Effect of toluene inhalation on astrocytes and neurotrophic factor in rat brain

Toluene, an abused substance in Japan, is a neurotoxic chemical that has been shown to have neurobehavioral and electrophysiological effects. In previous work, both acute and chronic effects of toluene on cells have been studied extensively. However, although glial cells are thought to play an important role in the survival of neurons in the brain, the effect of toluene on glial cell function has not yet been characterized. To elucidate this, the effect of toluene inhalation on astrocytes in rat brain was examined. Toluene exposure (1500 ppm for 4 h on 4-10 days) augmented glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoreactivity, particularly in the hippocampus and cerebellum. Quantitative analysis showed that toluene inhalation markedly enhanced GFAP expression in the hippocampus and cerebellum. In both regions, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) showed no obvious changes, but glutamine synthetase (GS)-immunoreactive cells were markedly increased by toluene exposure. Thus, the elevation of GFAP expression was induced by astrocyte activation rather than by cell proliferation. If toluene exposure activates astrocytes, astrocytes may play a role in the neurophysiological changes observed in toluene intoxication. A neurotrophic factor, basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) was observed immunohistochemically in the capillary vessel walls in the hippocampus and the cerebellum of toluene-intoxicated rats. Basic-FGF may have induced GFAP expression both in the hippocampus and the cerebellum. So, other neurotrophic factors may affect the difference of GFAP elevation between the hippocampus and the cerebellum. These differences may relate to neurobehavioral function of each brain part after toluene exposure.     

Validation of the InnoXtract™ DNA extraction method for bone,teeth, and rootless hair

Forensic casework samples often include human hairs, teeth, and bones. Hairs with roots are routinely processed for DNA analysis, while rootless hairs are either not tested or processed using mitochondrial DNA. Bones and teeth are submitted for human remains identifications for missing persons and mass disaster cases. DNA extraction from these low templates and degraded samples is challenging. The new InnoXtract DNA extraction method utilizes magnetic beads that are optimized to bind small DNA fragments, as small as 100 base pairs, to purify high-yield DNA from compromised samples. This validation study evaluates InnoXtract's ability to obtain amplifiable DNA from samples such as rootless hairs and skeletal remains. Studies performed include sensitivity, stability, repeatability, reproducibility, non-probative samples, and comparison to standard organic extractions. Sensitivity studies demonstrate average yield recoveries ranging from 53% to 100% and 73% to 85% for the InnoXtract hair and bone methods, respectively. Studies demonstrate consistent results across a range of sample types, such as insulted and un-insulted bone and teeth, as well as hair shafts from donors of various ages, gender, race, and hair characteristics. The InnoXtract bone method outperformed organic extraction. The method was successfully automated on a MagMAX™ Express-96, with recoveries over 70% relative to the manual version. InnoXtract has the potential as an automated high-throughput, high-yield bone extraction method with 6 h of total extraction time for up to 96 samples. The validation study results demonstrate that the InnoXtract kits produce high-yield and high-quality DNA from compromised bone, teeth, and hair shaft samples.     

Obtuaries

Hiromi Kinoshita is Exhibition Assistant for the First Emperor exhibition and a catalogue contributor. She was co-curator of the Royal Academy exhibition, China: The Three Emperors (1662–1722) held in 2005–6. A graduate of Wellesley College, Mass., she gained a PhD at Oxford University researching the hybrid burial practices of the Liao Khitan (907–1125).     

Allocation and architecture in climate governance beyond Kyoto: lessons from interdisciplinary research on target setting

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change envisions that all countries will follow the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibility’ in terms of their responsibility to protect the earth’s climate system. However, its concrete application has always been controversial. The Kyoto Protocol framed this allocation issue in terms of quantified emission reduction and limitation objectives (QERLOs) in its Annex B, but this also triggered the refusal of the United States to ratify the Protocol. This article identifies some of the problems associated with allocation, and its problems inter-linked with governance architecture, by examining the case of the allocation of reduction commitments for greenhouse gas emissions in the context of climate governance beyond 2012. Three broad criteria are used in the discussion, namely, responsibility, capability, and efficiency. Target numbers for individual countries differ with the criteria used, but they also differ even within the same criteria category, due to different ways these conceptual criteria are translated into quantitative calculation formulas. Sometimes this makes a large difference for individual targets. Our calculations using different criteria and formula to come up with medium-term targets for selected developed countries show that differences in results are caused by the choice of allocation principle, differences in allocation formula under a given allocation principle, and different calculation criteria used under a given allocation formula. Assumptions in modeling and the choice of data also affect results. Importantly, interests are often embedded explicitly or implicitly behind these different ideas. Although allocation and architecture seems to be different problems of governance at first glance, there is also a link between limited data availability for allocation calculations and the form of governance architecture proposed. This is an area where further scientific research is required.     

Simultaneous determination of eight catechins and four theaflavins in bottled tea by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for forensic analysis

Tea, and particularly bottled tea, is widely consumed worldwide and is often encountered at crime scenes in poisoning cases or used in place of urine in drug abuse monitoring. Tea is a rich source of polyphenols, such as catechins and theaflavins, and these compounds are useful for identification of trace quantities of tea samples. However, information on the contents of catechins and theaflavins in bottled tea is limited. In this study, a method was developed for simultaneous analysis of eight catechins and four theaflavins in tea using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The concentrations of these polyphenols were determined in bottled black, oolong, and green teas after a simple pretreatment process by the standard addition method. The developed LC-MS/MS method was rapid and all tested polyphenol compounds were separated within ~14 min. All tea types contained all the catechins, at varying concentrations, but not all the theaflavins were present in all the tea types. This indicates that the theaflavin composition reflects the degree of the fermentation and could be used for discrimination among different types of tea. All the green tea samples contained all eight catechins; however, the concentrations of these compounds varied among the tea samples. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were useful for discrimination of samples. It has been unclear whether the variations of chemical components are useful for forensic discrimination. Our results demonstrate that, in addition to identification of tea varieties, catechins and theaflavins can be used for the discrimination of bottled tea samples.     

Autopsy report on central pontine myelinolysis triggered by vomiting associated with digoxin intoxication

An 87-year-old male, prescribed digoxin and furosemide for congestive heart failure and Alzheimer disease, had dehydration and anemia due to poor food intake and hemorrhagic cystitis. Repeated vomiting due to an upper respiratory infection caused disturbance of consciousness and hypotension. The patient was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with digoxin intoxication and hypernatremia. The serum sodium (Na⁺) level was corrected, but the patient died 4 days after admission following uncontrollable seizure. A histologic examination after an autopsy revealed characteristic findings of central pontine myelinolysis (CPM). This is the first autopsy report on CPM triggered by vomiting in association with digoxin administration.     

Some Reflections on the Term <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sautrāntika</Emphasis> in Vinaya Context: <Emphasis Type="Italic">vinayadharaḥ sautrāntikaḥ</Emphasis> in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mahāparinirvāṇa-mahāsūtra</Emphasis>

The word sautrāntika is known to designate one of the philosophical schools in later documents, but its earlier phase remains uncertain. The discovery of this term in the Mahāparinirvā?a-mahāsūtra thus brings forward new evidence essential for solving the problem of sautrāntika. In this paper, I will attempt to establish the interpretation of the context, in which the phrase vinayadhara? sautrāntika? appears.