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Biomedical subjects

W Bonte

Publications and source records attributed to W Bonte.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Alcohol intoxicated bicyclists in Düsseldorf 1986-1990].

Although traffic participation of bicycle riders is steadily increasing only few investigations concerning "riding while intoxicated" are available. This study examines the blood sample records of all blood samples submitted to the Duesseldorfer Institute of Forensic Medicine for blood alcohol analysis from 1986 to 1990 with respect to the participation of bicycle riders. As to the most important epidemiologic data: The proportion of samples from bicyclists increased from 2.6% in 1986 to 4.8% in 1990. Women account for 6.5%. 36.8% are younger than 30 years. Most bicycle riders were apprehended during the months of summer, on the days of the weekend and in the hours around midnight. 67.3% displayed a BAC above the legal limit for bicycle riders of 1.7 g/l. In comparison only 34.5% were judged highly drunken on medical examination. Regarding the group with a BAC above 2.5 g/l expected to be highly intoxicated 37.7% only appeared slightly or moderately impaired rising the suspicion of high alcohol tolerance.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Measures against drunken driving in Germany.

The German authorities tend to reinforce the combat against drunken driving. Three of the countermeasures will undergo changes. The usual blood tests will be replaced by breath tests in the near future. The legal BAC limit will be reduced. And the limit above which a BAC is thought to indicate deviant drinking behaviour will be lowered. The changes may be desirable. But at the same time they are associated with analytical problems which demand a critical discussion.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1990

Unexpected infant death attributable to cardiac tumor or cardiomyopathy. Immunohistochemical and electron microscopical findings in three cases.

The pathological findings, including immunohistochemical and electron microscopical findings, in three infants who died unexpectedly of cardiac tumor or cardiomyopathy are reported. The first was a 13-month-old boy with tuberous sclerosis and multiple rhabdomyomas of the heart, who presented with a postpartal cardiac murmur and moderate cardiomegaly. The further history was unknown. The rhabdomyoma nodules were composed of spider cells containing small amounts of desmin and myosin as well as isolated myofibrils. Microscopically small glioma nodules contained high amounts of GFAP. The second case, a boy 4 months of age, died of a large benign fibrous histiocytoma of the heart after an uneventful history. Tumor cells contained alpha-1-anti-chymotrypsin and lysozyme. The third case, a girl 2 months of age, died unexpectedly of histiocytoid cardiomyopathy. The affected cells contained fat droplets, glycogen granules, many leptomer myofibrils and small amounts of myosin and desmin.

Astrocytoma↗
PubMed1990

Sudden natural death at the wheel--a particular problem of the elderly?

Thirty-nine autopsy cases of sudden natural death at the wheel were analysed with special respect to the questions if this is a peculiar problem of the elderly and if there are particular pathological features in the elderly. The ages ranged from 33 through 83 years and the median age was 56.4 years. 97% of the deaths were attributable to cardiovascular diseases, about 90% to coronary heart disease. People older than 60 years of age tended to exhibit severe chronical arterio-sclerotic changes of the coronary arteries, especially multiple calcified stenoses and myocardial scars, but there was a low percentage of recent thrombotic occlusion of a coronary artery.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Suicides by starter's pistols and air guns.

We report the case of a 25-year-old depressed woman who committed suicide with a starter's pistol loaded with CS tear-gas ammunition. The propellant gases of the contact shot entered her chest through the left sixth intercostal space. Exsanguination was caused by perforations of the pericardium and apex of the heart. Autopsy did not reveal any metallic or other foreign bodies that might have originated from the propellant, the cartridge, or any bulletlike material. Her injuries were thus caused by the propellant alone. 0.5 mg L-1 of the CS degradation product cyanide was detected in the cardiac blood. We also report the case of a 54-year-old man, suffering from depressive psychosis, who committed suicide with an air rifle. The lead-pointed Diabolo bullet entered his brain through the right large wing of the sphenoid bone, traversed the right temporal brain pole, damaged the right middle cerebral artery and the right optic tract, and finally lodged in the left central ganglia. There was extensive basal subdural hemorrhage and tamponade of all cerebral ventricles. Death was attributed to cerebral failure. We furthermore list another 26 cases of suicide by rarely used weapons from 1947 to 1989.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Death, after swallowing and aspiration of a high number of foreign bodies, in a schizophrenic woman.

A 46-year-old woman who had had a long-term schizoid psychosis collapsed on the street. Upon admission to the hospital, she was determined to have an acute abdomen. The chest radiograph showed metallic foreign bodies in both main bronchi; foreign bodies in the stomach were not observed clinically. The woman died from repeated cardiac arrest shortly after hospital admission. At the autopsy a screw and a nail were found in both main bronchi. The abdominal cavity contained 2 L of greenish purulent fluid and a massive fibrinoid peritonitis was observed. Two perforations of the stomach, each 1 cm in diameter, were detected. The stomach was completely filled with a mass of metallic foreign bodies, greenish fluid, and a bezoar of a total weight of 1,400 g; 422 distinguishable and mostly metallic foreign bodies were counted. Death was attributed to cardiac arrest in delayed shock after massive purulent peritonitis caused by two gastric perforations combined with obstruction of the airways by aspirated foreign bodies. Cases of massive swallowing of foreign bodies are mainly restricted to mentally handicapped persons, especially schizophrenics, whereas acute impaction of the larynx by large food particles occurs nearly exclusively in heavily intoxicated adults.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed1990

Death by bolus impaction of the larynx.

The paper reports on 78 cases of fatal choking observed in the Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Duesseldorf, since 1947. The age median of all victims was 53 years. There were 24 females among the victims. Only in one child a solitary occlusion of the glottis by a collar-button was found. In all other cases bolus material was distributed over more than one region, e.g. larynx, glottis and trachea. In 50 victims single pieces of meat, ham, herring etc. were found. In the remaining 28 cases the bolus material was roughly chewed. More than 80 per cent of cases occurred in restaurants and lodgings, only small numbers in public places, shops and hospitals. With the exception of three children, one patient with a partial horizontal resection of the larynx and some mentally handicapped persons all bolus death victims were heavily drunk (median BAC 2.1 Promille). The possible pathomechanisms were discussed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1990

Distribution of some plasma protein polymorphisms in HIV-seropositive patients.

The paper reports on the distribution of five plasma protein polymorphisms in serum samples from HIV-seropositive patients. In the GC-C III- and TF*C-systems the authors did not find any significant evidence for an association between serum markers and HIV-infection. In the PI- and BF-system we found unusual features of distribution. In our collective (n = 171) the BF*F and the PI*M2 alleles were overrepresented.

Alleles↗
PubMed1990

[Forensic medicine aspects of the Remscheid airplane crash].

In December, 1988, an American military pilot obviously losing his orientation brought down his jet fighter into a residential area of Remscheid, FRG. This paper reports on the medicolegal experiences gained during identification the victims. The officials plants for duty in case of disaster are discussed.

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed1990

Female DWI-delinquency and chronic alcoholism in Düsseldorf.

The blood sample records of all 1,231 blood samples of female DWI-offenders submitted to the Düsseldorf Institute of Forensic Medicine in 1986/87 were analysed for date and time arrest, age, additional drug intake. BAC and results of medical examination. The data obtained were compared to a randomly selected male comparison group and to the situation in the sixties. The proportion of women arrested for impaired driving has increased from 1.75% in the sixties to 7.5% in 1986/87 (factor 4.3), the percentage of highly intoxicated women (BAC above 2.5 g/l) from 0.07% to 0.55% (factor 7.9). Current female DWI behavior is quite similar to male with both groups mainly comprising highly intoxicated young subjects apprehended on the days of the weekend in the hours around midnight. Women more often admit additional drug intake with benzodiazepine abuse representing a major problem. As concluded from time of arrest, discrepancy between BAC and degree of drunkeness and blood methanol levels about 60% of the women with a BAC above 2.5 g/l have to be classified as chronic alcoholics. As a consequence female alcoholics are significantly overrepresented in female DWI-delinquency.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1989

Multiple suicidal gunshots to the head.

We report two cases of suicide by multiple gunshots to the head. The first victim (of two shots) fired the first shot, which was observed, into his mouth, leading to damage to the left optic nerve and frontal lobe. The man still was able to drive his car home, where he shot himself in his right temple. He died 2 days later. The second victim (of three shots) was a 58-year-old man who was found dead on his bed. Reconstruction of the case disclosed that the first shot had passed through his tongue and slightly damaged the second cervical vertebral body. He then shot himself in his right temple, leading to damage of the temporal lobe. Finally, he shot himself in his left temple, resulting in destruction of the pons. In the first case, an amateurishly modified 8-mm blank revolver firing 6.35-mm- (.25)-caliber ammunition was used; in the second case, a rifle firing 5.6-mm (.22)-caliber ammunition with a reduced charge was used. In both cases, low-energy transfer to brain tissue by the initial bullets was due to low bullet energy or due to the bullets' missing the brain or vital centers.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Fatal accidental enflurane intoxication.

Among reported cases of abuse of volatile anesthetics there is only one of enflurane intoxication. We report another fatal enflurane intoxication. A 21-year-old man found dead seemed to have experimented with enflurane. Three and one-half days after death high amounts of enflurane were detected in blood, brain, and subcutaneous fat. Gas chromatographic quantification revealed the following high enflurane concentrations: blood: 130 mg/l-1, brain: 350 mg/l-1, and subcutaneous fat: 100 mg/l-1. Histologic signs of drug-induced damage were lacking. No suicide intentions became known. It was concluded that the young man died of an accidental intoxication while abusing enflurane.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Electronic data processing-assisted bookkeeping and accounting system at the Düsseldorf Institute of Forensic Medicine].

In 1985 we reported about the usefulness of a simple home computer (here: Commodore C 64) for scientific work. This paper will demonstrate, that such an instrument also can be an appropriate tool for the entire accountancy of a medicolegal institute. Presented were self-designed programs which deal with the following matters: complication of monthly performance reports, calculation of services for clinical care, typing of analytical results and brief interpretations, typing of liquidations, clearing of proceeds from written expertises and autopsies against administration and staff.

Accounting↗
PubMed1988

[Methanol--an up-to-now neglected constituent of all alcoholic beverages. A new biochemical approach to the problem of chronic alcoholism].

Alcoholism is usually understood as ethanolism. There is some evidence that its oxidation product acetaldehyde may condense with endogenous amines to form tetrahydroisoquinoline (TIQ) and - tetrahydro-beta-carboline (THBC) alkaloids which ultimately might be responsible for addiction. In most animal experiments pure ethanol solutions were fed, but chronic alcoholics prefer normal alcoholic beverages, and it is widely ignored that all these beverages without exception also contain methanol. Its metabolite formaldehyde is a much more potent reaction partner for TIQ and THBC formation than acetaldehyde. As our findings in chronic alcoholics proved that these persons in contrast to healthy subjects are able to oxidize methanol despite high ethanol levels, there must be a continuous leakage of formaldehyde. And it seems possible that methanol plays a more significant role in the pathophysiology and possibly the etiology of chronic alcoholism than ethanol.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗