[The correlation of results of breath analysers and laboratory blood examinations of blood-ethanol concentration (Czech and Slovak study)]. / Mezirepubliková Cesko-Slovenská studie korelace výsledku dechových analyzátoru a výsledku laboratorní analýzy pri zjistování hladiny alkoholu v krvi.

The target of this study was to compare the results of breath analysers and "lege artis" laboratory blood examinations when determining alcohol levels. This was then used to determine whether any differences exist between the two methods, and how large these differences are. 610 cases from 11 workplaces in the Czech Republic and Slovakia were analysed. The type of breath analyser was not taken into consideration. All cases had to be in the elimination phase. Difference of time between breath test and blood test were rectified through the use of reverse recomputation. It was detected that only 20.8% of the results of respiratory analyser tests correspond to the detected real alcohol level in blood. The maximum difference when a respiratory analyser measured more than a blood test was 1.34 g x kg(-1). and the maximum difference when the analyse measured less was 1.86 g x kg(-1).

[Another mechanism of décollement]. / Jiný mechanismus décollement.

The cause of décollement is usually considered to be tangential brute blunt force impacting the body surface especially in case of hitting or running-over injury of the pedestrian's body by a car. The term rolling effect or rolling mechanism is used as well. The dissociation of tissue layers with other epiphenomenon occurs. The presented group of 152 décollement determined in 103 autopsy cases during the 4 years period comprises the observation of décollement of different etiology of the injuries (traffic accidents, falls from the high, compression of the torso); in the traffic accidents the occurrence in various participants of the traffic, not only in the case of the collision of the pedestrians with various traffic vehicles, but also in drivers of various traffic vehicles, and fellow-travelers as well. The topic, the localization, the content, the extent, and vital reaction and combination injuries were followed-up. According to the variability of the injury etiology, not restricted to the traditional conception of the décollement mechanism, it is obvious that the passed on rule by far is not covering the whole content of this concept. We didn't find any alternative interpretation of until now presented mechanism in the literature. The medical literature focuses mostly on the clinical aspect of this injury. In this paper, the biomechanics of the décollement origin also in case of the tissue compression by the pressure applied perpendicularly to the body surface, the dependences on physical properties of the actively or passively affecting object, the relevance of the ratio of the tissue structures compression in one direction and transversal dilation in other two directions according to the Poisson's constant, the question of tangential factor of the force in case of vertical falling on the horizontal plane, and biomechanical relations in case of body landing on an oblique surface are discussed. The mechanism of décollement is more complex as presented until now. The forensic interpretation of findings should reflex the above-mentioned facts.

[Detection of myocardial and lung injury by psychotropic and narcotic agents by immunohistochemical detection of metalloproteinases]. / Prukaz poskození myokardu a plic psychotropními a omamnými látkami imunohistochemickou detekcí metaloproteináz.

Positive findings of intoxicant (narcotic) and psychotropic drugs (OPL) have been regularly recorded in clinical patients and deceased persons over the last years at the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 1st Medical faculty and General Teaching Hospital, Prague; stimulants and opioids represent the most frequent cause of death. Their misuse results in damage to various organs. In order to follow the development of pathological changes in the process of remodeling extracellular matrix directly in tissues, the methods of immunohistochemical detection of the matrix metalloproteinases in myocardium and lungs as well as fibrinogen in cardiomyocytes were selected for analysis in a group of 18 deceased individuals. In the intoxication with stimulants we usually demonstrated MMP 2 in the myocardium interstitium, MMP 9 being observed in two cases and MMP 1 in one case. The analysis of lungs always demonstrated MMP 1, especially in the lung interstitium and also on the surface of some alveoli, which accepted the appearance reaching up to "hyaline membranes" as well as in cellular elements of macrophage type and and the same was true for MMP2. Fibrinogen was not always demonstrated in cardiomyocytes. The detection of metalloproteinases was less prominent in the case of opioids. The demonstration of MMP explains well the evolution to more advanced pathomorphological changes, which have been found in myocardium and lungs of OPL users and fits to the nosological status of earlier phases of intoxications with these drugs.

Disodium cromoglycate is neither cytotoxic nor genotoxic in mammalian cells in vitro.

The cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of disodium cromoglycate on mammalian cells were investigated. We used two types of hamster cells, a primary culture of Syrian hamster embryo cells and the cell line V79-4. Cytotoxicity was studied by using proliferation and plating efficiency assays. No toxic effect of disodium cromoglycate on hamster cells in the tested concentration range (2.4-48 microM) was observed. The growth of treated V79 cells was slightly stimulated during proliferation compared with control cells. This stimulation was not observed in the stationary phase of growth. Plating experiments confirmed that disodium cromoglycate has no cytotoxic effect on V79 cells. The genotoxicity of disodium cromoglycate (up to concentration 96 microM) was studied in both cell types using two assays, the DNA synthesis inhibition test and alkaline DNA unwinding with hydroxyapatite chromatography. In V79 cells, disodium cromoglycate had no effect on DNA synthesis. In Syrian hamster embryo cells disodium cromoglycate acts as a mild metabolic inhibitor of DNA synthesis. This effect is reversible. No single-strand breaks were found after treatment with disodium cromoglycate in either cell type. These results confirm that disodium cromoglycate is without cytotoxic effect (up to 48 microM) and, furthermore, lacks genotoxicity at least up to 96 microM.

Expression of disodium cromoglygate 'protective' effects observed during V79 cell proliferation.

Disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) in equimolar concentration of 0.56 mumol/l preincubated with an asynchronous cell population decreases the inhibition of proliferation and results in a 100% elimination of inhibition of colony formation induced by benfluron (BF). DSCG protects the cells from unbalanced growth and unbalanced metabolism (e.g., prevention of increase or decrease in protein cell content, glycolytic activity and in amino acid metabolism) which are both the integrating parts of BF cytotoxic reaction. The protective effect of DSCG is manifested also on synchronous cell populations, particularly in G2 phase (26%). DSCG also stabilizes cell membrane by preventing the alterations of its permeability caused by the cytolytic concentrations of benfluron (at a concentration of 1.05 mumol/l and more).

The blocking effect of disodium cromoglycate on carcinogenesis induced by benzo[a]pyrene.

Subcutaneous injection of 3 mg benzo[a]pyrene into the right hind leg of experimental rats resulted in local tumors in the area of application in all the animals. The same dose of disodium cromoglycate applied prior to benzo[a]pyrene prevented tumor formation or provoked a significant inhibition of the carcinogenic process, e.g. delay of tumor formation and of a reduced size, a number of mitoses and cytological abnormalities and a prolongation of the animal's life. In the in vitro Salmonella typhimurium mutation assay of Ames, disodium cromoglycate eliminated toxicity and mutagenicity of 5-nitro-2-furylacrylic acid. The results would suggest that the initial response of the cell to benzo[a]pyrene had been conducted through the calcium-dependent exocytic pathway, which can be efficiently blocked by disodium cromoglycate, probably by preventing the signals increase in free intracellular calcium concentration. The preserved calcium balance as a consequence of the effect of disodium cromoglycate on benzo[a]pyrene-induced cell response might be a factor responsible for the carcinogenesis inhibition phenomena. The results of the in vitro study in correlation with those obtained in vivo support the suggestion that disodium cromoglycate may influence parallel structures in various cell types.

Rat and rabbit response (in relation to age) to inhalation of automobile exhaust fumes.

Rats of two age groups, of 119 and 163 g mean body weight, were exposed for three and thirty days, respectively, to automobile gases diluted with air. In addition, rabbits, of 1.88 kg mean body weight, were exposed for twenty-four days. The conditions of exposure were kept nearly constant as related to the concentration of CO in the chamber. The following determinations were performed: (1) Body weight measurements as evidence of growth of the animals; (2) The number of alveolar macrophages (AM) in the lung washings; (3) Damage to the integrity of the cytoplasmic membrane of AM; (4) Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity (G6PD) in AM; (5) The acid-base balance in the capillary blood of the rabbits. The results of the 30-day exposure show that automobile exhaust gases significantly inhibit the growth of both age groups; with significant body weight losses in the older animals from the 16th day of exposure. The number of AM was elevated in both groups. The activity of G6PD increased in the AM of the younger animals and decreased in the AM of the older as compared with the controls. The number of dead AM was higher in the older than in the younger rats. After the three-day exposure, no significant difference was found in the number of AM washed from the lungs of both exposed groups, compared with the controls. However, G6PD activity and the number of viable AM in the older animals were decreased and the percent of dead phagocytes was significant. The opposite effect was seen in the younger group. Alterations of lung tissue structure in the exposed animals were apparent to the naked eye. Acid-base response showed metabolic and respiratory disturbances as evidenced by the decrease in carbon dioxide tension (PCo2), the rise of hemoglobin by the reduction of pH level and by the base excess (BE). The inhibition of the growth of the rabbits was noted. The intra- and extrapulmonary effect of automobile exhaust gases after inhalation was observed as a complex of disturbances of the fundamental metabolic processes in the organism. The gases affected the cells of lung defence-alveolar macrophages and their biosynthetic activity.