Fatal poisoning with blue vitriol

Cases of fatal poisoning with cupric compounds are relatively rare in everyday life and are not covered much in forensic literature. A case was encountered of fatal poisoning with a blue vitriol solution introduced into the uterine cavity in order to interrupt a pregnancy. A 39-year-old woman brought to the hospital by ambulance complained of pain in the lumbar region and profuse bloody genital discharge, which had appeared 3 days earlier. She believed she was 2 months pregnant and denied artificial interruption of the pregnancy. Upon examination, her condition was grave: a weak pulse of 80; blood pressure 100/60. The abdomen was soft, the liver and spleen not enlarged. Pasternak symptom was negative. The uterus was soft, painless and enlarged to 9 weeks of pregnancy. The uterine cervix was clean, the orifice closed. Discharge was profuse and bloody. The diagnosis was that she was 9 weeks pregnant and had a missed criminal abortion. Scraping out the uterus and corresponding therapy to control bleeding were ineffective. An operation was performed--extirpation of the uterus. However, despite the steps taken, the bleeding did not stop, and the patient's condition continued to worsen. 10 hours after being admitted to the hospital, she died. During forensic investigation, diffused, violet-colored cadaverous spots were discovered. Extensive subcutaneous hemorrhage was detected around the areas of injection. The skin covering was edematous; when pressed with a finger, areas of depression remained. There was about 250 ml of watery blood in the abdominal cavity. Internal organs were anemic. There were multiple subpleural, subepicardial, subcapsular, intraorgan and intramuscular micro- and macro-punctate hemorrhages; bleeding into the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and urinary tracts; and cerebral and pulmonary edema. Forensic histological examination showed acute circulatory disturbance with perivascular and peridiapedetic hemorrhage; concentrations of aggregated and hemolyzed erythrocytes in the small vessels and capillaries; cerebral, pulmonary and stromatic edema. In the kidneys there was coaugmentation of renal glomeruli; epithelial necrosis of part of the coiled ducts; lower epithelium in places had pigment grains; primarily in openings of straight ducts there were pigment cylinders; extreme plethora of the surrounding area, and infiltration from annular cells and polynuclears. Forensic chemical analysis showed 12.8 mg of copper; 6.6 mg in the uterus and 5.6 mg in the kidneys. From data obtained it can be concluded that the patient died from cupric compound poisoning, complicated by interruption of the pregnancy and uterine hemolytic hemorrhage. It was later established that during the month before being admitted to the hospital the patient introduced a solution of blue vitriol into the uterine cavity to interrupt the pregnancy.     

The role of cytomedins in establishing the sequence of causing injuries

The results of investigation of biological activity of information molecules, i.e. cytomedines, obtained from injuries by using the method of acetous extraction (V.G. Morozov, V. Kh. Havinson, 1981) are presented in the experimental manner and on the basis of practical materials. The sequence of formation of hemorrhages and injuries was demonstrated accurately enough by using the biological activity of extracted cytomedines.     

Media Ownership and News Coverage of International Conflict

How do differences in ownership of media enterprises shape news coverage of international conflict? We examine this relationship using a new dataset of 591,532 articles on US-led multinational military operations in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, published by 2,505 newspapers in 116 countries. We find that ownership chains exert a homogenizing effect on the content of newspapers’ coverage of foreign policy, resulting in coverage across co-owned papers that is more similar in scope (what they cover), focus (how much “hard” relative to “soft” news they offer), and diversity (the breadth of topics they include in their coverage of a given issue) relative to coverage across papers that are not co-owned. However, we also find that competitive market pressures can mitigate these homogenizing effects, and incentivize co-owned outlets to differentiate their coverage. Restrictions on press freedom have the opposite impact, increasing the similarity of coverage within ownership chains.     

Forensic chemical detection of furadan

Isolation of furadan from biological material by ethyl acetate is considered. Column chromatography with silicone gel L 100/160micro was used to purify extractions from biological objects. A technique was elaborated for identification and quantitation of furadan in cadavers. It is possible to use this technique in forensic expert examination.