Acute intoxication caused by overdose of flunitrazepam and triazolam: high concentration of metabolites detected at autopsy examination

ABSTRACT: A 52-year-old woman was found dead on the floor of the living room on the first floor of a house, which belonged to the man with whom she shared the house. On visiting the site, her clothes were found to be undisturbed. Packages of flunitrazepam (Silece, 2 mg/tablet) and triazolam (Halcion, 0.25 mg/tablet) were found strewn around the victim. Toxicological analysis was performed, and the concentrations of flunitrazepam, triazolam, and their metabolites in the victim's blood and urine were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array and mass spectrometry. A high blood concentration of 7-aminoflunitrazepam was detected (1,270 ng/g), and further metabolites such as 7-acetamidoflunitrazepam, 7-acetamidodesmethylflunitrazepam, and 7-aminodesmethylflunitrazepam were detected in the blood and urine samples. In addition, 4-hydroxytriazolam and α-hydroxytriazolam were detected in her urine at a concentration of 950 and 12,100 ng/mL, respectively.On the basis of the autopsy findings and toxicology results of high concentrations of both flunitrazepam and triazolam derivatives, the cause of death was determined to be acute intoxication from flunitrazepam and triazolam.     

Population data of nine STR loci,D3S1358, vWA,FGA, TH01, TPOX,CSF1PO,D5S818, D13S317 and D7S820, in Bangladeshis and Indonesians

Allele frequencies of nine short tandem repeat (STR) loci, D3S1358, vWA, FGA, TH01, TPOX, CSF1PO, D5S818, D13S317 and D7S820, were determined for 127 unrelated Bangladeshi individuals and 105 unrelated Indonesian individuals using the AmpFLSTR Profiler Kit. The genotype frequency distributions of the nine STR loci were in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for both populations.     

Glucose phosphate isomerase variants in human bloodstains and seminal stains

Glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI) variants occurring in human red cells were also demonstrated in human semen. Phenotyping was possible from bloodstains of 6 weeks storage and seminal stains of 12 weeks storage. The GPI system may be a supplemental tool for medicolegal individualization of seminal stains.     

从"和"到"和谐世界"的变奏:中国结构性权力中的知识权力与外交战略刍议

一个国际行为体可以运用军事力量、经济力量、国际制度和价值规范四种资源,通过强制、威胁、奖赏、设置议程、说服和吸引等六种方式采时其他行为体施加影响和控制,以实现其外交战略."和"是中国传统知识权力的核心,而"和谐世界"理念则是对其的一种扬弃,既是中华民族不懈追求的理想境界,更是一个文明古国向国际社会所承担的神圣职责.它决定了中国的外交战略目标必将以"和谐"的方式实现.回顾历史,新中国六十年来的外交实践有力地证明了中国已很好地将"和"加以继承,并发扬光大,在为中国赢得国际声誉的同时,也实现了我国的外交战略.     

The LAP test. A new method for identification of seminal stains by a qualitative color reaction of leucine aminopeptidase.

A new simple method for identification of seminal stains is described. It employs a qualitative color reaction based on histochemical technique for demonstration of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), which is extremely abundant in human semen. The method herein reported (the LAP test) is quite suitable for medicolegal examination of seminal stains as a preliminary test.     

Japanese voluntary environmental agreements: Bargaining power and reciprocity as contributors to effectiveness

Theoretical and empirical research on voluntarism has focused primarily on U.S. and European examples, but has generally failed to consider the Japanese system of voluntary environmental agreements. Nevertheless, Japanese VEAs are one of the worlds oldest experiments in voluntary policy; careful analysis of the characteristics and contexts may improve understanding about the critical factors associated with effective voluntary policy. This paper reviews the extant literature on voluntarism focusing specifically on the bargaining context within which agreements are negotiated. It details three factors that contribute to the effectiveness of voluntary policy generally: regulatory bargaining power, non-regulatory bargaining power and reciprocity. The paper then provides a brief but detailed analysis of the development of voluntary agreements in Japan. Comparisons with voluntary policies in the U.S. and Europe are included. Findings indicate similarities and some significant differences between the Japanese system and other national systems of voluntary policy. Conclusions discuss implications for theory and policy.     

Detection of pretreated fingerprint fluorescence using an LED-based excitation system

Abstract:  Optimization of a light emitting diode (LED)-based excitation system for the detection of pretreated fingerprint fluorescence is described. Fluorescent ridges can usually be excited by irradiation with forensic light sources such as xenon arc lamps or quartz-halogen lamps with high-power output and suitable filters. However, they are too expensive for many crime laboratories in smaller organizations. We concentrated on LEDs which have advantages over conventional light sources in that they are simpler and of lower cost, but the power output and quality of each individual LED unit is not sufficient for the detection of weak fluorescent ridges. To resolve this subject, blue and green LED arrays composed of ninety LED units were adopted and suitable low pass filters for them were designed. An experimental system, consisting of blue and green LED arrays with the suitable low pass filters for illumination, high pass filters for viewing, a digital camera and a computer, was tested. The fluorescent images of cyanoacrylate ester fumed/rhodamine 6G stained fingerprint on white polyethylene sheet and weak fluorescent ridges of ninhydrin/indium chloride treated fingerprint on white paper were successfully detected and photographed. It was shown that the improvement of LED beam in intensity and quality can compensate the disadvantages, resulting in well-contrasted images.     

A very slow BF variant (S085) detected in a Japanese population

Using high-voltage agarose gel electrophoresis and immunofixation a very slow BF variant was detected in a Japanese person living in Yamanashi district. The family analysis suggested the hereditary occurrence of a new allele, BF*S085.