Postmortem redistribution of digoxin in rats

Adult male Wistar rats were treated with either 0.1 or 3 mg/kg body weight X day of digoxin for five days, then killed and stored at 4 degrees C for 12 h in an attempt to mimic the normal preautopsy procedures in our hospital. In rats treated with 0.1 mg/kg body weight X day, the antemortem serum digoxin concentrations (SDC) were 1.1 +/- 0.4 ng/mL while the 12-h postmortem concentration was markedly increased (16.3 +/- 5.9 ng/mL) (P less than 0.01). In rats treated with 3 mg/kg body weight X day, SDC was not changed significantly (11.2 +/- 4.8 ng/mL antemortem and 13.3 +/- 6 ng/mL postmortem). Postmortem redistribution of digoxin was assessed by injection of 125I-labelled digoxin with or without pretreatment with the unlabelled drug. The results indicate that after death passive redistribution of digoxin may take place. When the SDC are within the therapeutic or low toxic range, digoxin may reenter the blood. High antemortem serum concentrations of digoxin may prevent such passive redistribution. Therefore, antemortem digoxin intoxication cannot be reliably inferred on the basis of high postmortem levels of the drug. Digoxin intoxication can be ruled out when postmortem SDC remain within the therapeutic range. The above changes cast doubt on some of the forensic and cardiologic literature, which has in the past been based on incorrect assumptions concerning postmortem behavior of digoxin.     

Morphometric criteria for sexing juvenile human skeletons using the ilium

Previous attempts to sex juvenile skeletons have focused on the application of qualitative or semi-quantitative techniques. This study applies a variety of geometric morphometric methods, including eigenshape analysis, to this problem. Six metric criteria for the ilia were tested with the aim of investigating previous ideas concerning sexually diagnostic characters. This study uses 25 ilia from juveniles of known age and sex from Christ Church, Spitalfields, London. Ninety-six percent of juvenile ilia were correctly identified as male or female using the shape of the greater sciatic notch. Identification accuracy is shown to improve with age for several criteria. Males were identified to a higher accuracy than females. Application of geometric techniques improves the understanding of the relationship between age, sex, and shape and the clarity with which these relationships can be quantified. Archaeological and forensic relevance of the results are discussed with recommendations for future application.     

Knowing about crisis

With this brief piece, we raise some questions and suggest some alternative directions for knowing about crisis. In particular, we point to the role of core beliefs in shaping society, including the way in which those held by academics shape research and how knowledge about crisis is produced, as well as the influence core beliefs have on the everyday lives of the people with whom we work. We draw on the work of Miki Kashtan (2014), who identifies three core beliefs that have become persistent themes in our work with communities: separateness, scarcity, and powerlessness. We offer some examples of and reflections on work we have done in the Govan neighborhood of Glasgow, Scotland by way of gesturing toward how we understand core beliefs to work and how they might be engaged with. Our intention is not to denigrate the value of beliefs, but rather to point out the value in recognizing the beliefs that inform our ways of knowing and actions.     

Towards feminist economic strategies

Rhonda Sharp and Ray Broomhill Short Changed; Women and Economic Policies Allen & Unwin) Sydney, 1988; Marilyn Waring, Counting for Nothing: What Men Value and What Women Are Worth (Allen & Unwin) Sydney 1988; Barbara Pocock, Demanding Skill: Women and Technical Education in Australia (Allen & Unwin) Sydney 1988.