[The effects of heroin on intracellular free Ca2+ of rat myocardium].

Objective: To observe the effects of heroin on intracellular free Ca2+ in rat myocardium.

Methods: The effects of heroin on intracellular free Ca2+ were observed in cultured neonatal rat myocardium by measuring intracellular free Ca2+ concentration using calcium fluorescent probe Flou-3/AM and laser scanning confocal microscope.

Results: Different doses and concentrations of heroin appeared to have different effects on intracellular free Ca2+ concentrations, with a dosage dependent short linear increase in the fluorescence intensity (i.

[Application of virtopsy in forensic science].

Virtopsy is a non-invasive technique to reconstruct 3 dimensional (3-D) images of human organs and tissues using digitized radiographic imaging and may provide clues for forensic identification of the cause and manner of death. Because of its nature of minimally invasive, objective, and accurate, virtopsy has recently been a research focus of forensic pathology in developed countries. In this review article, the authors will discuss the principle, advantage, disadvantage, and recent proceeding of virtopsy as well as its potential application in forensic practice in China.

[Apoptosis of cultured cortical neurons of rat's brain induced by heroin].

Objective: To investigate whether heroin can directly induce apoptosis in primary cultured cortical neurons of rat's brain.

Methods: Cultured primary neurons cultures were obtained from cerebral cortex of embryo rats. After 7 days, the cells were incubated with different concentrations of heroin (purity-80%) for 24 hours.