A Ten‐year Study of Suicides from a Rural/Suburban County

This study will discuss trends in suicide data compiled over 10 years in Dutchess County, NY, from 2004 to 2013. These data were based on reporting and examination standards recommended by the National Association of Medical Examiners and Department of Justice death investigation standards. Almost 300 cases were analyzed in terms of the deceased's gender, age, race, method of suicide, and weapon used. Results from this study agree with other reports showing significant differences for method of death both in terms of age and gender, with men more likely to choose firearms and women more likely to choose overdose. Furthermore, older persons were more likely to commit suicide by firearms, and the younger persons were more likely to commit suicide by overdose. However, other areas, such as method of suicide, differ from national statistics.     

Causes and Mechanisms of Death in Fatal Water Buffalo Attacks

Deaths due to buffalo attack have not been well described. A 72‐year‐old man was trampled by a water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) while attempting to move the animal within an enclosed area at an abattoir. At autopsy, there were numerous injuries involving the chest, head, neck, and left upper arm. Blunt force injury had resulted in multiple rib fractures with a flail chest and fracture/dislocation of the mid‐cervical vertebrae caused either by physical crushing by the animal against the walls of the enclosure or by stomping. There was also evidence of crush asphyxia with bilateral conjunctival hemorrhages and petechial hemorrhages. In addition, there was a deep degloving injury of the upper left arm compatible with goring by one of the buffalo horns. While large animal attacks may result in death from multiple injuries, careful dissection and examination of specific injuries at autopsy may clarify the complex interaction of lethal mechanisms.     

Identification of Eight Synthetic Cannabinoids,Including 5F‐AKB48 in Seized Herbal Products Using DART‐TOF‐MS and LC‐QTOF‐MS as Nontargeted Screening Methods

Synthetic cannabinoids are sprayed onto plant material and smoked for their marijuana‐like effects. Clandestine manufacturers modify synthetic cannabinoid structures by creating closely related analogs. Forensic laboratories are tasked with detection of these analog compounds, but targeted analytical methods are often thwarted by the structural modifications. Here, direct analysis in real time coupled to accurate mass time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (DART‐TOF‐MS) in combination with liquid chromatography quadruple time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (LC‐QTOF‐MS) are presented as a screening and nontargeted confirmation method, respectively. Methanol extracts of herbal material were run using both methods. Spectral data from four different herbal products were evaluated by comparing fragmentation pattern, accurate mass and retention time to available reference standards. JWH‐018, JWH‐019, AM2201, JWH‐122, 5F‐AKB48, AKB48‐N‐(4‐pentenyl) analog, UR144, and XLR11 were identified in the products. Results demonstrate that DART‐TOF‐MS affords a useful approach for rapid screening of herbal products for the presence and identification of synthetic cannabinoids.     

Changes in Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra as Blood Dries Out

The time since deposition (TSD) of a bloodstain is a valuable piece of evidence for forensic scientists to determine the time at which a crime took place. The objective of this study was to determine whether attenuated total reflection (ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy could be used to estimate the TSD of a bloodstain in a relatively early period (from 0 min to the time required for the bloodstain to dry out). For this purpose, we used ATR‐FTIR to study the variation in absorbance at certain wavelengths as rat and human blood sample dried out. The absorbance at 3308/cm (A3308) was found to have a close correlation with the TSD during this time period, and the changes in A3308 during the drying of rat and human blood drops under the same controlled conditions showed similar results. The current study indicates that ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy has potential as a tool for estimating TSD at early time periods of blood deposition.     

Obesity,Body Mass Index,and Homicide

The body mass indexes (BMIs) of 100 randomly selected homicide cases from the files of Forensic Science SA were compared to the Australian and South Australian populations. There were 70 males and 30 females (M:F = 2.3:1; age range 18–84 years; mean 42.3 years). There was a substantially lower proportion of obese individuals in the homicide population compared to the general Australian and South Australian populations (19% [vs.] 27.9% and 30%, respectively). A second group of 144 randomly selected autopsy cases where the BMI was ≥40 kg/m² was analyzed. There were 77 males and 67 females (M:F = 1.2:1; age range 23–78 years; mean 46.7 years). The majority of deaths were natural (N = 108), with no homicides. A negative association between obesity and homicide has, therefore, been demonstrated. Reasons for the lower numbers of obese/morbidly obese individuals among homicide victims are unclear, but may include physical protection afforded by fat padding from sharp force injuries, and relative sociodemographic isolation.     

A Computational Framework for Age‐at‐Death Estimation from the Skeleton: Surface and Outline Analysis of 3D Laser Scans of the Adult Pubic Symphysis

In forensic anthropology, age‐at‐death estimation typically requires the macroscopic assessment of the skeletal indicator and its association with a phase or score. High subjectivity and error are the recognized disadvantages of this approach, creating a need for alternative tools that enable the objective and mathematically robust assessment of true chronological age. We describe, here, three fully computational, quantitative shape analysis methods and a combinatory approach that make use of three‐dimensional laser scans of the pubic symphysis. We report a novel age‐related shape measure, focusing on the changes observed in the ventral margin curvature, and refine two former methods, whose measures capture the flatness of the symphyseal surface. We show how we can decrease age‐estimation error and improve prior results by combining these outline and surface measures in two multivariate regression models. The presented models produce objective age‐estimates that are comparable to current practices with root‐mean‐square‐errors between 13.7 and 16.5 years.     

Dr. Death? Professionalism,Virtue, and U.S. Physician Participation in the Death Penalty

In the United States at present, the death penalty is a possible sentence in 31 out of 50 states, as well as within the military and for federal cases. In the U.S., numbers of executions are declining, in part due to moratoriums in place and challenges to execution by lethal injection. Participation by physicians in lethal injection executions has been steadfastly viewed by professional medical organizations as contrary to their ethical standards. However, physicians have participated in lethal injection executions, and the morality of the death penalty itself is a matter of intense social and political debate. Medical ethics commentators and professional organizations have typically held that the prohibition on physician participation in the death penalty is independent of the ethical status of the death penalty itself. This article argues that this view is untenable, and that it is tied to a view of professional role virtue that is similarly untenable. At the same time, it argues that, given the morally uncertain status of the death penalty, it is plausible that virtuous physicians may either refuse or choose to participate in some aspects of the death penalty.     

TGF-β1在SCN5A基因变异所致心源性猝死中调控作用

SCN5A基因变异所致心源性猝死发生机制尚不清楚。目前研究显示TGF-β1介导心肌纤维化以及离子通道重构调节机制的异常可能是SCN5A基因变异导致SUNDS发生的主要原因。本文就转化生长因子β1对SCN5A基因变异所致心源性猝死调控的影响机制研究进展进行综述,以期为心源性猝死法医学研究和实践提供参考。     

窖蛋白与不明原因心源性猝死的相关性研究进展

不明原因心源性猝死(unexpected sudden cardiac death,USCD)因其不伴有心脏结构的异常,尸体解剖呈阴性改变,一直是法医病理学鉴定的热点难题。USCD可能与部分致死性心律失常有关,该类心律失常多由心脏离子通道蛋白或其相关蛋白发生异常所致。窖蛋白可以通过其脚手架区域与多种心肌离子通道蛋白结合,在维持心肌动作电位的去极化和复极化中起到关键作用。当窖蛋白由于基因突变或蛋白表达异常等因素导致其结构和功能受到影响时,受其调控的心肌离子通道的功能也受到损害,继而引起多种离子通道病的发生,出现心律失常甚至心源性猝死。研究窖蛋白对离子通道功能的影响对于探索恶性心律失常及心源性猝死的发生机制具有重要意义。     

IMA和H-FABP在心源性猝死法医学诊断中的应用

急性心肌缺血的发生是心源性猝死的最常见原因,而如何认定早期急性心肌缺血是法医学研究的热点,同时也是临床预防心肌梗死发生的重要环节。本文通过对缺血修饰白蛋白(ischemia modified albumin,IMA)和心型脂肪酸结合蛋白(heart-type fatty acid binding protein,H-FABP)的结构、功能、临床应用价值及法医学中的应用前景进行综述,旨在分析二者是否可作为早期心肌缺血的生化检测指标用于心源性猝死的诊断,并为今后选择心源性猝死的科研方向提供借鉴。