Area-specific increased density of mu-opioid receptor immunoreactive neurons in the cerebral cortex of drug-related fatalities

In animal experiments and in cell culture, chronic morphine treatment has been followed by "up-regulation" as well as "down-regulation" of the mu-opioid receptor (OR) number. The present postmortem morphometric study of morphine-related fatalities of drug-addicts (n=13, 20-35 years old, with blood unconjugated morphine levels from 27.1 ng/ml to 458 ng/ml, m.v. 198.5 ng/ml) versus a non-addicted control group (n=13, 10-44 years old) was intended to examine, whether chronic opiate exposure affects the numerical density of mu-OR expressing neurons in the human neocortex (areas 11, 24 and 25 according to Brodmann). For the immunohistochemical procedure, vibratome sections (100 microm) were incubated with a monoclonal antibody against the mu-OR, diluted 1:100, and immunolabelled sites were visualized using an immunoperoxidase protocol. The numerical densities of OR immunoreactive neuronal profiles and Nissl-stained central profiles were assessed morphometrically (camera lucida-drawings). In both groups, the anti-mu-OR-immunoreactivity was mainly localized in pyramidal neurons of layers (L) II/III and V and in multiform neurons of L VI. In the areas 24 and 25, the density of the immunoreactive neuronal profiles did not display a significant difference between the two examined groups. In the area 11, however, the number of immunolabelled neuronal profiles amounted to 2777+/-206 mm(3) in the drug-related fatalities and to 2320+/-124 mm(3) in the control group and thus was significantly increased.     

Biotic Carbon Sequestration and the Kyoto Protocol: The Construction of Global Knowledge by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

This paper explores the dynamics of the production of global knowledge by an international knowledge organization, in this case the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Based on previous notions of international boundary organizations, the idea of international knowledge organizations emphasizes the knowledge generation function of such organizations rather than their convening function. Using the case of controversial Kyoto Protocol biotic carbon sequestration policies, I argue that boundary work and uncertainty management are the essential dynamics in the successful construction of global knowledge by international knowledge organizations. This uncertainty management occurs in a manner broadly, although not completely, in conformance with the institutional preferences of powerful policy actors. Global knowledge can legitimate and help refine global policies, but the process of its construction must be iterative and transparent if it is to be credible for global environmental governance over the long-term.     

Pedagogy of individual choice and female inmate reentry in the U.S. Southwest

Much of the mental health, substance use, and educational programming within a particular women's prison in the southwestern United States promotes individual choice and agency. Incarcerated women from rural areas are told that their ability to succeed outside of prison is primarily dependent upon their personal choices. Comparably little attention is given to preparing women for their upcoming release or to overcoming structural barriers that could undermine successful reentry within rural communities. As a result, these returning citizens, many of whom grapple with mental illness and alcohol or drug dependence, blame themselves for their inability to surmount these barriers. In this qualitative research, we draw upon the perspectives of 99 incarcerated women to clarify how ideologies of individual choice promulgated in reentry pedagogy clash with contextual factors within rural communities to derail the reentry process. We also consider community reentry from Amartya Sen's capabilities framework and discuss how this model could inform needed interventions.