A review of crane deaths in Jefferson County, Alabama

Cranes are machines used to move heavy objects. Cranes are operated by crane operators, usually working in conjunction with an assistant guiding the movements of the crane from his vantage point outside the crane. Few jurisdictions require that crane operators be either licensed or certified. We conducted a retrospective study of those dying of crane-related injuries in our jurisdiction during the 16 years from 1981 to 1996. All ten decedents were male, and the manner of each death was accidental. Neither ethanol nor drugs of abuse were detected in any case. Eight of the ten decedents died due to blunt force injuries, one due to mechanical asphyxia, and one due to thermal burns. Investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) led to fines ranging from $80 to $2700 in six of the ten cases. Nationwide, electrocution is the most common cause of crane-related death, but no crane-related death in Jefferson County was caused by electrocution in our study. The absence of electrocutions was due to the planned, routine suspension of power to electrical lines in the vicinity of a crane during the crane's operation, a practice saving an estimated seven lives. Nevertheless, human error or lack of planning was still responsible for most of the deaths in our study. In addition to careful planning and adherence to safety standards established by planning, we recommend the mandatory licensure and certification of professional crane operators and the assessment of larger fines by OSHA for safety standard violations.     

Detection and correction of a migration anomaly on a 310 genetic analyzer

During STR analysis on the 310 Genetic Analyzer, retarded migration of GS500ROX size standards and alleles in some samples was observed. The contribution of reagents, capillary and performance optimized polymer POP 4 to the observed anomaly was experimentally eliminated. Variation in electrophoresis temperature between 55 degrees C and 65 degrees C did not alter the rate of migration of GX500ROX size standard and sample alleles. An eroded connector for the cathode mounted on the heat plate assembly caused the abnormal migration. Hence, it is important to verify the mobility of all fragments in the size standard for each sample to avoid any erroneous allele calls by the automated data analysis software.     

Elderly sexual offenders admitted to a maximum-security forensic hospital

The purpose of the study was to determine the clinical and demographic characteristics of elderly sexual offenders at a maximum-security forensic hospital. Charts of male elderly patients charged with sexual offenses were reviewed to obtain clinical and demographic data. The majority of sexual offenders had mood or psychotic disorders. Almost one third had a history of violent or assaultive behavior. 57% had significant medical history. A history of violence and sexual assaultive behavior may be risk factors for future sexual offenses.     

Clinical and demographic characteristics of elderly offenders at a maximum-security forensic hospital

The purpose of the study was to determine the clinical and demographic characteristics of the male elderly offenders admitted to a maximum-security forensic hospital. Charts of male elderly patients were reviewed to obtain clinical and demographic data. Seventy-seven percent of geriatric felons were involved in violent crime, 41% of which had psychotic symptoms. Forty-five percent of offenders with a history of head trauma/neurologic disorder were charged with violent offenses. Fifty-nine percent had previous psychiatric hospitalization. Most elderly male offenders involved in violent crimes had primary psychotic and mood disorders, cognitive impairment, and a history of head trauma/neurologic disorder. The small number of subjects precludes clear conclusions and needs further study.     

Spectroscopic determination of skin viability. A predictor of postmortem interval

We have demonstrated that skin viability decreases at a measurable rate following death in an animal model. The decreased skin viability was measured by fluorescein diacetate and ethidium bromide using fluorescence emission spectroscopy. There is significant decrease of the fluorescence intensity of the fluorescein diacetate assay between the 1-4 h, the 6-24 h, and the >40 h time points postmortem. For times between 6-24 h and >40 h postmortem the ethidium bromide assay showed consistent and significant increases in signal. The fluorescence measurements in this study showed that under the experimental conditions the time of death could be determined for <4, 6-24, and >40 hapotmotrem. The application of these assays in the field will require further study of the environmental factors.     

Oregon's guidelines for physician-assisted suicide: a legal and ethical analysis

Oregon's Death with Dignity Act was first passed by a ballot initiative in 1994, but numerous judicial challenges delayed implementation of the Act. In November of 1997, following the United States Supreme Court decisions in Vacco v. Quill and Washington v. Glucksberg, which left the states' power to regulate physician-assisted suicide undisturbed, the Oregon voters upheld their law. Oregon remains the only state in the nation to authorize physician-assisted suicide. The Task Force to Improve the Care of Terminally Ill Oregonians published a Guidebook for health care providers on the Oregon Act, and the New England Journal of Medicine recently issued a special report on the first year's experience under the Act. This paper analyzes the legal context of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, discusses the efficacy of the tenets in the Guidebook, and explores ethical issues underlying the guidelines, particularly those pertaining to the meaning of a patient's request for assisted suicide and processes supporting informed consent.     

Forensic medical significance of anti-P1 immunoreagents with incomplete antibodies in blood analysis

Anti-P1 immunoreagents with incomplete antibodies are intended for detection of antigen of different degree of manifestation in blood traces during expert evaluation of material evidences by the adsorption-elution test. These reagents can be used for detecting weakly manifest P1 antigen in liquid blood in forensic medical studies.     

Forensic medical evaluation of professional working capacity in victims, who needs additional care

The philosophy of evaluating the need of a victim in extra care is discussed. The method for evaluating the need in transport vehicles for the victim is described in detail. Legislative documents which help solve such problems are cited, including those used by committees of forensic medical evaluations.     

Comparative analysis fo heroin

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