Effects of visual and aromatic stimulations on the perception of five fundamental tastes.

Taste perception is affected by various environmental factors. In the present study, we investigated the effects of visual and aromatic stimulations on stress responses and taste perception. Fourteen young healthy participants were assessed for stress levels and taste intensities under 5 different conditions: normal (no stimuli), watching an action scene, watching a forest scene, sniffing a rosemary aroma, and sniffing a lavender aroma.

Effects of dopamine antagonists on methamphetamine-induced dopamine release in high and low alcohol preference rats.

The authors have previously shown that high alcohol preference rats (HAP) have a significantly higher sensitivity than low alcohol preference rats (LAP) for methamphetamine (MAP). In this study, changes in dopamine and serotonin release induced by MAP (1 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) after pre-treatment with D1 and D2 receptor antagonists were examined in the striatum of rats with different alcohol preferences to elucidate differences in receptor levels between the two rat strains. D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 or D2 receptor antagonist haloperidol were administrated intracerebroventricularly 10 min before MAP stimulation.

Positive identification facilitated by implanted metallic plate and screws.

Personal identification is an essential subject in forensic practice. With skeletonized remains, an anthropological examination is performed for personal identification. Here we describe the positive identification of skeletonized human remains from the serial numbers of implanted metallic plate and screws.

Analysis of the tracheal contents using headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to screen for accelerant use.

We describe here the usefulness of analysis of tracheal contents in a case of death by fire, which revealed that the deceased had used the accelerants. The analysis of tracheal contents provides useful information for the determination of the circumstances of the scene.

An autopsy case of poisoning with ethanol and psychotropic drugs.

A case of fatal poisoning involving ethanol with psychotropic drugs is presented. Quantitative toxicological analysis showed that the concentrations of ethanol, amoxapine and phenobarbital in the femoral blood were 2.86 mg/ml, 0.

Forensic toxicological implication of an autopsy case of mixed drug overdose involving clomipramine, chlorpromazine and flunitrazepam.

A case of fatal poisoning involving clomipramine, chlorpromazine and flunitrazepam is presented. Quantitative toxicological analysis showed that the concentrations of clomipramine, chlorpromazine and 7-aminoflunitrazepam (a metabolite of flunitrazepam) in the femoral blood were 3.24 microg/ml, 0.

An autopsy case of asthmatic death--usefulness of biochemical examination.

Background: Asthma is the one of the major causes of sudden death in Japan. Postmortem diagnosis of asthma has been based on morphological findings in lungs, but it histological evidence, was also reported that the biochemical markers such as total and specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) are useful.

Case Report: We present here a case of fatal asthmatic death.

[Pulmonary asbestosis: an autopsy case].

The deceased was a 75-year-old male, found dead in his home. He had a history of occupational asbestos exposure for 13 years. At autopsy, there was diffuse fibrosis of the lung, with diffuse pleural thickening.

An autopsy case of imipramine poisoning.

We present a fatal imipramine poisoning. Quantitative analysis of imipramine and its metabolite, desipramine, was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The concentrations of imipramine and desipramine were 18.

An autopsy case of infectious endocarditis in a methamphetamine abuser usefulness of microbiological examination.

We present here a case of sepsis due to infectious endocarditis in a methamphetamine abuser. A 32 year-old male presented high fever and abdominal pain last two weeks. He was admitted to the hospital on the diagnosis of infectious endocarditis.

High alcohol preferring (HAP) and low alcohol preferring (LAP) rats show altered proopiomelanocortin (POMC) messenger RNA expression in the arcuate nucleus.

Aims And Methods: We have investigated proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) gene expression in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus comparing high alcohol preference (HAP) rats and low alcohol preference (LAP) rats under basal conditions using in situ hybridization histochemistry.

Results: A significantly higher expression of POMC mRNA was observed in HAP rats compared with LAP rats. In contrast, no difference in NPY mRNA expression was observed between the two rat lines.

Decreased histamine-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the cerebral cortex of a rat line selectively bred for high alcohol preference.

This study sheds light on the comparative analysis of agonist-stimulated phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis in the cerebral cortex of alcohol-naive rats from established lines selectively bred for low alcohol preference (LAP) and high alcohol preference (HAP). The effect of histamine (1.0 mM), but neither norepinephrine (0.

The application of a variable-pressure scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray microanalyser to the diagnosis of electrocution: a case report.

We describe here a case of accidental electrocution. A 48-year-old male was found dead in his room. At autopsy, there was a current mark on the right thumb and big toe.

An autopsy case of combined drug intoxication involving verapamil, metoprolol and digoxin.

We present here a fatal poisoning case involving verapamil, metoprolol and digoxin. A 39-year-old male was found dead in his room, and a lot of empty packets of prescribed drugs were found near the corpse. The blood concentrations of verapamil, metoprolol and digoxin were 9.

[Effects of chronic alcohol administration on changes of extracellular dopamine and serotonin concentration induced by methamphetamine--comparison of two different alcohol preference rat lines].

We have investigated the effects of single administration of methamphetamine (MAP) (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.

Different blood acetaldehyde concentration following ethanol administration in a newly developed high alcohol preference and low alcohol preference rat model system.

A significant difference in blood-acetaldehyde concentration was observed between high alcohol-preference (HAP) rats and low alcohol-preference (LAP) rats, newly developed different alcohol preference lines. This difference of acetaldehyde accumulation may be due to cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH1) polymorphism, which has been reported previously. As the doses of ethanol we employed are higher than that of voluntary drinking, there may be little direct relationship between acetaldehyde accumulation and alcohol preference.