Identification of an alleged offender of murder by VNTR analysis: case report

DNA typing was used to demonstrate that three human body pieces found disposed of in the countryside around Athens and the suspicions about the perpetrator's identity were connected. Reverse paternity testing was attempted by comparative typing of three variable number tandem repeats loci in the remains, as well as in the presumptive parents and sister of the decedent, demonstrating Mendelian inheritance of the alleles of the loci analyzed. Confronting the results of the abovementioned analysis, the suspect accepted the accusation.     

The medical and scientific evidence in alleged tubocurarine poisonings. A review of the so-called Dr. X case

The problem of proving the presence or absence of a poison in a buried cadaver is the central theme of this presentation. Certain general questions are posed which may serve to guide those seeking to determine the cause of death in buried cadavers and allegedly due to a poison. Medicolegal and scientific evidence is presented from the court records of five deaths which were alleged homicides due to intravenous tubocurarine. As to the medical evidence: The prosecution claimed absence of adequate medical causes but full congruence with intravenous tubocurarine as the cause of death. The defense claimed and presented its evidence, including history, clinical picture, gross and microscopic pathological findings--for the deaths having occurred from competent natural causes in all but one case. In that one case the cause was undetermined. In two of the four cases evidence was presented for the mechanism of death and why they died at the time that they did. As to the forensic toxicological evidence: The prosecution claimed qualitative identification but with no particular quantitative detection or identification limits of tubocurarine in the remains based on results of combinations of HPLC followed by RIA and of some selected ion direct inlet mass spectrometry. The defense corroborated--along with a quantitative estimate--the presence of a substantial concentration of tubocurarine in the liver specimen of one case. However the chain of custody of this particular specimen was compromised for a period of several days between post-exhumation autopsy and submission to the prosecution toxicologists. With respect to all the other specimens examined by the defense, direct inlet mass spectrometry failed to show ions which are critical for establishing the identity of tubocurarine. The defense also presented results of experiments which showed that the tissues of the cases in question destroyed tubocurarine at such a rate that no reasonably conceivable administered amount could have survived the 10 years of burial of these cases. In each of the five cases exhumation and re-autopsy would have been found to be neither justified nor even indicated had an objective examination of the available record been made and supplemented by a similarly objective review of the literature and the simple stability experiments used by the defense. After an 8-month trial, the jury brought in a not guilty verdict on all counts after less than 2 h of deliberations.     

An alleged assault by police

A case is presented of self-inflicted injuries alleged to have been sustained during an assault by police. A summary is given of the factors in this case differentiating between self-inflicted injuries and those due to an assault. The desirability of taking photographs of injuries in cases of alleged assault and the importance of keeping an open mind when assessing injuries are emphasised. The need for greater awareness in the medical and legal professions of the advantages of a forensic medical opinion in the assessment of injuries is mentioned.     

Fatal poisonings by drugs in Moscow in 1988

The structure of 218 cases of poisoning with medical substances according to pharmaco-therapeutic groups is presented. Sex-age distribution among victims, their life-span and causes of death are given.     

Hepatitis in drug poisonings

In the period between 1983 and 1987 autopsies were carried out on 120 drug victims at the Institute for Forensic Medicine in Hamburg, and 93 cases were serologically tested for hepatitis B. It was found that 50 cases (54%) were positive for anti-HBc, 39 (42%) for anti-HBs, and 5 cases (5%) for HBsAg. The prevalence of hepatitis-B-virus markers was dependent upon the age of the victims. In 81% inflammatory alterations of the liver (including unspecific reactive hepatitis) were diagnosed histologically. The pathogenesis of these serological and pathomorphological findings is discussed. Drug addicts are a group at risk for hepatitis B, and it can spread on account of the epidemiological connection with other risk groups, e.g., prostitutes and homosexuals. Postmortem serological investigations for hepatitis markers proved to be a well-established and reproducible means of differentiating histopathological liver alterations.     

Acute nonfatal poisonings by drug preparations]

Acute non-lethal poisonings with drugs within the period of 10 years according to archives data of Toxicological center and medicolegal department of victims' examination in Leningrad medicolegal expert Bureau were analysed. Number of drug poisoning cases increased two-fold and formed 76% of all poisoning cases. Tranquilizers, then antihistaminic, neuroleptic and hypotensive (clofelin) agents were used most often. Drugs were taken with suicidal attempt or with the aim of getting "alcoholic" effect. Poisonings among women were registered three times more often than among men.     

Identification of synthetic cannabinoids in herbal incense blends in the United States

Abstract: Synthetic cannabinoid agonists are chemically diverse with multiple analogs gaining popularity as drugs of abuse. We report on the use of thin layer chromatography, gas chromatography mass spectrometry, high‐performance liquid chromatography, and liquid chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry for the identification and quantitation of these pharmacologically active chemicals in street drug dosage forms. Using these approaches, we have identified the synthetic cannabinoids JWH‐018, JWH‐019, JWH‐073, JWH‐081, JWH‐200, JWH‐210, JWH‐250, CP47,497 (C=8) (cannabicyclohexanol), RCS‐4, RCS‐8, AM‐2201, and AM‐694 in various commercially available products. Other noncannabinoid drugs including mitragynine have also been detected. Typical concentrations of drug in the materials are in the range 5–20 mg/g, or 0.5–2% by weight for each compound, although many products contained more than one drug.     

Postmortem evaluation of barbiturate poisonings

The evaluation of barbiturate intoxication as the cause of death is often difficult when the concentration in body fluids and organs is not extremely high. The problem arises because of the great capacity of barbiturates to produce tolerance after chronic use, a property that is often unknown. Therefore, the most abused barbiturates were studied to assess whether chronic intake causes morphological liver changes or not. It was found that the chronic abuse of drugs containing seco-, cyclo-, brallo-, and/or pentobarbital produces hypertrophy of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes corresponding to that of phenobarbital. Neither acute barbiturate overdose (without a history of abuse) nor chronic abuse of opiates causes similar liver changes. In conclusion, barbiturate tolerance can be evaluated postmortem by light microscopic examination of the liver.     

Fatal ethanol poisonings in 1984-1986

Analysis of statistical data on the number of fatal ethanol intoxications in 1984-1986 is presented. A steady tendency to reduction in fatal ethanol intoxications is stressed.     

Fatal dextropropoxyphene poisonings in Jutland, Denmark

For many years dextropropoxyphene (dxp) has been the medicament most frequently occurring in drug poisoning cases examined at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Aarhus. This study includes 85 cases of acute fatal poisoning examined in the period 1985-1987 in which dxp alone (40 cases) or in combination with alcohol (29 cases) and/or other drugs (16 cases) contributed significantly to death. Two-thirds of the deceased were men and one-third women. The average age was 37 years for both sexes. More than half of the deceased were drug and/or alcohol misusers. Eighteen were drug addicts. Half of the deaths resulted from accidents, while 40% were suicides. Accidental deaths prevailed among younger men. In a majority of the cases the drug had been taken orally. In these cases the median total blood concentration of dxp and the metabolite nordextropropoxyphene (ndxp) was 17 mg/kg in the suicide cases and 7.1 mg/kg in the accident cases. The corresponding figures for dxp without metabolite were 9.4 mg/kg and 2.2 mg/kg, respectively. The median value of the quotient dxp/ndxp was 1.9 in the suicide cases and 0.5 in the accident cases. The quotient, together with the concentrations of the drug, may therefore indicate the manner of death in many cases.