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Biomedical subjects

J W Eisele

Publications and source records attributed to J W Eisele.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Alveolar and tissue surfactant pool sizes in humans.

The amounts of surfactant in human lung tissue and in the alveolar pool have not been extensively reported. We used 24 human lungs from persons over the age range of 13 mo to 80 yr to investigate whether the amount of saturated phosphatidylcholine (Sat-PC) in the human lung changed with age. Lung lavages also were obtained from 10 lungs at autopsy for measurements of the alveolar Sat-PC and surfactant protein-A (SP-A) concentrations. We found that (mean +/- SEM) lung Sat-PC/body weight (28.4 +/- 2.2 mumol/kg), Sat-PC/lung protein (0.060 +/- 0.005 mumol/mg), and Sat-PC/lung deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) (0.23 +/- 0.01 mumol/mg) did not vary significantly with age. The amounts of alveolar Sat-PC (1.9 +/- 0.2 mumol/kg) and SP-A (105 +/- 15 micrograms/kg) were lower than previous estimates in other species. The relatively small surfactant pools in the human may make the lung more susceptible to injuries that interfere with surfactant function.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Teenage suicide in King County, Washington. I. Rates of suicide for 26 years.

The population-adjusted rate of teenage suicide in King County, Washington, was reviewed for the 26 years from 1959 to 1984. For the entire period, the rate did not change significantly. An abrupt change did occur during the middle of this period, but, for reasons discussed in the text, this may well represent a change in procedures and philosophy of death certification rather than a real change in rate. Reasons for the apparent discrepancy with national statistics are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Teenage suicide in King County, Washington. II. Comparison with adult suicides.

The 25 teenage suicides that occurred in King County, Washington, during 1983 and 1984 were compared with the 158 adult suicides that occurred during 1984. The comparison included the following features: sex, race, declaration of intent, motive, method, isolation, alcohol or drug intoxication at the time of death, prior suicide threats and attempts, counseling history and diagnosis, and family history of suicide. For the teens, we also queried school or employment status, anxiety-producing experiences, symptoms of depression, marital history of the parents, and number and order of siblings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Hemolysis and hyperkalemia complicate malignant hyperpyrexia during anesthetic death.

A healthy, 15-year-old male received a thiopental, nitrous oxide, oxygen, enflurane anesthetic for appendectomy. Cardiac arrest, following succinylcholine administration, was associated with marked hyperkalemia (potassium levels 8.7 to 11.6 meq), hemolysis (hematocrit fall from 41.7 to 26.6%, plasma hemoglobin 27 mg/dL), and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) elevation (8900 units). Vigorous resuscitative therapy including dantrolene was unsuccessful. The diagnosis of malignant hyperthermia was made by the marked CPK elevation on blood samples drawn during resuscitation and analyzed by the Medical Examiner's Office.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Correlation of circumstances with pathological findings in asphyxial deaths by hanging: a prospective study of 61 cases from Seattle, WA.

Correlation of the circumstances of death with the pathologic findings in this prospective study of deaths by hanging affords insight pertaining to certain of the pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in fatalities of this type. The presence of conjunctival and facial/periorbital petechial hemorrhages correlates with increasing levels of body support below the point of ligature suspension. Hyoid bone and/or thyroid cartilage fractures (found in 26% of cases) are most frequently identified in those persons found completely suspended and in victims in the older age ranges. No hyoid bone/thyroid cartilage fractures, internal soft tissue injury, or petechiae were present in 13 (21%) of the study cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

A procedure for the investigation of anesthetic/surgical deaths.

A procedure for the investigation of surgical/anesthetic deaths is presented which allows for clearly defined jurisdictional assessment and correlates the autopsy and toxicological findings with the pathophysiology of the anesthetic/surgical event. This procedure facilitates an accurate certification of the cause of death in patients who die during surgery and anesthesia.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1984

Ethanol in sequestered hematomas: quantitative evaluation.

When death is delayed after injury, blood collected from sequestered hematomas (subdural, epidural, and intracerebral) may reflect the presence of ethanol in the circulating blood at the time of the injury. The authors have examined a series of cases in which such a situation occurred and in which a circulating blood ethanol level was determined shortly after the injury. In essentially all of the cases, the ethanol level in the hematoma was lower than that in the blood sample drawn shortly after the injury. In a group of cases where death occurred immediately, ethanol concentrations in sequestered sites approximated those in blood drawn from the aorta. Possible mechanisms for the decrease in the concentration of ethanol in the sequestered hematomas are discussed.

Cerebral Hemorrhage↗
PubMed1984

Postmortem methemoglobin concentrations and their significance.

Small concentrations of methemoglobin are present in the blood of normal individuals. Increased concentrations of methemoglobin can be formed by the action of certain chemicals or drugs, or in individuals with specific genetic defects. There is little information available concerning the validity of postmortem methemoglobin concentration as an indicator of antemortem methemoglobinemia. We measured blood concentrations of methemoglobin in 49 autopsy specimens. We conclude that postmortem methemoglobin concentrations are not valid indicators of antemortem methemoglobinemia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Boot top fractures in pedestrians. A forensic masquerade.

Fractures of the legs are characteristic injuries in automobile-pedestrian collisions. Typically these occur at the level of the bumper; measurement of the height of these fractures may be used to reconstruct the events surrounding the collision. We report two cases in which the lower leg fractures did not correspond to the bumper, but rather to the top of the boots worn by the pedestrians. In both cases the decedents were wearing boots with lugged soles which provided fixation of the foot and support for the foot and ankle. The mechanism of these injuries is analogous to boot top fractures which occur in skiing accidents.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1983

Sexual abuse and death of an elderly lady by "fisting".

We describe the death of an elderly lady which resulted from the insertion of the hand and forearm into the rectum. The practice of "fisting" is a form of sexual activity confined primarily to the homosexual community. We report this death to alert forensic pathologists to this unusual practice, which can be fatal.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

Sites of suicidal gunshot wounds.

Two hundred twenty-six suicides by firearms were analyzed to determine the entrance wound site. Overall, the head was the most favored site, accounting for 75% of the wounds; specifically, the right temple accounted for 39% of the wounds. The data were further examined in terms of specific weapon types. In the case of handguns, the preference for the temple was even more prominent, with this site accounting for nearly two thirds of the wounds. With long guns the predominance of head wounds was less pronounced but still present. Correlations with sex and age showed no significant difference in choice of site but did show differences in selection of gunshot as the means of suicide. Correlations of site with handedness showed that most individuals held true to form but that a significant proportion (8%) inflicted their wounds on the other side. Finally, three cases of suicide by multiple gunshots are presented.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Cardiac ganglionitis associated with sudden unexpected death.

In a postmortem study of the hearts of two young women who died suddenly and unexpectedly, we found a remarkably similar and distinctive ganglionitis, predominantly in the region of the sinus node. Both women had ventricular fibrillation at the time of collapse. Vesicular neuritis and older neural degeneration were present in other regions of the heart. Except for focal fibromuscular dysplasia of the sinus node artery and atrioventricular node artery of one heart, there was no other significant anatomic abnormality in either heart. The functional significance of this cardiac ganglionitis is unclear, but its location in and around the conduction system makes it a possible cause of the fatal electrical instability. Recognition that ganglionitis of the heart may be associated with sudden death should stimulate a number of additionally useful studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Lipid content in the liver of fatty metamorphosis of pregnancy.

Lipid analyses were performed on the liver of a patient who died during an episode of acute fatty liver of pregnancy, and on livers from normal subjects and from subjects suffering from nutritional fatty livers. Comparison of these data indicates that in fatty liver of pregnancy the increased hepatic lipids consist primarily of free fatty acids. The recognized toxicity of fatty acids suggests a pathogenic mechanism for the disease. Nutritional fatty liver is associated predominantly with an increase in triglyceride. These changes are not the result of postmortem change, and they confirm and extend the previous data concerning the fat accumulation in human hepatic illness.

Adult↗