Cognitive Vulnerabilities to Depression for Adolescents in Single-Mother and Two-Parent Families

Although research consistently suggests that adolescents in single-mother families are at increased risk for depression, the mechanisms that explain this relationship are unclear. In a community sample of adolescents (N?=?368; ages 12–16; 50?% female; 50?% White) and their mothers (42?% single), adolescents completed measures of depressive symptoms, rumination, and depressogenic inferential style at baseline and two yearly follow-ups. Mothers reported on stressful events that occurred in the child’s life from birth until baseline. Adolescents raised by single mothers, relative to partnered mothers, experienced more childhood stressors and higher rumination levels at 1-year follow-up. Additionally, higher rumination mediated the relationship between single motherhood and greater youth depressive symptoms at the 2-year follow-up. Clinical implications and developmental considerations are discussed.     

Marine taphonomy: adipocere formation in a series of bodies recovered from a single shipwreck.

Taphonomy of marine environments has been studied mostly from individual cases. The formation of adipocere, or "grave-wax," is an important indicator of the postmortem interval. In the present paper, the conditions and the timing of adipoceric formation are observed in a series of 15 cadavers recovered at different times, over a period of 433 days, from the same contained environment. Initial foci of adipocere on the subcutaneous tissue of the cadavers were detected as early as 38 days from the time of immersion in cold (10-12 degrees C) sea water. The discrepancies between our findings and previous reports on the correlation between time since death and decomposition stages in marine environments are discussed.     

Polymorphism and haplotype study of Y-chromosomal multi-STRs loci in Han population in Guangzhou

Using polymerase chain reaction and silver stain, polymorphism and haplotype study of Y-chromosomal multi-STRs loci: DYS19, DYS389I/II, DYS390 were studied. 111 samples of male were collected from Guangzhou area. 5 alleles were determined in DYS19 locus, 4 alleles in DYS389I locus, 5 alleles in DYS389II locus and 5 alleles in DYS390 locus. Compared with other racial populations, differences of distribution of allele frequencies existed significantly. 72 haplotype were present in this study.     

A sandwich enzyme immunoassay for pulmonary surfactant protein D and measurement of its blood levels in drowning victims

A sensitive sandwich enzyme immunoassay for human pulmonary surfactant protein D (SP-D) was developed and used to examine the blood SP-D levels of drowning victims. Human SP-D was purified from amniotic fluid by chromatographic methods, and an antibody against human SP-D was prepared. A polystyrene ball coated with anti-SP-D IgG was incubated with purified human SP-D, and then with anti-SP-D Fab'-peroxidase conjugate. Peroxidase activity bound to the polystyrene ball was assayed by fluorometry using 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid as the hydrogen donor. The detection limit of human SP-D was 5.2 pg per assay tube. Examination of cross-reactions of this sandwich enzyme immunoassay with proteins from other human organs showed it to be highly specific for lung, and Northern blot analysis detected specific SP-D mRNA expression only in lung. The SP-D concentration of normal human serum was 6.4+/-2.7 (mean+/-S.D.) ng ml(-1) (n=20). The recovery rates of 0.52 ng and 5.2 ng SP-D added to 5 microl normal human serum were 93.6+/-2.7% and 93.6+/-6.1%, respectively. Blood SP-D levels of victims from the saltwater drowning group (n=14) revealed higher concentrations (105.8+/-53.7 ng ml(-1)), while freshwater drowning victims (n=12) were estimated to be 74.1+/-43.9 ng ml(-1). The SP-D levels of 15 subjects who died of hemorrhage (n=5), heart failure (n=8), traumatic shock (n=1), and electrocution (n=1) were lower (22.0+/-8.5 ng ml(-1)), and those of asphyxia victims (n=10) were slightly higher (36.2+/-17.1 ng ml(-1)) than those of other causes of death, except for drowning. These results suggest that in drowning victims, SP-D flowed into the systemic circulation by physiological and physical mechanisms, and the differences of blood SP-D levels between saltwater drowning and freshwater drowning victims are presumed to be influenced by the type of agony and/or the length of survival time in water.     

The comparison of toluene determination between headspace-solid phase microextraction and headspace methods in glue-sniffer's blood and urine samples

An accurate and simple method was developed to determine the level of toluene in urine and blood quantitatively by using the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with headspace--solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) technique. An assembly of SPME with a replaceable extraction fiber, coated with 100 microm polydimethylsiloxane, was used. The detection limit of toluene in blood and urine with HS-SPME technique was 10 times higher than that with headspace (HS) technique. To compare the HS-SPME with HS technique for the determination of toluene in biological fluids, blood and urine samples from glue sniffers were analyzed by both methods. The level of toluene by the two techniques was highly correlated: the correlation coefficient (r2) between the two sets of values were 0.98 and 0.96 in urine and blood, respectively.     

A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for ABO blood typing of semen by using anti-p 84 monoclonal antibody as a marker of blood group substance in semen

A blood group substance (BGS), a protein with ABH antigenic activity, was isolated from human seminal plasma and designated as p 84 (Sato, 1995). We have developed a method for determining the ABO blood type of semen by performing a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in which p 84 is captured with an anti-p 84 monoclonal antibody, and evaluated the specificity and sensitivity of this method. Although BGS activity was detected in semen sensitively by this method, it was not detected in saliva, urine, breast milk, blood or vaginal secretions. Since the concentration of p 84 in semen was independent of the secretion status, the status can be determined as non-secretor when p 84 but not BGS activity was detected. To determine the stability of BGS activity on p 84, dried stains of semen on filter paper were kept at 4, 26, and 37 degrees C for 8 months, 2 years and 1 month, respectively, and their BGS activities were examined. After 8 months at 4 degrees C, over 60% of the original BGS activity was recovered from the stain. The activity could be detected even from a square as small as 0.25 by 0.25 cm. After 1 month at 37 degrees C and 2 years at 26 degrees C, 31 and 20% of the BGS activity, respectively, still remained. It could be detected from the pieces of 1.0 by 1.0 cm and 0.5 by 0.5 cm squares, kept for 1 month at 37 degrees C and 2 years at 26 degrees C, respectively. Finally, semen was mixed with saliva or blood at varying volumetric ratios and used for the sources of dried stains. The BGS activity of p 84 could be detected in the stains until the ratio between semen and saliva or blood reached 1:4. We conclude that this sandwich ELISA offers a more sensitive and specific method for determining the ABO blood type of semen samples obtained from sexual assault victims than existing methods, such as the conventional absorption-elution and classical hemagglutination-inhibition tests.     

Postmortem diagnosis of cerebral malaria

Human cerebral malaria is a frequent encephalopathy that occurs in the endemic tropical-subtropical zones. There are a smaller number of imported cases in continental zones where the diagnosis sometimes remains difficult to establish. Fifteen days after the death of a 36-year-old male French citizen in Africa, an investigation to determine the cause of death was conducted. Histologic examination of the brain permitted the diagnosis of cerebral malaria. Because of the popularity of overseas tourism and because this disorder may appear as "sudden death," these victims may be referred to a forensic pathologist. This case demonstrates the role a forensic pathologist may play in determining the cause of death in cerebral malaria.