A Spanish population study of 17 Y-chromosome STR loci

Haplotype, allele frequencies and population data of 17 Y-chromosome STR loci DYS19, DYS385, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS460 (GATA A7.1), DYS461 (GATA A7.2), GATA A10, GATA C4 and GATA H4 were determined from a sample of 148 unrelated male individuals from Spain. A total of 144 haplotypes were identified by the 17 Y-STR markers, of which 141 were unique, two were found in two individuals and one was found in three individuals. The haplotype diversity (99.95%) and discrimination capacity (97.30%) were calculated. Comparisons were made with previously published haplotype data on other Iberian population samples and no significant differences were found.     

Standardisation of nomenclature for dog mtDNA D-loop: a prerequisite for launching a Canis familiaris database

Domestic dogs are increasingly involved, often as protagonists, in the forensic scene. Acknowledging this fact and benefiting from the accumulated experience on human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyses, we propose a standard for Canis familiaris mtDNA sequences as a prerequisite for the launching of the corresponding database.     

Collective poisoning with hallucinogenous herbal tea

An incident wherein more than 30 people were poisoned with a herbal infusion during a meditation session is described. The clinical features observed were hallucinations, aggression, agitation, amnesia, mydriasis, dry skin, tachycardia, hyperthermia, hypotension, collapse, coma and respiratory depression. All patients recovered, although mechanical ventilation was required in some instances. A portion of the herbal infusion was found to contain atropine (hyoscyamine), scopolamine (hyoscine), harmine, and other alkaloids. The estimated ingested doses (free bases) were atropine 4 mg, harmine 27 mg, and scopolamine 78 mg. The mean concentrations in 21 serum samples obtained approximately 6h after ingestion of the infusion were atropine 5 ng/ml, harmine 8 ng/ml, and scopolamine 13 ng/ml.     

Barcelona 2002: law, ethics, and human rights. Juggling individual and collective concerns with respect to HIV/AIDS policies

Efforts to prevent the spread of HIV infection sometimes give rise to tensions between individual and collective rights. This article, based on a presentation by Nelson Varas-Díaz (abstract TuOrG1171), explores these tensions in the context of the laws and policies of eight Latin American countries: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Puerto Rico. The article describes five elements of the response to HIV/AIDS in which tensions between individual and collective rights have surfaced: the participation of people living with HIV/AIDS on national commissions; the ability of HIV-positive persons to access antiretroviral medications; HIV-antibody testing practices; the confidentiality of health information; and the rights and duties of people living with HIV/AIDS. The article concludes that the success of programs designed to prevent the spread of HIV infection depends on the ability of societies and governments to balance the tensions between individual and collective rights.     

Czech Republic

European Journal of Political Research -     

Gelatinase A in human dentin as a new biochemical marker for age estimation

Dentin proteins from 24-individual permanent molars from patients aged 15 to 73 years were sequentially extracted, with guanidinium chloride (G1-extract) and then with EDTA; after demineralization, the material was again extracted with guanidinium chloride (G2-extract). Extracts were analyzed by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and the gels were processed for zymography to detect gelatinolytic activities. The patterns of gelatinase A distribution differed in the different dentin protein fractions, and the changes varied with age. Significant differences were detected in gelatinase A in G2-extracts between individual younger than 20 years old and the rest of the sample (chi2exp = 19.429; 1 d.f.; p < or = 0.001). The incidence of true and false positives and negatives, and sensitivity and specificity for the presence of gelatinase A in dentin extracts, were calculated. Determination of gelatinase A in human dentin may be a useful marker to estimate age, especially when other morphological methods are of limited usefulness.