Detection of cocaine in blood stains]

Cocaine is rapidly degraded in blood samples, and its degradation was found to be highly dynamic in nature. The analysis of blood spots dried on filter paper may provide a method to minimize the break-down of cocaine and to largely preserve the analytical profile of the parent drug and its hydrolysis products at the time of sampling. The short term stability of cocaine in 100 microL blood spots prepared from unpreserved and preserved (sodium fluoride, 0.25%) blood samples was compared to the stability of the particular whole blood specimens stored in tubes at ambient temperature and at -20 degrees C. Due to dehydration, both the chemical and the enzymatic hydrolysis of cocaine and its products could be stopped in dried blood spots. More than 75% of the initial cocaine concentration could be detected in the blood spots, and the analytical profile was ensured for 17 days. Provided its practical suitability, the spot technology should offer a simple approach to detect actual impairment of motorists taken in police custody in the view of section 24a of the German traffic act as well as in cocaine associated criminal cases.     

Serum beta-glucuronidase activity in polytrauma patients and in centrifuged autopsy blood samples]

The serum activity of beta-glucuronidase was investigated in 58 patients after severe trauma as well as in 43 autopsy cases. In 10 cases the enzyme activities in postmortem blood samples from the femoral vein were compared to those present in the correspondent heart blood samples. An elevated activity of beta-glucuronidase was observed in 14% of the patients within the first 36 h after severe trauma increasing to 62% in blood samples collected later on. The activity of beta-glucuronidase in the heart blood samples was always higher than in the corresponding sample from the femoral vein. In cases of prolonged post-mortem interval an elevated activity might have been due to bacterial contamination. In postmortal blood samples from the femoral vein an elevated enzyme activity was found in 70% of the study material. The results of the preliminary study on the activity of beta-glucuronidase in blood samples frequent in forensic routine work indicated that an elevated enzyme activity might be present for the following scenery: after severe trauma, in alcohol/drug abuse, presence of putridity/autolysis, presence of inflammatory processes, in diabetes as well as in carcinoma diseases. The significance of elevated beta-glucuronidase activity concerning alterations of unconjugated drug concentration due to in vitro cleavage of O-glucuronides should be investigated.     

Illicit drug abuse in the Marmara region of Turkey

Data on the analysis of 840 illicit drug samples of a total weight of 749.677 kg, confiscated in the Marmara Region, Turkey, from January 1986 to April 1987 is presented. The majority (82.3%) of all cases examined by the Division of Narcotic Drugs Research Laboratories of the Council of Forensic Medicine of Turkey, related to Cannabis products. Heroin represented 16.7% and all other controlled drugs made up the remaining 1%. From the 691 samples analyzed, 43.15% was Cannabis plant material. From the 140 illicit heroin samples analyzed by capillary gas chromatography, 61% had a diacetylmorphine content between 30 and 48%. O-6-monoacetylmorphine was detected in 43% of the samples ranging from 0.4 to 8.6%. Almost half (46.6%) of all heroin samples contained procaine ranging from 0.7 to 22%.     

The death and mortal remains of Francisco Pizarro

When Francisco Pizarro was assassinated in 1541, he was buried near the Cathedral of Lima, but was later moved into the crypt under the altar. In 1891 mummified remains were identified as those of Pizarro and placed in a sarcophagus on public exhibition. In 1977 bones were discovered in a walled over niche in the crypt. The skull was in a lead box engraved with Pizarro's name. Which remains--the bones, or the mummy--are those of Pizarro? This question and more can now be answered. This paper will give evidence of the exact wounds that Pizarro received in his final sword fight, as well as a facial sculpture of the skull now identified as that of the conqueror of Peru.     

Incised wound margins caused by steel blades. Scanning electron microscopy to determine wound direction

The aim of this paper has been to check the diagnostic ability of Scanning Electron Microscopy (S.E.M.) to determine wound direction. We have studied incised wound margins caused by steel blades in human skin samples from cadavers by S.E.M. It was found that a lateral accessory tail existed in 65% of the entrance edges. This finding was recorded in all the cases when wound direction was perpendicular to Lancer's lines of the skin area in which the wound was located. No similar finding in the exit tails was noticed. The depth and length of the wound margins was less accurate an index of the wound direction than a lateral accessory tail. We think that this finding could be useful in determining the entrance margin in incised wounds.     

The use of hybrid isoelectric focusing for the detection of polymorphic proteins in blood stains

alpha1-Antitrypsin (Pi), transferrin (Tf) and orosomucoid (ORM) were determined in bloodstain extracts by isoelectric focusing (IEF) with carrier ampholytes (CA) and also with a mixture of immobilines (HIEF). HIEF yields superior results from proteins typing in bloodstain extracts, since phenotypes are better distinguished and the bands are straighter and sharper. Also the sensitivity of HIEF is similar to IEF with CA.