Sudden death resulting from chicken bone perforation of the esophagus

Sudden death caused by foreign-body perforation of the esophagus is distinctly uncommon. We report the death of an elderly patient in a nursing home who exsanguinated after she swallowed a chicken bone that perforated her esophagus and right common carotid artery.     

Methadone concentrations in human hair of the head, axillary and pubic hair

The concentrations of methadone and its metabolites in the hair of the head, axillary and pubic hair obtained from patients receiving a daily maintenance doses, were determined. Comparison of the concentrations provides the highest values in the axillary hair, followed by pubic hair and the hair of the head.     

Stability of beta-HCG in old blood stains

Pregnancy was diagnosed from old blood stains by means of radioimmunoassay of beta-HCG. Up to 45 days, the age of the blood stains did not influence values, and extraction by ultrasound did not improve the results.     

Courts,Criminal Process,and AIDS: The Institutionalization of Culture in Legal Decision Making*

This study views legal process as part of an interactive web of social and cultural relationships. While law may create public policy, its own creation is part of a complex system of institutional deference and subjective behaviors which reflect a larger cultural context. The fears engendered by AIDS help to highlight the underlying cultural biases and patterns of disease scare management ingrained in legal policymaking. These patterns are again enhanced when placed in a criminal context where the resident focus is one of controlling those who precipitate anxiety. Using a method of qualitative comparative analysis, this study concludes that the historical patterns of bias and institutional deference in disease scare management continues in modern criminal court process.     

RULING ELITE MODELS: A CRITIQUE AND AN ALTERNATIVE

Abstract. The argument that theories of elite rule are'unrealistic'and 'straw men', is rejected, and the need for such ideal-type models is demonstrated on methodological grounds. The classic ruling elite model associated with Mosca and Michels is shown to be grossly deficient. Robert Dahl's approach is critically examined. An alternative ruling elite model is proposed, and its advantages in terms of a broad theory of political power and of its methodological and empirical application, are analysed. Finally, the research implications of this alternative model are presented.     

ECONOMIC DISCOURSE AND THE MARKET: THE CASE OF COMMUNITY CARE

The UK government has introduced fundamental reforms into the provision of social care. The'community care'programme, which was fully implemented in 1993, requires local authorities to assess the needs of potential users, to design an individual package of care that reflects those needs, and to purchase the package from a range of statutory, voluntary and private providers. Thus the new arrangement introduced a'quasi-market'in community care, along the lines of those already operating in other areas of the UK public sector, such as health and education. Hitherto, much analysis of the functioning of such markets has been conducted within a neo-classical economic framework. This article examines the relevance to the complex new community care market of three alternative theoretical perspectives: the transaction costs literature, the Austrian school and the new economic sociology. It is concluded that, although neoclassical economic discourse has been influential in shaping policy, no single perspective can capture all the issues relevant to analysing the market in community care. Therefore, in evaluating the reforms, an eclectic theoretical approach will be required which draws upon a variety of economic discourses.     

Determination of ABO antigens in fingernails using the APAAP (immunoalkaline phosphatase) technique

Fingernail specimens with adherent nail-bed were taken from autopsy material with blood groups A, AB, B and O. Frozen 4-5-microns sections were submerged and floated carefully during each working step. Portions of fingernails were contaminated with blood and buccal cells, respectively. Furthermore, fingernail fragments of 8 volunteers were embedded in a biocomponent adhesive according to Grieve and Kotowski (Forensic Sci. Soc., 26 29-34) (1986) and cut by the usual microtome technique. APAAP staining is a proper method for demonstrating blood group antigens in fingernails from groove to margin. Frozen sections as well as smallest specimen embedded in a suitable adhesive are applicable for staining procedures. Using freshly prepared artificial stains, blood group constellations of red blood cells and/or buccal cells adherent on the surface of fingernails may be distinguished from the nail matrix.