Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B G Stephens.
Fragmented "wet" bone material can be rapidly reconstructed with a minimum amount of specimen preparation using hot melt adhesives and commercially available electric glue guns. The reconstruction of fragmented bone aids in the analysis and interpretation of extensive trauma cases.
There is increasing evidence that cocaine can have serious adverse effects on the heart. Angina, myocardial infarction, coronary artery spasm, arrhythmia, and sudden death have been reported in association with its use. There have been only two reports of actual myocardial pathology. In an attempt to clarify the pathophysiology of cocaine-associated cardiotoxicity and to search for pathologic changes that might be useful forensically, we reviewed random microscopic sections of hearts from 30 cases of cocaine-associated death seen by the San Francisco Medical Examiner. The age of the patients at death ranged from 25 to 74 years (mean 33.9 years). Pathologic findings included the presence of mild atherosclerotic coronary artery disease without evidence of thrombosis in three cases, associated with mild interstitial fibrosis in one case as well as mild focal myocardial fibrosis without coronary disease in four other cases. The most notable abnormality was the presence of myocardial contraction bands in 28 (93 per cent) cases. In comparison to 20 control cases of death secondary to sedative-hypnotic overdose, the hearts from the cases of cocaine-associated contained significantly more myocardial contraction bands (P less than .001; two-sided). The diffuseness of the contraction bands correlated directly with the level of cocaine found in the urine and blood at autopsy during routine screening. The presence and number of contraction bands in these cases was independent of other drugs found in the urine and blood, the number of sections of myocardium examined, and a history of attempted resuscitation. Contraction bands may act to supply the anatomic substrate for the arrhythmias associated with cocaine use. They may also provide a morphologic marker that can be sought in suspected cases of lethal cocaine overdose. Their presence may also suggest a cause of death in cases of sudden and unexpected death in which autopsy reveals no other pathology, and a drug screen is positive for cocaine.
We performed autopsies and serologic tests in 189 subjects (152 men and 37 women) between 20 and 50 years of age with no history of immunosuppression who died unexpectedly and whose bodies were referred to the San Francisco coroner's office. Forty-eight of the 88 single men for whom addresses were available lived in areas of the city with a high incidence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In addition, 36 of the subjects (30 men) were intravenous drug abusers. Antibody to the retrovirus associated with AIDS was present in 23 (18%) of the 121 subjects whose sera were tested. However, neither pathologic nor laboratory manifestations of AIDS were present in any of the 189 subjects who underwent autopsy. These results suggest that antibody to the retrovirus is common but subclinical manifestations of AIDS are uncommon in San Francisco, a city where the incidence of clinical AIDS is high.
The incidence of acute, fatal narcotism in San Francisco was determined to be 3.2% of all deaths (10 882) subject to medical examiner's inquiry in a five-year period. Heroin was responsible for the greatest number of these cases, usually accompanied by alcohol or other abused drugs. The median concentration of the heroin metabolite, morphine, in the blood in fatal cases was 20 microgram/dL. Death from propoxyphene, the second most frequently encountered narcotic, was generally determined to be suicidal, while death from heroin was judged to be accidental. The highest rate occurred in black males between the ages of 21 and 30 years. The three most consistent findings were positive identification of the drug in the body (100% of the cases), pulmonary edema (90.4% of the cases), and microscopic liver changes (71.1% of the cases).
A method using dilute sodium hypochlorite for the cleaning of human skeletal material from decomposed bodies is described. With this simple procedure, which requires minimal expenditure of time and money, bones may be cleaned in a manner that produces specimens satisfactory for forensic examination, documentation of injuries, and jury presentation.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The mortality rate due to heroin overdosage in San Francisco has increased dramatically since 1968 and now stands as one of the highest in the United States. While the numbers of heroin fatalities in many eastern United States cities have declined substantially in the past few years, the figures for San Francisco and the other West Coast areas continue to increase. The group of heroin overdose victims from the 1970 through 1973 period is more predominantly Caucasian and younger than from the 1963 through 1965 period. In nearly all of the victims, the presence of morphine (a heroin metabolite) was noted in bile or urine, and in about half the results of blood alcohol tests were positive. Measurement of blood morphine concentrations in the victims showed no significant difference from the concentrations noted in a control group of heroin addicts dying from causes other than overdosage.
A 53-year-old man with scalp cellulitis developed acute renal failure after sodium cephalothin therapy. The patient probably had preexisting renal disease. Discontinuance of cephalothin was followed by improvement of the renal function. Specimens from a renal biopsy performed during the recovery phase showed nonspecific changes in the renal tubular epithelium, similar to those seen in animals treated with large doses of cephalothin. Previously reported cases of cephalothin nephrotoxicity, along with this case, caution the clinician to proceed with care in the treatment of azotemic patients with cephalothin.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.