Postmortem tissue embolisms. Report of 3 cases

In three cases of autopsy (cause of death - intoxication and drowning) we found in the lung intraalveolar und intravasal lymphatic tissue and bone-marrow. The results cannot be explained with violence during lifetime, but in tow cases as an effect of fracture of rips caused by external cardiacmassage, in one case by embalming with injection of conservation fluids.     

Destruction of intracerebrally applied red blood cells in cervical lymph nodes. Experimental investigations

In rabbits, intracerebrally applied erythrocytes can move with the cerebrospinal fluid along connecting pathways between the subarachnoid space and the cervical lymph nodes. This study compares the time dependency for the degradation of intracerebrally injected erythrocytes in the brain as well as in the cervical lymph nodes. Rabbits were killed at various predetermined intervals after the intracerebral erythrocyte injection. Microscopic and histologic examination of the brain and the cervical lymph nodes revealed the following findings: (1) Erythrophages first appeared in the brain 24 h after the injection; siderophages, 4 days after the injection. Siderophages were still demonstrable at the conclusion of the study, i.e. 240 days after the injection. (2) In the cervical lymph nodes erythrophages were first observed 1 h after the injection; siderophages, 9 h after the injection. Only isolated erythrophages and siderophages were found in the lymph nodes 12 days after intracerebral injection of red blood cells. Later on no erythrocytes or siderophages were observed in the lymph nodes. The findings indicate that non-phagocytized red blood cells arriving at the lymph nodes were ingested by local macrophages. The extremely rapid ingestion and digestion of the red blood cells by lymph node macrophages as well as the possible reasons were discussed.     

STATE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SURFACE MINING CONTROL AND RECLAMATION ACT OF 1977

The implementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977 in coal producing states is guided by a partial preemption policy approach t h a t establishes a balance between federal and state decision-making authority. The usefulness of this approach is assessed by analyzing state enforcement actions in relation the institutional capacity of states to shoulder regulatory responsibilities and the propensity of the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) t o oversee state enforcement actions and, if necessary, to undertake corrective action. Our results indicated that state administration of SMCRA was canstrained by the lack of effective federal oversight but was largely unaffected by interstate differences in political, economic, or administrative characteristics.     

Metric assessment of the "mastoid triangle" for sex determination: a validation study

Recently, a metric approach to skeletal sex determination was published by Paiva and Segre which is based on the summation of two triangular areas defined by three distinct craniometric landmarks: Porion, Mastoidale, and Asterion. According to the authors, values for the total triangle > or =1447.40 mm(2) are characteristic for male crania, while values < or =1260.36 mm(2) are indicative of female skulls (95% confidence). In order to evaluate the method's validity, two sex- and age-documented samples of different provenience were analyzed (N=197). The results show that while the indicated measurements display significant sex differences, the technique is of little practical meaning where a single individual must be independently classified. It is hypothesized that differences in the expression of sexual dimorphism as well as a population-specific variability of the asterion location undermine the value of the mastoid triangle as a sex determinant.