Fatal firearm accidents in Sweden

According to Swedish law, it is prohibited to possess and use firearms without a special permission (license), which is given only after a detailed personal investigation. This restrictive legislation accounts for the fact that deaths due to firearms in Sweden are rare in an international comparison. The number of accidental firearm fatalities in Sweden is 0.074/100,000 living persons. We have previously published a series of accidental firearm fatalities during hunting, and now we present an investigation on the non-hunting fatalities. The mean age of the victims was 27 years, and males predominated. Handguns, military rifles, and shotguns caused most of the accidents. The first published case of fatal thoracic airgun wound is also included. Slightly more than half of the accidents were caused by another person and were inflicted at close range. Unsafe handling of the guns, especially "playing" with the gun or during military training caused most of the accidents. It is doubtful that one could further decrease the low number of fatal firearm accidents in Sweden by even more restrictive legislation. Instead, it is concluded that the most important factor to stress is the safer handling of weapons.     

Fatal electric arc accidents due to high voltage

The frequency of electric arc accidents has been successfully reduced owing to preventive measures taken by the professional association. However, the risk of accidents has continued to exist in private setting. Three fatal electric arc accidents caused by high voltage are reported with reference to the autopsy findings.     

Non-vehicular accidents among teenagers--the 5-year Metro Dade County experience from 1979 to 1983

A study of non-vehicular accidents among the teenage population of Metropolitan Dade County, Miami, Florida, U.S.A., was performed. The case files of the Office of the Medical Examiner were reviewed and all teenage non-vehicular accidents during the 5-year period from 1979 to 1983 were collected. These 102 cases were then analyzed as to the age, race, sex, cause of death, blood alcohol content at autopsy, and drugs detected of the victim. The geographic location, scene circumstances, and presence of human error were also noted. Predominantly, a white male population between 16 and 19 years is involved. Usually they die from drowning at home or in a natural body of water, commonly drugs or alcohol are involved; human error or poor judgment is noted two-thirds of the time.     

Toxicological findings in Federal Aviation Administration general aviation accidents

Blood, urine, and tissue specimens were received from 377 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation fatalities during fiscal year 1989. Carbon monoxide at less than 10% saturation was found in 94% of the cases, and cyanide at less than 0.5 mg/L was found in 96% of the cases. Ethanol at greater than 10 mg/dL was found in 14.8% of the cases, but only 4.5% were determined to be due to ethanol ingestion from toxicological findings. Excluding nicotine and ethanol, 12.6% of the cases were positive for one or more drugs. Acetaminophen and salicylate were the most frequently found drugs. Cannabinoids were found in 1.3% of the cases and benzoylecgonine in 1.6%. There was minimal use of therapeutic drugs that cause central nervous system depression or stimulation. These results show no consistent pattern of drug involvement in civilian aviation fatalities.     

Toxicological findings in 889 fatally injured obese pilots involved in aviation accidents

Prevalence of drugs in fatally injured obese pilots involved in aviation accidents has not been evaluated. Therefore, toxicological findings in such pilots (body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2) ) were examined in a data set derived from the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's (CAMI's) Scientific Information System for 1990-2005. Aeromedical histories of these aviators were retrieved from the CAMI medical certification and toxicology databases, and the cause/factors in the related accidents from the National Transportation Safety Board's database. In 311 of the 889 pilots, carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, and drugs were found, and glucose and hemoglobin A(1c) were elevated. Of the 889 pilots, 107 had an obesity-related medical history. The health and/or medical condition(s) of, and/or the use of ethanol and/or drugs by, pilots were the cause/factors in 55 (18%) of the 311 accidents. Drugs found were primarily for treating obesity-related medical conditions such as depression, hypertension, and coronary heart disease.     

Fatal motorcycle accidents in the county of Funen (Denmark)

A study of motorcycle fatalities in the period 1977-1983 in the county of Funen, Denmark was compared with an analysis of data obtained from the Accident Register at the Odense University Hospital. Among the operators killed one fifth were illegally operating the motorcycle. A remarkable statistical difference in distribution of accidents involved motorcycles and the total distribution of motorcycles in the county was reported, thus finding an over-representation of heavy motorcycles in the present study. No important differences were found in the distribution of type of accidents compared to other studies. In the present study all but one victim were tested for blood-alcohol concentration (BAC). The results differ from previous studies in as much as 50% of the killed operators of an accident involving motorcycles had a BAC above 0.08%. The reported distribution by age, licensing experience and size of motorcycle in fatal motorcycle accidents seem to support introduction of a graduated licence depending on motorcycle size as well as operator age. Furthermore a limitation in the right to carry a pillion passenger should be considered, and the operator of the motorcycle carrying a pillion passenger should be held responsible for the passenger wearing a helmet.     

Haptoglobin subtyping by isoelectric focusing in ultrathin-layer polyacrylamide gels. Population genetic data for Hanover and Lower Saxony

This report describes a method for subtyping haptoglobin by means of isoelectric focusing in 0.2-mm ultrathin-layer polyacrylamide gels. Haptoglobin (Hp) is purified by ion-exchange chromatography and reduced. The well-known advantages of ultrathin-layer gels combine high isoelectrophoretic resolution of the Hp subtypes with less demands for time and material and make sequential visualization by fixation and protein staining possible. The distribution of the Hp subtypes in 1500 unrelated adults from Hanover and Lower Saxony is presented. Allelic frequencies are calculated to be: Hp*2FF = 0.0030; *2FS = 0.5620; *2SS = 0.0290; *1F = 0.1537; *1S = 0.2523. Segregation analysis for 68 matings shows an autosomal codominant mode of transmission in all cases. For the population investigated the chance of isolated paternity exclusion with the subtyped Hp system amounts to 33.91%.     

Fatal Falls from Height in Taiwan

This study conducts an investigation of fatal falls from height, examines gender differences, and compares our findings with those of Western countries. We review deaths in Taiwan caused by falls from height that underwent forensic autopsy from 1994 to 2010. Among the examined cases, 182 were suicide, 156 were accidents, and 18 were homicides. Men who fell from greater heights had a lower probability of fatal head trauma (p = 0.045), and women exhibited a lower fatal head trauma rate when falling from heights of between 10 and 25 m in accident group (p = 0.003). There was no significant difference between cases of falling from greater and lower heights within the suicide group (p = 0.834). Psychiatric illness was only reported in 20.3% and 28.8% cases in suicide and accident groups. Only in male cases was the use of psychotropic substances higher in the suicide groups than in the accident groups (p = 0.047).     

Fatal suicide cases from 1991 to 2000 in Szeged,Hungary

The aim of this study is to analyze the fatalities due to suicide in the period of 1991–2000. The autopsy reports of 719 suicide cases during that period of the Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Szeged were reviewed retrospectively. The victim's age, sex, way of commitment, place of death, the presence of alcohol and drug influence and survival time were recorded.Five hundred and one of the (69.6%) total 719 suicide fatalities were men and 218 (30.4%) were women. The largest age groups were 41–50 in men, in women we experienced a ‘double-peak’ of age groups 41–50 and 71–80.The most frequent way of committal was hanging (46%). The results revealed that 38.8% of the 474 victims whose blood and/or urine alcohol concentration measurement were carried out consumed alcohol prior to the act.The presence of licit drugs in 12% of not drug-related cases were experienced.     

The potency of cannabis in New Zealand from 1976 to 1996.

The potency of cannabis plant and cannabis products seized in New Zealand over the period of 20 years is studied. The earlier part of the study includes mainly imported cannabis oil and cannabis resin, and both imported and locally grown cannabis plant, that was seized by the police. The later part of the study includes little imported material. Cannabis plant is now locally grown, cannabis oil is locally manufactured and imported cannabis resin is rarely seized. The average potency of the cannabis plant available to the user has not increased over the 20 years period. Cannabis leaf contains on average 1% THC and the female flowering heads on average 3.5% THC. The average potency of cannabis oil has dropped from its peak at 34% THC in 1985 to 13% THC in 1995.     

Fatal descent from height in New York City

All deaths due to descent from height that underwent autopsy at the Manhattan Office of Chief Medical Examiner of New York City over a two year period (1997-1999) were reviewed. The scene and autopsy findings, psychiatric history, and toxicology results were examined. There were 120 deaths: 77 suicides, 36 accidents, 5 undetermined, and 2 homicides. Psychiatric illness was reported in 86% of suicides. The toxicological detection of psychiatric medications supports the high percentage of psychiatric disease in the suicide group. In the accidental group, the detection of ethanol and illicit drugs was higher (36%) than expected from the case investigation and similar to the suicide group (29%). Accidental falls by women made up fewer than 3% of all manners. Due to the variation in the extent of injuries, it is unwise to attempt to conclude how high a person descended based on the autopsy findings. Descents into water commonly have minimal findings on external examination with marked internal injuries. The methods of investigation and criteria for death certification using the study results are discussed.     

Fatal accidents and blood ethanol levels in adolescents and adults. The Wayne County experience, 1978-1988

The files of 874 fatal traumatic accident victims, aged 12-25 years, examined at the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office during the period 1978-1988 were reviewed. Postmortem blood alcohol results of individuals who died after less than 15 min of hospitalization were utilized to approximate alcohol levels at the time of the fatal injury. Relationships between types of accidents, sex, age, race, and time of accident were examined. White victims were far more likely to have been drinking than blacks, and the data indicated that underaged drinkers were involved in fatal accidents at lower levels of blood alcohol than their counterparts of legal drinking age. Consistent racial differences in average alcohol levels were not observed, however. Unlike female and black victims, who much less frequently tested positive for alcohol when underage, white male victims 16-21 years of age were just as likely to have been drinking as those aged 21-25. The results of the study show that postmortem blood alcohol level can be used to identify differences in alcohol consumption among groups of accident victims in a major metropolitan area.     

中国法律硕士教育的创办、发展与成就:1996-2006

法律硕士教育创办迄今,历经初步创办、探索和积累经验以及规范化、制度化和深化改革三个发展阶段,在调整法律教育结构和类型、充分发挥政法机关作用和完善法律教育管理体制、探索应用型法律人才培养模式、更新观念和开展对外交流与合作方面取得了重要成就。今后要进一步提高认识、优化布局结构、健全管理制度、突出办学特色、建立评估机制、提高培养质量、坚持政法实务部门参与培养、以司法考试为纽带密切衔接法律职业、借鉴其它专业学位教育和国外经验,以促进法律硕士教育的发展,适应社会发展和建设法治国家的需要。     

Suicide by Fatal Pentobarbital Intoxication in Ontario,Canada, from 2012 to 2015

A fatal concentration of pentobarbital found in a coroner's case where the history had not indicated use of this drug prompted a review of fatalities in Ontario from 2012 to 2015. Coroner's case files, including police and toxicology reports, were reviewed in twenty deaths, in which pentobarbital was identified as the primary cause of death. In all of the deaths (11 females, 9 males), the blood concentration of pentobarbital was greater than 10 mg/L. There were three to eight deaths per year and each was classified as suicide. In 11 cases, there was clear evidence that the drug was purchased over the internet from Mexico or China and imported into Canada. In four cases, it appears that the pentobarbital was labeled as a different, innocuous chemical to facilitate crossing the border without scrutiny. The findings underscore the value of a thorough scene investigation, including details of evidence that may be considered unrelated.     

A Fatal Mediastinitis Due to a Neck Trauma from an Undeclared Assault

History of neck trauma should be promptly investigated in patients with severe infections of the chest as mediastinitis. We present a forensic case of a death due to a mediastinitis in a patient with an undetected fracture of the superior horn of the thyroid cartilage that was exclusively revealed at autopsy examination. Histological analyses of the neck tissues showed signs of pharyngeal mucosal microperforation caused by the fracture and surrounded by an inflammatory reaction. The fracture was caused by a not declared manual strangulation attempt, happened several days before medical evaluations. We share our experience to emphasize the importance of revealing the etiologies of fatal infections of the mediastinum both for clinical and forensic purposes.     

Blood carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide concentrations in the fatalities of fire and non-fire associated civil aviation accidents, 1991-1998

To evaluate pathophysiological significance of post-mortem urinary myoglobin levels in determining the cause of death, we investigated 210 forensic autopsy cases, partially in comparison with serum levels. Post-mortem serum myoglobin levels were extraordinary high in most cases possibly due to post-mortem change. Urinary myoglobin levels did not correlate with the serum levels, showing possible post-mortem elevation in cases of a prolonged post-mortem period over 48h. A high (>1000 ng/ml), moderate (100-1000 ng/ml), slight (50-100 ng/ml) and not significant (<50 ng/ml) elevation of urinary myoglobin were observed in 26, 43, 31 and 110 cases, respectively. Half the highly elevated cases were those with a survival time over 24h. In cases of minor muscle injury such as head trauma, elevation of urinary myoglobin level was closely related to longer survival. In acute/subacute deaths with a post-mortem interval within 48h, a significant difference was observed in relation to the blood carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels of fire victims: myoglobinuria over 100 ng/ml was more frequently and markedly observed in cases with COHb below 60% than over 60%, suggesting muscle damage in fatal burns. Similar elevation was observed in heat stroke victims, and also in some cases of acute and subacute death from polytrauma, asphyxiation, drowning, electricity and spontaneous cerebral bleeding, but not in myocardial infarction. Thus, it was suggested that high post-mortem urinary myoglobin levels in acute and subacute death cases may be a possible indicator of antemortem massive skeletal muscle damage as well as exertional muscle hyperactivity or convulsive disorders associated with hypoxia.