猪水泡病——在英国对污染物与圈舍采用的消毒法

在英国,对于法定疾病,在防制时所采用的用于圈舍和物具的消毒剂以及使用浓度均有规定。有效消毒剂分类表,按如下各个疾病归类:口蹄疫,禽霍乱,结核病,猪水泡病和普通疾病防治,即市场、车辆等一般常规消毒。对于口蹄疫和猪水泡病患病动物接触过的建筑物或其他场所,其清净和消毒方法列在上述法规中。这样的消毒属于《被污染场所》项下,由政府正常费用开支,并且由专任政府兽医官员监督执行。     

猪水泡病病毒分离物之间的抗原差异以及它们与B5型科赛奇病毒的关系

在猪已经有过一种水泡病的几次流行,其病原证明是一种肠道病毒。第一次流行在1966年发生于意大利,接着又于1971年在香港发生一次流行。1972至73年冬季在联合王国发生了一次更严重而广泛的流行,同一时期还曾在奥地利、法国、意大利和波兰报告过其他几次流行。1973年6月又在联合王国发生过一些疫情。从流行病学的观点上来看,重要的是要知道各国的疾病是否由同一毒株所致的。通过用在天竺鼠制备的特异抗血清作补体结合试验(与     

值得重视的几个安全隐患

作为欧亚大陆的心脏地带,中亚在世界地缘政治中的重要性不言而喻,而"9·11"后随大国力量的积极介入,中亚的地位可谓进一步凸显。从2005年开始,中亚各国将分别进入以议会选举、总统选举为标志的政治更迭期。由于地区内极端主义、恐怖主义、分裂主义活动猖獗;各国经济发展尚未进入良性状态;格鲁吉亚、乌克兰历次"革命"对中亚反对派又具某种示范、鼓舞效应;加之大国在中亚错综复杂的关系,使得中亚局势充满了诸多变数。为了对中亚局势走向有一个较准确的把握,"《现代国际关系》专家论坛"与中国现代国际关系研究院欧亚室合作,于2005年元月19日以"中亚局势分析与展望"为主题,在万寿山庄举行为时一天的研讨会。来自京、沪、兰、宁的学者、专家本着求真求实的精神,从多个角度对中亚局势进行了认真、深入的讨论。现将与会代表的发言整理发表,期望有助于您对相关问题的思考,进而推动中亚问题研究的步步深化。     

Titian's secret: comparison of Eleonora Gonzaga della Rovere's skull with the Uffizi portrait

The present paper describes the study of a skeleton, kept at the Church of Santa Chiara in Urbino, Italy. Traditionally, this skeleton was thought to be that of the Duchess Eleonora Gonzaga della Rovere (1493-1550), but suspicion exists as to whether or not the remains might belong to another important personage of the Urbino Renaissance, Battista Sforza (1447-1472). Here, external observation of the skull and odontological examination of the mandible were conducted in an attempt to clarify the identity. Age estimates of the skeleton were found to be consistent with the age at death of Eleonora but not with that of Battista. Craniofacial superimposition using the portrait of Eleonora Gonzaga by Titian (Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence) shows that the face of Eleonora matches the skull fairly closely except for the length of the nose. The historical record and the age matching appear to provide strong evidence that the remains are those of Eleonora, and the discrepancies in the superimposition may suggest that the artist altered the dimension of the Duchess' nose, possibly to make the portrait correspond to his canons of classical beauty. The results highlight the potential of forensic methods as a key to understand the work of earlier painters.     

Postmortem non-invasive virtual autopsy: death by hanging in a car

A body was found behind a car with a noose tied around its neck, the other end of the rope tied to a tree. Apparently the man committed suicide by driving away with the noose tied around his neck and was dragged out of the car through the open hatchback. postmortem multislice-computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated that the cause of death was cerebral hypoxia due to classic strangulation by hanging, and not due to a brainstem lesion because of a hang-man fracture as would be expected in such a dynamic situation. Furthermore, the MRI displayed intramuscular haemorrhage, bleeding into the clavicular insertions of the sternocleidomastoid muscles and subcutaneous neck tissue. We conclude that MSCT and MRI are useful instruments with an increased value compared with 2D radiographs to augment the external findings of bodies when an autopsy is refused. But further postmortem research and comparing validation is needed.     

The Microbial Rosetta Stone database: A common structure for microbial biosecurity threat agents

Infectious microorganisms are important to multiple communities engaged in biodefense and biosecurity, including the agencies responsible for health, defense, law enforcement, agriculture, and drug and food safety. Many agencies have created lists of high priority infectious microorganisms to prioritize research efforts or to formally control the possession and distribution of specific organisms or toxins. However, the biological classification of infectious microorganisms is often complex and ambiguous, leading to uncertainty and confusion for scientists involved in biosecurity work. To address this problem, we created a database, known as the Microbial Rosetta Stone, which resolves many of these ambiguities and includes links to additional information on the microbes, such as gene sequence data and scientific literature. Here we discuss the efforts to coordinate organism names from pathogen lists from various governmental agencies according to biological relatedness and show the overlap of high-priority organisms from multiple agencies. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive coordination of pathogens, synonyms, and correct taxonomic names. The organized tables and visual aids are freely available at http://www.microbialrosettastone.com. This website provides a single location where access to information on a broad range of disease-causing organisms and toxins is available to members of the biosecurity community.     

Forensic discrimination of match heads by elemental analysis with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

In arson and bombing cases, matches are often used as the ignition method. We have investigated the use of elemental analysis by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry to discriminate match heads used in arson cases. Six elements, magnesium, aluminum, calcium, iron, zinc, and barium, in match heads were detected after the match heads were dissolved in HNO3, and these elements were quantified in 8 wood stick matches and 5 paper stick matches by means of calibration curves prepared from standard sample solutions. Using this method, we were able to distinguish all the matches from one another both before and after combustion. The method has the potential to be very useful for resolving arson cases.     

Family Representative Payeeship and Violence Risk in Severe Mental Illness

Although representative payeeship is prevalent among people with mental illness and shows promise to positively influence clinically relevant outcomes, research also suggests this legal mechanism could be implemented in ways that are problematic. The current study examined whether family representative payeeship was associated with elevated risk of family violence perpetrated by persons with severe mental illness (SMI). Data were collected every 4 months for 1 year in structured interviews with N = 245 persons with SMI who received disability benefits. Multivariate analyses showed that substance abuse, history of violence, frequency of family contact, and family representative payeeship were associated with elevated odds of family violence. Analyses also showed family contact and family representative payeeship had a cumulative effect on increasing the predicted probability of family violence (controlling for covariates such as violence history and substance abuse). The data shed light on the potential for family representative payeeship to be associated with increased risk of interpersonal conflict and violence in SMI.     

Autoerotic accident by inhalation of propane-butane gas mixture

We present a case of an accidental autoerotic death involving the inhalation of a propane-butane gas mixture, also known as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). A 19-year-old male was found dead in supine position in his bed in a residential accommodation one day after he was last seen alive. On a personal computer at the end of the bed, a pornographic movie was still running. On his left shoulder, an empty rubber balloon and on the bedside 2 empty "Kisag-Gas" cartridges were found. Toxicologic investigations revealed an intoxication with propane and butane, together with a recent consumption of cannabis. This case report compares the toxicologic findings with other recently published cases, and the theories of the toxic effects are discussed.