Abstract
Rhabdomyolysis is characterized by skeletal muscle injury resulting in the release of intracellular proteins (such as myoglobin) and electrolytes into the blood circulation, which cause acute kidney injury, myoglobinuria and electrolyte imbalances. Clinical diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis is made on the basis of biochemical analysis; however, for forensic autopsies, biochemical data are often not available, and it is necessary to diagnose rhabdomyolysis via histopathological examinations. This study analyzed 52 cases with rhabdomyolysis and applied myoglobin immunohistochemistry to kidney, urine and blood samples. We found that blunt force injuries were the most common cause of rhabdomyolysis across all age groups, and drugs were the second most common cause. The drugs included ketamines, amphetamines, synthetic cathinones, entheogens, benzodiazepines, opioid analgesics, and anesthesia. Less than 60% of our cases had biochemical data, including myoglobin (92.5~416,978 ng/mL), creatine kinase (220~774,015 U/L), potassium (1.6~10.3 meq/L), calcium (2.7~29.2 mg/dL), and phosphorus (2.6~14.2 mg/dL). In the kidney tissue sections, we found that 95% of the rhabdomyolysis cases were positive for myoglobin immunohistochemistry and that 96% were associated with acute tubular necrosis. Our findings describe the features of fatal rhabdomyolysis in a large series and suggest that myoglobin immunohistochemistry can be used in post-mortem blood and urine cell blocks to detect myoglobin.
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Yoga and meditation have entered the mainstream and are associated with significant benefits for physical and psychological well-being. Gebauer and colleagues conducted an empirical test of the psychological processes underlying these benefits. Participants were tested for several weeks before or after practicing yoga or meditation. They answered several rating questions to measure the degree to which they perceived yoga as self-central (self-centrality), themselves as better-than-average yoga students (self-enhancement I), themselves as better in communal domains (self-enhancement II), and their self-esteem (self-enhancement III). Results showed higher self-centrality and self-enhancement after practicing yoga than before. Self-centrality seemed to drive the effects of yoga on self-enhancement, and self-enhancement seemed to explain higher well-being as measured by self-esteem and also by other affective and cognitive components. These effects do not support the ego-quieting hypothesis that has been used to explain the benefits of yoga and meditation. The ego-quieting hypothesis would predict that yoga and meditation would reduce self-centrality, resulting in a decreased self-enhancement bias. Instead, the effects are consistent with the self-centrality principle, according to which practicing a skill makes it more central to the self and creates a self-enhancement bias that can increase well-being.
Communion (i.e., the promotion of other people) and agency (i.e., self-promotion) are two core values that guide human behavior. Previous research has shown that women tend to value communion more than men and that women tend to engage in more communal careers and to be more family-oriented. Block and colleagues examined the early development of these gender differences. In 411 children (6–14 years old), they used different rating scales to measure communal and agentic values, family-versus-career future orientation, and explicit gender identification. They also used the Implicit Association Test to measure implicit gender identification along with a parent-reported gender-identification measure. Results showed that by the age of 6, girls already showed higher communal and lower agentic values than did boys. Regarding their expected future, girls were also more family-oriented than were boys. Mediation analyses showed that, despite gender differences in gender identification, children's values were a better predictor of their expected future selves. These findings support the notion that early development of gender differences in core values predicts children's expectations for their future.
