Elimination of 7-aminoflunitrazepam and flunitrazepam in urine after a single dose of Rohypnol

The hypnotic benzodiazepine flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) has been identified as the drug of choice for the purposes of "drugging" unsuspecting victims and raping them while they are under the influence of this substance. The objective of this paper was to study elimination of flunitrazepam and 7-aminoflunitrazepam in urine collected from ten healthy volunteers who received a single 2 mg oral dose of Rohypnol, to determine how long after drug administration 7-aminoflunitrazepam can be detected. A highly sensitive NCI-GC-MS method for the simultaneous quantitation of flunitrazepam (LOQ 100 pg/mL) and 7-aminoflunitrazepam (LOQ 10 pg/mL) in urine was developed. All samples were screened for benzodiazepines using optimized micro-plate enzyme immunoassay. The highest concentrations of 7-aminoflunitrazepam (70-518 ng/mL) and flunitrazepam (0.7-2.8 ng/mL) in urine were observed 6 h after drug administration in nine subjects and after 24 h in one subject. In six subjects 7-aminoflunitrazepam was detected up to 14 days after flunitrazepam administration, in one subject up to 21 days and in three subjects up to 28 days. In urine samples collected from six volunteers, flunitrazepam was detected three days after Rohypnol intake, in three subjects 24 h, and in one subject 5 days later. Benzodiazepine micro-plate enzyme immunoassay kit allowed the detection of flunitrazepam and metabolities 5 to 21 days after drug administration.     

Significance of mitochondrial DNA for forensic stain analysis, identification and forensic lineage determination

DNA testing using conventional STR systems may produce insufficient results, if the genomic DNA in the specimen is either highly degraded or the available quantity is very small (e.g. skin particles, hair shafts or ancient bones). In some of these cases the examination of mitochondrial DNA, which is present in considerably larger copy numbers in the cytoplasm, is more successful than that of nuclear DNA. Identification of unknown corpses by conventional DNA typing sometimes remains doubtful, if only samples from presumably distant relatives or putative brothers or sisters are available for comparison. Since mitochondrial DNA is generally transmitted in maternal lineages, its sequence pattern can be directly compared with those of other individuals and, in case of the same maternal lineage, corresponding sequence chromatograms are to be expected. In connection with nuclear DNA typing methods certain sequence motives may furnish clues to ethnic groups. The report presents three cases illustrating the application possibilities of mtDNA typing in forensic practice.     

Microgeographic genetic variation of Y chromosome in a population sample of Ravenna's area in the Emilia-Romagna region (North of Italy)

The analysis of the genetic structure of regions with a complex demographic history shed light on the various topographic, linguistic and historical influences which form the present genetic landscape of Europe. In the Emilia-Romagna region (North of Italy) Ravenna is a geographical area with a historical complex background: it was an important seaport on the Mediterranean sea, the capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom of Italy and the seat of the Byzantine governor of Italy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the microgeographic variation of Y chromosome haplotypes of the area of Ravenna by analyzing 17 Y-chromosome short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) in 122 unrelated males. 100% of all haplotypes were different. A comparison with neighbouring Italian as well as with European and Levante root populations was done by AMOVA and visualized by a phylogenetic tree. The two main haplogroups found in this area were R1b and E3b1. The results of the present study add to the data for the forensic databases and can be useful also for anthropological studies.     

AIDS fatalities in Hamburg (status: February 1985)--legal medicine aspects

The registration of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS deaths is centralized for medical research. A short review of the epidemiological state of AIDS in Hamburg is given (situation as of February 1985), and the autopsy results of seven postmortem examinations are referred to. Kaposi's sarcoma was seen in four patients and opportunistic infections in all cases, especially as a result of Pneumocystis carinii and cytomegalovirus. Due to the constellation of groups with an increased risk of acquiring AIDS--homosexual males, intravenous drug abusers and prostitutes--forensic implications have to be expected.     

A comparison of student legal issues perceptions held by chief student and chief legal affairs officers: a study of metropolitan universities in the US

This study explored the similarities and differences of the perceptions held by chief legal and chief student affairs officers with regard to student legal issues. The study follows an earlier project published by Education and the Law (9(1), pp. 41‐49) which solely examined the perceptions of chief legal affairs officers. In the present study, there was a significant difference in the perceptions of chief student affairs and chief legal affairs officers with regard to which student legal issues will be litigated in the next 10 years. Chief student affairs and chief legal affairs officers prepare for student legal issues in a very similar fashion. Both officers make use of legal conferences, student affairs conferences, continuing education, and professional literature. There appears to be many chief student affairs officers who attend legal conferences and chief legal affairs officers who attend student affairs conferences in order to better prepare for future student legal issues.     

Multinationals as Stabilisers? Economic Crisis,Access to Finance,and Employment Growth

This article examines the comparative response of multinationals and domestic firms to an economic crisis, using the empirical setting of a well defined case of economic slowdown in Chile. We find that employment in manufacturing plants has been drastically reduced during the economic crisis. Our findings reveal that multinationals are more likely to exit contributing to the employment contraction during the crisis, but surviving foreign firms experience lower employment reductions than domestic enterprises. These results are not fully consistent with the idea that multinationals are less affected by an economic crisis and that they may act as stabilisers.     

How can opposition support authoritarianism? Lessons from Egypt

While many observers of politics in the Arab world hold that the emergence of political opposition would be a harbinger of democratization, this article argues that opposition can contribute to the stability and resilience of authoritarian regimes. Based on an empirical analysis of contemporary Egyptian politics, it is shown that, despite the repressive nature of the Egyptian state, political opposition has emerged in various societal contexts: political parties, human rights associations and a popular Islamist current. In order to understand this development, it is important to investigate authoritarian survival strategies ‘beyond coercion’. While militant resistance from radical Islamists has been successfully oppressed during the 1990s, the Egyptian incumbents reacted to the challenge of societal dissent by co-opting opposition forces. As a consequence, political opposition in Egypt serves functions entirely different from those in liberal democracies. It contributes to the legitimacy of the Egyptian state. Moreover, by tolerating controlled opposition, societal dissent can be better observed, channelled and moderated. From a more general perspective, political dissent exists in various settings: it prevails not only among opposition, but also within the political elite leading to a delicate juggling act of competing ideas and interests performed at the helm of the polity.     

The "AIDS and MDGs" approach: what is it, why does it matter, and how do we take it forward?

Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been mixed, and many observers have noted the tendency for development actors to address individual MDGs largely in isolation from one another. This in turn has resulted in missed opportunities to catalyse greater interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation towards MDG achievement. The term 'AIDS and MDGs' is gaining currency as an approach that aims to explore, strengthen and leverage the links between AIDS and other health and development issues. Drawing from academic literature and from MDG country reports, this article sets out three important pillars to an AIDS and MDGs approach: 1) understanding how AIDS and the other MDGs affect one another; 2) documenting and exchanging lessons learned across MDGs; and 3) creating cross- MDG synergy. We propose broader policy level implications for this approach and how UNDP and other partners can take this agenda forward. Because the MDGs explicitly locate HIV within a broader international commitment to human development targets, they provide a critical platform for development partners to galvanise resources, political will and momentum behind a broader, systematic and structural approach to HIV, health and development.