increasing number of policy interventions. The donor community has lent considerable support to this strategy. One of the key assumptions behind the strategy is that the greater involvement of NGOs in policy processes will result in more resources being distributed to the poor, and will also facilitate the establishment of a policy process which is more inclusive and egalitarian. Here the involvement of NGOs in an important land redistribution policy initiative is used to examine both these assumptions. While there is strong evidence that more land was redistributed to the poor as a result of NGO involvement, the actual mechanism or process for deciding the distribution of land was not found to be all inclusive or completely egalitarian. This ambivalence serves as a timely critique to the naive optimism and simplified assumptions underpinning development thinking and practice. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The economic impacts of the tobacco settlement.

Recent litigation against the major tobacco companies culminated in a master settlement agreement (MSA) under which the participating companies agreed to compensate most states for Medicaid expenses. Here the terms of the settlement are outlined and its economic implications analyzed using data from Massachusetts. The financial compensation to Massachusetts (and other states) under the MSA is substantial. However, this compensation is dwarfed by the value of the health impacts induced by the settlement. Specifically, Medicaid spending will fall, but only by a modest amount. More importantly, the value of health benefits ($65 billion through 2025 in 1999 dollars) from increased longevity is an order of magnitude greater than any other impacts or payments. The net efficiency implications of the settlement turn mainly on a comparison of the value of these health benefits relative to a valuation of the foregone pleasure of smoking. To the extent that the value of the health benefits is not offset by the value of the pleasure foregone, the economic impacts of the MSA will include a share of these health benefits.     

The macro- and micromorphological signs of the edge of stabbing-cutting weapons in skin wounds

110 stab-cut skin wounds in 34 dead bodies as well as 38 stab-cut instruments were studied. Three morphologic types of traces left by blade edges of stab-cut instruments, i.e. puncture, microrupture and microcut, were established. Gross and micromorphology of each of these traces depends on the properties of blade edges of stab-cut instruments.     

A rare fatal case of silicone resin precursor (SH792) poisoning.

A 39-year-old man committed suicide by ingesting a large quantity of SH792. SH792 is a silicone resin precursor used as a hardener for waterproof paints. It is polymerized in water; this process is then followed by the formation of silicone resin and the release of N,N-diethylhydroxylamine. In this decedent, analysis by infrared spectroscopy showed that polymerized silicone resin was present in the stomach contents. The amount of silica in his tissues was within levels seen in control subjects. N,N-diethylhydroxylamine was detected in the urine (0.7 microliters/ml) but not in the stomach contents. The data suggest that SH792 was polymerized in the stomach and the released N,N-diethylhydroxylamine (DEHA) was absorbed into the body. The mechanism of SH792 poisoning is also discussed.