Validity of CO-oximetric determination of carboxyhaemoglobin in putrefying blood and body cavity fluid

Most commercial CO-oximeters pose warning flags in their measured carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) levels when total haemoglobin (tHb) concentrations in the samples are below a certain threshold, typically about 3-4gdl. The warning flags acknowledge the fact that the haemoglobin levels are outside the ranges these instruments are designed (or validated) for. By using a parallel GC method and special sample treatment methods prior to CO-oximetric measurements, this study demonstrates that CO-oximeters could actually produce valid COHb results for samples with tHb as low as 1g/dl, and that the warning flags have no bearing to the accuracy and precision of the measurements. This study also indicates that warning flags due to high methaemoglobin (MetHb) and sulphaemoglobin (SHb), and often turbidity did not affect the validity of the CO-oximetric measurements.     

Abstracting data from medical examiner/coroner reports: concordance among abstractors and implications for data reporting

The purpose of this study was two-pronged: 1) to determine the level of concordance (agreement) between multiple records abstractors who extracted defined data elements from printed medical examiner/coroner (ME/C) death investigation records; and 2) to identify data items for which improved reporting could facilitate the effective use of ME/C reports and data. Four hundred ninety four printed death investigation records were obtained from 224 medical examiner/coroner offices throughout the United States. Trained abstractors were asked to extract information for 110 data elements from investigative reports. Additional data elements for each toxicology workup were abstracted from toxicology laboratory reports and six-digit AIS codes were also abstracted for each injury as described in autopsy reports. The ability of multiple abstractors to identify each data element and identically abstract the data was assessed using Kappa statistical methods. Level of agreement for many data elements was very good (>0.9), but for some data elements agreement was marginal to poor, especially for items related to toxicology, the nature of specific injuries, and dates, times of the occurrence of death and injury. Many data items can be easily abstracted from ME/C records. However, some data items seem difficult to abstract reliably in all cases. Standardizing the report formats used by ME/Cs and/or standardizing the electronic storage of ME/C data would make the abstraction of such data easier and improve the usefulness of ME/C data.     

China's collectivisation puzzle: A new resolution

According to total factor productivity trends in Chinese agriculture, China achieved productivity gains both when collectivising (1954–58) and when decollectivising (1979–84) its agriculture. If the productivity gains from decollectivisation were due mainly to eliminating the incentive problems of collective farms, how the initial collectivisation could also have been associated with gains in productivity presents a major historical puzzle. We suggest as an answer the possibility that agricultural production in China was widely organised on a household basis until 1958, despite the collectivisation of property rights, and that the formation of the agricultural producers’ co‐operatives reduced the inefficiencies in factor allocation that existed following China's land reform.     

A New May Fourth Movement?

Abstract

April 10, 1970, is likely to be remembered as an historical date by overseas Chinese. On that day some 2,500 Chinese students and faculty descended on Washington from all over the United States and Canada. They came not just for another annual spring tour of the cherry trees, but to demonstrate against the policies of three governments–Japan, Taiwan and the United States. For Japan seized the Tiao-Yu Tai Islands from China last November, the United States supported Japan's claim, and the Chiang regime failed to take any effective action to get the islands back.