PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Busuttil

Publications and source records attributed to A Busuttil.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Endomyocardial fibrosis in a scuba diving death.

A death of an amateur SCUBA diver with undiagnosed late phase endomyocardial fibrosis is reported. This 27-year-old man found himself in difficulties during a Sub-Aqua Club outing and drowned. Autopsy revealed features of drowning in addition to severe endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) with collagenization of the left ventricle and interventricular septum with foci of chronic myocarditis. Other organs were essentially normal and toxicological studies were negative. Examination of the air tank revealed a normal oxygen circulation with elevation of the carbon dioxide content above recommended limits. Sudden ventricular arrhythmia underwater due to EMF is believed to have precipitated drowning. Stricter medical monitoring of amateur divers should prevent similar accidents in the future.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Sudden death due to disseminated porocephalosis--a case history.

An 18-year-old Nigerian girl died suddenly and unexpectedly from disseminated porocephalosis. The patient was hospitalised complaining of fever, dizziness, weakness and jaundice. Clinical examination revealed a restless, confused and hypotensive patient. She died within two hours of admission. Autopsy revealed disseminated Porocephalus armilatus infestation involving the thoracic and abdominal linings and their internal organs. The relationship between the disseminated parasitic involvement and the death of this girl is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

A common origin for dental porcelain derived from an accused's hand and the decreased victim of an assault.

A small, solid fragment removed from a wound on a hand of a murder suspect was submitted to electron microprobe analysis and found to have the properties of dental porcelain. A sample of porcelain removed from the dental bridge of the deceased had an essentially similar elemental profile. This investigation assisted the Court by providing valuable objective evidence of a physical contact between the accused and the victim.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Nerve conduction as a means of estimating early post-mortem interval.

Methods in current practice for ascertaining time of death are largely based on the cooling of the body after death and are somewhat unreliable. A theoretical relationship is known to exist between the decline in the properties defining nerve conduction and time after death caused by the gradual cessation of metabolic activity in nerves. A number of such properties were measured in rats during life and after death. In most cases the relationship was found to be inconsistent. The chronaxie of the strength duration curve for the sciatic nerve was, however, found to increase consistently and reproducibly in a linear fashion over the first 90 min after death to a plateau value which was maintained beyond 135 min. These findings are discussed as the possible basis of a forensic method of determining the duration of the "post mortem interval" within the first few hours after death.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1992

The certification and disposal of the dead in major disasters.

When a major disaster occurs in which there are a large number of fatalities, many tasks have to be undertaken in a very short time and under great pressure. By considering in advance the potential difficulties which may be encountered it is possible to plan ways of overcoming, or at least minimizing, some of these problems. In this paper we have ventilated some of the problems concerning the certification and disposal of the victims of a major disaster, as seen from the pathologist's point of view.

Death Certificates↗
PubMed1992

Glucose metabolism and hypoglycaemia in SIDS.

Once a child is born its survival depends on the maturation of the blood glucose homeostatic control mechanisms. When this fails or where there is an inborn error of metabolism the infant is susceptible to potentially fatal hypoglycaemic episodes. A variety of environmental stresses, either singly or in combination, such as inappropriate or low caloric intake, acute infections of childhood, endotoxaemia, fever, xenobiotic exposure, oxidative stress or anaphylaxis, can greatly exacerbate the deficiency of the normal homeostatic compensatory mechanism and result in the onset of hypoglycaemia. Various inborn errors have been found in infants who died of SIDS. Our approach to this problem has been to use the six microsomal glucose-6-phosphatase proteins as a model system to study defects in carbohydrate metabolism in cases of SIDS. Initial studies determined the ontogeny of the glucose-6-phosphatase proteins and showed that intact microsomes isolated from unfrozen liver samples can be used to study glucose-6-phosphatase in cases of SIDS that were presumably due to the low concentrations of liver lipid peroxidation. More recently we have used a combination of techniques to demonstrate the abnormalities of glucose-6-phosphatase in cases of SIDS. Classic gross pathology and histology have now clearly defined the various subgroups of sudden and unexpected deaths of infancy. This now enables us to develop new molecular approaches to predict and prevent hypoglycaemia in infants who are at risk of SIDS.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1991

Two deaths from intravenous nifedipine abuse.

An incident is reported in which 2 intravenous drug abusers died as the result of uncontrolled experimentation with intravenous injection of the common anti-hypertensive and anti-anginal drug Nifedipine (Adalat t.m. Bayer), probably in mistake for the commonly abused short-acting benzodiazepine drug Temazepam. Large quantities of Nifedipine were identified in the blood of both decreased men by gas chromatography. Apart from intense gastric mucosal congestion, pulmonary oedema and general visceral congestion, the autopsy findings were entirely nonspecific. The similarity in colour, shape and texture between capsules of Nifedipine and those of Temazepam is likely to have prompted the mistake.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Adrenal atrophy at autopsy in two asthmatic children.

In two children dying in status asthmaticus, adrenocortical atrophy was demonstrable at autopsy. Both children had been treated since infancy with pulsed steroidal inhalers, short courses of oral or parenteral steroids, and steroidal skin preparations (for associated eczema). Adrenocortical atrophy has not been described previously in this clinical context. The increasing administration of steroids to asthmatic children may lead to the production of overt--or more frequently, subclinical--atrophy of the adrenal cortices with important consequences to mortality and morbidity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Elderly suicides in the Lothian and borders region of Scotland, 1983-1988.

This study examined all the suicides in the over 60 age group in the Lothian and Borders region of Scotland during the period 1983-1988. The data was analysed according to a number of variables, primarily with the intention of identifying the characteristics of the elderly suicide population. With the exception of those persons who exhibit a history of previous attempts, it is concluded that no characteristics unique to that cohort exist. Hence the problem of an accurate and precise diagnosis and assessment of suicide risk is difficult and complex. Cases exhibiting recent contact with the medical profession illustrate the problems of preventive procedures once a valid initial assessment has been made. Medico-legal issues raised by these cases are noted. It is suggested that prevention must be considered as a general function of the care of the elderly rather than as a process appropriate to a 'high-risk' group.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Rape and sexually transmitted diseases: patterns of referral and incidence in a department of genitourinary medicine.

A retrospective study was carried out of all women attending a Department of Genitourinary Medicine over a 3-year period. Note was taken of referring source, presenting symptoms, infection detected at STD screening and follow-up attendance. Comparison was also made between the number of women referred by the police surgeon and the number who actually attended. We observed an overall incidence of STD of 35% and noted that many infections had a similar prevalence to that of our normal clinic population over the same time period. Only 13% of the women referred by the police attended although after the initial visit attendance was similar regardless of referral source. A number of asymptomatic women were noted to have infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. Although, the risk of significant STD following sexual assault is low greater efforts should be made to encourage women to attend for screening whether or not they are symptomatic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Cyanide ingestion. Case studies of four suicides.

Deliberate ingestion of cyanides is relatively rare, as reflected in the Registrar General's figures. There are no pathognomonic specific autopsy findings and even the distinctive smell may be missed by some individuals. We present four cases of cyanide ingestion, one of which appears to be the first reported case of magnesium cyanide poisoning in humans. The problems involved in investigating deaths from cyanide ingestion are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Medication in police custody.

Police Officers have an obligation to look after the welfare of the persons detained by them. As such persons may require to be given medication on a regular basis during their period of custody which may last a few days, the Police are also responsible for ensuring that this takes place. To identify the extent of this requirement, a survey was carried out by questionnaire in Edinburgh over a period of one month. Thirty-five per cent [corrected] of the 127 detainees were carrying with them a variety of drugs or required to be given medication on a regular basis. The problems associated with this practice are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Hepatic microsomal glucose-6-phosphatase system and sudden infant death syndrome.

Microassay techniques and monospecific antibodies were used to study the hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase system in liver samples from 55 infants who had died suddenly and unexpectedly, including 38 victims of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Raised hepatic glycogen was found in 10, all of whom had a diagnosis of SIDS, and in 1 other infant who was already known to have type 1b glycogen storage disease (deficiency of transport protein T1). Of the 10 infants with raised hepatic glycogen who had a diagnosis of SIDS, 8 had glucose-6-phosphatase deficiency (type 1a glycogen storage disease), and 2 had transport protein T2 deficiency (type 1c glycogen storage disease).

Glucose-6-Phosphatase↗
PubMed1989

Flow cytometric analysis of cellular DNA in human prostate cancer: relationship to 5 alpha-reductase activity of the tissue.

Flow cytometry of 20 prostate cancer specimens was carried out and the percentage DNA content in each phase of the cell cycle was correlated to the 5 alpha-reductase activity of the tumour. A group of 20 hyperplastic specimens was also entered into this study as control. Tumours were divided into 3 groups on the basis of their 5 alpha-reductase activity. This classification made it possible to identify a group of tumours of which none formed metastases (diploid tumours with 5 alpha-reductase activity greater than 20 pmol/mg protein/30 min and with less than 10% of the cells undergoing mitosis) and a second group of which 78% had metastasised at the time of presentation (diploid tumours with 5 alpha-reductase activity less than 10 pmol/mg protein/30 min and with more than 15% of the cells undergoing mitosis). DNA content within each of the 5 alpha-reductase groups appeared also to correlate with the histological grade of the cancer but no relationship was established with the stage of the disease. Our results suggest that a multi factorial discriminant combining DNA ploidy and 5 alpha-reductase measurements offers a good prognostic index for the assessment of disease progression in prostate cancer and that this might form the basis of a new approach to the treatment of this disease.

3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase↗