ABSTRACT
Establishing individuality is an imperative aspect in any investigation procedure. At times, it becomes necessary to determine the sex of the individual to establish identity, and saliva stains found at the scene of crime are of major help in such cases. In the present study, we have determined the sex of the individual from buccal mucosal scrapings. Buccal smears prepared from 100 men and 100 women were stained by the Papanicolaou staining method. Cells were observed for Barr bodies under oil immersion with a compound microscope, and the percentage of Barr-body-positive cells was determined. It was observed that 1.14% of buccal mucosal cells in men (range = 0-4%) and 39.29% of buccal mucosal cells in women (range = 20-78%) showed Barr bodies. Inferences from the study show that the presence of Barr body in buccal mucosal cells can be demonstrated with a fair degree of accuracy using Papanicolaou staining. The sex of the individual can be determined accurately, as two non-overlapping ranges for the percentage of Barr-body-positive cells has been obtained for men and women. This method not only proves to be accurate but is also simple and economic.
Subject(s)
Mouth Mucosa/cytology , Sex Chromatin/isolation & purification , Sex Determination Processes , Curettage , Female , Humans , Male , Staining and LabelingABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To correlate blood lead levels and clinical manifestations. PARTICIPANTS: Battery workers and painters (occupationally exposed to lead in and around Mangalore, India) and occupationally unexposed controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured the blood lead levels by anodic stripping voltammetry, and a clinical examination was carried out on all participants. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between the lead-exposed group and controls with respect to clinical manifestations. The prominent findings among the lead-exposed group were fatigue, abdominal colic, abdominal discomfort, backache, muscular exhaustability, myalgia and paresthesia, at a blood lead level ranging from 0.4 to 116.6 microg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: Such a study on battery workers and painters has not been reported in India. Several attempts have been made over the years to relate blood lead levels to adverse health effects. It was not possible to determine a precise blood lead level below which symptoms never occur or a blood lead level at which symptoms are always reported.
Subject(s)
Lead Poisoning/blood , Lead/adverse effects , Lead/blood , Occupational Diseases/physiopathology , Occupational Exposure/adverse effects , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Chemical Industry , Humans , India , Lead Poisoning/complications , Lead Poisoning/physiopathology , MaleABSTRACT
The Red Cross Emblem has come to symbolize the medical profession in our country. Many medical practitioners use the emblem to designate our profession. Others including hospitals (Government and private), chemists, pharmaceutical firms and sometimes public transport vehicle use the Red Cross Emblem.
Subject(s)
Emblems and Insignia , Red Cross , Health Facilities , Humans , India , Jurisprudence , Physicians , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
In recent years there have been a number of malpractice suits based on lack of consent or inadequate consent from the patient for the procedure used in treatment. This is a particularly dangerous suit for the doctor since the burden of proof lies on the doctor. Furthermore since the suit is based on intentional assault, some insurance policies do not cover the doctor for his liability. The common meaning of consent is permission, whereas the law perceives it as a contract i.e. an agreement enforceable by law. So a doctor needs to understand the legal basis of consent rather than the common meaning of it. The present article aims to discuss the various legal aspects of consent as viewed in the Indian law.
