A multiple drug fatality involving MK-801 (dizocilpine), a mimic of phencyclidine

MK-801 (dizocilpine) is a non-competitive antagonist at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) family of glutamate receptors in the central nervous system. It is an anticonvulsant and also shares several pharmacological properties with phencyclidine and ketamine. It is not observed routinely as a substance of abuse. The deceased, a 45-year-old white male, obtained MK-801 surreptitiously in an attempt to treat a self-diagnosed depression. He was discovered the next morning, unresponsive on the bathroom floor. An empty bottle, labeled to contain 25mg of MK-801, was found near the body.The autopsy was performed at the Joseph A Jachimczyk Forensic Center, Houston, TX. Body weight at autopsy was 88kg. Lungs were edematous and congested (right: 775g; left 700g). The heart had proportionate chambers and was otherwise unremarkable. The kidneys (right: 220g; left 225g) were smooth surfaced. The brain (1550g) was congested and without trauma. Microscopic evaluation of the heart, kidneys and lungs showed normal histology and confirmed pulmonary congestion and edema. Samples of heart blood, liver, bile, vitreous humor, stomach contents and urine were collected at autopsy. There were 550ml of stomach contents.Drugs in blood were screened by EMIT II Plus immunoassay procedures and by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) of an organic solvent extract of basified blood. Alcohol was determined by gas chromatography with headspace injection. MK-801, benzodiazepines and alcohol were detected in blood.Amounts of MK-801 present in blood, bile, liver, vitreous humor and urine were 0.15, 0.29, 0.92, less than 0.1 and 0.36 mg/l (kg), respectively.The cause of death was benzodiazepine, dizocilpine and ethanol toxicity and the manner accidental.     

Civilizations and the twenty-first century: some theoretical considerations

Since the end of the Cold War, globalization has become the centralphenomenon in world politics. Civilizations, once geographically based,are now loosened from fixed space, as migration of peoples andof ideas has accelerated. A focus on the dimensions of intersubjectivitywill give some understanding both of differences among civilizationsand on transformations of civilizations. Attention is thus givento different forms of substantive economies, to historical dominanceand subordination of civilizations and to the reawakenings ofcultures; to what Sorokin called the sensate and ideationaltypes of consciousness and to different forms of spirituality,and to relative orientations toward time and space. Two propositionsare implicit in a concern for civilizations: (i) that thereare alternatives for the human future, and (ii) that if differentcivilizations do coexist, the problem of mutual comprehensionbecomes paramount for the maintenance of world order. The implicationsfor a research program are to study civil societies as the sourcesof intersubjective meanings, the maintenance of the biosphereas the basic material condition of existence of all civilizations,and world governance as the modus vivendi of a plural world.     

Building coalitions for water marketing

The authors argue that efficient water allocation is possible through markets as long as water rights are well-defined, enforced, and transferable. They provide a framework for considering third-party and free rider affects from water trades. From this framework, they consider the prospects for developing a market for instream flows. The analysis points to problems with the prior appropriation system for establishing instream flow claims but suggests that there is not reason for water policy to stand in the way of transferring existing consumption rights to instream uses. The authors conclude that changes in water policy which capitalize on market forces will result from conservationconservative coalitions.     

Professionalization and unionization of police: A Delphi forecast on police values

The Delphi Forecasting technique was utilized to assess the general direction and magnitude of broad future trends in the occupationally-related values of police officers. Two panels of experts were established and utilized in the Delphi Process: one composed of veteran police officers and the other consisting of law enforcement educators, top echelon police administrators, attorneys, and social ethicists.Two major trends emerged in the course of the study: a movement toward professionalization and a movement toward unionization. These two movements were found to embody generally conflicting sets of occupationally-related values.The increasing emphasis of police chiefs and their administrators on managerial efficiency was identified as the critical factor influencing the future of these trends.     

THE ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION OF AMERICA: AN OVERVIEW OF THE ISSUES

This paper presents an overview of the economic issues facing the American economy. Crisis and transformation scenarios are presented and supply-side versus demand-side economic policies are considered as approaches to revitalizing the economy. Issues such as the extent to which centralization is needed, the kinds of trade-offs that will be required, and the various constraints that exist for policy making are discussed.