Diagnosis of stress preceding the fatal outcome

Postmortem examinations of cytomedines of internal organs in 181 men showed a possibility to use their (cytomedines') quantitative and qualitative characteristics as diagnostic criteria of stress influencing the human organism shortly before the death onset. Bioregulatory peptides were obtained by using Morozov's and Khavinson's method of acetous extraction. The composition of cytomedines was determined by spectrophotometer, while their biological activity (BA) was studied through affecting the phagocytic activity of blood neutrophils. It was concluded that, under stress, there are a significant inhibition of BA and a reduced count of cytomedines in the internal organs. The found data can be used to detect the stress preceding death.     

Severe Cardiac Rupture by Only One Blow to the Chest in a Young Boy: An Autopsy Case

Cardiac rupture by blunt chest trauma is commonly seen after motor vehicle accidents and falls; however, it is rarely caused by a blow to the chest. We herein report an autopsy case of a high school boy who sustained severe right ventricular rupture by only one knee kick to the chest during a quarrel. He was hospitalized and developed cardiopulmonary arrest. Emergency surgery was performed, but the patient died. The autopsy revealed no external severe trauma or deformation, but the side wall of the right ventricle contained a large V‐shaped laceration. The other thoracic organs had no injuries. This case illustrates that severe cardiac rupture can occur by only one blow to the chest. Blunt cardiac injuries can occur even if no severe injuries are present on the body surface. We should consider the possibility of severe cardiac injuries regardless of the presence of external injuries.     

Vital animal predation of the genital region caused by a mongrel dog

A 79-year-old man, who was in a helpless situation due to cardiac decompensation, suffered dog bite injuries on the left thigh and in the genital region while still alive. Two extensive soft-tissue defects with contused and bruised wound edges were surrounded by multiple slit-like skin lesions. The outer genitals were almost completely missing. Because of surgical emergency treatment, molecular biological investigations were no longer possible. Therefore, the cause of the bite injuries had to be determined solely on the basis of the documented morphology of the wounds.     

电烧伤皮肤金属元素的测定

本实验系用220V交流电源和直径2.0mm紫铜线为接触电极,在新鲜尸体腹部皮肤上做电烧伤实验。用原子吸收分光光度计对电烧伤皮肤中铜元素含量进行测定。结果表明电烧伤皮肤铜元素含量最高可达137.90μg/g。经10%福尔马林溶液固定40天以上的电烧伤皮肤铜元素含量有昕降低,但仍较正常皮肤含量为高。电烧伤皮肤铜元素含量以电流斑处为最高。本实验为电烧伤皮肤金属元素的定性与定量分析,检材的提取和处理,提供了一个较好的方法,有利于判定案件的性质和确定接触电极的金属种类。     

Comparison of injuries sustained by drivers and pillion passengers in fatal head-on motorcycle collision accidents

This study aimed to compare injuries sustained by motorcycle drivers with those sustained by pillion passengers in fatal head-on motorcycle collision accidents. We examined 84 cases of fatal head-on motorcycle collision accidents, causing 79 deaths of drivers and 19 deaths of pillion passengers, using medical and medico-legal examination records. The distribution of superficial injuries, characteristic injuries, injury severity as well as fatal causes was evaluated and compared using χ(2) tests. The results revealed a significant difference in the distribution of superficial injuries between drivers and passengers. The proportions of injuries in the hand and perineum regions were significantly higher in drivers than passengers. Some characteristic superficial injuries on the palms, chest, abdomen as well as the perineum areas were observed in drivers, while none of these characteristic injuries were observed in pillion passengers. Drivers were found to have suffered more severe chest and abdomen injuries than passengers. In addition, there was a higher incidence of fatalities involving run-over injuries for drivers compared with pillion passengers. The proportion of fatal injuries related to tumbling was higher for passengers than for drivers. Overall, our results revealed a difference in injury severity, superficial injury distribution and characteristic injuries between drivers and passengers. Few characteristic injuries were found in pillion passengers. These findings could help to guide medico-legal examinations, particularly in identifying drivers among victims involved in traffic accidents.     

Gunshot wounds caused by Fiocchi Anticrime cartridges (plastic bullets).

The Fiocchi Anticrime cartridge (caliber 12/70) used for shotguns contains 15 plastic bullets that have a total weight (mass) of 15.2 g and feature a V4 of 302 m/s and an E4 of 694.7 J. Hence the bullets, which are claimed to be harmless, are able to penetrate the skin at close range. This article presents four cases of injuries. According to our tests, the Fiocchi Anticrime cartridge may well cause fatal injuries within firing distances of up to approximately 4-5 m.     

The forensic evaluation of dental injuries in Istanbul, Turkey

When a person is wounded in Turkey, he first attends hospital for treatment. The hospital is responsible for a report describing his injuries and their treatment and prognosis. The patient is then scanned by a specialist in forensic medicine who provides a final official report. In that report the lesions, the prognosis (including whether the injuries are life threatening or not) and the projected days away from daily activity are shown. In this study 18,317 cases which were examined in the second and the third Specialization Board of the Council of Forensic Medicine during 1996 were analyzed. Among them 112 cases were dental injuries. Dental injuries are reviewed according to their sex, causation, detail of injury, and they are compared to other studies.     

mtDNA测序结果与Anderson标准序列的比对－ClustalX等共享软件在法医物证学上的应用

目的 对多个样本的线粒体DNA(mtDNA)高变区测序结果与Anderson标准序列进行比对分析。方法 利用ABI测序仪测定生物学样本的mtDNA高变区序列,得到测序结果文件,通过Chromas、 SeqVerter软件将之转换为aln文件,用ClustalX软件与Anderson标准序列(txt文件)进行比对,确定突变点的碱基排列次序和位置。结果Chromas、SeqVerter和ClustalX软件界面友好,操作简便,可以方便地用于多个样本DNA序列的比较,结果直观,易于判读。结论　运用Chromas、SeqVerter和ClustalX等共享软件,可成功地对多个样本的mtDNA高变区序列进行比对分析。     

细胞间黏附分子-1及其在器官与组织损伤中的反应

综述有关细胞间黏附分子-1(ICAM-1)的结构特征、分布和生物学功能,以及ICAM-1对脑、心脏、皮肤损伤反应的研究文献,为其在法医学领域的应用研究提供参考资料。     

About classification of injuries inflicted on humans by carnivorous animals

The biological classification of living species is shown to be inapplicable for the purposes of forensic medical examination. A list of the families of carnivorous animals that may be of forensic medical significance is presented. Their working classification is proposed taking into account the size and behaviour of the animals as well as their body parts and organs with which they may inflict injuries to man in various situations. The main types of wounds caused by carnivores are considered.     

Animal-related fatalities--part I: characteristic autopsy findings and variable causes of death associated with blunt and sharp trauma

Animals may be responsible for an array of potentially lethal injuries. Blunt force injuries characteristically involve larger animals such as cattle or horses that may kick, crush, or trample a victim causing head and facial injuries. Farm workers in particular are at high risk of lethal injuries involving the head and torso. Significant blunt trauma may be found in vehicle occupants after collisions with large animals such as camels or moose. Rarely, zookeepers may be crushed by particularly massive animals such as elephants. Sharp force injuries usually involve carnivore bites, most often from dogs with a "hole and tear" pattern of wounding. Injuries from animals such as alligators and sharks may have a significant component of crushing. Incised wounds may result in death from exsanguination and air embolism. On occasion, blunt or sharp trauma from animal activity may be confused with postmortem damage or with inflicted injury from an assault.     

超滤管在陈旧生物检材中的应用

目的探讨millipore超滤管滤过方法对陈旧生物检材DNA分型检验的应用价值。方法将23份陈旧血样分别剪取同样合适大小的血片3组,标为A、B、C组,磁珠法提取DNA,分别用80μL、80μL、20μL洗脱液洗脱得到模板DNA,其中A、C组模板直接扩增,B组用millipore超滤管滤过浓缩后扩增。PCR产物用AB3130x L基因分析仪检测,Gene Mapper ID V3.2软件进行自动分型。所得实验数据用SPSS软件分析处理。结果 A组没有1例样本扩出全部STR基因座,B组有18例样本扩出全部STR基因座,C组有11个样本扩出全部STR基因座。结论应用millipore超滤管滤过方法可以明显提高陈旧生物检材的DNA分型成功率。     

A "skin-skull-brain model" for the biomechanical reconstruction of blunt forces to the human head

In order to create and study blunt force wound morphology, a "skin-skull-brain model" had to be designed which would make the laboratory reproduction of a blunt force injury to the head possible. During the evaluation of the "skin-skull-brain model", it was possible to show that injuries inflicted to this model are fully comparable to the morphology of equivalent real blunt forces injuries to humans. Utilization of the "skin-skull-brain model" presents some significant advantages: the model is inexpensive, easy to construct, instantly available for use, and eliminates ethics conflicts. The main advantage of such a model is, in comparison with biological substances, the high reproducibility of experimentally inflicted traumas.     

Visual identification from videotape after electronic erasure of mutilating injuries.

A rapid method of identification by using computerized videotape erasure of mutilating injuries is presented. The identification of a human head, which was mutilated and severed in two major fragments, illustrates the application of the method. Following the reconstruction and suturing of the head fragments, the face was videotaped and the mutilating injuries were electronically erased. The televised broadcasting, in color, of the reconstructed face, free of injuries, elicited prompt visual identification by relatives of the deceased within < 1 h.     

Gunshot injuries of the brain caused by air pressure guns

The article describes the historical and legal basis, as well as the ballistic criteria of injuries caused by air-rifle shots to the head. Six of our own cases of craniocerebral air-gun pellet injuries are discussed and critically assessed, using the results communicated in other papers as the basis of the discussion. The different post-traumatic complications, including the histopathological reaction of the brain to lead-pellets, are considered. The literature is reviewed and the indications for stereotactic removal or craniotomy of intracranial air-gun pellets are discussed. Air rifles, while occasionally the cause of serious head injuries, are rarely thought of as lethal weapons. However, this article illustrates the potential penetrating power of the air-gun pellet, a fact not always appreciated by physicians.     

Enhancing the Visibility of Injuries with Narrow‐Banded Beams of Light within the Visible Light Spectrum

The use of narrow‐banded visible light sources in improving the visibility of injuries has been hardly investigated, and studies examining the extent of this improvement are lacking. In this study, narrow‐banded beams of light within the visible light spectrum were used to explore their ability in improving the visibility of external injuries. The beams of light were induced by four crime‐lites^® providing narrow‐banded beams of light between 400 and 550 nm. The visibility of the injuries was assessed through specific long‐pass filters supplied with the set of crime‐lites^®. Forty‐three percent of the examined injuries improved in visibility by using the narrow‐banded visible light. In addition, injuries were visualized that were not visible or just barely visible to the naked eye. The improvements in visibility were particularly marked with the use of crime‐lites^® “violet” and “blue” covering the spectrum between 400–430 and 430–470 nm. The simple noninvasive method showed a great potential contribution in injury examination.     

The Red Swamp Crayfish Procambarus Clarkii (the Louisiana Crayfish) as a Particular Scavenger on a Human Corpse

An 85-year-old man was found deceased floating in an irrigation ditch 18 days after his disappearance. During crime scene investigation, specimens of the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii were found in proximity of the body. The feeding activity of these nonendemic crayfishes contributed to the formation of specific injuries on the body and in the production of a large substance defects inside the corpse. The aim of this paper was to illustrate the scavenging activity of P. clarkii on a human body and highlight the potential postmortem artefacts caused by this species. This is the first report on a real case of postmortem injuries produced by P. clarkii crayfishes on a submerged human body. So far, crustaceans are not considered useful for the estimation of the minimum postmortem interval. However, the important modifications on the corpses deriving from the activity of these animals should be kept in consideration.     

Virtopsy,a new imaging horizon in forensic pathology: virtual autopsy by postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)--a feasibility study

Using postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 40 forensic cases were examined and findings were verified by subsequent autopsy. Results were classified as follows: (I) cause of death, (II) relevant traumatological and pathological findings, (III) vital reactions, (IV) reconstruction of injuries, (V) visualization. In these 40 forensic cases, 47 partly combined causes of death were diagnosed at autopsy, 26 (55%) causes of death were found independently using only radiological image data. Radiology was superior to autopsy in revealing certain cases of cranial, skeletal, or tissue trauma. Some forensic vital reactions were diagnosed equally well or better using MSCT/MRI. Radiological imaging techniques are particularly beneficial for reconstruction and visualization of forensic cases, including the opportunity to use the data for expert witness reports, teaching, quality control, and telemedical consultation. These preliminary results, based on the concept of "virtopsy," are promising enough to introduce and evaluate these radiological techniques in forensic medicine.     

A comparison of fatal with non-fatal knife injuries in Edinburgh

Assault using a knife is a common problem in the United Kingdom. Between February 1992 and December 1996, 120 individuals died or received hospital treatment in Edinburgh after being assaulted with a knife. Twenty individuals (17%) died as a result of their injuries. Comparison of the survivors with non-survivors revealed both groups to have similar age and sex distributions, but those who died had significantly more severe injuries when scored according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale. Eight individuals died of unsurvivable chest injuries at the scene of the attack and of the remainder, only five reached hospital with signs of life. Analysis of hospital treatment using TRISS methodology revealed there to be two unexpected survivors and no unexpected deaths. The risk of death appears to depend mostly upon injuries sustained and also to a lesser extent upon other factors such as alcohol consumption and the presence of a bystander capable and willing to request emergency medical assistance. There does not appear to be much potential to save lives by improving hospital treatment for those assaulted with a knife in Edinburgh. Instead, greater focus needs to be placed upon rapid transfer to hospital and upon restricting the possession and use of knives.