[Forensic medical specificity of death in atypical sexual behavior: asphyxiophilia, autoerotism]. / Sudebno-meditsinskoe znachenie smerti pri netipichnom seksual'nom povedenii: asfiksiofilii, autoérotizme.

The diagnosis of death of autoerotic asphyxia has not been virtually stated by Russian forensic medical expert. All such cases were interpreted as mechanical asphyxia entailing suicide, and "accidental" or "fatal" death. The authors observed, during the recent 5 years, 10 lethal cases in different-type autoerotic practice. Strangulation asphyxia was the death cause in 7 cases. Compression asphyxia, inhaling of glue vapor and electric shock caused death, each in one case. Death of asphyxia seizes to be exceptional; it is rather a regular phenomenon in the present-day life, which needs a proper research from 2 standpoints--etiopathogenesis, and forensic medical diagnosis.

Paclitaxel is only a weak radiosensitizer of human cervical carcinoma cell lines.

Two human squamous cell cervical carcinoma cell lines, C-33A (HTB 31) and MS751 (HTB 34), were exposed to either paclitaxel alone or paclitaxel for 24 hr followed by graded doses of Cs-137 radiation. Each was then analyzed for both clonogenic survival and alterations to cell cycle progression. No radiosensitization or affect on the cell cycle was seen using 1 x 10(-9) M paclitaxel. Each line was equally sensitive to the drug with approximately 50% cell lethality seen after 1 x 10(-8) M of paclitaxel. This concentration of paclitaxel also produced substantial G2M arrest, seen immediately after drug exposure and lasting up to 2 days. Gamma radiation delivered during the time of G2M arrest showed only a small degree of radiosensitization by paclitaxel for the relatively radioresistant MS751 line at 4 Gy (SF4 = 16.0 +/- 3.2% --> 5.7 +/- 1.1%, P = 0.049) but no sensitization using radiation doses of conventional fraction size [sensitizer enhancement ratios 1.1 (0.80-1.40) and 1.3 (0.95-1.65) for the C-33A and MS751 cell lines, respectively]. It is concluded that paclitaxel produces only a modest radiosensitization effect, indicating that this compound will have limited benefit as a radiosensitizer for the treatment of cervical cancer.

Skin prick test responses to codeine, histamine, and ragweed utilizing the Multitest device.

Epicutaneous skin testing is a useful diagnostic tool in evaluating allergic disorders. Utilizing the Multitest device, skin prick test responses to codeine phosphate, histamine phosphate, and ragweed were examined in 56 human subjects. Relationships between the two positive controls, codeine and histamine, and their use as a reference denominator for ragweed reactions were assessed. Ragweed elicited detectable wheals in 15/56. Histamine phosphate (2.75 mg/mL) elicited a positive wheal response in 52/56 subjects, while codeine phosphate elicited a positive wheal in 39/56 and 30/56 subjects at 30 and 3 mg/mL, respectively. Wheal sizes for codeine phosphate at both 30 and 3 mg/mL showed significantly concordant relationships with histamine phosphate-induced wheal sizes (Spearman rho, P = .0084 and .0155, respectively); however the intersubject coefficient of variation was lower for histamine-induced wheal sizes (44%) than for codeine-induced wheal sizes (64% and 65%, respectively for 30 and 3 mg/mL). When a ratio of allergen to positive control reaction size was used to grade ragweed reactions, different patterns were observed using codeine compared with histamine. These results have implications in utilizing codeine phosphate as a positive skin prick test control for allergy testing.

Deficits in beam-walking after neonatal motor cortical lesions are not spared by fetal cortical transplants in rats.

Adult rats that sustained unilateral motor cortical lesions at birth demonstrated deficits in traversing an elevated narrow beam. These deficits, manifested by hindlimb slips off the edge of the beam, were not spared in animals that received fetal cortical transplants into the lesion cavity immediately after lesion placement.

Particle-based axenic media for tetrahymenids.

Autoclavable, natural particulate media simplify axenic cultivation of tetrahymenid ciliates and presumably favor selection for phagotrophy. Viability is at least 2 months at room temperature (24-26 C) for the lipid-sensitive tetrahymenids Tetrahymena setosa, T. corlissi, T. paravorax, T. limacis, and T. patula, also for T. rostrata and (at 12 C), for strains of the T. pyriformis complex and Glaucoma chattoni. A typical medium consists of crude soy "lecithin" + skim milk powder + Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. Other useful particules readily available commercially are: whole liver powder, cells of Micrococcus lysodeikticus and Escherichia coli, and powdered residue of liver which had been extracted with 70% ethanol ("liver No. 2). Preliminary experiments indicate that some of these media are suitable for the maintenance of Paramecium octaurelia stock 299S and Colpidium campylum. Such mixtures may serve as points of departure for devising media for more fastidious phagotrophs.