Cardiac glycosides and metabolites--problems of recovery in tissue extracts. Separation of visible substance spots in the nanogram range (author's transl)]

The recovery measurements in rat tissues performed via i.p. injected radioactive digoxin derivates (3H-digoxin, 125J-digoxin derivative) showed that approximately 50% of the total glycoside content will be extracted. Thus, an addition of digoxin standards to drug-free tissues may lead to false negative determinations. By comparison of the radioactivity before and after extraction the following results were obtained: Recovery from tissues 3H-digoxin 50% 125J-digoxin 40% from serum 3H-digoxin 60% added to drug free tissue homogenates 3H-digoxin 85% After i.p. application of 15 mg/kg of beta-methyldigoxin to BD9 (Berlin)-rats the resulting tissue concentrations were extracted by Amberlite XAD-2. beta-Methyldigoxin and its metabolites digoxin and digoxinbisdigitoxide could be separated and distinguished from artifacts by fluorescence detection on HPTLC-plates with a detection limit of 60 ng/spot. Concentration determined by radioimmunoassay are in satisfactory agreement with HPTLC results.     

POLICE VIOLENCE AS A FUNCTION OF COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS

The authors find that existing models concerning police violence are not i designed to explain variation among the states in the rates of police use ‘of deadly force. This variation correlates significantly with numerous cultural attributes of the public. The strongest correlates are with the public rates of violence. Therefore, the authors propose to moody existing modeb, and explain the police use of violence as a response to community characteristics. Where public violence is neither normative nor commonly occurrent. the police will be self-restrained. Where the incidence of violence reveals a common means of conflict resolution, the police will adopt its use. Thus, the police use of violence is a culturally determined characteristic and not a police pathology.     

Administering social welfare: the Reagan record.

A preliminary appraisal of the Reagan administration's management reforms in the social service sector reveals a mixed record. A variety of gains are evident as a result of both the restructuring of whole programs and the implementation of specific management techniques. An increased reliance on the use of block grants as a means of disbursing funds to the states has generally had the effect of streamlining delivery of services. Likewise, dramatic savings have been realized due to changes in the hospital payment system under Medicare. Improved financial management has benefited the Social Security system and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. On the other hand, controversial policies have been implemented with regard to Aid to Families with Dependent Children and youth employment services. Similarly, a number of important challenges, such as welfare reform, have gone unaddressed. And the administration has severely reduced research and development efforts, a policy that could have a sharply negative impact in the future. For some programs budget reductions have had the positive effect of forcing officials to concentrate available resources on high priority tasks; however, essential operations have been impaired in other cases.     

Forensic aspects of digoxin-poisoning: toxicological and morphological findings (author's transl)]

Case report. A 82 year old woman died 80 min after accidental ingestion of 5 mg beta-methyl-digoxin. The autopsy and the histological examination revealed non-specific alterations due to shock and preexisting coronary heart disease. Digoxin levels in various fluids and tissues were estimated by radioimmunoassay: bloodplasma 20--25 ng/ml, liquor 10--13 ng/ml, liver 100--110 ng/g, kidney 130--145 ng/g; the gastric fluid contained 0,6 mg. Forensic aspects of glycosid-intoxication, especially of the varying concentrations in different tissues, are discussed.     

On the estimation of lay-time by measurements of rigor mortis

Measurements of the torgue to overcome rigor mortis on the legs of 101 male human cadavers at 5 degrees C are reported. There seems to exist an upper limit, which is dependent on the lay-time, above which no value occurs, but below which every value may be found. By calculating the 90% tolerance limits for lay-times grouped at 12-hourly intervals, this upper limit was found to decrease exponentially with lay-time. This may be used for the estimation of maximum lay-times from rigor mortis measurements.