New variant for detecting ABO antigens in human bones

AB0 antigens can be extracted from human bone tissue into aqueous solution during boiling and then identified by absorption elution test.     

Comparative analysis fo heroin

A protocol for comparative analysis of heroin making use of chromatographic methods and infra-red spectroscopy is presented.     

Isolation of nitrobenzene from biological material

Toluene is recommended as an agent for extraction of nitrobenzene from biological material. Optimal conditions for nitrobenzene isolation from cadaveric human liver are defined and the results of isolation are quantitatively evaluated.     

Pulmonary arterial fibromuscular dysplasia: a rare cause of fulminant lung hemorrhage

Arterial fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) represents a collection of noninflammatory and nonatherosclerotic vascular diseases with a poorly understood etiology. Classically occurring in renal and cerebral arteries, this entity has also been reported in coronary, carotid, and other medium and small arteries. One case occurring in the pulmonary vasculature has been reported. Fatal hemothorax and lung hemorrhage have multiple causes, including other vascular malformations and connective tissue disorders; however, cases of pulmonary FMD are exceedingly rare. We report what appears to be the second such association, occurring in a 69-year-old man. The patient presented with a 3-week history of increasing dyspnea, fatigue, and productive cough; 3 days of increasing back and chest pain; and syncope. Chest radiograph showed a "white-out" of the left lung. The patient died shortly after admission from a fulminant respiratory disease of undetermined etiology. At autopsy he was found to have a massive left hemothorax resulting from an unsuspected pulmonary arterial fibromuscular dysplasia.     

A deadly anti-SIDS device

The diagnosis of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has been an enigma to medical examiners and coroners for decades. The recent drastic decrease in the number of SIDS cases has been associated with infants sleeping supine instead of prone. The apparent relation between sleeping position and SIDS has led to the marketing of several positioning sleep aids. We report a case of the improper use of one such device which resulted in the death of an infant.     

Pathologic features of childhood pedestrian fatalities

A retrospective analysis of 68 cases of fatal childhood pedestrian accidents in South Australia that occurred over a 20-year period from January 1977 to December 1996 was undertaken. The age range was 12 months to 16 years (average, 7.6 years), with a male to female ratio of 41:27. The most common site of significant injury was the head (91.2%), followed by the abdomen (50%), chest (47.1%), and neck (38.2%). The most frequently encountered significant injury combinations involved the head, chest, and abdomen (14.7%); the head and chest (11.8%); and the head, neck, and abdomen (11.8%). Injuries were severe, consisting of extensive compound and comminuted skull fractures, neck fractures, and massive intraparenchymal brain and internal organ damage with avulsions and fragmentation. Non-life-threatening limb injuries occurred in 88% of cases. A distinct subgroup involved infants and younger children playing in driveways at home who were hit by reversing vehicles. The injuries were often of such a severe nature that death was instantaneous and with no possibility of successful medical intervention. More deaths occurred during the winter than summer months.     

Overdose and death with olanzapine: two case reports

Olanzapine is an antipsychotic drug that has been on the market since 1996. Olanzapine-related deaths are very rare; the literature reports only one. However, in a recent 5-month period one medical examiner's office found two such cases that are reported in this paper. One is a suicide and the other is not. The toxicologic and anatomic findings for each are described. Blood olanzapine concentrations ranged from 0.237 microg/ml for one to 0.675 microg/ml for the other. Gastric content concentrations also exhibited a wide range, varying from 0.197 microg/ml to 17.400 microg/ml for the other. Distribution studies of the liver, kidney, and brain produced nondetectable concentrations for the drug. There were no consistent pathologic anatomic findings for cause of death except for moderate coronary atherosclerosis in the nonsuicide case. Both deaths were attributed to olanzapine toxicity.     

Persian leopard (Panthera pardus) attack in Oklahoma: case report

The authors report a fatal case of a Persian leopard (Panthera pardus) attack in an animal sanctuary in Oklahoma. The victim was a 53-year-old Costa Rican woman who was attempting to feed the animal when she was attacked and killed. Autopsy, radiography, fingerprint analysis, microbiologic cultures, and dental impressions were used to evaluate the case. These simple techniques can be applied to similar cases involving wild and domestic animal attacks.