HIV-infection in forensic autopsy cases

Sudden and unexpected death and violent death of persons with a high risk of acquiring HIV-infections, especially homosexual males and intravenous drug abusers, have to be investigated by forensic autopsies. Therefore every forensic pathologist has to be aware of this infection and should try to make the proper diagnosis. Three typical cases are described: (1) suicide by hanging, (2) homicide by cutting the throat and (3) intravenous heroin overdose. Merely retrospectively it could be cleared up that the deceased were homosexual but did not manifestly suffer from AIDS. The morphological findings in the lymph nodes and the postmortem serological findings are described in detail.     

The role of environmental factors in the causation of sudden death in infants: two cases of sudden unexpected death in two unrelated infants who were cared for by the same babysitter

We report two cases of sudden unexpected death in two unrelated African American female infants, 2 months and 4 months old. Both infants were attended to by the same babysitter in the same apartment and died 39 days apart in the same bed and in the same bedroom. The autopsy of the first infant revealed sudden unexplained death in an infant. Toxicologic analysis for carbon monoxide (CO) was not performed because it was not suspected. When the second infant died, investigation into the ambient air quality within the apartment revealed high levels of CO emanating from a poorly ventilated and defective hot water heater, which was located across a hallway from the bedroom where the two babies died. CO saturation levels in the postmortem blood samples of the two babies were elevated and were similar (13% and 14%). Nicotine and cotinine were not detected in the blood sample of the two infants. Cherry-red livor mortis was absent. Acute CO intoxication was determined to be the underlying cause of these two unexpected deaths. These two cases underscore the need to integrate ambient air analysis and postmortem CO analysis as routine components of the comprehensive death investigation of infants who die suddenly and unexpectedly.     

Morphologic studies in criminal justice--requirements and reality

A critical analysis is given of the investigation and examination of fatalities for the public prosecution office and for the courts. Rationalistic simplifications in legal quarters, changes in legal procedures and bureaucracy have had negative effects on the field of forensic medicine. It is questionable whether forensic science today can fulfil the scientific demands with regard to a complete and thorough explanation of the cause of death. The reduced interest in expert opinions concerning the pattern of injuries that can help in the reconstruction of the act or in judging the intention and guilt of the perpetrator is a striking and alarming development in criminal justice. Medical examinations in the somatic field are no longer used enough in forensic cases; with regard to the administration of justice, the role of the forensic expert is limited to the postmortem findings and the cause of death. On the other hand, there is increased interest in the expert opinion of psychologists, psychiatrists and specialists in the field of drugs and alcohol. The fact that the number of autopsies and histological as well as toxicological examinations ordered by the public prosecutor is rather small has serious and negative implications for establishing the truth. Such orders are merely dependent on the circumstance of death and the situation in which the body was found. However, the external circumstances can be misleading or they can be manipulated. That is why some crimes are not revealed. In the Federal Republic of Germany, if there is no suspicion of external violence permission is granted for corpses to be buried without the cause of death being clarified by autopsy. However, the fact that the opinions of forensic specialists differ regarding this development in the administration of justice must also be criticized. There is an increasing tendency for investigations to be carried out only if they are ordered by the prosecutor and for questions to be answered only if they are asked officially. Even our colleagues are influenced too much by external circumstances and consider an autopsy unnecessary if the cause of death seems to be clear (for instance in cases of hanging, drowning or bleeding to death). Second autopsies have shown that the thoroughness and the quality of the first autopsy often leave much to be desired. It is, for instance, unforgivable if organs are described without being examined. Special interest is afforded to the necessity for the significance of histological examinations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Perceptions of Parenting in Daily Life: Adolescent-Parent Differences and Associations with Adolescent Affect

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Adolescents can perceive parenting quite differently than parents themselves and these discrepancies may relate to adolescent well-being. The current study aimed...