Gastric excretion of intravenously administered drugs in critical care patients
In forensic autopsy cases, forensic pathologists and/or toxicologists are rarely asked by police authorities to distinguish whether a detected drug has orally or parenterally been administered. Such a distinction is usually made by investigating the level and total amount of the drug in the stomach contents, whether there are injection marks on the victim, and the scene where the victim was found. However, parenterally administered drugs are excreted from the gastric walls into the gastric juice, depending on their physicochemical properties [1 –3]. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - October 12, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Fumio Moriya, Kei Yoshitome, Satoru Miyaishi Source Type: research
An analysis of causative factors in closed criminal medical malpractice cases of the Taiwan Supreme Court: 2000-2014
Medical malpractice litigation has become an important issue worldwide, as it not only interferes with the clinician ’s career satisfaction and increases defensive medical practice,[1] but also raises the social burden of medical care.[2] Medical staff can be held accountable both in civil and criminal liability under the present legal system. Monetary reimbursement for patients injured during the course of medi cal therapy has been sought through insurance settlements or through civil courts. In western countries, such as the United States of America, almost all medical disputes have been settled either out of court or ...
Source: Legal Medicine - October 4, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Kuan-Han Wu, Shih-Yu Cheng, Yung-Lin Yen, Chien-Hung Wu, Ming-Ta Tsai, Fu-Jen Cheng Source Type: research
Study on the criteria for assessing skull-face correspondence in craniofacial superimposition
Craniofacial superimposition (CFS) [1] is one of the approaches used in craniofacial identification [2,3]. It involves the superimposition of a skull (or a skull model) over a number of ante mortem images of an individual and the analysis of their morphological correspondence. Since the first documented use of CFS for identification purposes [4] the technique has been undergoing continuous improvement. Although the foundations of the CFS method were laid by the end of the nineteenth century [5,6], the associated procedures evolved as new technologies became available. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - October 2, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Oscar Ib áñez, Andrea Valsecchi, Fabio Cavalli, María Isabel Huete, Blanca Rosario Campomanes-Alvarez, Carmen Campomanes-Alvarez, Ricardo Vicente, David Navega, Ann Ross, Caroline Wilkinson, Rimantas Jankauskas, Kazuhiko Imaizumi, Rita Hardiman, Paul T Source Type: research
Use of postmortem computed tomography angiography to detect vascular injuries accompanying skull base fracture
Recently, postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) has proved to be a useful tool for forensic examination, especially in cases involving trauma [1,2], and postmortem CT angiography (PMCTA) is also being used increasingly, mainly in forensic facilities and departments [3 –11]. At present, there are various methods of postmortem angiography. For example, whole-body angiography employing a modified heart-lung bypass machine has been used to demonstrate the systemic vascular circulation [4,6], while postmortem selective CT angiography is now being developed as a new and effective adjunct. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - September 27, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Hikaru Kuninaka, Yoichiro Takahashi, Rie Sano, Keiko Takahashi, Rieko Kubo, Yoshihiko Kominato, Hiroyuki Takei, Susumu Kobayashi, Takehiro Shimada, Hiroyuki Tokue, Sachiko Awata, Satoshi Hirasawa Source Type: research
The Genetic Structure of Native Americans in North America based on the Globalfiler ® STRs
Population structure can be used to quantify genetic differentiation among subpopulations relative to the total population, and is expressed as FST [1] or theta ( θ) [2]. FST determinations are necessary for calculating random match probabilities in forensic casework, as they provide investigators population genetic information to estimate match probabilities of a forensic sample to a known source. The National Research Council (NRC) [2] recommends that a co rrection factor value of FST or θ = 0.01 be used for general United States populations while a value of 0.03 be used for smaller and more isolated populations, such ...
Source: Legal Medicine - September 22, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Kelly L. McCulloh, Jillian Ng, Robert F. Oldt, Jessica A. Weise, Joy Viray, Bruce Budowle, David Glenn Smith, Sreetharan Kanthaswamy Source Type: research
Comment on Sudden Death Due to Rupture of the Right Internal Carotid Artery in Neurofibromatosis Type 1 by Liang et al.
We read with great interest the recently published case report by Liang et al. describing a 42-year-old man affected by neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1), who suddenly expired due to rupture of the right internal carotid artery wall infiltrated by neurofibromatous tissue [1]. The authors continue to make substantial contributions regarding the NF-1 to the literature by providing this compelling case report. However, one critical issue not specifically discussed in the article is NF-1 and its vascular complications during pregnancy. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - September 18, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Martin Jan ík, Petr Hejna Source Type: research
Genetic polymorphism studies on 22 autosomal STR loci of the PowerPlex Fusion System in Bangladeshi population
Bangladesh is a South Asian country bordering the Bay of Bengal between India and Myanmar. Over 98% of the population belongs to a Bengali ethno-linguistic group. The recruited individuals in this study belong to only the Bengali population in Bangladesh. Liquid blood samples were collected from randomly selected 188 unrelated Bangladeshi Bengali individuals. Written informed consent was obtained from all the individuals following procedures that are in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964, revised in 1983 [1]. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - September 14, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Tania Hossain, Mahamud Hasan, Ashish K Mazumder, Pilu Momtaz, Abu Sufian, Jabedul Alam Khandaker, Sharif Akhteruzzaman Tags: Brief Communication$Announcement of Population Data$Short Communication Source Type: research
Sex and Ancestry Assessment of Brazilian Crania using Semi-automatic Mesh Processing Tools
In the framework of forensic anthropology, information encoded in craniofacial morphology is traditionally exploited by two main concepts - visual and metric. The former is based on the assessment of skeletal morphology in qualitative terms, i.e., classifications into pre-defined developmental stages, categories or types. The latter is grounded on the acquisition of standardized measurements, inter-landmark distances or spatial data [1 –4]. As an ongoing trend in the field, novel variants established on both concepts are being constantly developed in order to maximize reliability of biological profile if assessed from sk...
Source: Legal Medicine - September 6, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Mikol áš Jurda, Petra Urbanová Source Type: research
Ballistics and anatomical modelling – a review
Ballistics is the study of projectiles in motion. This includes the investigation of the projectile and the changes occurring during its motion from the barrel to its target. This motion can be divided into following four stages. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - September 5, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Caitlin Humphrey, Jaliya Kumaratilake Tags: Review Article Source Type: research
Potential use of pericardial cTnI, Mg2+ and Ca2+ in the forensic investigation of seawater drowning in Greece. an initial assessment
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), death due to unintentional drowning is estimated at 7.4 per 100,000 of population worldwide [1]. It is feared that the actual number of deaths by drowning is even greater because of underreporting [2 –4]. Epidemiological data from various studies conducted worldwide show that population figures about drowning vary. In many countries, drowning is a leading cause of death mainly for children and young people up to the age of 40 years [5–8]. In Greece, however, the majority of drowning victims in seawater are elderly men [9]. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - September 5, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Aspasia Deliligka, Nikolaos Raikos, Fotios Chatzinikolaou, Ioannis Venizelos, Kyriakos Chatzopoulos, Antonis Goulas Tags: Short Communication Source Type: research
Forensic genetic study of 29 Y-STRs in Korean population
Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) analysis has been a very useful tool both in paternity lineage studies and in forensic genetic analyses, particularly for solving sexual assault cases.[1,2] As the importance of Y-STR analysis in forensics has increased, the number of Y-STR markers including rapidly mutating (RM) Y-STRs in commercial kits has grown considerably to overcome the low discrimination capacity of Y-STR analysis.[3 –7] (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - August 31, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Ju Yeon Jung, Ji-Hye Park, Yu-Li Oh, Han-Sol Kwon, Hyun-Chul Park, Kyung-Hwa Park, Eun Hye Kim, Dong-Sub Lee, Si-Keun Lim Tags: Short Communication Source Type: research
An autopsy case of spontaneous esophageal perforation (Boerhaave syndrome)
Esophageal perforation was first described by a Dutch physician, Hermann Boerhaave, in 1724 [1]. Esophageal perforations, which are usually categorized according to cause, include (1) iatrogenic, (2) spontaneous, (3) traumatic, (4) foreign-body, and (5) disease-related perforations [2]. Spontaneous perforations are also known as Boerhaave ’s syndrome, which occurs abruptly on an otherwise healthy esophagus. Based on the population survey data by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, 0.0192% of all deaths in 2014 were caused by esophageal diseases, and esophageal perforations accounted for 25.4% of esophage...
Source: Legal Medicine - August 26, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Kaori Kimura-Kataoka, Junko Fujihara, Satsuki Kurata, Yoshikazu Takinami, Ken Inoue, Toshihiro Yasuda, Haruo Takeshita Tags: Case report Source Type: research
Entrance and Exit Wounds of High Velocity Bullet: an Autopsy Analysis in the Event of Dispersing the Mass Rally in Bangkok Thailand, May 2010
High velocity bullets (HVBs) or military bullets are primarily used on battlefields. Those who are endangered by HVBs are mostly military armed forces personnel engaged in a firefight and are likely to be severely injured leading to sudden death. And in the case of injury, they are likely to be seriously wounded with a high mortality rate. The physicians who take care of these cases first concentrate on emergency treatment, which might fail or, at least, to partly fail, to fully record the wound morphology or wound characteristics; especially the entrance and exit wounds. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - August 26, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Vichan Peonim, Smith Srisont, Jitta Udnoon, Sompong Wongwichai, Arisa Thapon, Wisarn Worasuwannarak Tags: Case report Source Type: research
An unexpected death due to massive ascites and a giant mucinous ovarian cystadenoma
Ascites involves the accumulation of fluid within the peritoneal cavity. The most common cause of ascites is liver cirrhosis. Ascites combined with cirrhosis can be caused by portal hypertension, renal salt, and water retention. Ascites in the absence of cirrhosis is generally caused by peritoneal carcinomatosis, peritoneal infection, or pancreatic disease [1]. In the field of gynecology, the presence of ascites usually leads to a strong suspicion of a malignant tumor (often of the ovary). Meigs ’ syndrome is also associated with ascites and pleural effusion [2]. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - August 24, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Masayuki Kashiwagi, Mio Takayama, Tomoko Sugimura, Aya Matsusue, Kenji Hara, Brian Waters, Shin-ichi Kubo Tags: Case report Source Type: research
Quantification of immunohistochemical findings of neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques for a diagnosis of dementia in forensic autopsy cases
Quantitative diagnostic criteria for dementia were made by counting and measuring tau-positive NFT and beta-amyloid-positive SP from image data using image analysis software.The total number of NFT in AH and total number of SP in PHG may be useful for diagnosing dementia (p (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - August 22, 2016 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Mio Takayama, Masayuki Kashiwagi, Aya Matsusue, Brian Waters, Kenji Hara, Natsuki Ikematsu, Shin-ichi Kubo Source Type: research
