Our findings demonstrate a significantly higher proportion of active coxsackievirus B cardiovascular infections in patients who suddenly died of MI compared with matched control subjects, suggesting that these EVs may significantly contribute to the pathogenesis of acute MI by a focal disruption of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex.

Thiodicarb is a nonsystemic carbamate insecticide whose acetylcholinesterase activity is related to its main methomyl degradation product. A 40-year-old woman was found dead in her car. Empty packages of medicines and an open bottle of Larvin containing thiodicarb were found near her body. No signs of violence nor traumatic injuries were noticed upon autopsy, and police investigations strongly suggested a suicide. Systematic toxicological analysis performed on postmortem specimens revealed the presence of various sedatives, hypnotics, and antipsychotic drugs in blood, urine, and gastric content. Some of the compounds identified were determined at blood concentrations well above the known therapeutic concentrations: zolpidem (2.87 mg/L), bromazepam (2.39 mg/L), nordazepam (4.21 mg/L), and levopremazine (0.64 mg/L). Specific analysis of thiodicarb and of its methomyl metabolite was then performed on all fluids and tissues collected during autopsy by liquid chromatography ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). The anticholinesterase capacity of blood, urine, and gastric content collected at autopsy was 83%, 82%, and 32%, respectively (normal value: 0%). The presence of thiodicarb in the bottle found near the body corroborates the hypothesis of an intake of that compound. Although thiodicarb was only detected in gastric content (24.3 mg/L), its methomyl metabolite was quantified in most postmortem tissues and fluids: gastric content (19.9 mg/L), peripheral blood (0.7 mg/L), urine (8.5 mg/L), bile (2.7 mg/L), liver (0.7 mg/kg), kidney (1.7 mg/kg), lung (1.5 mg/kg), brain (9.3 mg/kg), and heart (3.6 mg/kg).

Résumé -Objectif : Décrire la distribution du méprobamate dans différents tissus et fluides biologiques collectés lors de l'autopsie concernant huit cas de décès pour lesquels le méprobamate a été identifié dans le sang périphérique. Méthodes : Les prélèvements autopsiques disponibles étaient le plus souvent le sang périphérique, le sang cardiaque, l'humeur vitrée, la bile, le foie, le rein, le poumon, le coeur et le cerveau. Les échantillons (fluides et homogénats tissulaires) étaient analysés par LC-MS n à trappe d'ions, après extraction liquide-liquide en présence de carisoprodol (étalon interne). Résultats : Les concentrations de méprobamate dans le sang périphérique variaient de 9 à 160 mg/L. Les coefficients de distribution post-mortem du méprobamate, exprimés par le rapport [concentration dans le tissu (mg/kg) ou fluide d'intérêt (mg/L)]/[concentration dans le sang périphérique (mg/L)], étaient de 0,97 pour le sang cardiaque (n = 8), 0,83 pour l'humeur vitrée (n = 6), 1,16 pour la bile (n = 8), 2,63 pour le foie (n = 6), 1,82 pour le rein (n = 8), 1,81 pour le coeur (n = 8), 1,83 pour le cerveau (n = 8) et 1,74 pour le poumon (n = 8). Les coefficients de variation associés à ces moyennes étaient tous inférieurs à 25 %, excepté pour le foie (31 %). Conclusion : Avec des coefficients de distribution moyens proches de 1, le méprobamate ne semble pas s'accumuler dans l'humeur vitrée et la bile. Dans les autres tissus, ces coefficients varient de 1,7 à 2,6, objectivant ainsi une distribution tissulaire modérée, en accord avec le volume apparent de distribution peu élevé du méprobamate (0,7 L/kg). En dépit du nombre limité de cas étudiés, la variabilité inter-individuelle relativement peu importante de la distribution tissulaire de méprobamate pourrait théoriquement suggérer l'utilisation des concentrations tissulaires post-mortem en vue d'une estimation des concentrations dans le sang périphérique, lorsque cette matrice n'est pas disponible à l'autopsie. Pour être confirmés, ces résultats nécessitent d'être complétés dans une plus large étude. Mots clés : Méprobamate, distribution tissulaire post-mortemAbstract -Post-mortem distribution of meprobamate: study of 8 cases. Aim: To describe the distribution of meprobamate in various post-mortem fluids and tissues collected during autopsy from 8 fatalities that were reported positive for meprobamate in peripheral blood. Methods: When available, 9 specimen types collected during autopsy were analyzed for each case, including peripheral and cardiac blood, vitreous humor, bile, liver, kidney, lung, heart and brain. Meprobamate was extracted from all samples investigated (fluids and tissue homogenates) by a liquid-liquid extraction method, in presence of carisoprodol (internal standard). Analysis was then performed on all fluids and tissues by ion-trap LC-MS n . Results: Peripheral blood concentrations of meprobamate ranged from 9 to 160 mg/L. The post-mortem distribution coefficients for meprobamate, expressed as [specimen (mg/L) or (mg/kg)]/[peripheral blood (mg/L)] ...

Background: Human erythrovirus (B19) is a minute single-stranded DNA virus causing many diseases. Following primary infection, the viral genomes persist in solid tissues. Besides the prototype, virus type 1, two major variants (types 2 and 3) have been identified recently, the clinical significance and epidemiology of which are mostly unknown. In this work we have determined the extent and duration of persistence of genomic DNA of the different erythrovirus types in a large number of tissue samples and sera.Methods: Samples of skin, synovium, tonsil or liver (n = 523, birthyear range 1913Samples of skin, synovium, tonsil or liver (n = 523, birthyear range -2000, and 1640 sera, were examined by PCR for the DNA of human erythroviruses.

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