Correction of the alkylnitrite method for the detection of ethanol in blood taking into account toxico-kinetic and anthropometric data

The correction coefficient for the systemic inaccuracy arising during determination of blood ethanol by alkylnitrite gas chromatography and concomitant calibration of aqueous solutions was estimated to equal 0.82; this finding was confirmed by the results of the toxico-kinetic assay for the measurement of total body water (TBW) from the kinetic curve characterizing the time dependence of ethanol concentration in the exhaled air, saliva, capillary and venous blood in combination with 4 anthropometric methods and (in several cases) direct physical detection of TBW. When detecting the blood ethanol level with a correction coefficient of 0.82, the mutual position of the kinetic curves for ethanol concentrations in the blood and the exhaled air (recalculated for the blood level with a coefficient of 2100) as well as in the blood and saliva agreed with that reported in the available literature; it significantly differed from the position of the curves obtained with a correction coefficient of 0.95. The causes accounting for the systematic inaccuracy and erroneous values of the correction coefficients in earlier studies are discussed.     

On the importance of a comprehensive study for diagnostics of death from acute ethanol poisoning and coronary heart disease

Over 30 000 cases of acute poisoning with ethyl alcohol and its surrogates are recorded annually in this country. Differential diagnostics between fatal poisoning and death from coronary heart disease encounters serious difficulties. The authors report a comprehensive forensic chemical, morphometric, and pathomorphological study of the activity of ethanol-oxidizing enzyme systems in the internal organs. The results of histochemical examination provide a basis for the extension of diagnostic potential of the available methods and the enhancement of the objective value of expert reports.     

Morphometric diagnostics of the age of encapsulated subdural hematomas

The present morphometric investigation was carried out using dura matter preparations, capsules, and contents of 94 encapsulated subdural hematomas obtained from the corpses of subjects with a non-penetrating craniocerebral injury and the duration of the post-traumatic period ranging from 8 days to 2.5 years. The correlation analysis confirmed the necessity of differentiation between resorbed and unresorbed encapsulated subdural hematomas. The data obtained were used to construct 5 regression models for the estimation of the age of unresorbed encapsulated subdural hematomas and 1 regression model for the identification of the age of resorbed encapsulated subdural hematomas. The regression models included different combinations of three morphometric characteristics of the hematoma capsule as the independent variables, viz. maximum thickness, relative extent of hemosiderosis, and relative amount of macrophages in the cellular infiltrate. The amount of variability in the age of encapsulated subdural hematomas accounted for by the regression models is 62%. It is concluded that the results of the study can be used in the practical work of forensic medical experts.     

The problems of differential diagnostics and forensic medical expertise of various forms of craniocerebral injuries

The problem of differential diagnostics and forensic medical expertise of various forms of craniocerebral injuries is discussed. It is concluded that clinical and laboratory studies are insufficient to objectively estimate the results of the examination. The authors emphasize the importance of searching for new and more informative diagnostic techniques.     

Anna Mikhaĭlovna Smyslova--the first Russian woman forensic medical expert

This article describes in brief the life and the work of the first Russian female forensic medical expert, Anna Mikhailovna Smyslova, based on the analysis of the materials available from the Central State Historical Archive, Sankt-Peterburg, and a number of publications in the-prerevolutionary editions.     

Tissue distribution of tetramethylthiuram disulfide in warm-blooded animals

The objective of the present work was to study the distribution of tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD) in the body of warm-blooded animals as exemplified by white rats. TMTD was administered intragastrically and detected in the unaltered form in other internal organs. It was found to accumulate in the largest amounts in the gastric contents, kidneys, and urine.     

The contribution of N.I. Pirogov to the development of forensic medicine (on the occasion of his 200th birthday anniversary)

The main facets of professor N.I. Pirogov's professional activity are outlined. Forensic medicine (in the first place its organizational and practical aspects) was an integral component of his scientific and clinical work, along with applied anatomy and surgery. Landmark publications of N.I. Pirogov are listed with special reference to those concerned with forensic medical expertise of medical malpractice cases, postmortem inspection and intravital examination procedures, wound ballistics studies, the atlas of forensic pathology, etc. The surgeon and anatomist N.I. Pirogov can be justly regarded as a founder of forensic medicine in this country.     

The development of a test-system for the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of DNA content in criminalistic objects by the real-time polymerase chain reaction

An original test-system for the preliminary quantitative and qualitative evaluation of isolated DNA is proposed by the polymerase chain reaction in real time (PCR-RT) based on the TaqMan technology. This test-system permits to simultaneously measure the amount of DNA in the sample, identify the genetic gender, and detect PCR inhibitors. The method has been approbated in the practical work of forensic medical experts.