Commotio cordis as a result of a fight: report of a case considered to be imprudent homicide

The report describes a fatal outcome in a 5-year-old male who died after drinking a fatal dose of ethanol at the party held by his parents. Urine and blood alcohol level of the deceased was 0.4 and 0.5 g/dL, what might explain the sudden death of the child. In addition, the analysis of the boy's hair demonstrated the presence of ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a marker of alcohol consumption; hair EtG concentration levels indicated that the boy might have occasionally imbibed alcohol prior to death. Pathological lesions of the liver observed in histopathology did not contradict such a hypothesis.     

A controlled study of the time-course of breath alcohol concentration after moderate ingestion of ethanol following a social drinking session

This paper evaluates the breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), nausea (feeling of being slightly intoxicated) and subjective driving performance after ingesting a moderate dose of alcohol in the presence of a light meal, which intends to approach a social drinking setting. 119 healthy individuals (69 males and 50 females, aged 21.7+/-3.0) ingested three glasses of wine (95mL each) and their BrAC was determined by an Alcotest 7410 at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120min post-drinking. 46% of females and no male subjects exceeded a BrAC of 0.25mg/L, the legal limit for driving fixed by some Western countries. 53% of the study population felt nausea during the experimental session and 20% self-reported impairment of their driving skills. In both cases these subjective effects were more pronounced in females. The major determinants of mean BrAC were time post-drinking, gender (male) and body mass index (BMI), all these variables being inversely associated. Females and individuals with a BMI lower than 22.5kg/m(2) were at an increased risk of exceeding the legal limit of BrAC. The feeling of nausea was significantly associated with gender (females), the ingestion of up to 2 drinks on weekdays, and having exceeded a BrAC of 0.25mg/L during the experimental study. The main predictor of self-perception of impaired driving skills was the feeling of nausea, followed by a BrAC in excess of 0.25mg/L. In conclusion, both females and subjects with lower BMI are at an increased risk of exceeding the legal limit of BrAC after moderate alcohol consumption resembling a social drinking setting.     

Philosophy of Law Against Sovereignty: New Excesses,Old Fragmentations

The only way of entering the world of ‘fragmented law’ (or ‘societal constitutionalism’) is arguably to make normative fragmentation correspond with constituent excess. As Foucault would say, once we are involved in an ‘epistemic crisis’, we must then modify those systems that organise knowledge in conjunction with the very forms that produce it. This contribution considers some privileged forms of critique and reconstruction beyond normative fragmentation and essentially argues in favour of governance dynamics, as well as for ontological devices engaged in the production of subjectivity.

Preventing Suicide in Jails and Prisons: Suggestions from Experience with Psychiatric Inpatients

Abstract:  Both among psychiatric inpatients and inmates of prisons and jails, suicide is highly prevalent with alarming rates. In many countries, there has been a call for action to prevent such deaths and to educate staff in the early recognition of suicide risk. A careful MedLine search was used to identify relevant papers dealing with suicide prevention in psychiatric inpatients. This paper reviews this research and the policy recommendations that have been developed for psychiatric hospitals in order to reduce the incidence of suicide in their patients. Results derived from this search indicated that these policy recommendations can be applied to suicide prevention in correctional settings, and it is argued that suicide prevention programs in correctional settings can benefit from the research conducted and the policy recommendations for suicide prevention in psychiatric facilities. In conclusion, the best practices for preventing suicides in jail and prison settings should include the following elements: training programs, screening procedures, communication between staff, documentation, internal resources, and debriefing after a suicide.     

Personal Identification by Morphometric Analyses of Intra‐Oral Radiographs of Unrestored Teeth*

Abstract: The aim of this study was to work out a biometric method for personal identification by comparing simulated antemortem and postmortem digital radiographs of unrestored teeth. Intra‐oral radiographs of the inferior right first molar, without restorations, were acquired at two different times in 70 subjects using a standardized technique followed by a morphometric analysis. The program automatically supplied values of the absolute distances, relative distances, shape factors, moments, perimeter values, and the areas of the triangles, which were obtained by joining key reference points. The values for the homologous samples were compared with the heterologous samples. Statistical analysis was then carried out, resulting in a section point value of 0.9992. Higher correlation coefficients indicate positive identification, with less than 2% risk of false positives, and approximately 3% of false negatives. We have also tested the method on dental records from 30 patients in order to demonstrate the specificity and sensitivity of the system.     

Bayesian framework for the evaluation of fiber evidence in a double murder--a case report

Fiber evidence found on a suspect vehicle was the only useful trace to reconstruct the dynamics of the transportation of two corpses. Optical microscopy, UV-Vis microspectrophotometry and infrared analysis were employed to compare fibers recovered in the trunk of a car to those of the blankets composing the wrapping in which the victims had been hidden. A "pseudo-1:1" taping permitted to reconstruct the spatial distribution of the traces and to further strengthen the support to one of the hypotheses. The Likelihood Ratio (LR) was calculated, in order to quantify the support given by forensic evidence to the explanations proposed. A generalization of the Likelihood Ratio equation to cases analogous to this has been derived. Fibers were the only traces that helped in the corroboration of the crime scenario, being absent any DNA, fingerprints and ballistic evidence.     

Positional asphyxia: reflection on 2 cases

Positional asphyxia, a fatal condition arising because of the adoption of particular body positions, causing mechanical interference with pulmonary ventilation, can occur in various circumstances that are likely to come under the observation of the specialist in legal medicine (work, car accidents, torture, kidnapping, etc.). It is difficult to diagnose the cause of death in such cases because they generally present with an aspecific anatomopathologic picture. In some situations, positional asphyxia can be hard to distinguish from asphyxia because of chest compression. The main difference is in the way the event occurred: whether the particular position causing the asphyxia had been adopted by choice or by compulsion or necessity when an extrinsic mechanical action would result in traumatic asphyxia. The diagnosis of positional asphyxia is essentially based on 3 criteria: the body position must obstruct normal gas exchange, it must be impossible to move to another position, and other causes of natural or violent death must be excluded. To illustrate the main physiopathologic and diagnostic causes of positional asphyxia, the authors report 2 cases taken from the records of events that came under the observation of the Medico-Legal Sector of Bari University Hospital throughout the last 10 years.     

A singular case of murder-suicide committed with a homemade firearm

The authors illustrate a peculiar case of murder-suicide committed with a homemade firearm loaded with 12-gauge cartridges (buckshot). The structure and function of this handcrafted firearm were simple but effective: an iron tube did duty as a barrel in this primitive firearm. The cartridges (modified by winding sticky tape around the external surface of the base) were inserted down one end of the tube (serving as the breech). A second iron tube with a larger diameter (so as to be able to run over each of the preloaded barrels) and with a jutting, cone-shaped metal wedge soldered to the base, was used as a rudimental firing pin. After loading the "barrel" with the modified cartridge, the gunman would ram the "firing pin" tube violently down to fire the shot. Autopsy of the woman's body showed the presence of 3 gunshot wounds caused by buckshot, while the man had a single buckshot wound in the head. Subsequent ballistic investigations enabled reconstruction of the event (typical of murder-suicide) and the functioning of the firearm, demonstrating its lethal nature, remarkably easy handling, and simplicity of production.     

A quantitative differentiation method for acrylic fibers by infrared spectroscopy

Absorbance peak areas of nitrile (2240 cm(-1)), carbonyl (1730 cm(-1)) and CH (1370 cm(-1)) groups were obtained for 48 colorless acrylic fibers by infrared (IR) microspectroscopy. The carbonyl signal, related to the comonomers most commonly used in acrylic fibers, was ratioed against the nitrile and CH bands, pertaining to the backbone of the polymer chains. The ratios A1730/A2240 and A1730/A1370, a relative measure of the comonomer content in the fiber, were used to differentiate the samples. A decrease in the crystallinity of fibers has been noted with increasing comonomer content. Relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of the ratios were 1 and 3% for repetitive analyses on the same location and along the length of the same single fiber, respectively. When different fibers of the same sample were examined, results were reproducible within 6%. This simple method can greatly enhance the evidential value of colorless acrylic fibers, being able to discriminate them and thus helping the Court to better assess their significance.