Colchicine poisoning: case report of two homicides

Deaths resulting from the oral ingestion of colchicine are occasionally associated with suicides and therapeutic toxicity. However, homicidal deaths in which this drug is used are extremely rare. Two homicides in which colchicine was used are reported.     

The use of the LightCycler for the detection of Y chromosome SNPs

A novel methodology based on PCR monitoring on-line with fluorescent formats using the LightCycler for Y chromosome SNP typing is proposed. The main advantages of the system are the time necessary for the analysis (which is around 20 min), the robustness and the accuracy of the method and especially its sensitivity, which permits the detection of the male component in male-female mixtures up to 1:300 for some of the SNPs.Singleplexes of four different SNPs (M9, sY81, SRY-1532 and SRY-2627) as well as two duplexes (M9 and sY81 on the one hand and SRY-1532 and SRY-2627 on the other) were efficiently implemented. A simultaneous amplification and analysis of the four SNPs is also possible. It seems difficult with the current methodology to implement more than a quadruplex.     

Initiation of formal death investigation procedures among the Northern Plains Indians: a necessary adjunct in the study of American Indian sudden infant deaths

The high rate of infant mortality among native peoples in the Aberdeen Service Area of the Indian Health Service (primarily North and South Dakota) prompted a multi-institutional study of this problem. The study investigators assumed that local coroners or medical examiners would be able to perform suitable death scene investigations. However, during the design portion of the study it became apparent that, with one exception, none of the participating Indian Nations had a death investigator or even a legal mandate to provide death investigation. To allow the study to go forward, and ultimately to better the community health within its service area, the Aberdeen Area Indian Health Service submitted a draft enabling coroner legislation/resolutions to the area tribes. By November of 1996, 6 of the 19 Indian Nations enacted enabling coroner legislation. To facilitate both the study and general death investigation within the area, the Aberdeen Area Indian Health Service since 1993 has held five 2-day death investigation training programs covering a variety of death investigation topics which were attended by 68 participants. Without further recognition of the need for tribal death investigation and additional funding, these gains in tribal death investigation will probably be transitory.     

农业在东南亚国家经济中的作用

本文译自莫斯科《科学》出版社一九八○年出版的《东南亚国家的农业》一书。文中没有谈及新加坡农业,也避而不谈越南的农业情况。关于这点,作者在本书“前言”中说:“本书研究东南亚发展中国家——缅甸、印度尼西亚、马来西亚、泰国、菲律宾、老挝、柬埔寨等国的农业。没有把新加坡共和国列入研究范围,因为农业在这个国家经济中所占份额微不足道(一九六○至一九六五年农业在国内总产值中的比重为百分之四点五至百分之六)。也没有分析越南社会主义共和国的农业情况,因为越南早已是另一类型的国家”。原文援引的参考资料达三十多项,为节省篇幅起见,译文从略。     

Fatality caused by a combined trimipramine-citalopram intoxication

A 53-year-old woman who was diagnosed as suffering from depression was found dead in her bed. The autopsy revealed no morphological changes sufficient to explain death. Toxicological analysis was performed and the drugs trimipramine (2.33 mg/l), citalopram (4.81 mg/l) and zolpidem (0.07 mg/l) were identified in the femoral blood. A combined drug intoxication resulting in synergistic effects to cardiovascular disorders was proposed as the cause of death. An acute overdose and suicide was suggested by calculation of the parent drug to main metabolite ratios in femoral blood and liver tissue. The trimipramine to desmethyltrimipramine ratios were calculated to be 2.06 and 3.18, the citalopram to desmethylcitalopram ratios were 1.96 and 2.02.     

Morphine perfused rabbits: a tool for experiments in forensic entomotoxicology

In order to establish an animal model for entomotoxicological studies, the kinetics of morphine elimination from blood after a single intravenous injection of morphine and the concentration of morphine in tissues following a continuous perfusion were studied. The aim of these experiments was to obtain controlled morphine tissue concentrations similar to those encountered in fatal human heroin overdoses. These tissues can be used as a food source for developing fly larvae in entomotoxicological studies. In the single injection experiment, seven rabbits were administered 1 or 2 mg/kg body weight of morphine chlorhydrate via the main ear artery. Blood samples of 200 microL were removed regularly via a catheter. Morphine concentration was determined using RIA techniques. Morphine was found to be first rapidly distributed and then slowly eliminated, following a two-exponential equation. Elimination of morphine from blood can be described as a two-compartment model. Constants of the equation were determined using the Kaleidagraph program. Using those constants, the main pharmacokinetics parameters were calculated. Results of these parameters showed the following: clearance from 13.3 to 16.2 L.h.1, half-life of the distribution phase from 0.6 to 0.9 min, and half-life of the elimination phase from 21 to 26 min. These results were used to calculate the rate of perfusion of morphine for rabbits to obtain desired, controlled, and constant concentrations of morphine in tissues. In the second experiment, three rabbits received a perfusion of morphine intravascularly at a rate of 2 mg/kg/h for a period of 3 h. These rabbits were sacrificed and analyses performed on several abdominal and thoracic organs. Results showed that the concentrations of morphine differed according to the organ analyzed, but were reproducible for organs between animals. These concentrations were similar to those normally encountered in cases of human death due to heroin overdoses.