Significant postmortem diffusion of ethanol: A case report.

In the realm of forensic pathology, ethanol is one of the most frequently encountered xenobiotics. The determination of ethanol concentration in blood after death is of great interest in forensic settings. It is important to be able to determine the level of intoxication of the deceased at the time of death, which is directly correlated to the ability to act prior to death, especially when a suicide is suspected. This estimation is not always easy to establish owing to various artifacts that are important to know for a proper ethanol blood level interpretation, among them postmortem (PM) diffusion. We describe here a case of unusual ethanol distribution in body compartments and discuss the importance of PM diffusion and redistribution while performing complementary toxicological analysis, especially when the blood and urine samples seemed to be inconsistent after the first results

Water and benefaction as an expression of Julio-Claudian power

textIn the arid Mediterranean world the careful management of water was essential for survival. Control of this resource was akin to political power. Rome and its environs were no different: water was an important status symbol and granting public access to it was considered a particularly generous gesture. During the principate a successful emperor was expected to demonstrate concern for the needs of the populace and one of the most effective ways for him to do this was by providing abundant quantities of water. As a political tool, water proved to be invaluable in its versatility. Imperial gifts could manifest in the form of access to drinking water, leisure spaces such as public gardens and baths, or even spectacular games and shows given on purpose-built artificial lakes. Additionally, massive engineering works such as aqueducts, harbors, and drainage projects, aimed at improving the water and food supply, were carefully designed to showcase the resources and generosity of the imperial patron. This study traces the origins of these forms of largesse, following their development from the Republican period to the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. By examining the water-related monuments and spectacles of each individual Julio-Claudian emperor in the context of their time, this dissertation aims to reconstruct the structures themselves, their intended audiences, and the water policies and patterns of influence created by each Julio-Claudian emperor. The first principes of Rome were still shaping their role and exploring ways in which they could balance their exercise of power with their expected responsibilities to the different strata of Roman society. The early principes began to experiment with water related munificence, and created many new forms of buildings and displays for the public that would eventually become canonical components of Imperial largesse and legitimization.Art HistoryAstronom

Τύπος, κρίση και νέα επιχειρηματικά μοντέλα

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία έχει ως αντικείμενο μελέτης τα νέα επιχειρηματικά μοντέλα που αναδύονται στο διεθνές και ελληνικό επικοινωνιακό τοπίο. Τα έντυπα μέσα ενημέρωσης, τόσο σε παγκόσμιο, όσο και σε εθνικό επίπεδο, αντιμετωπίζουν εδώ και δεκαετίες σοβαρές προκλήσεις, που απειλούν την επιβίωσή τους. Η έρευνά μας επικεντρώνεται σε εκείνους τους παράγοντες, οι οποίοι συνέβαλαν στην καταβαράθρωση του επιχειρηματικού μοντέλου των εφημερίδων, πάντα υπό το πρίσμα των κοινωνικών, οικονομικών και πολιτικών εξελίξεων. Συγχρόνως, διερευνάται ο τρόπος με τον οποίο ανταποκρίνονται τα παραδοσιακά έντυπα μέσα σε όλες αυτές τις αλλαγές. Παράλληλα, καταγράφεται ο ρόλος που έχουν διαδραματίσει τα ψηφιακά Μέσα και τα Μέσα Κοινωνικής Δικτύωσης, στην εξέλιξη της δημοσιογραφίας, μελετώντας πώς μπορούν να προσαρμοστούν και να επιβιώσουν στο νέο ψηφιακό περιβάλλον. Η εργασία μας εξετάζει την περίπτωση τριών ψηφιακών ελληνικών ιστοσελίδων, προκειμένου να γίνει κατανοητός ο λόγος για τον οποίον τα νέα αναδυόμενα μέσα ενώ τείνουν να αντικαταστήσουν πλήρως τα έντυπα, δεν έχουν κατορθώσει να προτείνουν ένα επιχειρηματικό μοντέλο που να τους επιτρέπει την οικονομική τους επιβίωσηThis thesis focuses on the new business models that are shaping the new international and Greek media landscapes. Print media, both on a national and global level, have been facing staggering challenges that are threatening their very existence. Our study focuses on the factors that have contributed to the demise of the newspaper business model, always in the light of the social, financial and political developments. At the same time, it explores how the traditional media have been responding to all these changes. Moreover, it explores the role that digital and social media have played in the evolution of journalism, by studying how they could adapt to and survive in the new digital environment. We are studying the cases of three Greek websites to understand why the new emerging media, although they have almost outpaced print media, have not succeeded in proposing a business model that would ensure their financial existence

Public Finance and the Responsible Factors Coupled With Public Expenditure: Ghana as the Focus

The phrase public expenditure deals with the subject of government activities and their financing. For instance, capital and recurrent expenditures.  "The expenditure incurred by public authorities like central, state and local governments to satisfy the collective social wants of the people is what the phrase public expenditure connotes." Public spending is planned to benefit categories of individuals and enterprises irrespective of location, or where locations are prioritized using national criteria. Throughout the 19th Century, most governments followed laissez faire economic policies and their functions were only restricted to defending aggression and maintaining law and order. The size of public expenditure was very scanty. But now the expenditure of governments all over has significantly increased. In developing countries like Ghana, public expenditure policy not only accelerates economic growth and promotes employment opportunities but also plays a useful role in reducing poverty and inequalities in income distribution. Besides, in the developing parts of the world, there are poor budgeting systems and lack of transparency and accountability always climb the platform of the frowning moments hence underdevelopment. Keywords: Public Finance, Responsible Factors, Public Expenditure, Ghana, Focus

The forensiX evidence collection tube and its impact on DNA preservation and recovery

Biological samples are vulnerable to degradation from the time they are collected until they are analysed at the laboratory. Biological contaminants, such as bacteria, fungi, and enzymes, as well as environmental factors, such as sunlight, heat, and humidity, can increase the rate of DNA degradation. Currently, DNA samples are normally dried or frozen to limit their degradation prior to their arrival at the laboratory. In this study, the effect of the sample drying rate on DNA preservation was investigated, as well as a comparison between drying and freezing methods. The drying performances of two commercially available DNA collection tools (swab and drying tube) with different drying rates were evaluated. The swabs were used to collect human saliva, placed into the drying tubes, and stored in a controlled environment at 25°C and 60% relative humidity, or frozen at −20°C, for 2 weeks. Swabs that were stored in fast sample drying tubes yielded 95% recoverable DNA, whereas swabs stored in tubes with slower sample drying rates yielded only 12% recoverable DNA; saliva stored in a microtube at −20°C was used as a control. Thus, DNA sampling tools that offer rapid drying can significantly improve the preservation of DNA collected on a swab, increasing the quantity of DNA available for subsequent analysis

Is the formula of Traub still up to date in antemortem blood glucose level estimation?

According to the hypothesis of Traub, also known as the ‘formula of Traub', postmortem values of glucose and lactate found in the cerebrospinal fluid or vitreous humor are considered indicators of antemortem blood glucose levels. However, because the lactate concentration increases in the vitreous and cerebrospinal fluid after death, some authors postulated that using the sum value to estimate antemortem blood glucose levels could lead to an overestimation of the cases of glucose metabolic disorders with fatal outcomes, such as diabetic ketoacidosis. The aim of our study, performed on 470 consecutive forensic cases, was to ascertain the advantages of the sum value to estimate antemortem blood glucose concentrations and, consequently, to rule out fatal diabetic ketoacidosis as the cause of death. Other biochemical parameters, such as blood 3-beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, acetone, glycated haemoglobin and urine glucose levels, were also determined. In addition, postmortem native CT scan, autopsy, histology, neuropathology and toxicology were performed to confirm diabetic ketoacidosis as the cause of death. According to our results, the sum value does not add any further information for the estimation of antemortem blood glucose concentration. The vitreous glucose concentration appears to be the most reliable marker to estimate antemortem hyperglycaemia and, along with the determination of other biochemical markers (such as blood acetone and 3-beta-hydroxybutyrate, urine glucose and glycated haemoglobin), to confirm diabetic ketoacidosis as the cause of deat

Investigating Changes in Serum Biochemical Parameters in Opium Addicts Before and During Addiction Treatment

Background: Iran is one of the major consumers of opium and opiate substances in the world. Addiction has become a very important issue in the 21st century and an urgent one in Iran. The consumption of this substance leaves a variety of impacts on the human body. The goal of this study is to investigate the changes of the biochemical parameters derived from opiate substances in addicts during their treatment.Methods: This is a cross-sectional research that focused on 40 individuals dependent on the consumption of opium. Their blood samples were taken before and during treatment, and their fasting blood sugar (FBS), sodium, calcium, phosphorus, creatinine, urea, uric acid, total protein, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and total cholesterol were measured. Data were analyzed by SPSS using paired t-test.Findings: The results showed that serum uric acid, LDL, cholesterol, and the total protein levels significantly decreased during the treatment in comparison with the time before the treatment (P < 0.050). Yet, the serum fasting glucose, urea, creatinine, HDL, triglycerides, calcium, phosphorous, sodium, and potassium showed no significant change the time prior and during the treatment.Conclusion: Given the findings of the analysis, opium addiction has a number of destructive impacts on the lipid profile and uric acid. In addition, the level of total protein decreased during the treatment

Non-Invasive Measurement of Hemoglobin: Assessment of Two Different Point-of-Care Technologies

Measurement of blood hemoglobin (Hb) concentration is a routine procedure. Using a non-invasive point-of-care device reduces pain and discomfort for the patient and allows time saving in patient care. The aims of the present study were to assess the concordance of Hb levels obtained non-invasively with the Pronto-7 monitor (version 2.1.9, Masimo Corporation, Irvine, USA) or with the NBM-200MP monitor (Orsense, Nes Ziona, Israel) and the values obtained from the usual colorimetric method using blood samples and to determine the source of discordance.We conducted two consecutive prospective open trials enrolling patients presenting in the emergency department of a university hospital. The first was designed to assess Pronto-7™ and the second NBM-200MP™. In each study, the main outcome measure was the agreement between both methods. Independent factors associated with the bias were determined using multiple linear regression. Three hundred patients were prospectively enrolled in each study. For Pronto-7™, the absolute mean difference was 0.56 g.L(-1) (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.41 to 0.69) with an upper agreement limit at 2.94 g.L(-1) (95% CI [2.70;3.19]), a lower agreement limit at -1.84 g.L(-1) (95% CI [-2.08;-1.58]) and an intra-class correlation coefficient at 0.80 (95% CI [0.74;0.84]). The corresponding values for the NBM-200MP™ were 0.21 [0.02;0.39], 3.42 [3.10;3.74], -3.01 [-3.32;-2.69] and 0.69 [0.62;0.75]. Multivariate analysis showed that age and laboratory values of hemoglobin were independently associated with the bias when using Pronto-7™, while perfusion index and laboratory value of hemoglobin were independently associated with the bias when using NBM-200MP™.Despite a relatively limited bias in both cases, the large limits of agreement found in both cases render the clinical usefulness of such devices debatable. For both devices, the bias is independently and inversely associated with the true value of hemoglobin.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01321580 and NCT01321593

Pinna nobilis in the Greek seas (NE Mediterranean): on the brink of extinction?

The Mediterranean endemic fan mussel Pinna nobilis is suffering an ongoing basin-scale mass mortality event (MME) since 2016. As most Mediterranean populations have collapsed, the species has been declared as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of threatened species. In an effort to track the progress of the MME and provide updated information on the status of the species in the Greek seas, data collected through dedicated surveys and opportunistic assessments during 2019 and 2020 have been compiled. During surveys conducted at 258 sites, a total of 14,589 fan mussels were recorded, of which 81.1% were dead. Of the remaining 2,762 live individuals, 256 were juveniles. Two marine areas that still sustain living populations were identified, namely Kalloni Gulf (Lesvos Island), and Laganas Bay (Zakynthos Island). The inner part of Kalloni Gulf appears to maintain the largest surviving population of the species in the eastern Mediterranean, with an abundance estimate of 684,000 individuals (95% confidence interval: 322,000-1,453,000). Solitary, potentially resistant, scattered individuals were recorded at several sites. Other previously abundant populations that had been assessed in the past, specifically those of Lake Vouliagmeni (Korinthiakos Gulf), Souda Bay (Crete) and Gera Gulf (Lesvos Island) with a total of ~350,000 individuals, have now been wiped out. Our results document the collapse of most P. nobilis populations throughout the Greek seas. The MME has progressed substantially between early 2019 and mid-2020, as indicated by the increase in mortality at sites consecutively monitored multiple times. This work highlights the urgent need for continuous monitoring of surviving populations and calls for immediate implementation of an effective protection and management strategy that will ensure the persistence of surviving individuals and the production of resistant offspring

Characterization of a Deswapped Triple Mutant Bovine Odorant Binding Protein

The stability and functionality of GCC-bOBP, a monomeric triple mutant of bovine odorant binding protein, was investigated, in the presence of denaturant and in acidic pH conditions, by both protein and 1-aminoanthracene ligand fluorescence measurements, and compared to that of both bovine and porcine wild type homologues. Complete reversibility of unfolding was observed, though refolding was characterized by hysteresis. Molecular dynamics simulations, performed to detect possible structural changes of the monomeric scaffold related to the presence of the ligand, pointed out the stability of the β-barrel lipocalin scaffold