Receptor Autoradiography: The Last Ten Years

Abstract

The development of techniques for the microscopic visualization of receptor binding and other binding sites using autoradiography is reviewed. The application of these techniques to a number of pharmacological problems, particularly in the field of neuropharmacology is illustrated. The limitations and future trends in the field of receptor visualization are commented upon.     

近十年爆炸恐怖袭击对机体损伤的分析

恐怖袭击是一项主要针对平民百姓,旨在造成巨大伤亡的暴力活动.恐怖分子的动机具有政治目的.与犯罪群体不同的是,恐怖分子通过宣称对其行为负责来最大限度地吸引公众的注意力.在所有的恐怖袭击中炸弹是最常见的方式,这对各国的国家安全都带来了巨大威胁.本文对恐怖袭击的特征、恐怖爆炸装置及杀伤破坏作用进行了探讨,并且着重分析了爆炸造成的机体损伤.     

Acute Heroin Fatalities in San Francisco Demographic and Toxicologic Characteristics

The mortality rate due to heroin overdosage in San Francisco has increased dramatically since 1968 and now stands as one of the highest in the United States. While the numbers of heroin fatalities in many eastern United States cities have declined substantially in the past few years, the figures for San Francisco and the other West Coast areas continue to increase. The group of heroin overdose victims from the 1970 through 1973 period is more predominantly Caucasian and younger than from the 1963 through 1965 period. In nearly all of the victims, the presence of morphine (a heroin metabolite) was noted in bile or urine, and in about half the results of blood alcohol tests were positive. Measurement of blood morphine concentrations in the victims showed no significant difference from the concentrations noted in a control group of heroin addicts dying from causes other than overdosage.     

Natural and Anthropogenic Changes in Chesapeake Bay During the Last 1000 Years

Sediment cores from tributaries, marshes and the main stem of Chesapeake Bay were analyzed for paleoecological indicators of climate change and land use. Indicators include pollen and seeds of terrestrial and aquatic plants, diatoms, charcoal, nutrients, and trace metals. Two major events, one climatic and the other anthropogenic, occurred within the last millennium. The Medieval Climatic Anomaly and the Little Ice Age are recorded in Chesapeake sediments by terrestrial indicators of dry conditions for 200 years, beginning about 1000 years ago, followed by increases in wet indicators from about 800 to 400 years ago. There were no corresponding shifts in estuarine diatoms and seeds of submerged macrophytes. During the last few centuries following European settlement, deforestation and agriculture have resulted in the transport of large sediment and nutrient loads to estuarine waters. The terrestrial flora shifted from arboreal to herbaceous, and much of the estuarine benthic biota was replaced by pelagic species. These changes had a profound effect on the Chesapeake fishery. In assessing risks associated with climate change, it must be recognized that changes wrought by human activity are likely to influence effects of future climate change, in ways not evident from the fossil record.     

Suicide in San Francisco: Reported and Unreported

Reported suicide in San Francisco was investigated for the period between July 1956, through June 1964. During that time 1664 persons killed themselves, according to the Coroner''s records. The method most frequently used was oral ingestion of toxic substances, which significantly deviates from national statistics, shooting being the method most frequently reported. The explanation for this deviation is probably the more valid mortality statistics of San Francisco, and from this it may be inferred that unreported suicide may be largely suicide by ingestion, unrecognized because of lack of postmortem studies.Unreported suicide is further classified into intentioned (masked, suppressed and undiscovered) and subintentioned (oral-dependent and aggressive).Despite the fact that suicide has been a leading cause of death, the public and the medical profession are largely apathetic. An attempt is being made by Suicide Prevention of San Francisco, Inc. to develop a clinical and research facility for the study and treatment of suicidal persons.