素描与自传——一个外国人眼中的红色中国要人(系列之六)

王震将军为人谦虚、平和、讲究实际,而且对人异常友善。1937年,他28岁时,给与他同龄的肖克当政治委员。我采访他几天后,王震就重返部队,投入到同日本人的战斗中去了。不久,他被任命为八路军第一二○师三五九旅旅长。该旅后来非常出名,人们普遍认为,他在政治和军事上都是安全可靠的。     

素描与自传--一个外国人眼中的红色中国要人(系列之四)贺龙--中国的红色罗宾汉

韦尔斯: 贺龙是红军领袖中最有魅力、最难以捉摸的一个.他率领的湖南游击队常常是神出鬼没,每到一个地方,犹如一阵旋风刮过,给各地留下了无数的传说.我见过的每一个人都讲述过一个关于他的故事,而且没有一个是完全相同的.但有一点是一致的:那就是贺龙有着最令人惊叹的个人生活,他还有一位极富魅力的姐姐--贺英,她是一名军官.     

素描与自传--一个外国人眼中的红色中国要人《系列之五》康克清--女指挥员

康克清素描 康克清是在江西与农民一起行路时,从土墙上贴的标语中学会认字和写字的.她小时候做苦工,后来成长为游击队领导人.18岁那年,她与朱德结婚.从那以后,他们就幸福地在一起生活、行军打仗,尽管当时她的年龄不及他的一半.她对我讲,除贺英(贺龙的姐姐,她在湖北的一次战斗中牺牲了)之外,做过正规红军部队指挥员的妇女就只有她一个了.     

轮椅上的风筝手

在众多放风筝者中量让人钦佩的是波比·鲁尔。 波比在21岁那年,由于颈椎第5节骨折。中枢神经损伤,成了一名下肢全瘫、手与腕部也失去活动能力的截瘫人。致残后,这位生性喜欢争强好胜的年轻人选择风筝作为运动项目,因为他发现放风筝非常有利于残疾人的身心健康。他说:“放风筝能给我带来极大的乐趣。”     

我只想要个女儿

两年前,露易丝和阿兰·马斯特腾唯一的女儿尼科尔意外死于一次篝火事故。露易丝已有四个儿子,她和丈夫决定再要个孩子,但只想生个女儿。他们是否可以选择孩子的性别呢?律师毕业的阿兰和它的妻子认为应该可以,但有关当局却不允许。露易丝渴望着再要个女儿以抚平她的丧女之痛,请听听她     

藏族寺院经济的行为模式初探

藏族寺院经济的行为模式初探东噶仓·才让加藏族地区幅员辽阔，寺院分布点多面广，影响很大。因此，藏传佛教寺院在藏族地区一经复兴，就受到社会各界的广泛关注。但是，作为从属于藏传佛教寺院的经济活动，未能够引起政府有关部门的重视，在发展上仍采取放任自流的态度，...     

Morphine-3-D glucuronide stability in postmortem specimens exposed to bacterial enzymatic hydrolysis

Medical examiners frequently rely on the finding of free morphine present in postmortem specimens to assist in certifying deaths associated with narcotics. In vitro hydrolysis of morphine-3-D glucuronide (M3DG) to free morphine was studied using variable specimen pH, initial degree of specimen putrefaction, storage temperature and time, and the effectiveness of sodium fluoride (NaF) preservation. Reagent M3DG was added to opiate-free fresh blood and urine and to autopsy-derived blood specimens. Reagent bovine glucuronidase was also added to certain specimens. Freshly collected and refrigerated NaF-preserved blood produced minimal free morphine, whereas four of five autopsy blood specimens produced free morphine from M3DG. Increased storage time, temperature, and initial degree of putrefaction resulted in greater free morphine generation despite the absence of viable bacteria. Hydrolysis occurring during specimen storage can generate free morphine from M3DG and may result in erroneous conclusions in certifying narcotic deaths.     

Simultaneous determination of THC-COOH and THC-COOH-glucuronide in urine samples by LC/MS/MS

A fast method using liquid-liquid extraction and HPLC/tandem-mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous detection of 11-Nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid beta-glucuronide (THC-COOH-glucuronide) and 11-Nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH) in urine samples. This highly specific method, which combines chromatographic separation and MS/MS analysis, can be used for the confirmation of positive immunoassay results even without hydrolysis of the sample or derivatisation of extracts. Liquid-liquid extraction was optimised: with ethylacetate/diethylether (1:1, v/v) THC-COOH-glucuronide and THC-COOH could be extracted in one step. Molecular ions of the glucuronide (MH(+), m/z 521) and THC-COOH (MH(+), m/z 345) were generated using a PE/SCIEX turboionspray source in positive ionisation mode; specific fragmentation was performed in the collision cell of an API 365 triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer and yielded major fragments at m/z 345 (for THC-COOH-glucuronide) and m/z 327 as well as m/z 299 for both cannabinoids. Chromatographic separation was performed using a reversed-phase C8 column and gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid/1 mM ammonium formate and acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid. Retention times were 22.2 min for the glucuronide and 26.8 min for THC-COOH. After enzymatic hydrolysis of urine samples with beta-glucuronidase/arylsulfatase (37 degrees C, 5 h), THC-COOH-glucuronide was no longer detectable by LC/MS/MS in urine samples. However, the THC-COOH concentration was increased. For quantitation of THC-COOH, THC-COOH-D(3) was added to the urine samples as internal standard prior to analysis. From the difference of THC-COOH in the native urine and urine after enzymatic hydrolysis, molar concentration ratios of THC-COOH-glucuronide/THC-COOH in urine samples of cannabis users were determined and found to be between 1.3 and 4.5.     

Fatal outcome in a case of pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 2

Pontocerebellar hypoplasia (PCH) is a very rare congenital (autosomal recessive) condition with fetal onset. Only a few cases have been published on the basis of both clinical data (symptoms/neuroradiological imaging) and autopsy results. This paper reports on such a case involving a 1.5-year-old male infant. The child suffered from severe psychomotor delay, extrapyramidal dyskinesia and epileptic seizures, but did not exhibit signs of spinal muscular atrophy as related to PCH type 1. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the age of 6 months demonstrated olivo-pontine and bilateral cerebellar hypoplasia. The boy was unexpectedly found dead. Autopsy disclosed a severe aspiration of gastric contents as the final cause of death. The neuropathological examination confirmed PCH type 2 (according to Barth [Brain Dev., 15 (1993) 411-422]) with marked microcephaly and olivopontocerebellar hypoplasia. Histologically, decreased density of olivo-pontine neurons, reduction of granular and Purkinje's cell layers of the cerebellum, slight astroglial proliferation and fragmented appearance of the dentate nuclei were observed. The immunohistochemical expression pattern was determined using antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein, synaptophysin and neurofilament protein. Summarizing, typical features of PCH type 2 were present and proved by clinical course, MRI and autopsy. Despite severe symptoms due to a natural disease this rare neurogenetic entity can become of forensic interest, when sudden unexpected death occurs.