The shaking trauma in infants - kinetic chains

The findings in three children who died as a consequence of shaking and those in another child who survived are presented. In the three fatal cases, a combination of anatomical lesions were identified at autopsy which appear to indicate the sites where kinetic energy related to the shaking episodes had been applied thus enabling the sequence of events resulting in the fatal head injury to be elucidated. Such patterns of injuries involved the upper limb, the shoulder, the brachial nerve plexus and the muscles close to the scapula; hemorrhages were present at the insertions of the sternocleidomastoid muscles due to hyperextension trauma (the so-called periosteal sign) and in the transition zone between the cervical and thoracic spine and extradural hematomas. Characteristic lesions due to traction were also found in the legs. All three children with lethal shaking trauma died from a subdural hematoma only a few hours after the event. The surviving child had persistant hypoxic damage of the brain following on massive cerebral edema. All the children showed a discrepancy between the lack of identifiable external lesions and severe internal ones.     

脑外伤后的星形胶质细胞反应

本文对脑外伤后星形胶质细胞反应进行综述 ,包括星形胶质细胞结构和功能的新认识 ,脑外伤后星形胶质细胞反应的研究模型、检测技术 ,及其在脑外伤后一系列形态学及代谢变化。强调了脑外伤后星形胶质细胞数目、形态和细胞因子表达变化的时间规律性 ,并对其在脑外伤法医学鉴定中的意义做出展望。     

脑外伤后的星形胶质细胞反应

本文对脑外伤后星形胶质细胞反应进行综述，包括星形胶质细胞结构和功能的新认识，脑外伤后星形胶质细胞反应的研究模型、检测技术，及其在脑外伤后一系列形态学及代谢变化。强调了脑外伤后星形胶质细胞数目、形态和细胞因子表达变化的时间规律性，并对其在脑外伤法医学鉴定中的意义做出展望。     

Asphyxia by tracheobronchial thrombus

Asphyxia secondary to airway obstruction has numerous underlying causes, both acute and chronic. Causes of chronic airway obstruction, such as neoplasms and tracheal scarring, are often clinically apparent well prior to asphyxia. Causes of acute airway obstruction may not be as obvious to clinicians or investigators. These include infections, anaphylactic reactions, status asthmaticus, inhalational injuries, and aspirations, which may result in acute obstruction and sudden death.We report the deaths of 2 individuals, a 43-year-old female and a 78-year-old female, both with adenocarcinoma. The 43-year-old was hospitalized with a stage III, poorly differentiated infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast metastatic to the lymph nodes. She was intubated to treat poor respiratory function and acidosis. A bronchoalveolar lavage was consistent with alveolar hemorrhage; no organisms were identified. Blood and "clot" were in her endotracheal tube, so the endotracheal tube was replaced. She became comatose and life support was withdrawn. At autopsy, a large red-gray thrombus obstructed the trachea and extended into the right bronchus. Microscopically, the entire clot was composed of fibrin, red blood cells, and some mucus. Findings of acute respiratory distress syndrome with hyaline membranes were identified. The cause of death was listed as acute respiratory distress syndrome with tracheobronchial thrombus. Experiencing a decline in mental status, the 78-year-old had metastatic adenocarcinoma of unknown primary. She developed sudden respiratory distress and an airway obstruction was discovered. After failure to relieve the obstruction, she decompensated and died. At autopsy, a large, red-gray thrombus obstructed the distal trachea and both bronchi. Microscopically, the thrombus was composed of fibrin, platelets, and red blood cells. The cause of death was asphyxia secondary to airway obstruction by thrombus. We present these 2 unusual cases of asphyxia and review of the literature focusing on asphyxia and the etiology of airway thrombi.     

Morphometric Investigation of Death by Asphyxia

Abstract:  The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of distinguishing deaths by asphyxia from those due to natural causes by comparing morphometric measurements in lungs. The study population comprised 27 subjects: 14 cases of death by asphyxia (hanging or drowning) and 13 cases of sudden natural death. Eighty parenchyma sections were used for each subject. Data were collected by computerized image analysis. Measurements aimed at quantifying, as percentages, pulmonary parenchyma (mean values of positive-fraction areas [PFA] and their standard deviations). Subjects who died of natural causes and of drowning showed a relative internal homogeneity compared to those who hanged. Results show significant discrimination between drowned subjects and those dying of natural causes (mean of PFA p  = 0.01) and between hanged and drowned subjects (SD of PFA p  = 0.04). Attention must be paid to the possible role played by senile emphysema. The method is proposed as a complementary tool in forensic cases.     

Ventricular septal necrosis after blunt chest trauma

Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) after blunt chest trauma is a very rare traumatic affection. We report here a case of blunt chest injury-related VSD and pseudoaneurysm. A 30-year old male truck driver was referred from a trauma center to our hospital seven days after a blunt chest trauma and rib fracture. The patient had severe pulmonary edema and echocardiography showed large VSD. Several mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of this affection including an acute compression of the heart muscle between the sternum and the spine, leading to excessive changes in the intrathoracic and most likely the intracardiac pressure after blunt chest injury. Traumatical patients with the same symptoms may be at risk of sudden death. Therefore, a high grade of suspicion is mandatory even without solid evidence of myocardial damage on the initial evaluation. In continue some hidden angles of this case was discussed. Given the prognostic implications of traumatic VSD with associated pseudoaneurysm, its detection has critical value for preventing its clinical sequelae.     

Mast cell tryptase and hemolysis after trauma

BACKGROUND: We have previously found increased mast cell tryptase in accidental deaths due to trauma, indicating that mast cell degranulation had occurred. The present study was designed to confirm the previous observation and to determine if tryptase release after trauma is acute or delayed. Furthermore, the importance of hemolysis and direct trauma to the mast cells was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mast cell tryptase was measured in post-mortem blood from the femoral vein in 27 cases of death from trauma and in 27 control cases by means of a commercially available immunoassay. The trauma cases were further classified into groups with single versus multiple trauma, and groups with short survival time (i.e. death at the scene of the accident) versus longer survival time (death in hospital). In five multi-trauma deaths, blood was sampled locally from the sites of crush injury. RESULTS: The mean value of tryptase in femoral vein blood was 35.6+/-34.6 microg/l in the entire trauma group and 14.7+/-6.5 microg/l in the controls (P<0.005). In bloody liquid sampled from crush injuries, tryptase was substantially elevated in all cases, with a mean of 227+/-146 microg/l. In cases with short survival time, tryptase was significantly higher than in those who died after several hours or days in hospital (P<0.001). No statistically significant difference was seen between multi- and single-trauma cases. A correlation between hemolysis in the samples and elevated tryptase was found only in the trauma cases (P<0.05), but experimentally induced hemolysis in vitro was not found to influence the measurements. CONCLUSION: Mast cell tryptase becomes elevated in trauma deaths and this seems to be ascribable either to direct mechanical injury to tissue mast cells and/or to cell lysis. In patients initially surviving severe injuries, the effects of massive release of histamine and other mast cell mediators might be of importance for treatment strategies and prognosis.     

Myocardial lesions induced after trauma and treatment.

In order to clarify the effect of trauma and treatment as stresses on myocardia, we examined histological changes of myocardia in victims who received various kinds of traumata and treatments. We also undertook a histochemical study for calmodulin, which we found useful in the diagnosis of early ischemia. Those who died shortly after stab wounds, traffic accident or head injuries, showed mild cardiac lesions such as contraction bands or fragmentation and mild diffusion of calmodulin, a marker for necrosis. A case with hemorrhagic shock after a traffic accident, involving intense resuscitation for 2 h, showed severe cardiac lesions such as contraction bands, hydropic change and subendocardial hemorrhage along with severe diffusion of calmodulin. In most of the instant death cases after falls, severe contraction band necrosis and severe calmodulin diffusion were observed. Myocardia of victims, who died several days after head injuries or traffic accidents, generally demonstrated distinct diffusion of calmodulin as compared to the mild and non-specific lesions detected by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. In cases of long-term survival in a state of brain death, calmodulin staining was very low, which was not always associated with the severity of the lesions on H&E staining. In cases with intensive or extended treatment, it appeared to be difficult to determine the cause-effect relationship between trauma and cardiac lesions or to distinguish the lesions due to extrinsic factors from those of disease. In some cases, calmodulin intensely stained the areas with hydropic appearance or hypereosinophilia, which may be related to calcium overload.     

Classification of Asphyxia: The Need for Standardization

Abstract: The classification of asphyxia and the definitions of subtypes are far from being uniform, varying widely from one textbook to another and from one paper to the next. Unfortunately, similar research designs can lead to totally different results depending on the definitions used. Closely comparable cases are called differently by equally competent forensic pathologists. This study highlights the discrepancies between authors and tries to draw mainstream definitions, to propose a unified system of classification. It is proposed to classify asphyxia in forensic context in four main categories: suffocation, strangulation, mechanical asphyxia, and drowning. Suffocation subdivides in smothering, choking, and confined spaces/entrapment/vitiated atmosphere. Strangulation includes three separate forms: ligature strangulation, hanging, and manual strangulation. As for mechanical asphyxia, it encompasses positional asphyxia as well as traumatic asphyxia. The rationales behind this proposed unified model are discussed.     

Positional Asphyxia without Active Restraint Following an Assault

Deaths due to positional asphyxia are most often accidental, associated with alcohol and/or drug intoxication. A 19‐year‐old male is reported who was assaulted and placed in a head‐down position in the back of a car were he was later found dead. Brush abrasions indicated that he had been dragged to the vehicle. The head and right shoulder were wedged into the foot well with the body uppermost. At autopsy, there was marked congestion of the face, neck, and upper chest with conjunctival ecchymoses, bruising of the face and scalp, focal subarachnoid hemorrhage, minor cerebral contusion, and diffuse cerebral swelling with early hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Toxicology was negative. Death was attributed to HIE resulting from the unusual positioning of the body. Cases of positional asphyxia involving others may not always include restraint, and when encountered should initiate a careful evaluation of the possible events and lethal pathophysiological processes.     

颅脑外伤后假性癫痫的法医学鉴定

通过对2例颅脑外伤后假性癫痫的法医鉴定案例的分析,总结假性癫痫发作的临床特点及外伤后假性癫痫发作与外伤性癫痫发作的鉴别要点。其法医学鉴定应结合颅脑外伤的程度、部位、颅内有无后遗病灶及临床发作特点等综合分析。     

创伤后多器官衰竭机体铁及铁蛋白的含量变化

目的 观察家兔不同程度创伤后血清及肝组织中铁、血清中铁蛋白含量和髓过氧化物酶(myeloderoxidase,MPO)阳性粒细胞计数的变化,分析其与继发多器官功能衰竭(multiple organ failure,MOF)的关系.方法 建立家兔创伤模型,检测伤后各时间点血清及肝组织中铁、血清铁蛋白含量,并进行外周血MP...     

限制性体位窒息死亡的法医学鉴定

限制性体位窒息是一种特殊类型的窒息,其死亡机理、过程复杂,体表损伤轻微,尸体表现缺乏特异性,鉴定难度大,目前还没有一个客观、准确、公认的鉴定标准,通过文献复习总结有关体位性窒息的研究成果,结合窒息死亡的组织病理改变和鉴定实践,提出限制性体位窒息的检验鉴定要点,在确定有长时间限定在某一影响呼吸的体位,且自己不能解脱;有明显的窒息尸体征象;排除损伤、疾病致死;常见毒物检测阴性;膈肌Fn免疫荧光检测阳性或透射电镜检查证明有膈肌损伤的可以诊断。如果合并有损伤或疾病,还应该有肺SP-A检查阳性或HIF1-α免疫组化染色核阳性表达。某些特定部位的损伤检查有助于分析体位关系。     

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Trachea Resulting in Fatal Asphyxia

Primary malignant tumors of the trachea are uncommon. The authors report a case of a 72‐year‐old female who died from asphyxia due to an undiagnosed obstructing adenoid cystic carcinoma of the trachea. The decedent became unresponsive while eating cereal and was pronounced upon arrival at the local hospital. The autopsy revealed a near occlusive tumor mass just superior to the bifurcation of the distal trachea. There was no evidence of aspiration. The death was the result of asphyxia due to obstruction of the trachea by an adenoid cystic carcinoma. This case demonstrates that an obstructive tumor mass may remain undiagnosed until an obstructive episode results in a sudden death.     

头部创伤后精神障碍的司法鉴定(附34例分析)

目的研究头部创伤和精神障碍的关系及其伤情评定等相关问题。方法34例头部创伤1年后出现精神障碍的鉴定案例，分为车祸组与殴伤组，对两组有关数据进行卡方检验。结果车祸组出现明显昏迷者及具有明确神经系统体征者显著多于殴伤组，殴伤者出现痴呆样表现者多于车祸组，两组出现精神病性症状、社会功能严重缺陷或丧失的例数没有显著差异。结论头部创伤严重程度和精神障碍的严重程度及后果不成比例，在伤情评定时对精神功能缺陷及丧失这一重要因素应充分加以考虑。     

头部创伤后精神障碍的司法鉴定(附34例分析)

目的 研究头部创伤和精神障碍的关系及其伤情评定等相关问题。方法 ３４例头部创伤１年后出现精神障碍的鉴定案例，分为车祸组和殴伤组，对两组有关数据进行卡方检验。结果 车祸组出现明显昏迷者及具有明确神经系统体征者显著多于殴伤组，殴伤者出现痴呆样表现者多于车祸组，两组出现精神病性症状、社会功能严重缺陷或丧失的例数没有显著差异。结论 头部创伤严重程度和精神障碍的严重程度及后果不成比例，在伤情评定时对精神功能     

Postmortem noninvasive virtual autopsy: extrapleural hemorrhage after blunt thoracic trauma

A 19-year-old man speeding recklessly along a highway caused a left-frontal crash with another car. After his vehicle came to a standstill, he climbed out of the wreck and crawled across the tarmac to the other side of the road, where he died several minutes after the accident and before the arrival of an ambulance. Postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) demonstrated fractures of the first, second, and third ribs and scapula on the left, an extrapleural hemorrhage in the apical region of the left thorax, as well as a large amount of blood in the left thoracic cavity. These radiologic findings were indicative of a delayed rupture of a traumatic extrapleural hematoma into the pleural space. A traditional autopsy confirmed the very rare diagnosis of a traumatic extrapleural hemorrhage with a delayed rupture.     

Vertebral artery rupture in a sudden death case after mild trauma

We report a case of subarachnoid hemorrhage at the skull base with possible rupture of a vertebral artery, and we present a new method to investigate rupture of this artery. In this method, the brain stem and cerebrum are divided with ligation of the internal carotid artery and basilar artery, and milk is injected from the original part of the vessel to find the rupture. We show that this method is particularly useful for cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage at the skull base in which there may be rupture of a vertebral artery.