Adolescent death: a 15-year retrospective review

Adolescents comprise an eclectic mix of people vitally important to society yet long-term comprehensive studies on the circumstances of their deaths are lacking in the pediatric forensic literature. The authors reviewed all forensic cases referred to the Medical University of South Carolina Forensic Pathology section over the fifteen years between January 1989 and December 2003. In accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of adolescents, only decedents 10-19 years of age were included. The authors examined the cause and manner of death, age, gender, and race of the victims in all cases. The toxicology results, perpetrator, death scenario and location, and victim traits were analyzed when available. For all adolescents, the most common manner of death was accident followed by homicide, suicide, natural, and undetermined. Within the adolescent population two distinct groups, 10-14 years old and 15-19 years old, were identified. Though both groups were similar in that they experienced a high number of accidental deaths, decedents of older age group suffered a higher percentage of violent deaths while decedents of the younger group were more likely to die of natural causes. Many of the accidental deaths in this review were preventable, including deaths due to motor vehicle collisions and drowning. In deaths due to homicide, the perpetrator was often known to the victim, whether as an acquaintance or family member. Toxicology testing was often positive in decedents of the older age group, while only rarely positive in decedents of the younger age group. With a solid understanding of the circumstances, it may be possible to predict, and hopefully prevent, future cases of adolescent death. The authors present their findings in this 15-year retrospective study to better aid forensic pathologists, death investigators, law enforcement, and epidemiologists.     

Ascertainment of the cause and tempo of death in forensic medical practice

In order to develop a method of ascertaining a cause of death and of evaluating its tempo the authors undertook a histological study and a study of a dehydration degree in 76 cases of death due to the below reasons: mechanical trauma, mechanical asphyxia, burn shock, and carbon monoxide intoxication. Acute emphysema of lungs, lack of edemas in lungs and brain, desquamation of pulmonary macrophages, hyperemia of renal capillaries, primary urine in some glomerules, prevalence of ischemic changes with karyopyknosis in medulla and hypohydration of brain were typical of fast death. Prevalence of dystelectasis in lungs, emptying of pulmonary capillaries, evident edema of lungs and brain, desquamation of pulmonary macrophages, lack of primary urine in glomerular capsules, acute circulatory disorders of renal hemodynamics with sweating of fibrin and erythrocyte glomerules into cavities, necrotic nephrosis, pigment cylinders in renal tubules, thrombi in vessels, prevalence of chromatolysis, karyolysis and cytolysis in medulla, pronounced glial reaction as well as pronounced edema of brain and its hyperhydration were typical of slow death.     

Research of potentially linked variation of polymorphism of chromosome DNA in aspect of forensic expertise using molecular-genetic individualizing systems CD4, vWA and vWFII

Investigated within the case study are parameters of disbalance of lineage (HC) for 4 micro-satellite locuses of human genome: LPL, CD4, vWA and vWFII. The above locuses are widely used, both in Russia and abroad, in molecular-genetic applications for personality identification. Meanwhile, according to cytogenetics criteria, CD4, vWA and vWFII, are located close to each other in the telomeric region 12pter-12p12 in the short chromosome 12 arm, therefore their potential genetic interdependence is still a topical issue. We found a reliable HC between locuses vWA and vWFII. Locus CD4 did not display HC with locuses vWA and vWFII or with locus LPL. The latter, which is located in chromosome 8 and which must have been negative control for HC, was shown to have no HC with any of the studied markers. Such results correlate well with data on the relative physical localization of CD4, vWA, vWFII and LPL. Multiplication of frequency of alleles (genotypes) is not acceptable in typing locuses vWA and vWFII within one multi-locus panel due to the genetic linkage of these markers demonstrated within the present case study, which is an important practical conclusion.     

Differentiation of spermatic antigens and vaginal discharge in mixed spots

The technique of differentiation of ABO antigens in a mixed spot of sperm and vaginal discharge based on higher electrophoretic mobility of spermatic protein compared to that of vaginal secretion is proposed.     

Possible unfavourable effects of using in-house components for forensic expert molecular-genetic technologies

So-called in-house production of reagents, components and kits for DNA analysis which are made without strict quality control and standards are now widely practiced in forensic molecular-genetic examinations. Markers of molecular mass were studied to illustrate problems which may arise in use of such in-house components. Other difficulties and negative sequelae of in-house products are also demonstrated.     

The specificity of healing of fractures in the skull base

On the basis of actual observations we elucidated the main processes occurring in the reparation of fractures in the skull base. The specificity of reparation was shown to be conditioned by the structure of base bones and of surrounding tissues as well as by the nature of blood supply to them. Criteria are suggested for the determination if the lesions were inflicted in life time and when.