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Biomedical subjects

J Rajs

Publications and source records attributed to J Rajs.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

HIV-1- prevalence among drug deaths in major cities of central and northern Europe.

Since 1985, a number of Institutes of Forensic Medicine in Germany have cooperated in a multicenter study, to provide a constant monitoring of HIV-1-prevalence among drug related deaths. In 1990/91, the Institutes in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Vienna and Zürich also participated in this study. HIV-1-prevalence is decreasing in the German cities, whereas the epidemiological development is not uniform in the other major cities. Regional differences are obvious. In 1991, the prevalence rates were as follows: Berlin 15% (n = 220), Hamburg 4% (n = 179), Frankfurt 17% (n = 167), Munich 9% (n = 136), Stockholm 10% (n = 79), Copenhagen 14% (n = 130), Vienna 20% (n = 56), and Zürich 23% (n = 84).

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Suicide related to human immunodeficiency virus infection in Stockholm.

During a 5-year period (July 1, 1985 to June 30, 1990), a systematic investigation of medicolegal autopsy cases with regard to the occurrence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was carried out at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden. Cases where a positive result was obtained from enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting were counted as HIV-positive (85 instances among 16,938 deaths, or 0.50%). Of these deaths, 21 (25%) were suicides. The number and proportion of suicides among HIV-positive homo- and bisexual males increased during the study period but remained unchanged for infected intravenous drug addicts. This increase of suicides among homo- and bisexual males could be related to the duration of the infection and to the manifestation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) symptoms. Only 1 of the 21 suicides occurred in a hospital; 17 were committed in the homes of the deceased and 3 outdoors. Medicinal drug overdosage was the dominant choice of suicide method. Six of 12 homo- and bisexual males who committed suicide were of non-Swedish origin, i.e. immigrants, likely to have a less stable social network and thereby probably receiving less psychosocial support than the native population.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed1991

Poisoning with sodium hypochlorite solution. Report of a fatal case, supplemented with an experimental and clinico-epidemiological study.

A case of fatal poisoning in a 1-year-old girl after ingestion of a household cleanser containing 4.5% sodium hypochlorite (Klorin) in an alkaline solution (pH 12.0) is reported. The forensic medical and toxicological investigations were supplemented by animal studies. These studies indicate that 5, 10, and 15 ml of Klorin/kg body wt given to rats is highly toxic, and that local tissue damage and secondary systemic involvement develops with a severity corresponding to the amount administered. The rats, all of which died, showed various degrees of degeneration and necrosis of the esophagoventricular mucosus membranes, changes analogous to those found at the autopsy of the child. A follow-up investigation of similar cases reported to the Swedish Poison Information Centre, during a limited time, was made to complete the picture.

Accidents↗
PubMed1979

Scintigraphy of induced myocardial infarcts with 99Tcm-gluconate.

A new isotope compound, 99Tcm-gluconate, for detection of myocardial infarction has been tested in dogs. A close correlation was found between the isotope uptake measured in vivo with a gamma camera and the infarct weight of early irreversible myocardial infarcts.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Histological diagnosis of myocardial injury. Comparison of hematoxylin-basic fuchsin-picric acid (HBFP)-stained sections obtained during autopsy with isolated viable rat cardiac myocytes exposed to anoxia.

The light microscopic appearances in hematoxylin-basic fuchsin-picric acid (HBFP)-stained histological sections from cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue were put in relation to the reactions of isolated viable rat cardiac myocytes exposed to anoxia in suspension and their morphology in paraffin-embedded sections. Special attention was paid to prenecrotic phases of myocytic injury which were followed, in viable rat cardiac myocytes, by light microscopy, and confirmed with biochemical assays indicating increased plasma membrane permeability. In cases of sudden death, and traumatic injury to the heart and skeletal muscle, there was good agreement between alterations demonstrated with the HBFP technique and alterations of viable rat cardiac myocytes exposed to anoxia. In isolated myocytes, these alterations were associated with irregular contractility which, when occurring in situ, might have influenced the cardiac function prior to death. Moreover, the changes develop at a much faster rate than the inflammatory reaction following tissue injury and may therefore be regarded as an early vital phenomenon of significance in clinico-pathological and medico-legal considerations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Comparison of anoxic changes in isolated rat cardiac myocytes in suspension and in histological sections.

Cardiac myocytes from adult rat were isolated by heart perfusion in the presence of collagenase and incubated in the absence and presence of oxygen. As a result of anoxia, there was a gradual increase in plasma membrane permeability, noted as an increase in succinate-stimulated oxygen uptake, a decrease in trypan blue exclusion frequency, a leakage of cytosolic lactate dehydrogenase activity and an increased proportion of swollen, irregularly contracting myocytes. The contractions of the damaged myocytes resembled the known non-physiologic contractions of the heart, i.e. extrasystoles, arrhythmia, fibrillation or block. After different periods of time of anoxia myocyte pellets were fixed in formalin, sectioned and examined by light microscopy. The appearances of the myocytes in suspension were compared with those in paraffin-embedded sections. Special attention was given to the hematoxylin basic fuchsin picric acid stain and it was noted that the basic fuchsin was taken up by contracted or damaged myocytes, which according to their morphology in suspension revealed irregular contractions, but not by undamaged or necrotic myocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Spontaneous rupture of a congenital diverticulum of the right ventricle in a 1-month-old child.

Spontaneous rupture of a thin fibrous congenital subepicardial diverticulum of the right ventricle of the heart resulted in a sudden death of an 1-mth-old child. Heart catheterization with angiocardiography at 1 and 2 wk of age revealed a truncus arteriosus type A 1 with a small frontal outbulging in the level with the outflow of the right ventricle, interpreted as a blind infurdibular chamber. At autopsy this outbulging was identified as a congenital fibrous diverticulum of the right ventricle. Death was due to rupture of the diverticulum and hemopericardium. The case motivated a reviewing of the literature dealing with congenital diverticula of the right ventricle of the heart, as well as a discussion of problems with the diagnosis of the diverticulum.

Diverticulum↗
PubMed1976

Aortic aneurysm developing after umbilical artery catheterization.

A variety of complications of umbilical vessel catheterization in the newborn have been reported by earlier investigators. This paper describes a case in which umbilical artery catheterization probably gave rise to an aortic aneurysm. The histological findings suggested that the hypoxic changes in the aortic wall as well as the mechanical effect of the catheter were involved in the origin of the aneurysm.

Aortic Aneurysm↗
PubMed1976

Relation between craniocerebral injury and subsequent myocardial fibrosis and heart failure. Report of 3 cases.

The findings at necropsy in three cases of severe craniocerebral injury associated with unconsciousness are reported with special reference to the histopathological findings in the myocardium. In the first case, death occurred 3 days after the trauma, in the second case 21 days after, and in the third case, 7 years after. Necropsy showed myocardial lesions of recent origin in the first case, stromal condensation in the myocardium in the second, and cardiac hypertrophy with coexisting patchy fibrosis of the myocardium in the third. The relation between craniocerebral injury and subsequent myocardial fibrosis is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Experiences with the hematoxylin basic fuchsin picric acid staining method for morphologic diagnosis of myocardial ischemia - an experimental study in forensic pathology.

An investigation was performed on 148 medicolegal autopsy cases with the purpose of obtaining experience with the hematoxylin basic fuchsin acid staining method for morphologic diagnosis of early myocardial ischemia. A comparative study was performed on rats with induced myocardial infarcts. The uptake of the basic fuchsin stain in myocardial sections agreed well with eosinophilia, often occurred when myocardial infarction was suspected, but very often yielded false positive and negative results. This lack of reliability probably depended on the high sensitivity of the staining procedure, degree of autolysis, fixation time, thickness of the sections and mainpulative lesions. Although the HBFP-technique does not seem sufficiently reliable in medicolegal autopsy cases it probably produces accurate results under controlled experimental conditions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Post-mortem findings of cardiac lesions in epileptics: a preliminary report.

In search of satisfactory cause of death in epileptics an attempt was made to examine the hearts with special regard to microscopic findings. All nine examined cases showed fibrosis of the minor arterial walls as well as interstitial fibrosis connected with atrophy or myofibrillar degeneration. Five cases had subendocardial fibrosis, and 4 leukocytic infiltration resembling focal myocarditis. In one case, a fibroma (hamartoma?) of the atrioventricular bundle could presumably explain the symptoms of epilepsy. The authors conclude that epilepsy may be a possible cause of ischemic or hypoxic cardiomyopathy which can contribute to the cause of sudden death amongst epileptics.

Adult↗