Enzymehistochemical and immunohistological changes of skeletal muscle motor end-plates and muscle fibers and their relation to the time of death

In order to investigate the relationship between the retrograde changes of the skeletal muscle and the time of death in various postmortem intervals (PMI), a systemic study of the enzymehistochemical activity of AChE, SDH, LDH, Ca(2+)-ATPase and the immunohistochemical reaction of SYN in motor end-plates and muscle fibers was conducted in rats under different temperatures and at various PMI. The results were analyzed and compared by an image processing system. It was found that these changes were related to the PMI, especially AChE changes. The AChE could be used as a sign-enzyme of skeletal muscle to date death.     

甲醛固定及石蜡包埋组织的DNA分型及其应用

目的：建立甲醛固定及石蜡包埋组织ＤＮＡ的基因分型方法并使之应用于实际检案。方法：用Ｃｈｅｌｅｘ和有机溶剂提取法提取ＤＮＡ,以ＰＣＲ与反向探针杂交技术作ＰＭ和ＨＬＡ－ＤＱＡ１位点分型。结果：２６份包埋组织块有２４份能得到理想的分型结果。结论：本法可用于法医学个人识别和亲子鉴定     

声纹鉴定的应用研究

利用KAY5500语图仪的各项功能及这些功能对语音研究的作用,研究语音的声学特征,探讨语音同一认定的原理、方法,及声谱图反映出的表征语音声学特性的各声纹特征在声纹鉴定中价值。     

Beta-hydroxybutyric acid--an indicator for an alcoholic ketoacidosis as cause of death in deceased alcohol abusers

We analyzed the postmortem blood of a total of 100 fatal cases for beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA). In 25 cases of sudden and unexpected death of alcoholics we found pathologically increased levels of BHBA of 1260 to 47200 (median 8000) micromol/L. This led us to the diagnosis of an alcoholic ketoacidosis (AKA) as cause of death in these cases. The control group of 69 postmortem cases revealed that BHBA concentrations below 500 can be regarded as normal, and values up to 2500 micromol/L as elevated. Our study shows that BHBA values over 2500 micromol/L could lead to death, if no medical attention is sought. During storage we did not find any indication of postmortem formation or decomposition of BHBA in blood in vitro or in the corpses. In our opinion, BHBA should be considered the diagnostic marker of choice for the postmortem determination of alcoholic ketoacidosis (AKA) as the cause of death. The classical indications of such deaths are: unexpected death of a chronic alcoholic; none or only traces of ethanol in the blood; increased acetone blood concentration; and neither autopsy, histology, microbiology, nor toxicology reveal the cause of death. In six further cases a diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) was diagnosed as the cause of death.     

Determination of chronic methamphetamine abuse by hair analysis

A 30-year-old male truck driver, known to be asthmatic, was found dead at the roadside lying near his car. A nebulizer bottle of Berotec (fenoterol hydrobromide) was found near his hand. The anatomic cause of death was suspected to be asthma. Toxicological screening of urine using Triage demonstrated the presence of methamphetamine. The blood concentration of methamphetamine was 0.4 microg/ml, and fenoterol was not detected. Hair analysis clearly indicated chronic methamphetamine abuse and medium dependency during the 2 months before death. We conclude that death might have been induced by the interaction of fenoterol and methamphetamine.     

人脑挫伤后GFAP,PCNA的法医病理学研究

采用在实际工作中所遇到的脑挫伤案例标本 ,利用免疫组织化学染色 ,观察人脑挫伤后GFAP ,PCNA的改变 ,用图象分析仪对免疫组织化学染色阳性细胞的面积和灰度等进行定量测量 ,EpiInfo统计软件分析 ,得出人脑挫伤后GFAP ,PCNA变化的时间性规律 ,为脑挫伤形成时间推断 ,提供新的形态学依据。GFAP阳性细胞面积、灰度伤后24h即有显著增加 (P<0 01) ,7天达高峰 (P<0 01) ,以后有逐渐下降的趋势 ;PCNA阳性细胞面积、灰度于伤后4天达到最大值 (P<0 01) ,以后逐渐下降。因此 ,伤后人脑组织GFAP、PCNA免疫组织化学染色阳性细胞面积、灰度改变有时间规律 ,GFAP、PCNA可作为2天到20天间不同时间脑损伤的推断指标。     

What effect did the mob have on Chicago neighborhoods? Explicating the relationship between racket subcultures and informal social control

This paper examines the relationship between racket subcultures and informal social control. Specifically, this paper examines the influence of traditional organized crime on informal social control in community areas while controlling for satisfaction with the police, tolerance of deviance, neighborhood and organizational ties, and neighborhood attachment. The data used in this analysis comes from the Community Survey of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. They were obtained from the Inter University Consortium of Political and Social Science Research. Ordered logistic regression was used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that racket areas reported higher levels of informal social control when compared to similar non racket areas in the city of Chicago. These findings have important implications for the study of deviance. Not only do they suggest that criminals can play an important role in controlling street crime, the findings also support differential social organization theory.     

A qualitative exploration of suspended youth social connectedness in a community-based intervention program

Out-of-school suspension continues to disconnect an overwhelming number of economically disadvantaged ethnic minority (EDEM) youth from school—leading to out-of-school placement. Youth communities and localities may provide alternative spaces for suspended youth and create opportunities for prosocial engagement and support. The present study employed participant observation and interviews to explore suspended youth sense of social connectedness in a community-based intervention program in the United States. Findings illustrate psychosocial assets and youth sense of social connectedness emerged from relational bonds and a structural culture enforcing a nurturing and inclusive environment. A discussion on improving the capacity of community-based organizations to address the needs of suspended youth follows.     

idPAD: Paper Analytical Device for Presumptive Identification of Illicit Drugs

As drug overdose deaths across the United States continue to rise, there is increasing interest in field testing of illicit substances. This work discusses a paper-based analytical device (idPAD) that can run a library of 12 colorimetric tests at the same time, each detecting different chemical functional groups and materials found in illicit drugs, distractor substances, and cutting agents. The idPAD requires no electricity, costs less than $2 USD, and requires minimal training to operate. The results of the 12 tests form a color barcode which is “read” by comparison to standard images. The accuracy of the idPAD was assessed using samples of heroin, cocaine HCl, crack, and methamphetamine at concentrations of 25%–100% in a lactose matrix, as well as pure lactose. Based on 840 “reads” by three different users, the idPAD showed 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity for detecting these drugs; the most common error was mistaking cocaine HCl for crack or crack for cocaine HCl. In a second step, samples of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine (n = 30) and distractor substances (pharmaceuticals, cutting agents, and other illicit drugs, n = 64) were tested by two readers, yielding a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 97%. Targeted substances were detected reliably at 55–180 μg/lane, and the idPAD was found to be stable for at least 3 months when stored at room temperature. The library approach used in the idPAD may provide the accuracy and robustness necessary for a presumptive field drug test.     

The Effect of Buscopan® on the Development of the Blow Fly Chrysomya megacephala (F.) (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Abstract:  This work investigated the effects of butylscopolamine bromide, a drug present in the pharmaceutical formulation Buscopan^®, on the development of Chrysomya megacephala , a blow fly species of considerable forensic and medical importance in Brazil. Larvae exposed to the drug showed a decreased rate of development, with higher drug concentrations further retarding the development. Besides, larvae reared on the presence of the drug showed smaller body weight and body length when compared with larvae reared on the absence of Buscopan^®. The drug also affected the mortality of the species.