The view from below: Local government and Putin's reforms

Local government reforms in contemporary Russia are placed in the broader contexts of political reform under Putin and the historical relationship between local administration and the state. Reforms of local government thus help illuminate the architecture of contemporary state building in Russia and the degree to which contemporary Russia perpetuates political traditions. This study reviews the antecedent action in local government prior to the Putin era. It then examines the Kozak Commission and the new law on local government, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of these reforms. Finally, this study examines the challenges of implementing the reforms and what these challenges tell us about devolution and centralisation under Putin.     

Toxicological analysis of a fatal baclofen (Lioresal) ingestion

A fatality following ingestion of the drug baclofen (Lioresal) is described. Baclofen was identified in urine by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. After derivatization with trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid, baclofen was quantitated in serum and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography. The concentration of baclofen was 17 mg/L in serum and 760 mg/L in urine collected approximately 12 h after the overdose. To our knowledge, this is only the second reported fatality involving a baclofen overdose. The previous case did not include quantitation of baclofen in any biological fluid.     

Isolation of the DNA minisatellite probe MZ 1.3 and its application to DNA 'fingerprinting' analysis

A minisatellite probe, MZ 1.3, detecting hypervariable fragment patterns was isolated from a human genomic library. A repetitive sequence of 27 bp length was identified which is contained in the probe approx. 40 times. The MZ 1.3 repeat shows variable homology of 53-73% to the repetitive sequence of the protein III gene of the bacteriophage M13 genome. Polymorphic restriction fragment patterns were found with MZ 1.3 using the enzymes Hinf I, BstN I, Hae III, Mbo I, PstI/Pvu II, and Rsa I. An average of 18 polymorphic fragments was observed using Hinf I as enzyme. The band sharing frequency after Hinf I digestion among unrelated individuals was determined to be 23.8 +/- 7.2%. An example for the application of MZ 1.3 to paternity testing in an incest case is given. The probe can be used with radioactive or non-radioactive detection systems. An approach is presented to compare polymorphic fragment patterns from individuals obtained by independent gel runs on the basis of relative band positions (RBP) and calculated in a computerized analysis.     

Capillary gas-liquid chromatography separation of phenethylamines in amphetamine-positive urine samples

Good gas chromatography (GC) separation of molecules is essential for clean gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) confirmation of compounds. The trifluoro derivatives of ephedrine (E) and methamphetamine (MA) coelute on dimethyl silicone capillary columns, such as DB-1, which are most commonly used by chromatographers. Methods are described to separate E and MA to aid GC/MS confirmations of methamphetamine, ephedrine, or both E and MA together, whichever may be present in Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA)-analyzed amphetamine-positive urine samples. The use of the heptafluoro derivatives of E and MA on a DB-1 column, or the trifluoro derivatives of E and MA on a DB-17 column, is suggested for good gas chromatographic separation.     

Determination of deslanoside in antemortem and postmortem specimens. Unusual case report

One case of the erroneous administration of deslanoside and high level of drug in antemortem plasma and postmortem specimens has been reported owing to the unusual surrounding circumstances. Deslanoside in antemortem plasma was determined by FPIA and the analysis was done by HPLC in the postmortem tissue samples. The analytical results and methods used in the examinations are discussed in the following paper.     

The effect of various stain carriers on the quality and quantity of DNA extracted from dried bloodstains

Bloodstains were made with 200 microliters blood on each of 11 different common substrates to examine the effect of the stain carrier on the amount and quality of DNA recoverable. High-molecular-weight DNA was extracted from all samples after 2 days. The yield of DNA from each sample varied considerably, not only between the different stain carriers but also within a given category. With a DNA yield of up to 10 micrograms, paper, glass, nylon, wood, smooth leather and wool gave the best results, followed by blue denim and wallpaper (up to 6 micrograms), cotton fabric and carpeting (up to 4 micrograms) and suede (up to 2 micrograms). For several stain carriers the DNA-containing solution was contaminated by chemical substances, which in the case of the blue denim, suede, and carpet samples inhibited the digestion of the DNA with restriction enzymes and prevented DNA typing. The different textures of the stain carriers tested and (as for varying yields on the same carrier) the differing degree of loss of DNA during extraction and the physiological variation in the number of leukocytes in human blood are discussed as possible reasons for the wide range of variation in the amounts of DNA it was possible to extract.