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.     

Expert significance of evaluating volatile non-metal combustion products in analysis of blood from subjects dead in fire

Qualitative and quantitative composition and time course of formation of toxic substances during burning of polymers have been studied for two polymers, P-53-P and STBO. The most toxic gaseous products of nitrogen combustion are listed: hydrogen cyanide, nitrites, acid nitriles, aldehydes, aromatic carbohydrates, alkanes, and carbon oxide. Two expert conclusions are presented, including analysis of blood and viscera from subjects who died during fire. The following toxic substances were detected: carbon oxide, hydrogen cyanide, nitrites, acrylonitrile, acetonitrile, benzene, and methane in one case and the same products except carbon oxide in the other. The author considers that the list of tested toxic substances should be extended, particularly in cases with negative results of blood testing for carbon oxide and carboxyhemoglobin.     

Forensic medical evaluation of flaws in medical care rendered at public health institutions in the Russian Federation

The authors analyze the flaws in medical care rendered at various public health institutions by the results of 2436 expert committee conclusions, verified at bureaus of forensic medical expert evaluations. The essence and causes of these defects at the hospital and prehospital stages of medical care, rendered by physicians of different specializations and nurses, are analyzed.     

Participation of forensic medics in anthropological examinations of the Orthodox church burials

Examinations of the rudiments of the Russian Orthodox Saints are reviewed. The burial of holy people in Russia is described. The results of examinations of rudiments of the Saints, Reverend Iosaph of Belgorod, Cornilai Padansky, and Arsenii Konevsky, are presented. A detailed algorithm of expert steps is suggested.     

Use of Adobe Photoshop software in medical criminology

Describes the method of comparative analysis of various objects in practical medical criminology and making of high-quality photographs with the use of Adobe Photoshop software. Options of the software needed for expert evaluations are enumerated.     

Distributive and Procedural Justice in Seven Nations

The paper examines the impact of distributive justice and procedural justice variables on judgments in seven countries (Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Spain, and the United States). Subjects were presented with each of two experimental vignettes: one in which the actor unsuccessfully appeals being fired from his job and one in which the actor unsuccessfully goes to an employment agency to seek a job; they were asked to rate the justness of the outcome and how fairly the actor had been treated. The vignettes manipulated deservingness and need of the actor (distributive justice factors) and impartiality and voice in the hearing (procedural justice factors). Four hypotheses were tested: first, a distributive justice hypothesis that deservingness would be more important than need in these settings; second, a procedural justice hypothesis that the importance of voice and impartiality vary depending on the nature of the encounter and the forum in which it is resolved; third, because of their recent socialist experience, Central and Eastern European respondents make greater use of need information and less use of deservingness information than Western respondents; and fourth, that distributive justice and procedural justice factors interact. The distributive justice hypothesis is supported in both vignettes. The procedural justice hypothesis receives some support. Impartiality is more important in the first vignette and voice is more important in the second vignette. The interaction hypothesis was not supported in the first vignette, but does receive some support in the second vignette. The cultural hypothesis is not supported in either vignette. The implications for distributive and procedural justice research are discussed.     

Morphine-3-D glucuronide stability in postmortem specimens exposed to bacterial enzymatic hydrolysis

Medical examiners frequently rely on the finding of free morphine present in postmortem specimens to assist in certifying deaths associated with narcotics. In vitro hydrolysis of morphine-3-D glucuronide (M3DG) to free morphine was studied using variable specimen pH, initial degree of specimen putrefaction, storage temperature and time, and the effectiveness of sodium fluoride (NaF) preservation. Reagent M3DG was added to opiate-free fresh blood and urine and to autopsy-derived blood specimens. Reagent bovine glucuronidase was also added to certain specimens. Freshly collected and refrigerated NaF-preserved blood produced minimal free morphine, whereas four of five autopsy blood specimens produced free morphine from M3DG. Increased storage time, temperature, and initial degree of putrefaction resulted in greater free morphine generation despite the absence of viable bacteria. Hydrolysis occurring during specimen storage can generate free morphine from M3DG and may result in erroneous conclusions in certifying narcotic deaths.     

Determination of formic acid tissue and fluid concentrations in three fatalities due to methanol poisoning

Three fatalities caused by methanol ingestion are reported. Admission blood methanol concentrations ranged from 0.28 to 4.6 g/L. Two patients had been admitted after a significant delay (>20 hours), and one patient was observed within 90 minutes following ingestion. Formic acid levels were determined in blood samples at admission and ranged from 302 to 680 mg/L. The patients died 44, 55, and 82 hours after poisoning. Formic acid determinations in postmortem tissues were performed by a gas chromatograph method. The authors found great variability in formic acid distribution among the patients and among organs.