Beyond the ridge pattern: multi-informative analysis of latent fingermarks by MALDI mass spectrometry.

After over a century, fingerprints are still one of the most powerful means of biometric identification. The conventional forensic workflow for suspect identification consists of (i) recovering latent marks from crime scenes using the appropriate enhancement technique and (ii) obtaining an image of the mark to compare either against known suspect prints and/or to search in a Fingerprint Database. The suspect is identified through matching the ridge pattern and local characteristics of the ridge pattern (minutiae). However successful, there are a number of scenarios in which this process may fail; they include the recovery of partial, distorted or smudged marks, poor quality of the image resulting from inadequacy of the enhancement technique applied, extensive scarring/abrasion of the fingertips or absence of suspect's fingerprint records in the database. In all of these instances it would be very desirable to have a technology able to provide additional information from a fingermark exploiting its endogenous and exogenous chemical content. This opportunity could potentially provide new investigative leads, especially when the fingermark comparison and match process fails. We have demonstrated that Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Mass Spectrometry and Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI MSI) can provide multiple images of the same fingermark in one analysis simultaneous with additional intelligence. Here, a review on the pioneering use and development of MALDI MSI for the analysis of latent fingermarks is presented along with the latest achievements on the forensic intelligence retrievable.

Carbon monoxide retinopathy.

We recently examined three family members with acute carbon monoxide intoxication resulting from a single accidental exposure--a stepfather with a normal fundus, a mother with scattered superficial retinal hemorrhages, and her child with multiple large subinternal limiting membrane hemorrhages, peripapillary hemorrhages, severe venous tortuosity, and disc edema. All three had comparable carboxyhemoglobin levels and no evidence of hypertension, diabetes, or anemia. The different fundus presentations illustrated the variable clinical manifestations of carbon monoxide retinopathy. Early detection could prevent a lethal outcome.

Patient responses to topical anesthesia for cataract surgery.

This presentation will summarize subjective comments and clinical findings obtained from 27 cataract patients who underwent extracapsular cataract extraction by phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation under topical anesthesia 0.5% tetracaine hydrochloride (HCl) without retrobulbar block. All data presented in this study was obtained by one ophthalmic registered nurse who questioned the patient in the immediate preoperative period, observed all operative procedures, questioned each patient immediately postoperatively and performed a slit lamp examination and interview with each patient on the first post-operative day. As a result of this study, specific nursing interventions have been altered and unique circumstances identified that reinforce the valuable contributions of the ophthalmic registered nurse in the completion of successful cataract surgery.

Transient normalization of lymphocyte blastogenic and specific antibody responses following boosting of healthy elderly subjects with tetanus toxoid.

The diminished in vitro blastogenic response of lymphocytes from the elderly to mitogenic stimuli is cited as evidence of immunosenescence, but the response to specific microbial antigens has not been well characterized. We measured the response to tetanus toxoid before and after boosting in young and elderly subjects. Elderly subjects (age > or = 70) and young controls (age < 35) were subjected to clinical, laboratory, and nutritional evaluation to ensure a cohort of healthy subjects. Responses of lymphocytes from the elderly to the mitogens phytohemagglutinin and concanavalin A were markedly diminished compared to those from the young. For all subjects, the average in vitro blastogenic response to tetanus toxoid of lymphocytes from elderly subjects (n = 23) was significantly diminished compared to young controls (n = 23; 31,985 +/- 4502 vs 14,411 +/- 3714 cpm, p < .01). Following boosting with tetanus in those subjects in whom boosting with tetanus toxoid was indicated, blastogenesis was comparable between elderly (n = 17) and young subjects (n = 7; 38,078 +/- 11,451 vs 42,103 +/- 9247 cpm). The boosted response to tetanus apparently was not sustained, since in the subset of subjects with a history of tetanus immunization in the past 10 years, the response of the elderly was much less than that of the young. Thus, a cohort of healthy elderly with diminished blastogenic responses to mitogens was capable of at least a transiently normal response to tetanus post boosting.