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Biomedical subjects

B R Burnett

Publications and source records attributed to B R Burnett.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

A shot through the window.

At issue in this case was whether an unusual window defect seen in two of the crime scene photographs was due to a bullet and if so, if that same bullet fatally wounded the victim. The window appeared to have been cracked prior to the apparent shot through it. A .22 bullet recovered from autopsy, when examined only by light microscopy, failed to show associated glass fragments. A previously cracked test window was shot a number of times with .22 caliber bullets near the cracks in an effort to simulate the window defect seen in the crime scene photographs. Several of the defects produced by the test window shots appeared similar to the crime scene window defect. The .22 bullet taken from the victim and several of the test bullets (collected by a cotton box) were examined by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The test bullets showed glass particles on and embedded in their surfaces. Particles of similar size and composition were found embedded in the surface of the bullet from the victim. The bullet likely struck the window prior to hitting the victim. It was apparent by the morphology of some of the mushroomed test .22 bullets that they hit the window crack. These bullets showed that the glass on one side of a crack often fails before the other side during the strike. Aggregations of powdered glass on many of the mushroomed surfaces of the .22 bullets suggest that as the bullet mushrooms during impact on the window surface, the glass in contact with the bullet powderizes and coats the mushroomed surface of the bullet with a layer of fine glass particles.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

An unusual bloodstain case.

A body was discovered associated with a series of bloodstains on a sunken loading ramp of a supermarket. The initial evaluation of the scene by the local police determined that the victim was crushed by the rear wheels of an 18-wheel grocery truck when it backed down the ramp for a delivery. However, a careful examination of the photographs of the scene and the victim revealed that the victim was deal and in rigor mortis before the truck entered the ramp. The truck's rear wheels never came into contact with the deceased. The truck interacted with the decreased and his bicycle to create series of unusual bloodstain patterns.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1996

Silicate and metal dust in lungs of Greyhounds.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the amount of opaque dust in lung specimens increases with age, the composition of that dust, and whether the composition is similar for Greyhounds and pet dogs. DESIGN: Quantification of lung particulate dust burdens. ANIMALS: 192 Greyhounds and 5 pet dogs. PROCEDURE: Lung specimens of 192 Greyhounds and 5 pet dogs were examined for dust accumulation, using light microscopy. Lung specimens from Greyhounds and the 5 pet dogs were analyzed, using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy to quantify the lung burden of inorganic particles. RESULTS: Lung dust burden increased linearly with age. Pulmonary dust was composed of aluminum silicates, silica, and 18 metals. Silicate and metal particulate burdens were higher in Greyhounds than in the pet dogs. The 3 most common metals were iron, titanium, and chromium. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Amount of opaque dust increased with age. The higher pulmonary dust burden in Greyhounds than in pet dogs suggests that environmental exposure is important.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Development and use of a pneumoconiosis database of human pulmonary inorganic particulate burden in over 400 lungs.

Over 400 cases with data from in situ electron microprobe quantitation of non-fibrous inorganic particles (e.g., silica, alumino-silicates, talc, metals) in pulmonary tissue sections, and data from quantitative digestion analyses for fiber content (e.g., asbestos, silica, alumino-silicates, man-made fibers, talc) comprise an extensive microcomputer data set of lung particle burden. When allied with demographic and histopathologic information the result is a comprehensive database of occupational pulmonary pathology. Examples of the kinds of information which can be extracted from the database include: 1) summary information on the types sizes and associations of particles in lungs with a variety of exposures, 2) concentrations of etiologic particle type in cases with recognized pneumoconioses, and 3) correlations between particle type, pathology, occupation and social history. The database provides a powerful tool for assessing such information on statistically meaningful sample sets.

Asbestos↗
PubMed1991

Detection of bone and bone-plus-bullet particles in backspatter from close-range shots to heads.

A victim was shot in the head with a 9-mm Smith & Wesson pistol using Winchester Silvertip hollow-point ammunition. Of interest in this case was the distance from the muzzle of the weapon to the victim's head, since the wound characteristics were equivocal for firing distance. Two other handguns (revolvers) were involved in this shooting, in addition to a revolver owned by the victim. The handguns were sampled using tape lifts, and the casings were sampled by washing them in distilled water, followed by vacuum filtration of the washing water through 0.2-microns-pore Nuclepore filters. These materials were examined by scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. Calcium-phosphorous (bone) particles were detected on the 9-mm Smith & Wesson pistol, on two casings found at the scene, and on one of the revolvers. Two of the calcium-phosphorous particles on the casings had associated bullet fragments. Test shots on live pigs destined for slaughter showed that bone particles are a feature of backspatter from close-range shots to heads. Contamination of nearby surfaces by bone fragments and bone-plus-bullet fragments, as well as other organic debris, appears to be quite heavy.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Quantitative analysis of inorganic particulate burden in situ in tissue sections.

Quantitative information on tissue particulate burden is essential for investigation of relationships of particulates to several aspects of disease, such as exposure, physiology, radiology and pathology. We have developed a method for quantitative analysis of inorganic particulate burden in situ in tissue sections using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with backscattered electron (BSE) imaging and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDXA) or the ion microprobe mass analyzer (IMMA). Our data show reproducible results for concentrations above 10(6) particles per cm3 of tissue. Samples of less than one microgram can be analyzed. Standard 5 microns paraffin sections of formalin fixed tissue are mounted on carbon discs, deparaffinized and examined in the SEM under standardized conditions. Fields of view comprising 10,000 microns3 are searched and all particles visible in the BSE image are counted and individually analyzed by EDXA. Location, number, size and types of particles are tabulated. Previous work showed correlation of quantitative SEM/EDXA with bulk analysis for Ni (r = 0.64), and IMMA with bulk analysis for Be (r = 0.999). Analytical results on exogenous and endogenous particles in 40 lungs (greater than 6000 fields searched and greater than 5700 particles analyzed), and the pathology observed in the tissue, may serve as baseline for future studies on all types of inorganic particles in normal and abnormal lungs. Observed concentrations ranged from 3 X 10(6) to 2 X 10(9) exogenous particles per cm3 of tissue.

Asbestosis↗