Fear of crime: Who is most vulnerable?

This study investigates the relationship of demographic, psychosocial, and crime-related factors to fear of crime. Data were collected from 1,499 respondents to a national public opinion survey. A discriminant analysis was used to determine those factors which contribute most to respondents' fear of crime. Overall, 12 variables were found to explain 45.7 percent of the variance in fear of crime. Demographic variables such as sex, the size of the place where the respondent lives, age, marital status, and the number of persons living with the respondent were the most important variables discriminating between fearful and nonfearful respondents. Psychosocial and crime-related variables were found to be less important than demographic variables in discriminating between fearful and nonfearful respondents.     

An exceptional case of lethal disulfiram-alcohol reaction.

A case of fatal disulfiram-alcohol reaction due to ingestion of ethanol and antabuse is presented. Unusual autopsy findings and toxicological results are described. This case represents a report of corrosion lesion in the lower oesophagus and stomach due to a violent chemical reaction in situ and also the highest blood concentration of acetaldehyde (41 mg/l) ever recorded.     

Complex Congenital Heart Malformation Including Transposition of the Great Vessels,Presenting as Sudden Unexplained Infant Death

Transposition of the great vessels (TGV) is a common congenital heart defect that is difficult to diagnose before birth. Antenatal diagnosis is associated with increased survival. Unusual features such as anomalous pulmonary artery origin may delay cyanosis, decreasing clinical suspicion. A three‐week old female infant who had never been cyanotic presented for forensic autopsy due to onset of unresponsiveness at home. History included risk factors for TGV and signs of heart enlargement that were not recognized during life. Cardiac pathology consultation identified D‐type TGV with additional rare anomalies. TGV may present as sudden unexplained infant death (SUID) for forensic autopsy if variant features prevent development of cyanosis. Cardiac pathology consultation is helpful in clarifying these features.     

A survey of extraction techniques for drugs of abuse in urine

Sixty nine participants in the United Kingdom national external quality assessment scheme for drugs of abuse in urine reported details of their sample extraction technique by questionnaire. Laboratories were categorised by differences in technique and their analytical test results compared for samples containing D-amfetamine 0.4 (4) and 0.8 (3) mg/l, morphine 0.4 (4) and 0.8 (4)mg/l, and benzoylecgonine 0.15/0.2 (2) and 0.45/0.5 (4) mg/l. Values in parentheses are numbers of samples. For amfetamine, there was no significant difference in the frequency of true positive results between liquid-liquid or solid phase extraction and the Toxi-Lab A system at 0.8 mg/l. Toxi-Lab A gave significantly fewer positives when operating below its specified threshold at 0.4 mg/l. Paradoxically, laboratories using >5 ml urine volume performed less well. Acidification of the extract before volume reduction gave significantly more true positives. For extraction of morphine, solid phase systems significantly outperformed both liquid-liquid and the Toxi-Lab A system at both 0.8 and 0.4 mg/l. No significant differences between extraction techniques were demonstrated for analysis of benzoylecgonine.     

External quality assessment of laboratory performance in analysis of toxicological cases

A mean of 44 members of the United Kingdom national external quality assessment scheme (UKNEQAS) for toxicology reported analytical findings on 10 toxicological cases circulated between December 1995 and February 2000. Material distributed usually consisted of a 5ml blood and a 20ml urine sample simulated by quantitative addition of drugs and their metabolites to material donated by volunteers and patients. The samples were accompanied by a brief outline of the circumstances surrounding the case. Laboratories were requested to report their analytical findings, list methods of analysis, and provide interpretation of their findings. The mean overall success rate for identification of drugs or their pharmacological group was 76%, failure being largely by laboratories providing an immunoassay-based screening service for a fixed range of drug groups. The latter laboratories indicated that cases would be referred to regional toxicology centres for further investigation or confirmation. The coefficient of variation of measurements was <7% for routine analytes, such as ethanol and paracetamol, but 26-44% for tricyclics and opiates. There were 3% false positive reports. The quantity and content of interpretative comment provided by the laboratories was very variable. A number provide nothing in addition to the analytical result.     

Human Cutaneous Myiasis by the Australian Sheep Blowfly,Lucilia cuprina (Diptera: Calliphoridae), in Oklahoma

This case report describes an incident of myiasis in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Paramedics treated a 53‐year‐old man in the field when he suffered cardiac arrest. He was intubated by the paramedics and transported to an emergency room, where he received two stents and a balloon pump. He was found to have a GCS of three and remained in the hospital for 7 days before passing away. After his death, the breathing tube was removed, revealing the presence of several maggots. On closer inspection, the dipteran larvae were found in both the oral and nasal cavities. Four of these larvae were reared to adulthood and identified as Lucilia cuprina (Weidemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), commonly known as the Australian sheep blowfly, by the Biology Department of the University of Oklahoma. Based on the fly's life cycle and rate of development, the infestation is suspected to be hospital acquired.