Demonstration of a fatal hemolytic transfusion reaction using immunoperoxidase techniques.

An immunoperoxidase technique coupled with monoclonal antibodies to the ABO blood group antigens was used to document a fatal ABO hemolytic transfusion reaction in a medical examiner's case. A case report with explanation of the technique is presented.     

Posttraumatic stress disorder. A real entity in death investigation

Posttraumatic stress disorder, formally known as battle fatigue, is a real entity in those offices where investigators and pathologists perform the role of death certifiers. Failure to acknowledge this problem may predispose the unsuspecting agency employees to frequent job changes, disruptive behavior, and substance abuse.     

Cure for the AA battery blues. Six-volt battery pack from previously discarded Polaroid batteries

The Polaroid Polapulse batteries obtained from exhausted Polaroid 600 or Polaroid SX-70 film cassettes can be used to power a 6-V camera flash. A method for attaching these previously discarded batteries is described.     

Intimal tears of the right atrium of the heart due to blunt force injuries to the abdomen. Its mechanism and implications

We present six cases involving intimal tears of the right atrium of the heart. A proposed mechanism for this injury is discussed, along with implications of the lesion in fatally abused children and traumatized older patients who survive until hospitalization.     

Cytoskeleton immunohistochemical study of early ischemic myocardium

Previous studies on cytoskeletal changes of in vitro and in vivo animal models of ischemic myocardium have suggested the possibility of using alterations in cytoskeleton proteins as an early marker for the post-mortem diagnosis of myocardial ischemia in cases of sudden death due to coronary artery disease (CAD). In the present study, using the technique of ABC-immunohistochemistry, we examine the changes of three cytoskeletal proteins: vinculin, desmin and α-actinin in human myocardial samples taken from 14 cases of CAD sudden death and 13 cases of non-CAD death. Results of these examinations are compared with immunohistochemical changes of myoglobin and histochemical staining of hematoxylin and eosin and phosphotungstic acid, and Masson trichrome. Patchy and extensive loss of the three cytoskeletal proteins was demonstrated in the myocardium of victims who died 1 h or later following the onset of symptoms of ischemic myocardium. The pattern of cytoskeleton change is equivocal in the cases of CAD who died less than 1 h after the onset of symptoms and of the cases of non-CAD. In these cases, no significant histological change was observed. With less non-specific background changes and stronger positive staining, immunohistochemical staining of the three cytoskeletal proteins is more reliable than myoglobin, which has attracted the attention of many pathologists searching for anatomic evidence of ischemic myocardium in coronary artery disease.