Comparison of gunshot injuries caused from Tokarev, Makarov and Glock 19 pistols at firing distances of 1, 3 and 5 cm

Test shots at cloth and at human skin from autopsy material were performed with 7.62 mm Tokarev (TT), 9 mm Makarov (PM) and 9 × 19 mm Glock 19 pistols, using common ammunition.The largest central material defects, with fibre deformation in cotton, the largest burn holes in polyester, and also many fibre defects caused by the perforation of powder, were produced in shots from the TT at all distances. Tears in the cloth were longest in the case of the TT at 1 cm and were present at 3 cm, whereas the shots from the PM and the Glock 19 did not leave tears. There were small tears of the edges of the skin defect from shots fired from the TT at 1 and 3 cm. On cloth-soot deposits at 3 and 5 cm, the radial structures of soot resembled a cobweb (the TT), and radial branching structures (the PM) of soot were seen. Some shots from the PM left four shafts of rays of soot and formed the bullet wipe with four narrow and four wide sections, indicating the form of rifling. In the soot deposit from the Glock 19 with hexagonal rifling, hexagonal or polygonal or petal-like areas were visible. On skin, the soot zones were less distinct. The Glock 19 (at 3 and 5 cm) left a lot of gunpowder particles densely around the cloth and skin defect. The least powder left on the cloth and skin was by the PM.On histological tissue sections, in shots from the TT, a lot of soot and gunpowder residue particles in the epidermis and in both layers of the dermis, and intraepithelial tears and recesses containing soot, were seen. The PM left fine soot and only a few gunpowder particles in the epidermis and in the papillary layer of the dermis. The Glock 19 produced the least soot and a lot of gunpowder particles. The soot and most of the gunpowder particles were present on the tissue sections, which originated from the central area around the skin defect and were detected in the epidermis and in both layers of the dermis. Some tears and recesses in the epidermis were also seen. The further the distance from the centre of skin defect to the periphery, the depth of the penetration of the powder into the skin decreased.     

Association of physical activity to cardiovascular fitness and fatness in 12–13-year-old boys in different weight status

Aim

The aim was to examine the associations between physical activity (PA) and cardiovascular fitness (CVF) and fatness in boys (age 12.04?±?0.77 year) and to assess if weight status influences these associations.

Subjects and methods

Two hundred sixty-five boys participated in the study. PA was measured by accelerometry. Body fatness estimators included body mass index (BMI), body fat%, sum of five skinfolds and waist circumference. CVF was directly measured during stepwise incremental exercise test and expressed in peak oxygen uptake (VO_2peak) and maximal power output (W _max).

Results

All measured PA levels (except vigorous PA in obese boys) were significant predictors of W _max per kilogram of body mass in normal weight and obese boys. Vigorous PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), total PA in normal weight and vigorous PA in obese boys were significant predictors of W _max. Variation in VO_2peak per kilogram of body mass was significantly explained by moderate PA, vigorous PA, MVPA and total PA in normal weight only. For those of normal weight, vigorous PA, MVPA and total PA were negatively associated with body fat% and sum of five skinfolds. In obese boys, moderate PA and MVPA were negatively associated with BMI.

Conclusions

Time spent in vigorous PA and MVPA was associated with fatness parameters in normal weight and obese boys and with CVF parameters only in normal weight boys. Normal weight boys spent more time in vigorous PA and MVPA than overweight and obese boys and had high values in VO_2peak, VO_2peak per kilogram of body mass and W _max per kilogram of body mass.

     

Emergence of the less common cannabinoid Δ8-Tetrahydrocannabinol in a doping sample

Δ⁸-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁸-THC) as isomer of the well-known Δ⁹-THC has a similar mode of action, and the potency was estimated to be two thirds compared with Δ⁹-THC. Content of Δ⁸-THC in plant material is low, but formulations containing Δ⁸-THC in high concentrations are gaining popularity. Δ⁸-THC is to be regarded as prohibited substance according to the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Contradictory results between initial testing procedure and confirmatory quantitation for 11-Nor-9-carboxy-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC-COOH) of a doping control sample gave rise for follow-up testing procedures. After alkaline hydrolysis and liquid–liquid extraction, the sample was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) using isocratic elution instead of gradient elution, which is used for standard procedure. Isocratic elution resulted in two peaks instead of one using gradient elution. Both peaks showed same fragmentation. Using certified reference materials, one peak could be assigned to Δ⁹-THC-COOH and the other one with higher intensity to the less common 11-Nor-9-carboxy-Δ⁸-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁸-THC-COOH) in a concentration of approximately 1200 ng/ml. As complementary method, gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) can also be used for identification. Here Δ⁸- and Δ⁹-THC-COOH can be distinguished by chromatography and by fragmentation. Additional investigations of doping control samples containing Δ⁹-THC-COOH revealed the simultaneous presence of Δ⁸-THC-COOH in low concentrations (0.22–8.91 ng/ml) presumably due to plant origin. Percentage of Δ⁸-THC-COOH varies from 0.05 to 2.83%. In vitro experiments using human liver microsomes showed that Δ⁸-THC is metabolized in the same way as Δ⁹-THC.     

Persistence of Eimeria bovis in soil

Eimeriosis is a disease that occurs globally and often affects cattle grazing on pastures contaminated with oocysts of the pathogenic species Eimeria bovis, Eimeria zuernii or Eimeria alabamensis, respectively. Nonetheless, little is understood regarding oocyst persistence on the pasture. The study was performed in the temperate climate zone. Soil samples were spiked with 100,000 E. bovis oocysts in July 2010 or with 50,000 oocysts in October 2010, respectively, both either with our without addition of cattle faeces. The soil samples were exposed to natural environmental conditions until April 2011. A subset of the samples was analysed immediately after spiking as positive control. The oocysts were recovered by a flotation method and counted in a reading chamber. On average, 23 % of the oocysts could be recovered from the positive control. The recovery of oocysts dropped to 0.30 % of the original level in the samples prepared in July independent of the addition of faeces, whereas the oocyst count was higher in the samples prepared in October, both without (2.05 %) and with (2.64 %) faecal material. No differences were observed between presence of oocysts or oocyst counts recovered in the presence or absence of faeces. Presence of faeces had a positive influence on oocyst integrity. During the winter season, the number of oocysts in the soil was lowered under the detection limit in most samples. On the other hand, the comparatively short 3-month summer period had a significant influence on the number of persisting oocysts too.     

Association analysis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis genetic susceptibility factors in Estonian patients

Clinical Rheumatology - Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic rheumatic condition of childhood. Genetic association studies have revealed several JIA susceptibility loci...     

Prior illicit drug use and missed prenatal vitamins predict nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy: adherence analysis A5084

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in pregnancy is crucial to optimize its efficacy and minimize mother-to-child transmission. Our objective was to examine adherence patterns to ART and health behaviors during and after pregnancy among HIV-positive women enrolled in A5084, a prospective, observational, multisite study. Between 2002-2005, HIV-infected women between 20 and 34 weeks'gestation completed at least 1 self-reported adherence questionnaire antepartum (AP), and were followed through 12 weeks' postpartum (PP). Questionnaires also addressed tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs use. Adherence was defined as reporting not having missed any doses for more than 3 months. Exact McNemar's tests were used for paired binary data and exact logistic regression was used for predictors of nonadherence. We report on 149 women (55% black, 26% Hispanic, 32% less than 25 years, 9% with AIDS, 100% on ART). PP, 31 (21%) women stopped ART and 18 (12%) withdrew from the study. AP, 57% reported adherence to ART and PP, 45% (p = 0.03, n = 87). AP, 11% reported ongoing alcohol use and 23% tobacco use compared to 37% and 30% PP (p < 0.0001, n = 103; p = 0.07, n = 99, respectively). Although 39% ever used marijuana (n = 116) and 25% used illicit drugs (n = 107), few participants reported use during the study. In multivariate analyses, those who had ever used illicit drugs had 5.95 times higher odds (p = 0.002) and those who missed prenatal vitamins had 4.84 times higher odds (p = 0.001) of ART nonadherence. Women reporting a history of illicit drug use and/or having missed prenatal vitamins should be targeted for programs to enhance adherence to ART during pregnancy.