Natural death in the forensic setting: a study and approach to the autopsy

Although unexpected natural deaths comprise a large proportion of the cases seen in the forensic setting, the investigation of these cases remains a unique challenge. Some cases are straightforward; however, others require special examination and dissections, as well as the use of special dissections and ancillary studies. For the forensic investigator to accurately assign a cause and manner of death, one must be aware of the differential diagnoses, common scenarios, and typical victim. The authors reviewed all forensic cases referred to the Forensic Section of the Medical University of South Carolina over a 15-year period from January 1989-December 2003. The number of natural deaths occurring in adults (age 18 years and older) was 6932, compared with the overall number of 13,227 cases. The natural deaths were then analyzed as to autopsy findings, cause of death, cardiac versus noncardiac, age, race, and gender. Current techniques, special dissections, and ancillary studies that can assist in the classification of these deaths in the forensic setting are reviewed.     

Understanding Dworkin through art: object-based learning and law

This article explores object-based learning (OBL), a burgeoning pedagogical approach in higher education. Object-based learning engages students’ pre-existing visual and conceptual literacy as a gateway to work through difficult threshold concepts. The article advocates this exciting learning model in law by articulating what it is, explaining how it can be applied through the example of teaching Dworkin in a jurisprudence module. The article introduces OBL approaches, details how it is relevant to jurisprudential teaching as well as its scope for application across legal teaching. It explains how such an approach moves away from transmission modes of teaching into transformational ones, accessing students’ abstract web of comprehension in conjunction with text-based learning to produce more imaginative and creative critical thinking skills.     

The observation of mental disorder and dangerousness in arsonists: a contemporary appraisal of changes in Dutch forensic mental health cases

In the Netherlands pre-trial forensic mental health assessments are conducted to examine whether a mental disorder was present at the time of the offence that affected the free will of a person, in which case criminal accountability is considered diminished or absent. This study aims to investigate societal changes over time in forensic mental health recommendations in arson cases. Seventy-two reports of male arsonists assessed in 1950–2010 were included in this study, 36 arsonists were assessed in the first time period (1950–1979) and 36 in the second period (1980–2010). Results show an association between DSM classification and the conclusion on criminal accountability only in the first period and an association between recidivism risk and the forensic mental health recommendation only in the later period. It is concluded that mental disorder was of greater influence on the conclusion on accountability in the first time period, whilst dangerousness played a more important role on the forensic mental health recommendation in the later time period. Our findings reflect a shift from paternalistic principles to principles of risk control and show that societal changes influence the field of forensic mental health.     

The call to citizens of Ghana to defend Ghana’s Fourth Republican Constitution: a death trap?

The 1992 Constitution of Ghana grants citizens the right and duty to employ any means to protect the Constitution. It also seeks to protect those who respond to the call to resist usurpers. However, in Ekwam v Pianim (No 2) the Supreme Court of Ghana ruled that a person who failed in his attempt to defend the Constitution against usurpers could not rely on the Constitution he unsuccessfully sought to defend for protection. The issue of the unsuccessful resister is an ‘unanswered question’ of the Constitution. This is a hard case and Dworkin’s adjudicative theory offers insights into resolving it.     

Pathologic findings in malignant hyperthermia: a case report and review of literature

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare, potentially lethal disorder of skeletal muscle calcium homeostasis characterized by muscle contracture and life-threatening hypermetabolic crisis following exposure to halogenated anesthetics and depolarizing muscle relaxants. Susceptibility to MH results from mutations in calcium channel proteins that mediate excitation-contraction coupling, with the ryanodine receptor calcium release channel (RyR1) representing the major locus. The mode of inheritance appears to be autosomal dominant with variable penetrance. The authors report the death of a 60-year-old white male with a history of low back pain. He had undergone 2 back surgeries previously, the first occurring 10 years prior to his current presentation. Both previous procedures were done under generalized anesthetic with no complications. Recently, he developed stenosis and presented for fusion of vertebrae L3 and L4. The procedure was performed under general anesthetic including sevoflurane, with no intraoperative complications. The anesthesiologist noted that, near the end of the 2-hour procedure, the decedent's CO2 levels were slightly elevated. After the procedure, the decedent was extubated, the temperature probe which had been recording normal values was removed, and he was rolled from ventral to dorsal position. He immediately became hypotensive and bradycardic. Lifesaving interventions were begun. Subsequently, he went into cardiac arrest, at which time the temperature probe was reinserted into the trachea, where it read a body temperature of 109 degrees F. Malignant hyperthermia protocol was initiated, and interventions continued for over 2 hours, at which time they failed. At autopsy, the abdomen contained 1800 mL of blood, and bilateral hematomas were present in the psoas muscles. The authors present this case of clinically apparent malignant hyperthermia, discuss how to approach such a case, the gross and microscopic findings, ancillary studies, and a review of the literature.     

The Role of Aggressive Peer Norms in Elementary School Children’s Perceptions of Classroom Peer Climate and School Adjustment

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Although prior research has indicated that peer norms for aggression enhance the spread of aggression in classrooms, it is unclear to date how these norms relate...     

Bullying and Victimization Trajectories in the First Years of Secondary Education: Implications for Status and Affection

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Bullying is known to be associated with social status, but it remains unclear how bullying involvement over time relates to social position (status and...