Determination of heroin after embalmment

A 30-year-old male died in Thailand after a scuffle. The corpse was embalmed and repatriated to France where an autopsy was performed. As usual in cases of embalmment, fluids such as blood and urine were unavailable and the toxicological analyses was performed on the bile and the liver. An overdose of heroin was determined as the cause of death. A review of the literature indicates that several drugs can be detected in fluids and tissues that contain formaldehyde. This case demonstrates that in embalmed corpses, toxicological assessment is still possible, e.g. after heroin fatalities.     

Survival analysis of criminal recidivism of boot camp graduates using elements from general and developmental explanatory models

This is a 5-year follow-up study of recidivism among 601 male graduates of a boot camp for adults in a southern state. Cox's proportional hazard analysis is used to determine the hazard rate of recidivism (arrest or parole violation) of several elements of general and developmental models. Analyses are conducted according to age of onset of unlawful behavior (10 years old or younger and older than 10 years). Findings indicate that caregiving factors have inverse relations with the hazard of recidivism, whereas low self-control, deficits in social skills, peer association with criminals, gang membership, drug use and sales, and carrying weapons have positive relationships with this hazard. These findings are observed irrespective of the age when persons begin committing offenses. Implications of the findings for theoretical models is discussed.     

To leave or to stay?: Battered women's concern for vulnerable pets

Consistent with previous research, almost half of a sample of 41 pet-owning battered women reported that their partners had threatened or actually harmed their pets, and over a fourth reported that concern for their pets had affected their decisions about leaving or staying with the batterer. Differences between rural and urban women were not significant, although higher proportions of rural than urban women reported that their partners had threatened or harmed their pets and that concern for their pets had affected their decisions. For the sample as a whole, logistic regression analyses showed that women whose pets had been threatened or harmed were significantly more likely to report that concern for their pets had affected their decisions about leaving or staying. The findings suggest that service providers should inquire about battered women's concern for their pets and should include arrangements for animals in safety planning.     

Case reports of suicide with an electric drill

In this report, three cases of suicide by an electric power drill are described. In the first case, a man aged 51 was found with four penetrating wounds of the head and chest. The second case involves a 56-year-old man who suffered a penetrating craniocerebral injury and the third case involves a 53-year-old man who suffered one head injury and two chest injuries. In the first two cases, the victims were found dead. In the third case, the victim survived his injuries for 28 hours. The case histories and the post-mortem examinations revealed no evidence of homicide.     

Immunochemical screening: manipulation, handling and interpretation errors, exemplified by benzodiazepines

The article describes problems related to immunochemical screening-tests with special regard to benzodiazepines, which are commonly used for therapeutic purposes. Focal points are adulteration, manipulation and handling of samples, the selection of cut-off-values, specificity and cross-reactivity, influence of biotransformation and frequently observed pitfalls in the interpretation of the analytical results.     

Virtopsy-postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a fatal scuba diving incident

The body of a 44-year-old scuba diver was examined using postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and findings were verified by subsequent autopsy. The goal was to find out whether the important pathomorphological findings for the reconstruction of events and the identification of cause and manner of death could be identified using modem digital cross-sectioning techniques. The findings of a massive vital decompression with pulmonary barotrauma and lethal gas embolism were identified in the radiological images. MSCT and MRI were superior to autopsy in the demonstration of the extent and distribution of gas accumulation in intraparenchymal blood vessels of internal organs as well as in areas of the body inaccessible by standard autopsy.