Assessing the background levels of body fluids on hands

Forensic scientists are often asked to assist the court by evaluating the significance of finding body fluids on the hands of an individual; however, there is an absence of published data regarding the background levels of body fluids on hands. Whilst the scientist can use casework experience to inform the courts on the significance of the results, it would be advantageous to have data which could assist with this interpretation. This study was designed to ascertain the background levels of blood, semen, saliva, hairs/fibres and staining/debris on hands in the general population by sampling from delegates attending a scientific conference.The findings suggest that approximately one third of the population would be expected to have hairs or fibres on their hands and that females are more likely to have visible staining on their hands than males. Presumptive tests for blood and semen yielded negative results in all samples; however, almost 2 % of the samples were found to contain a very low number of sperm heads. In contrast, the majority of samples tested positive for the presence of saliva using the presumptive Phadebas® amylase test. The data supports the caution applied by forensic practitioners when evaluating the presence of saliva detected using the presumptive Phadebas® amylase test based on the lack of specificity and indicates that the RSID™-Saliva test would be more suitable to use.     

Contesting Mestizaje: Black Politics and Oral Traditions in Venezuela

Afro-descendant oral traditions are powerful modes of political expression that disrupt anti-black logics within Latin America's mestizaje. Scholarship on Afro-Latin American anti-racist mobilisation centres on large-scale, collective action. Instead, in this article, I examine songs and décimas, central forms of Afro-descendant cultural subjectivity. Drawing on thirteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in La Guaira state, Venezuela, I show how oral traditions are place-based forms of resistance against anti-black racism. This research calls on scholars to attend to oral traditions and their geographies as a tool of anti-racist political mobilisation.     

Examining the transfer of male DNA onto female underwear in simulated non sexual social interaction versus digital penetration to assist in the evaluation of results in casework scenarios

Experiments have been carried out by the UK and Ireland Association of Forensic Science Providers Body Fluid Forum (AFSP BFF) to determine the levels of male DNA, detected during Y-STR analysis, that may be expected on female underwear from non-sexual social interaction and digital penetration, versus non-sexual social interaction only. The data obtained strongly supports the existing assumptions made: whilst low levels of DNA may be inadvertently transferred to the inside surface of a female’s underwear during social interaction with a male, there is a low expectation of detecting a matching Y-STR profile to that male, which is suitable for statistical evaluation, unless he is a co-habitant of that female.     

重连口服液对内毒素致热新西兰兔解热作用及对血清TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-6表达水平的影响

目的 观察重连口服液的解热作用及其对炎性递质的影响。方法 将36只新西兰兔随机分为6组，即正常组，模型组，重连口服液低、中、高剂量组和布洛芬组，每组6只。连续给药4 d，采用大肠杆菌内毒素注射法复制发热模型。于注射后0.5、1.0、2.0、3.0、4.0 h分别观察各组兔直肠温度的变化，采用放射免疫法测定注射后4 h各组血清肿瘤坏死因子-α（tumor necrosis factor alpha, TNF-α）、白细胞介素-1β（interleukin-1 beta, IL-1β）和白细胞介素-6（interleukin-6, IL-6）水平。结果 重连口服液低、中、高剂量组在注射后1.0、2.0、3.0、4.0 h直肠温度升高值显著低于模型组 （P<0.05，或P<0.01）， 其解热作用较布洛芬组起效慢，但退热维持时间较长。重连口服液高剂量组血清IL-1β、TNF-α、IL-6水平均较模型组显著降低（P<0.05，或P<0.01）。结论 重连口服液具有显著的退热作用，其作用机制可能与其抑制炎性因子的释放有关。     

葛根芩连口服液质量标准研究

目的：提供葛根芩连口服液质量控制标准。方法：建立了采用同一块薄层板、同一种展开剂同时鉴定葛根、黄芩、黄连三味药的薄层色谱定性方法；并采用薄层色谱扫描法对葛根素进行定量。结果：经方法学考察，葛要素在０．５￣３．０μｇ范围内线性关系良好，平均回收率９７．０１％。结论：定性鉴别简便快速，专属性强；定量分析准确、重现性好，可全面控制葛根芩连口服液的质量。