The significance of the legal term "corpse" in forensic medicine

The definition of the term "corpse" is relevant for medicine in general and most particularly so for forensic medicine, as it has direct consequences on practical work: legally, postmortems and autopsies may only be performed on corpses. With this in mind, the legal term "corpse" was examined on the basis of German State Law regulations and provisions. Approximately half the burial acts include a definition of "corpse", but even here there are certain variations. The definitions for "corpse" can be divided into four categories: 1) according to the lack of vital signs or sure signs of death 2) according to the degree of decomposition and/or cohesion of body parts 3) on the basis of severed body parts, and 4) terminological differentiation of stillbirths and neonatal fatalities from miscarriages. Laws vary greatly in their definition of the term "corpse". Therefore, the decision whether or not human remains or parts thereof qualify as a "corpse" should be left to medical discretion.     

Dublin Declaration on HIV/AIDS in prisons launched

On 23 February 2004, the Dublin Declaration on HIV/AIDS in Prisons in Europe and Central Asia was launched. The Declaration focuses on prisons in Europe and Central Asia, but it is also relevant for prisons in other countries, including Canada, which are still far from having adopted a comprehensive approach, based on public health and human rights principles, to HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C in prisons.     

Review of prison-based needle exchange programs published

A recent review of prison-based syringe-exchange (PSE) programs concludes that such programs "are feasible and do provide benefit in the reduction of risk behaviour and the transmission of blood-borne infection without any unintended negative consequences".     

Identification of more sequence variations in the D8S1179 locus

Routine STR-typing of 10,293 buccal swabs using different multiplex kits presented discordant D8S1179 profiles in four cases. Sequencing analysis identified a G-to-A transition upstream to the repeat, and an A-to-T transversion and a G-to-A transition downstream to the repeat. In the fourth case a four-base pair deletion downstream resulted in altered genotypes using different primer pairs. Current searching algorithms of the German DNA database are not capable of matching profiles that are divergent in only one STR-locus. Thus, to accommodate matching requirements and to avoid errors in individual genetic characterization for D8S1179, as described here, it is suggested that alternative primer pairs be used for routine genotyping as a matter of course.     

A Critical Assessment of Alleged Evidence of Western Submarine Intrusions in Swedish Territorial Waters

The submarine intrusions in Swedish territorial waters in the 1980s have received extensive attention. According to one theory, after the incident in 1981 when a Soviet submarine ran aground close to a Swedish naval base, Western submarines conducted subsequent intrusions as a psychological operation to affect Swedish foreign policy. In support of such claims, submarine observations and interviews with high-ranking Western officials have been put forth. However, the proposed evidence presented in Ola Tunander's article ‘Subs and PSYOPs’ in Intelligence and National Security can either be refuted or is inconclusive.