Prevalence of trauma, PTSD, and dissociation in court-referred adolescents

This study examines the prevalence of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dissociative symptoms in adolescents. The sample consisted of 76 females and 76 males, between the ages of 12 and 18, referred to the Child Guidance Clinic of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for a psychological evaluation. Two sets of analyses were conducted. One set included the entire sample; the second set excluded those individuals whose listed referral problem included only being a victim of abuse. Results of the study suggest a high prevalence of trauma in both genders; however, females had significantly higher rates than those reported in males. Similarly, female adolescents demonstrated significantly higher prevalence rates of PTSD symptoms compared with their male counterparts in the entire sample and showed a trend toward significance in the analysis of the subsample. There was a low prevalence of dissociative symptoms across both genders.     

Effects of older brother-younger sister incest: A review of four cases

This study describes the self-reported histories of four women who experience long-term negative effects from childhood incest with their older brothers. In all of these cases the women describe symptoms of low self-esteem and guilt, in relation to their role in the incest. Other perceived long-term harmful effects vary according to the amount of force or coercion used by the brothers, the duration of the incest, and parental response to the incest. These include depression, difficulties with trusting others, and sexual dysfunction. The women also describe the dysfunction in their families-of-origin that contribute to their perceptions of the incest.     

4种硅藻检验方法的比较研究

目的比较硝酸乙醇法、酶消化法、“破机罐”法和Soluene-350法在检验硅藻中各自的优缺点,为法医实际办案提供理论依据。方法取家兔肝、肾和骨髓3种组织各2g,分别用上述4种方法消化,比较4种不同方法分别将组织这些完全消化所需要的时间、消化能力、对硅藻的检出率以及对硅藻的破坏程度。结果消化时间以Solu-ene-350法耗时最长,其次是酶消化法,硝酸乙醇法和破机罐法耗时最短。4种方法消化能力的强弱依次是“破机罐”法、硝酸乙醇法、酶消化法、Soluene-350法。对梅尼小环藻(淡水)和桥弯藻(淡水),酶消化法的检出率最高,硝酸乙醇法其次,“破机罐”法和Soluene-350法最低。对舟形藻(海水),酶消化法的检出率高,其余3种方法几乎没检测到。扫描电镜观察:酶消化法对硅藻结构几乎没有破坏。其余3种方法对硅藻均有不同程度的破坏。结论从降低成本、提高检测效率角度,应选择“破机罐”法和硝酸乙醇法;从安全性和环保角度,或可疑水样为海水及硅藻密度较小时,应选择酶消化法;Soluene-350法因耗时长、成本高且硅藻检出率低,不适于在基层法医中推广。     

Childhood suicide: a report of four cases

A study of childhood suicide in individuals aged twelve years or less was performed on the case files of the Office of the Medical Examiner of Metropolitan Dade County in Miami, FL, over the eight-year period from 1977 to the present. Four cases were collected; these are presented in some detail. A discussion then ensues along with a review of pertinent literature concerning this phenomenon.     

A study of the sensitivity and specificity of four presumptive tests for blood

The purpose of this work was to conduct a comparative study of the sensitivity and specificity of phenolphthalein, tetramethylbenzidine, leucomalachite green, and orthotolidine as presumptive tests for blood. The findings of this study indicate that the phenolphthalein and the leucomalachite green tests are the most specific and that the tetramethylbenzidine and orthotolidine tests are the most sensitive of the group. The author concludes that the phenolphthalein test is the best single test for evaluating suspected bloodstains.     

Wife battering: A study of sixty cases

Sixty women who were repeatedly assaulted by their husbands were referred by the police for medicolegal examination between August 1978 and August 1981. In most instances, the injuries were non-grievous and they were mostly contusions situated mainly in the region of the head, the neck and the upper limbs. Weapons used ranged from fire-wood to knives. In sixty percent of the cases, complaints were made to the police after 10 years of marriage. This is probably due to the fact that the majority of the women were illiterate and not gainfully employed and were totally dependent on their husbands for their existence.     

Socio-demographic indicators of intervention program completion with the male court-referred perpetrator of partner abuse

The purpose of this study was to provide socio-demographic indicators of the court-referred perpetrator-as-client who successfully completed a perpetrator intervention program vs. the perpetrator-as-client who was unsuccessful. Significant associations were noted between alcohol use at the time of arrest and perpetrator program completion. Additional associations included perpetrator employment history by program completion status, perpetrator level of violence by program completion status, and report of victim hospitalization by program completion status. Study findings suggest that perpetrator-as-client intervention programs might benefit by implementing comprehensive screening procedures and by developing interagency cooperation in terms of job training and access to opportunities for stable employment.     

Shots fired with silencers--a report on four cases and experimental testing

Four cases of homicide, in which silenced firearms were used, are reported and supplemented by data from experimental investigations regarding wound features, marks, traces, and ballistic behavior. Wound features are largely determined by the construction of the silencer. In one case, even a muzzle imprint was produced by a silenced weapon fired at contact range. In general, silencers are likely to result in a decrease in bullet energy and accelerated energy release in the target (tissue). In terms of wound morphology, silencers produced a reduction in or even a lack of the contact ring (ring of dirt). In close-range and contact wounds, any features indicative of shots fired at close range were missing (such as soot deposit and powder tattooing). It is also worth mentioning that biological matter may get into the silencer in shots fired at contact range.     

Y-STR基因座应用于刑事案件的独特作用

目的探讨Y-STR基因座在刑事案件中的应用价值。方法采用Y-STR荧光标记复合扩增技术,结合案例应用。结果Y-STR基因座对于涉及男女混合、多名男性混合样本、性别鉴定、父权鉴定等案例中具有特有应用价值。结论Y-STR基因座可应用于法庭科学中的个体识别与同一认定,但在应用中要注意各种特例的发生。     

Suicide by hara-kiri: a series of four cases.

The authors describe four cases of suicide by hara-kiri. This very painful form of suicide consists of self-inflicting a wound in the abdomen using a sharp instrument. It was first reported in 988 A.D. in the East but has now become rare in both the East and West. These four cases occurred over a 40-year period in the Trieste and Bari medicolegal area. In two of our cases the victims were afflicted with mental illness, whereas the other two suffered from depression. In cases of death by hara-kiri, it is important to establish a differential diagnosis between suicide and homicide; the presence of trial wounds (inflicted by the victim as a form of practice to overcome any hesitation before stabbing the abdomen with the cutting weapon) can prove very helpful.     

A forensic pathological study of eighty-two cases of adrenal hemorrhage

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between adrenal hemorrhage and the cause of death, age and gender. METHODS: Eighty-two cases of adrenal hemorrhage were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Adrenal hemorrhage occurred mostly in cases of sudden death, infection, trauma and asphyxia. Male had more chance than female to have adrenal hemorrhage. Adrenal hemorrhage caused by sudden death, trauma and poisoning was more frequently seen in young adults, whereas adrenal hemorrhage in children as well as in fetus and newborns was often caused by infection as well as sudden death and asphyxia respectively. Adrenal hemorrhage caused by sudden death and asphyxia was mainly located in medulla, while the infection usually induced hemorrhage in cortex. Adrenal hemorrhage caused by trauma showed an equal opportunity in either the cortex or medulla. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that adrenal hemorrhage might provide some clues in searching for the cause of death.     

A study of 44 forensic autopsy cases of adrenal hemorrhage

44 cases of adrenal hemorrhage (AH) were analyzed. The forensic autopsy showed that AH occurred mainly in male aged from 20 to 40 years old. The traumatic AH was more often seen in young men and the pathologic AH was mostly seen in elderly persons. AH were more likely found in bilateral adrenal corticomedullary junction. The pathological grade of AH was not related to the interval time of survival. The pathologic mechanism of AH was discussed as well.     

Iatrogenically-related, fatal methotrexate intoxication: a series of four cases

Since the early eighties, the folic antagonist methotrexate (MTX) has been used in long-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Because of the high toxic potential clinical and laboratory controls at regular intervals and patient education in order to avoid misadventure is of overriding importance. We present four cases of fatal MTX intoxication due to medical malpractice from the Tübingen Institute of Forensic Medicine autopsy material, which show the severe consequences of MTX overdose. It becomes evident that among non-rheumatologists there still is need for information about toxicity and dose limitation in MTX low-dose treatment.     

53例小脑挫伤的形态学观察

目的观察53例原发性小脑挫伤的形态学改变。方法全部小脑标本在表面检查后分别进行矢状、水平切面观察。结果①表面局部散在出血21例,弥漫性出血15例,出血伴局部叶片挫伤28例,切面见8例导水管周围、13例第四脑室壁、6例小脑扁桃体上部与9例蚓小结表面有散在点状出血;②表面未见出血但有局部肿胀17例;局部肿胀致小脑中线移位5例。矢状与水平切面:山顶肿胀向上移位4例,直达胼胝体压部6例;山顶并中央小叶向上向前移位挤压上、下丘致导水管狭窄4例;闭塞10例;中央小叶并蚓小结肿胀向前移位11例,均致导水管闭塞与第四脑室狭窄。中央小叶并小脑扁桃体上部肿胀6例,造成导水管闭塞与第四脑室腔狭窄。小脑扁桃体上部与蚓小结肿胀向脑桥第四脑室移位12例。结论小脑受力可使应力部位肿胀,移位,造成导水管闭塞或第四脑室狭窄,甚至与脑干背侧相互挤压致伤。这是脑干损伤与继发脑肿胀原因之一。     

四肢关节活动度测量方法研究

目的研究有效的四肢关节活动度的测量方法。方法以被测关节为原点,在构成该关节的“两边”上各取一点组成一个三角形,分别以两脚规测出“各边”的长度,运用数学原理,分别测出被测关节最大及最小限度活动的度数,计算出该关节的实际活动度及失能度。结果提高了准确度,减少误差,弥补了其他方法的不足。结论三角形法简便易行,克服了四肢因体态、制作工艺等因素造成的误差,是一种客观、精确、有效的新方法。     

A study of fatal strangulation cases in Varanasi (India)

Strangulation is one of the oldest and widely used methods of committing murder in the Indian subcontinent. It is usually carried out by constricting the neck either with the hands, elbow, or other parts of body or by ligature, stick, and the like. In this paper we report a study of 26 cases of fatal strangulation occurring in the district of Varanasi (India) during 1982-1983 and analyze their epidemiological, medicolegal, and forensic pathological aspects. The paper also projects the mentality of perpetrators who, after strangling their victims, tried to hide the crime by disposing of the dead bodies by burning, burying, hanging, throwing them into water, or concealing them in distant places in most of the cases.     

Navigating the role of the principal investigator: a comparison of four cases

Principal investigators are the lead actors on projects at the forefront of nascent technologies, yet few studies have explored the personal actions and experiences of PIs as they navigate their roles. I investigated principal investigators and their approach to new boundary spanning and entrepreneurial roles. Following a multiple case study methodology with a combination of interviews and observation, four PIs in nanotechnology related fields are explored in three dimensions: career and institutional alignment, boundary spanning activities and the tensions created in the still largely uncharted waters of nanotechnology commercialization. I found that these PIs actively sought organizational alignment that allowed them “to make things happen” while keeping harmony between the university and enterprise. The PIs demonstrated boundary-spanning activities, in particular a propensity for welcoming strangers into their labs in the hopes of finding new knowledge and opportunities, and practicing “good grantsmanship” to convert these new relations into collaboration. I found that the PIs managed tensions related to academic progression and lack of institutional support. Through this study, I offer researchers an opportunity to hear the voice of PIs on these topics and seek to contribute to our understanding of PIs as critical actors in the pursuit of science.     

28例心脏挫伤的法医病理学观察

目的观察心脏挫伤的形态特点和分布规律,探讨心脏挫伤的分类和分级方法及与成伤机制的关系。方法用改良的心脏挫伤检查法对28例人体心脏挫伤标本进行肉眼和光镜观察并测量挫伤灶的大小。结果肉眼观察,心脏挫伤灶切面一般呈带状、楔形、类圆形或条纹状;观察连续切面,可见其相应的三维形态大致呈类圆盘状、类圆锥体、类球体或线状。显微镜下,挫伤区主要表现为轻重不等的出血、心肌纤维断裂和心肌细胞变性坏死,按出血和变性坏死的程度可将心脏挫伤分为出血型、坏死型和出血坏死型。心脏挫伤见于心脏各部位和心壁各层,不同部位的挫伤发生率和类型差异大。以挫伤灶的体积、数量和部位为依据,将心脏挫伤的程度分为4级。结论心脏挫伤的形态多样、分布广泛、各部位的挫伤类型和发生率差异大。