大麻毒品的检验方法综述

本文综述了大麻类毒品的检验方法 ,包括植物学检验法、常规化学检验法、毛细管电泳法 (CE)、薄层色谱法 (TLC)、高效液相色谱法 (HPLC)、气相色谱法 (GC)、气相色谱 /质谱法 (GC/MS)、免疫检测法 ,以期能够给实践工作提供理论上的帮助     

收回死刑复核权面临的难题及其破解

It is of great significance for the Supreme Court of China (SCC) to take back the power of having judicial review for death sentences. For that purpose, first, we have to amend the procedures for judicial review for death sentences, including precisely defining the responsibility of the SCC to review death sentences, determining appropriate modes of review, prescribing the time limit of review, allowing the participation of defense lawyers and prosecutors, etc. Second, we must also amend the appellate procedures for capital cases, including holding hearings, comprehensive trial of key cases, and adjusting the time limit for the second instance. Third, we must improve relative systems that can directly affect the trial quality of capital cases, including the improvement of evidentiary rules, the reform of judicial committees, and the forbiddance to change an original sentence into a death sentence. Long Zongzhi, professor, chairs the academic commission at Southwestern University of Politics and Law. Meanwhile, he takes the vice chair of the supervising committee of legal education in the Ministry of Education of China. He advanced the theory of dual structure of criminal litigation in early 1990s and put forward the theory of relative reasonableness in late 1990s, which exerted great influence in academic law. Moreover, he has published a great number of works on criminal litigation, judicial system, and evidence law.     

Adolescent death: a 15-year retrospective review

Adolescents comprise an eclectic mix of people vitally important to society yet long-term comprehensive studies on the circumstances of their deaths are lacking in the pediatric forensic literature. The authors reviewed all forensic cases referred to the Medical University of South Carolina Forensic Pathology section over the fifteen years between January 1989 and December 2003. In accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of adolescents, only decedents 10-19 years of age were included. The authors examined the cause and manner of death, age, gender, and race of the victims in all cases. The toxicology results, perpetrator, death scenario and location, and victim traits were analyzed when available. For all adolescents, the most common manner of death was accident followed by homicide, suicide, natural, and undetermined. Within the adolescent population two distinct groups, 10-14 years old and 15-19 years old, were identified. Though both groups were similar in that they experienced a high number of accidental deaths, decedents of older age group suffered a higher percentage of violent deaths while decedents of the younger group were more likely to die of natural causes. Many of the accidental deaths in this review were preventable, including deaths due to motor vehicle collisions and drowning. In deaths due to homicide, the perpetrator was often known to the victim, whether as an acquaintance or family member. Toxicology testing was often positive in decedents of the older age group, while only rarely positive in decedents of the younger age group. With a solid understanding of the circumstances, it may be possible to predict, and hopefully prevent, future cases of adolescent death. The authors present their findings in this 15-year retrospective study to better aid forensic pathologists, death investigators, law enforcement, and epidemiologists.     

Myxoid heart disease: A review with special emphasis on sudden cardiac death

Myxoid heart disease (MHD), more commonly known as mitral valve prolapse, is a very common caridac abnormality affecting 5–10% of the general population. This article reviews the history, symptoms, physical findings, pathology, associated conditions and complications of this entity. Special emphasis is given to sudden cardiac death, which occurs as a result of acute heart failure or due to a fatal arrhythmia. Theories regarding the origin of the arrhythmias are discussed. Once the origin is known, those at risk for this devastating complication can be identified and perhaps a preventative therapeutic regimen developed.     

Quality assurance review of death certificates: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Although quality assurance programs for medical examiners are required by the National Association of Medical Examiners' Inspection and Accreditation Checklist, quality assurance programs specifically targeting death certificate completion have not been addressed. The Fulton County Medical Examiner, Atlanta, GA, has implemented a pilot quality assurance program for death certificate information, and this report contains information about 1 year's experience with the program. METHODS: All death certificates are reviewed by the case medical examiner(s) and chief medical examiner prior to their release to funeral homes. Death certificates with errors are retained for quality assurance and review purposes, and needed corrections are made before death certificates are released. During a 1-year period, death certificates with errors were collected and then reviewed and tabulated by type of error. RESULTS: Between May 26, 2003, and May 25, 2004, the Fulton County Medical Examiner certified 1267 deaths. Of these, 47 (4%) were found to contain errors that were corrected and an additional 52 (4%) had been amended for various reasons. The most common errors were misspellings in causes of death or poor or incomplete wording in injury-related information. Forty-seven percent of errors involved omitted, incomplete, or incorrect information that was potentially significant. The most common reason for amended certificates was unexpected detection of acute intoxications among people with significant cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: Quality assurance review of death certificates can assist in preventing the release of death certificates with incomplete, erroneous, or omitted information and may also be useful as an educational forum regarding completion of the death certificate.     

Determination of death mechanisms in forensic-medical examination of a corpse

Applied aspects of multivalued and modal logics served the basis for the proposed algorithm of tanatological analysis of autopsy material including formalization of semiquantitative data on changes in vital organs with further conversion of the estimated tanatogenetic coefficients in the form of probability suggestions leading to the conclusion about the kind and speed of tanatogenesis. The method is illustrated by cases from expert practice.     

Accuracy of cause of death determination without forensic autopsy examination

Medical examiners and coroners commonly determine cause and manner of death without an autopsy examination. Some death certificates generated in this way may not state the correct cause and manner of death. From the case files of the Department of Forensic Medicine in Sydney, Australia, the authors retrospectively reviewed investigative information of all cases in a 6-month period that were initially considered natural deaths (429). The authors, blinded to autopsy results, accepted 261 cases as appropriate for certification without autopsy and assigned a cause of death to each. Per standard local practice, all cases had been autopsied. The actual causes of death as determined by autopsy were then revealed and compared with the presumed causes of death. Most presumed and actual causes of death were cardiovascular (94% and 80%, respectively). The majority of presumed causes of death were listed as ASCVD as the cases lacked features of a more specific cardiovascular process. A large majority of cases had a presumed cause of death of ischemic heart disease based on individual case details. The actual causes of death demonstrated a large breadth of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular disease processes, even though ischemic heart disease accounted for 62% of deaths. The presumed cause of death was completely wrong in 28% of cases. A nonnatural manner of death was present in 3% of cases. This study demonstrates that experienced forensic pathologists may generate erroneous death certificates for cases that are not autopsied.     

The principle of proportionality in biometrics:Case studies from Norway

The principle of proportionality is a decisive factor in the legal review of biometric systems by the Data Protection Authorities (DPA) in EU member states. However, in the working document on biometrics the Data Protection Working Party gives little guidance on how the purpose and proportionality principle must be applied to biometrics. There remain uncertainties as to the specific criteria and factors that are used for evaluating the proportionality of processing biometric information. This sometimes leads to contradictory decisions by different national DPAs on similar biometric related issues. This paper aims to discuss the legal factors and parameters that are generally adopted to address the proportionality issue in the biometric context. After a brief analysis of the legal notion of the principle of proportionality, the paper analyses and discusses the European organisations’ interpretation of the recent Norwegian cases on biometrics. The paper then concludes with a summary of the interpretation of the proportionality principle within the biometric context and gives specific recommendations of several important factors that need to be taken into account.     

607例不同年份中毒尸检资料对比分析

目的研究不同年份中毒案例的毒物种类、中毒途径、中毒方式等相关问题,为此类案例的法医学鉴定提供参考。方法对华中科技大学同济医学院法医学系（湖北同济法医学司法鉴定中心）1957—2008年鉴定的607例中毒案例尸检资料进行对比分析。结果 1999—2008年218例中毒案例中死者男性居多,30～49岁占50%,中毒以口服方式为主,意外中毒居首位,毒物种类以杀鼠剂、有毒气体、农药类位居前三位。与1983—1998年及1957—1982年的中毒尸检资料对比,不同年份间毒物种类明显变化,近年农药、氰化物中毒减少,杀鼠药、有毒气体及醇类中毒增加,毒品滥用激增。结论农药中毒是长期威胁公众健康的一类毒物,须对此提高防范意识;对联合中毒日益增多的趋势应引起关注。     

Sudden death caused by myocardial tuberculosis: case report and review of the literature

A 25-year-old fit man died suddenly while playing social soccer. Autopsy revealed an infiltrative lesion involving the left ventricle with overlying pericarditis. No other significant pathologic changes were observed. Histologic examination showed necrotizing granulomatous inflammation. No acid-fast bacilli were demonstrated in the pericardial fluid or on histologic examination. The presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA complex was confirmed by use of the ligase chain reaction technique. The differential diagnosis of myocardial tuberculosis includes sarcoidosis, rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, giant-cell-containing tumors, idiopathic (giant-cell) myocarditis, and bacterial infections such as tularemia and brucellosis. This case illustrates the protean manifestations of tuberculosis and highlights the use of molecular biologic techniques in arriving at a definitive diagnosis in cases of suspected tuberculosis.     

Myxoid heart disease: a review with special emphasis on sudden cardiac death

Myxoid heart disease (MHD), more commonly known as mitral valve prolapse, is a very common cardiac abnormality affecting 5-10% of the general population. This article reviews the history, symptoms, physical findings, pathology, associated conditions and complications of this entity. Special emphasis is given to sudden cardiac death, which occurs as a result of acute heart failure or due to a fatal arrhythmia. Theories regarding the origin of the arrhythmias are discussed. Once the origin is known, those at risk for this devastating complication can be identified and perhaps a preventative therapeutic regimen developed.     

Aortoesophageal fistula and sudden death. A report of two cases and review of the literature

Two cases of aortoesophageal fistula are presented. The etiology, symptoms, and diagnosis of aortoesophageal fistula are reviewed. Signs and symptoms of gastrointestinal hemorrhage followed by sudden collapse hours to days later should prompt consideration of an aortoesophageal fistula. Accidental ingestion of foreign bodies, particularly by children, is a frequent etiology.     

Shotgun wounds: a review of range and location as pertaining to manner of death

Shotguns are used in a considerable number of homicides and suicides, and while gunshot wounds are extensively reported in the literature, there is a paucity of shotgun deaths. To specifically study deaths by shotguns, all deaths due to shotguns examined at the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office between 1988 and 2005 were reviewed. The cases were evaluated by age and sex of the victim, wound location, wound range, and manner of death. Three hundred eighty-seven cases were evaluated, composed of 343 males and 44 females, with 180 homicides, 203 suicides, 3 accidents, and 1 undetermined manner of death. Contact wounds were the most common range in suicides and the head was the most common location. For homicides, the most common range of fire was distant, and the most prevalent distributions of wounds were head, chest, and multiple wound locations. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between homicide and suicide wound locations and ranges, and then odds ratios were generated. Knowledge of the statistical distribution of shotgun wounds in a large series with respect to range of fire and wound location may be of assistance to the medical examiner in evaluating the circumstances of an individual case to arrive at a manner-of-death opinion.     

Rifle wounds: a review of range and location as pertaining to manner of death

Given the prevalence of rimfire and centerfire rifle usage in both suicidal and homicidal cases, there is a paucity of articles in the literature that focus specifically on rifle wounds. Gunshot wounds, in general, have been extensively studied with articles focusing on the types of injuries, weapons used, wound locations and weapon range. We designed a study to examine the characteristics of rifle wounds, including both centerfire and rimfire rifles, especially pertaining to location and range of the wound. All deaths due to rifles examined at the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office between 1988 and 2004 were reviewed. A total of 509 cases were identified, with 233 suicides and 266 homicides. We found that the average age of suicide victims (41.6 years) tended to be older than that of homicide victims (32.6 years). Suicides tended to be contact wounds to the head whereas homicides most often had multiple wound locations sustained from a distant range. The most common location to the head of suicidal wounds was intraoral whereas homicidal head wounds were more often to the temporoparietal region. We developed odds ratios for assessing the manner of death given a wound location or range; however, we caution that every case should be analyzed based upon it's unique circumstances and not solely its statistical probability.     

Immunohistochemical examination of the lungs in infant death cases using antibodies against milk components

To examine the use of immunohistochemical staining with antibodies against milk components for detection of aspirated milk on lung sections, eighteen infant death cases were investigated. Immunostaining was performed with anti-human alpha lactalbumin, anti-human IgA, anti-human milk fat globulin 1, and anti-cow whey antibody. Reactivity with each antibody was examined, and semi-quantitative examinations were performed to compare the amount of aspirated milk using anti-human alpha lactalbumin antibody. Materials in the alveoli or bronchioli on lung sections suspected to be aspirated milk showed the most sensitive and clearest reaction with anti-human alpha lactalbumin antibody. Of the eighteen cases, ten cases showed positive reaction with this antibody. The amount of aspirated milk varied widely in each case. In conclusion, immunohistochemical staining with antibodies against human milk components, especially anti-human alpha lactalbumin antibody, can detect small amounts of milk. Using this method, we were able to compare the relative amount of aspirated milk among cases.     

Criminalizing Complicity: A Comparative Analysis

The Rome Statute's provision on complicity is remarkably vaguegiven the significance of the issue in international criminallaw. In search of guidance, this article takes a closer lookat the models for accomplice liability in domestic criminallaw, focusing on two systems that may be taken as representativesof the civil law and common law world, respectively: Germanand American criminal law.     

Simultaneous sudden infant death syndrome: a proposed definition and worldwide review of cases.

Epidemiologic studies of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of death of infants during the postperinatal period (7-365 days), have mainly focused on the deaths of single infants. Simultaneous sudden infant death syndrome (SSIDS), the death of a pair of twins occurring at the same time, has received limited attention within the medical community. To the authors' knowledge, this article is the first to describe the 41 SSIDS cases cited in the world literature from 1900 to 1998 by the location of death, a summary of the circumstances surrounding the deaths, and evaluation of these cases in terms of a proposed definition of SSIDS. This evaluation critiques whether the 41 pairs of SSIDS cases adhere to a newly proposed definition of SSIDS. Twin infant deaths must meet all three criteria to be considered SSIDS. The study found that only 12 pairs of twins met all three criteria (29.2%), nine pairs met two criteria (21.9%), alternative cause of death was offered in five pairs of twins (12.1%) and in the remaining 15 pairs (36.6%), only limited information was available; therefore, no conclusions could be reached.