scholarly journals Fatal cocaine intoxication in a body packer

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordana Brajkovic ◽  
Gordana Babic ◽  
Jasna Jovic-Stosic ◽  
Gordana Tomasevic ◽  
Dragana Rancic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vital Signs ◽  
Acute Intoxication ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Internal Organs ◽  
Fatal Poisoning ◽  
Body Packer ◽  
Selective Ion Monitoring ◽  
Severe Intoxication ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
The Brain

Introduction. ?Body packer? syndrome with severe intoxication or sudden death may happen in persons who smuggle drugs in their body cavities. In case of lethal outcome when carrying cocaine, it is important, but sometimes difficult to determine whether death was due to intoxication or due to other causes. Therefore, it is necessary not only to quantify cocaine and its metabolites in biological material, but also based on their distribution in body fluids and tissues to conclude whether it is acute intoxication. We described a well-documented case of fatal poisoning in a body packer and post mortem distribution of the drug in biological samples. Case report. A 26-year-old man was brought to hospital with no vital signs. Resuscitation measures started at once, but with no success. Autopsy revealed 66 packets of cocaine in his digestive tract, one of which was ruptured. Hyperemia of the most of all internal organs and pulmonary and brain edema were found. High concentrations of cocaine, its metabolites benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester, as well as cocaine adulteration levamisole were proven in the post mortem blood and tissues by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MC) method with selective-ion monitoring. Conclusion. The ratio of cocaine and its metabolites concentrations in the brain and blood obtained by LC-MS method can be used for forensic confirmation of acute intoxication with cocaine.

Vorläufige Ergebnisse von 99mTc-HMPAO-SPECT-Untersuchungen bei endogenen Psychosen

1989 ◽  
Vol 28 (03) ◽  
pp. 88-91
Author(s):  
J. Schröder ◽  
H. Henningsen ◽  
H. Sauer ◽  
P. Georgi ◽  
K.-R. Wilhelm
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Regional Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Regions Of Interest ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Regional Cerebral Blood ◽  
Hmpao Spect ◽  
Endogenous Psychoses ◽  
The Brain ◽  
99Mtc Hmpao

18 psychopharmacologically treated patients (7 schizophrenics, 5 schizoaffectives, 6 depressives) were studied using 99mTc-HMPAO-SPECT of the brain. The regional cerebral blood flow was measured in three transversal sections (infra-/supraventricular, ventricular) within 6 regions of interest (ROI) respectively (one frontal, one parietal and one occipital in each hemisphere). Corresponding ROIs of the same section in each hemisphere were compared. In the schizophrenics there was a significantly reduced perfusion in the left frontal region of the infraventricular and ventricular section (p < 0.02) compared with the data of the depressives. The schizoaffectives took an intermediate place. Since the patients were treated with psychopharmaca, the result must be interpreted cautiously. However, our findings seem to be in accordance with post-mortem-, CT- and PET-studies presented in the literature. Our results suggest that 99mTc-HMPAO-SPECT may be helpful in finding cerebral abnormalities in endogenous psychoses.

Native Ubiquitin Structural Changes Resulting from Complexation with β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Mae Wilson ◽  
Aurora Burkus-Matesevac ◽  
Samuel Maddox ◽  
Christopher Chouinard
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Noncovalent Complex ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Protein Size ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Critical Binding ◽  
Protein Response ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) has been linked to the development of neurodegenerative (ND) symptoms following chronic environmental exposure through water and dietary sources. The brains of those affected by this condition, often referred to as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS-PDC), have exhibited the presence of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) from protein aggregation. Although numerous studies have sought to better understand the correlation between BMAA exposure and onset of ND symptoms, no definitive link has been identified. One prevailing hypothesis is that BMAA acts a small molecule ligand, complexing with critical proteins in the brain and reducing their function. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of BMAA exposure on the native structure of ubiquitin. We hypothesized that formation of a Ubiquitin+BMAA noncovalent complex would alter the protein’s structure and folding and ultimately affect the ubiquitinproteasome system (UPS) and the unfolded protein response (UPR). Ion mobility-mass spectrometry revealed that at sufficiently high concentrations BMAA did in fact form a noncovalent complex with ubiquitin, however similar complexes were identified for a range of additional amino acids. Collision induced unfolding (CIU) was used to interrogate the unfolding dynamics of native ubiquitin and these Ubq-amino acid complexes and it was determined that complexation with BMAA led to a significant alteration in native protein size and conformation, and this complex required considerably more energy to unfold. This indicates that the complex remains more stable under native conditions and this may indicate that BMAA has attached to a critical binding location.

Native Ubiquitin Structural Changes Resulting from Complexation with β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Mae Wilson ◽  
Aurora Burkus-Matesevac ◽  
Samuel Maddox ◽  
Christopher Chouinard
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Noncovalent Complex ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Protein Size ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Critical Binding ◽  
Protein Response ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) has been linked to the development of neurodegenerative (ND) symptoms following chronic environmental exposure through water and dietary sources. The brains of those affected by this condition, often referred to as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS-PDC), have exhibited the presence of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) from protein aggregation. Although numerous studies have sought to better understand the correlation between BMAA exposure and onset of ND symptoms, no definitive link has been identified. One prevailing hypothesis is that BMAA acts a small molecule ligand, complexing with critical proteins in the brain and reducing their function. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of BMAA exposure on the native structure of ubiquitin. We hypothesized that formation of a Ubiquitin+BMAA noncovalent complex would alter the protein’s structure and folding and ultimately affect the ubiquitinproteasome system (UPS) and the unfolded protein response (UPR). Ion mobility-mass spectrometry revealed that at sufficiently high concentrations BMAA did in fact form a noncovalent complex with ubiquitin, however similar complexes were identified for a range of additional amino acids. Collision induced unfolding (CIU) was used to interrogate the unfolding dynamics of native ubiquitin and these Ubq-amino acid complexes and it was determined that complexation with BMAA led to a significant alteration in native protein size and conformation, and this complex required considerably more energy to unfold. This indicates that the complex remains more stable under native conditions and this may indicate that BMAA has attached to a critical binding location.

Spinal cord grey matter lesions in multiple sclerosis detected by post-mortem high field MR imaging

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
CP Gilmore ◽  
JJG Geurts ◽  
N Evangelou ◽  
JCJ Bot ◽  
RA van Schijndel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Mr Imaging ◽  
High Field ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Proton Density ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Mr Images ◽  
The Brain

Background Post-mortem studies demonstrate extensive grey matter demyelination in MS, both in the brain and in the spinal cord. However the clinical significance of these plaques is unclear, largely because they are grossly underestimated by MR imaging at conventional field strengths. Indeed post-mortem MR studies suggest the great majority of lesions in the cerebral cortex go undetected, even when performed at high field. Similar studies have not been performed using post-mortem spinal cord material. Aim To assess the sensitivity of high field post-mortem MRI for detecting grey matter lesions in the spinal cord in MS. Methods Autopsy material was obtained from 11 MS cases and 2 controls. Proton Density-weighted images of this formalin-fixed material were acquired at 4.7Tesla before the tissue was sectioned and stained for Myelin Basic Protein. Both the tissue sections and the MR images were scored for grey matter and white matter plaques, with the readers of the MR images being blinded to the histopathology results. Results Our results indicate that post-mortem imaging at 4.7Tesla is highly sensitive for cord lesions, detecting 87% of white matter lesions and 73% of grey matter lesions. The MR changes were highly specific for demyelination, with all lesions scored on MRI corresponding to areas of demyelination. Conclusion Our work suggests that spinal cord grey matter lesions may be detected on MRI more readily than GM lesions in the brain, making the cord a promising site to study the functional consequences of grey matter demyelination in MS.

Enterovirus Diseases and Vaccines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heinz-Josef Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Foot And Mouth Disease ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Asia Pacific Region ◽  
Internal Organs ◽  
Enterovirus A71 ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Development Pipeline ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Genus Enterovirus

Enterovirus A71 (EV A71) (genus enterovirus, family pircornaviridae) causes benign vesicular lesions on skin (hand, foot and mouth disease, HFMD) and mucous membranes of the mouth (herpangina), and also severe to life-threatening infections of the brain, the heart, and other internal organs. Disease outbreaks in the Asia-Pacific region regularly involve thousands of children <5 years resulting in many deaths. Such outbreaks are caused by specific EV genotypes that vary by time and place. While there are various promising and innovative options for treatment in development, none are licensed to date. Immunoglobulins may be beneficial through virus neutralization and modulation of the inflammatory response by the host. In China, 3 different highly efficacious and safe vaccines are commercially available; however, none are licensed outside the country. Roughly half a dozen vaccines are in the development pipeline, with some using innovative approaches and trying to broaden strain coverage.

Lantern Demonstration of Gross Lesions of the Cerebrum

1901 ◽  
Vol 47 (199) ◽  
pp. 729-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Shaw Bolton
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Dura Mater ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Mental Disease ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Pyramidal Layer ◽  
Gross Lesions ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Morbid Conditions

This demonstration was a further report on the subject laid before the Association at the meeting at Claybury in February last, viz., the morbid changes occurring in the brain and other intra-cranial contents in amentia and dementia. In a paper read before the Royal Society in the spring of 1900, and subsequently published in the Philosophical Transactions, it was stated, as the result of a systematic micrometric examination of the visuo-sensory (primary visual) and visuo-psychic (lower associational) regions of the cerebral cortex, that the depth of the pyramidal layer of nerve-cells varies with the amentia or dementia existing in the patient. At the meeting of the Association referred to it was further shown, from an analysis, clinical and pathological, of 121 cases of insanity which appeared consecutively in the post-mortem room at Claybury, that the morbid conditions inside the skull-cap in insanity, viz., abnormalities in the dura mater, the pia arachnoid, the ependyma and intra-cranial fluid, etc., are the accompaniments of and vary in degree with dementia alone, and are independent of the duration of the mental disease. Since that date the pre-frontal (higher associational) region has been systematically examined in nineteen cases, viz., normal persons and normal aments (infants), and cases of amentia, of chronic and recurrent insanity without appreciable dementia, and of dementia, and the results obtained form the subject of the present demonstration. A paper on the whole subject will shortly be published in the Archives of the Claybury Laboratory.

POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES OF THE BRAIN OF INFLUENZA PATIENTS.

The Lancet ◽  
1892 ◽  
Vol 139 (3577) ◽  
pp. 664-665
Author(s):  
J ALTHAUS
Keyword(s):  
Post Mortem ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals Relations between post-mortem alterations and glycolytic metabolism in the brain

1961 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinhard L. Friede ◽  
Wiecher H. van Houten
Keyword(s):  
Post Mortem ◽  
Glycolytic Metabolism ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals Use of 19F NMR Spectroscopy for Measurement of Cerebral Blood Flow: A Comparative Study Using Microspheres

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 886-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Barranco ◽  
Leslie N. Sutton ◽  
Sandra Florin ◽  
Joel Greenberg ◽  
Teresa Sinnwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Radioactive Microsphere ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Cat Brain ◽  
Nmr Techniques ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Washout Curves ◽  
The Brain

19F NMR was used to determine washout curves of an inert, diffusible gas (CHF3) from the cat brain. The cerebral blood flow was estimated from a bi- or tri-phasic fit to the deconvoluted wash-out curve, using the Kety-Schmidt approach. Cerebral blood flow values determined by 19F NMR show the expected responsiveness to alterations in Paco2, but are approximately 28% lower than cerebral blood flow values determined simultaneously by radioactive microsphere techniques. High concentrations of CHF3 have little effect on intracranial pressure, mean arterial blood pressure or Paco2, but cause small changes in the blood flow to certain regions of the brain. We conclude that 19F NMR techniques utilizing low concentrations of CHF3 have potential for the noninvasive measurement of cerebral blood flow.

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