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PubMed2005

DNA analysis of ingested tomato and pepper seeds.

Ingested food is one of the important types of forensic evidence obtained during a medicolegal autopsy. Many materials containing seeds pass through the human digestive system and are still recognizable; thus, they can be valuable for providing investigative leads. Currently, the identification of seeds relies on microscopic and morphologic examination. However this method sometimes can be problematic. For example, the microscopic appearance of the ingested tomato and pepper seeds is very similar; thus, it is not always easy to distinguish these seeds by comparing their physical characteristics. Tomato and pepper seeds were selected as a model system to assess the value of performing DNA analysis as an alternate and/or complimentary means of seed identification. Results of blind testing indicate that the deoxyribonucleic acid-amplified fragment length polymorphism (DNA-AFLP) results were able to discriminate between pepper and tomato seed samples after they passed through the digestive system.

Capsicum↗

PubMed1983

[Measurement of human seminal components and its medicolegal application].

Microdeterminations for low molecular compounds highly contained in human seminal plasma, i. e., dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), spermine (Sp) and citric acid (CA) have been established. Experimental studies were carried out on application of these methods to identification of semen from cadaveric vaginae more than a few days after death. DHEA-S was measured by radioimmunoassay using anti-DHEA-S-17-hydrazone conjugated bovine serum albumin rabbit antiserum. Sp and CA were determined spectrophotometrically with monoamine oxidase and with citrate lyase, oxalacetate decarboxylase and pyruvate oxidase, respectively. DHEA-S and its cross-reacting materials were contained little in saliva, moderately in semen and vaginal contents and largely in serum and urine. By the above method Sp was not detectable in other body fluids except semen. CA was contained not only largely in semen but also a little in other body fluids. DHEA-S and Sp in the seminal fluid allowed to stand at room temperature were relatively stable during a month, whereas CA became undetectable in 10 days, all of which being persistent in seminal stain during at least one month. From these results the colorimetry of Sp among the three methods above mentioned was found to be most reliable for detecting seminal fluid from vaginal contents of a putrefied cadaver.

Body Fluids↗

PubMed1980

The establishment and practice of forensic medicine in Iraq.

The development of a legal curriculum in Iraq included the subject of forensic medicine. In 1972 the College of Medicine in Baghdad included teaching in forensic medicine, and this has continued as the six current medical schools were established in the country. A central Medical Laboratory was established in 1918 and in 1919 a medicolegal department was included. An autopsy service was added to this department in 1920. After several changes the current activities are under the direction of the Ministry of the Interior. Professor A. I. Kayssi was the first active practitioner of forensic medicine in Iraq and he has been succeeded by Dr. W. M. Ali, who was a student and colleague. Each Province of Iraq has Medicolegal Centers whose Directors confer with the Central Institute of Baghdad. This Institute has responsibility for investigation of deaths and the examination of the living involved in sexual attacks or identification problems. The autopsy rate is 2784 per year in this institute. Iraq has 10.5 million people in an area smaller than the state of Texas. Baghdad, the largest city has less than 2 million.

Academies and Institutes↗

PubMed1994

Fatal poisoning with detajmium: identification of detajmium and its metabolites and artifacts by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and quantification by high-performance liquid chromatography.

After ingestion of an unknown dose of detajmium, a 14-year-old female collapsed with asystolia. Resuscitation efforts were not successful. A medicolegal autopsy was carried out, and blood, liver and gastric content were extracted and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). After derivatization with acetic anhydride, detajmium and twelve of its derivatives and metabolites were identified. The main metabolic pathways include hydroxylation and subsequent O-methylation of the indol ring, and oxidation as well as reduction of the C-21 hydroxyl function. Cleavage of the N-alkyl side-chain is a further, possibly non-enzymatic degradation pathway. Artifact formation induced by acetylation included dehydratation of the hydroxyl function of C-21 and the N-alkyl side-chain. The detajmium concentration in blood of the decreased was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection (12 micrograms/ml).

Acetic Anhydrides↗

PubMed1999

The impact of diagnostic immunohistochemistry on patient outcomes.

Diagnostic immunohistology (DIHC) is a discipline that has been used clinically for at least two decades, but, because of medicolegal encumbrances, it has not been a part of many formal outcomes analyses during that time. Potential applications of this technology with a direct bearing on response to treatment include the accurate identification of infectious organisms, distinction between morphologically-similar undifferentiated tumors, separation of benign and malignant neoplasms, and prognostication of malignancies. The first two of those four roles may indeed have a quantifiable impact on case outcomes, but the last two applications have only questionable value in this specific context. This is an area of medicine in which formal outcomes analysis is greatly needed to help determine future practice patterns.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed2002

[Medicolegal screening of olfactory function].

Prior to nose surgery the birhinal ability to smell should be tested routinely. From the medico-legal point of view a short screening-test consisting of 5 or 8 test items is not sufficient. It is recommended to use an identification test with 12 or 16 items. The results of these tests taken together with the patients' self estimation, the patients' history and the rhinoscopic findings offer a satisfactory evaluation of the patients' ability to smell in most cases. In case of discrepancies a more detailed test determining the TDI-value is recommendable. If the 16-identification test is used, it is sufficient to add the values of the threshold and the discrimination measurements with the "Sniffin' Sticks" to complete a full TDI score.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1992

[The role of the radiologist in the medicolegal procedure after an aviation accident].

The role of radiologic imaging studies in the forensic medical procedure following an airborne disaster is now well established. This report summarizes the experience and the results acquired with a recent air crash, and insists on three suggestions: the necessity of a prepared identification team consisting of specialist in forensic medicine, in forensic odontology and specialist in forensic radiology, and the usefulness of a suitable structure for the study and the storage of the dead bodies, the need for a compilation of radiological informations, notably dental X-Ray examinations for the flying personnel.

Accidents, Aviation↗

PubMed2004

3D CT evaluation of retained foreign bodies.

Retained foreign bodies in the abdomen and pelvis are an uncommon occurrence after surgical operations but have serious medicolegal implications. The radiologist plays an important role in suggesting the diagnosis of a retained foreign body. This article reviews the use of three-dimensional CT as a problem-solving tool in the identification, localization, and presurgical planning of retained surgical foreign bodies.

Foreign Bodies↗

PubMed1985

The identification of Josef Mengele. A triumph of international cooperation.

In recent weeks, world attention has been focused on the identification of skeletal remains suspected of being those of the most widely sought Nazi war criminal still at large--Josef Mengele. Several important turns in the investigation of his whereabouts led to a small city south of São Paulo, where he had been living until 1979. Mengele was reported to have drowned and to have been buried in a country cemetery near his last residence. The initial processing of the remains was done at the Medicolegal Institute of São Paulo by police officials in consultation with anthropologists and dentists as well as Dr. Wilmes Teixeira of Mogi das Cruzes, a suburb of São Paulo. Dr. Teixeira coordinated the team of authorized international forensic experts officially representing the governments of West Germany and the United States, as well as the Simon Wiesenthal Center of Los Angeles, who joined Brazilian scientists in completing identification. The success of the investigation was due to complete cooperation among members of the team, resulting in verification, within a reasonable scientific certainty, that these were the remains of Josef Mengele.

Age Determination by Skeleton↗

PubMed1988

A survey of anaesthetic charts.

This survey reviews the structure and content of all anaesthetic record charts in use in the 40 hospitals of the Yorkshire Regional Health Authority in the light of previous recommendations. Twenty-two different anaesthetic charts were used by 290 anaesthetists in this region. Some of the charts did not meet the ideal standard for size (A4) and the majority had no colour coding. Fourteen of the 22 charts omitted important headings concerned with patient identification and eight charts did not provide a record of the whole perioperative period. Some comprehensive forms are in use, chiefly in smaller hospitals, but there have been few changes in design in the last 10 years despite increasing medicolegal awareness.

Anesthesiology↗

PubMed1979

The LAP test. A new method for identification of seminal stains by a qualitative color reaction of leucine aminopeptidase.

A new simple method for identification of seminal stains is described. It employs a qualitative color reaction based on histochemical technique for demonstration of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), which is extremely abundant in human semen. The method herein reported (the LAP test) is quite suitable for medicolegal examination of seminal stains as a preliminary test.

Color↗

PubMed1999

Iatrogenic staphylococcus aureus septicaemia following intravenous and intramuscular injections: clinical course and pathomorphological findings.

The clinical course, autopsy and histological findings are presented from three (one 33-year-old female and two males aged 26 and 56) fatalities resulting from injection therapy which has produced Staphylococcus aureus septicaemia. The autopsies were performed within 2-4 days postmortem. No primary focus other than the insertion site of the peripheral venous catheters or the intramuscular injections, representing the initial entry site of Staphylococcus aureus, could be identified. Death was attributed directly to the staphylococcal infection as a result of iatrogenic injection therapy for the treatment of a non-severe underlying illness (premature labour pains, acute loss of hearing, lumbago). The forensic diagnosis of Staphylococcus aureus septicaemia following iatrogenic injections has to be critically evaluated and can be established routinely in cases with delayed autopsy only when no other cause of death is revealed by autopsy, no apparent source of infection other than the insertion site can be detected and careful attention is paid to histological and bacteriological findings. All doubtful cases of nosocomial bloodstream infections with fatal outcome should undergo an immediate autopsy. In cases of very early forensic involvement microbiological investigations, including phagotyping, molecular biological characterization and identification of bacterial toxins from micro-organisms out of appropriate specimens obtained postmortem, could be efforts of potential evidential value regarding the aetiological proof. To optimize aetiopathogenetic conclusions concerning a causal relationship between iatrogenic injections and septic complications, the medicolegal investigation should also include an interdisciplinary co-operation with consultants from other relevant fields (e.g. microbiology and hygienics).

Adult↗

PubMed2000

[Medico-legal certification of fatal cases after drug: abuse in the light of modern toxicological analysis].

Introduction of modern instrumental methods for toxicological analysis make possible a detection and identification of xenobiotics in different kind of multicomponents biological samples (plant sources of narcotics, body fluids and tissues of abusers) on a low concentration level. In this way a range of possibilities for the interpretation of toxicological results was enlarged. General medicolegal trends are strictly connected with modern analytics and they can be discussed on the basis of drug--users and fatal cases of intoxications with narcotics. Toxicological findings of these cases were worked out by means of modern analytical method--liquid chromatography with mass detection (LC/MS).

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Investigation of incidents of terrorism involving commercial aircraft.

Deaths resulting from terrorism involving aircraft have occurred incident to hijackings as well as bombings. Passengers or groups of passengers have been chosen by terrorists as the recipients of violence based on citizenship, religion, and political beliefs. They have usually been segregated from other passengers and subsequently mistreated and/or murdered. Thorough documentation of the injuries of victims is essential to the investigation of such atrocities; a medicolegal autopsy correlated with a scene investigation is of paramount importance. Aircraft bombings can create extremely sensitive political situations and public demands for quick resolution. The autopsy of victims in such circumstances, if properly conducted, can yield invaluable trace evidence leading to the identification of the explosive device. The examination of any surviving victims as well as the aircraft is also critical in reconstructing the event. Deaths occurring as the result of in-flight aircraft bombings can produce injuries by five different mechanisms, viz. blast, shrapnel, decompression, impact with the aircraft, and ground impact.

Aircraft↗

PubMed1993

Deciding to terminate treatment: a practical guide for physicians.

Providing house officers and practicing physicians with annotated, concise, practical guidelines for decisions to terminate treatment is the objective of this report. The study selection and data extraction focused on statutes, regulations, court decisions, medicolegal analyses, clinical studies, and position papers addressing termination-of-treatment issues. To foster a systematic approach, we developed a laminated, pocket-sized card containing a series of questions to be asked by any physician confronted with termination-of-treatment decisions. Systematic identification and deliberate assessment of (1) brain death; (2) the nature, extent, cause, prognosis, and reversibility of impairment; (3) the type of treatment to be withheld or withdrawn; (4) the futility of any proposed intervention; (5) the capacity of the patient for health care decision-making; (6) the evidence of patient's wishes; (7) the proper roles of family members, surrogate decision makers, and other health professionals (eg, ethics committees); and (8) applicable policies, ethics, laws, and potential conflicts of interest will enhance efficiency and add value to the decision-making process at the end of life.

Brain Death↗

PubMed1996

Dowry cannibalism.

The term dowry cannibalism is used in this article to describe a unique case where the motive for cannibalism was the non-fulfilment of a husband's dowry demands from his wife. The husband was accused by the wife of regularly using a syringe to withdraw blood from her, with the intent of causing her death, and drinking it. Intriguing as this is, it is also medicolegally important: this method of killing might leave no trace suggesting murder. It is postulated that this form of abuse may also significantly alter the psychological state of the victim and hasten death. The case is not yet concluded, and may never be, thus details to allow identification have been omitted from the report.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Malignant mesothelioma: current status of histopathologic diagnosis and molecular profile.

Malignant mesothelioma of the pleura is a relatively rare neoplasm that has been estimated to account for 20 deaths per million males per year in North America and Europe. A causative association has been well established with asbestos exposure. Paradoxically, the incidence of this tumor continues to rise despite public efforts to reduce, contain or eliminate exposure to asbestos fibers over the past few decades. Another paradoxical feature of the disease is that the majority of malignant mesotheliomas represent morphologically low-grade, well-differentiated neoplasms, yet they follow a relentlessly aggressive and virtually uniformly fatal outcome. For this reason, identification of clinical, morphologic, immunohistochemical or molecular genetic parameters is of extremely limited value for prognostication. Surprisingly, for a disease that currently has no known cure, one of the major problems still lies in establishing the correct diagnosis. Diagnosis acquires a particular relevance in light of the medicolegal ramifications of this disease, and diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma is still fraught with difficulties. Despite the advances in modern diagnostic techniques, no specific markers or morphologic features exist that are exclusive to these tumors. Herein, the current status of malignant mesothelioma diagnosis is reviewed, including the possible contributions of modern molecular techniques for their diagnosis.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

[Medical jurisprudence problems raised by transsexualism in 1986. Apropos of 148 cases of gender dysphoria].

The authors review the classification of transsexualism and gender dysphoria with respect to a series of 148 patients followed up for 10 years by a multidisciplinary group of endocrinologists, surgeons and psychiatrists; transsexualism is a major problem of self-identity and not a sexual derivation. The principal features of the study population are presented with details of methodology, criteria for selection for sex change treatment, and results obtained. The two main medicolegal problems (changing civil identity and penal medical responsibility) posed by medico-surgical treatment in France are discussed.

Diagnosis, Differential↗