摘要:

This article reviews the postmortem chemistry of body fluids. The articles reviewed have been written in English during the last 15 years and the subjects discussed include carbohydrates, nitrogenous compounds, electrolytes, trace elements, lipids, proteins, bile pigments, enzymes, hormones, blood gases, pH, biochemical markers, metabolic disorders, SIDS, time of death, and the physical characteristics of serum.

ISSN:0195-7910    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

We reared larvae ofCalliphora vicinaon human skeletal muscle obtained from cases of suicidal overdose with co-proxamol (propoxyphene and acetaminophen) and amitriptyline. After 4 days, third-instar larvae were either transferred to drug-free muscle or continued to feed on drug-laden muscle for a further 2 days prior to harvesting. Amitriptyline and nortriptyline were detected in both groups of larvae, but propoxyphene was only in those fed continuously on drug-laden muscle, and acetaminophen was in neither. Drug concentrations in muscle food source were amitriptyline 0.48 μg/g, nortriptyline 0.38 μg/g, propoxyphene 0.99 μg/g, and acetaminophen 14.13 μg/g. For triplicate rearings, the mean ratios of drug concentrations in larvae to food source were amitriptyline, 0.56; nortriptyline, 0.5; and propoxyphene, 0.06. In triplicate rearings, no drug or metabolite was detected in puparia, puparial cases, or imagos. We conclude that the absence of a drug in maggots is not necessarily an indication that the drug was not present in significant concentrations in the food source. The malpighian tubules and the “nephrocytes” of fly larvae appear capable of eliminating different drugs with varying efficiency.

ISSN:0195-7910    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Various blood samples were collected from heart cavities and blood vessels in eight autopsy cases of people who had been methamphetamine abusers. Methamphetamine and its metabolite, amphetamine, were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-selected ion monitoring. In four cases where left and right heart blood samples were collected, methamphetamine concentrations in the left heart blood samples were 1.9–2.6 times higher than those in the right heart blood samples. In three cases where pulmonary vein blood samples were collected, methamphetamine concentrations in the pulmonary vein blood samples were higher than those in other blood samples sites. To interpret the blood methamphetamine concentrations, site dependence should be taken into consideration.

ISSN:0195-7910    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Drowning is a well-recognized cause of death in persons with epilepsy. Investigation of bathtub drowning is often not straightforward. We report three cases of bathtub water drowning of patients with neuropathological bases for seizures. The importance of neuropathological examination is discussed. A high index of suspicion is required for all cases of bathtub-related death, even in the absence of history of previous seizure disorders. Neuropathological examination must be performed to look for anatomical lesions associated with seizures. Identification of these findings could be very helpful in ruling out homicide or suicide as the cause of death in bathtub drownings.

ISSN:0195-7910    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

A case of an acute subdural hematoma in association with a hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage is presented. Scene examination, medical history, and autopsy findings support the conclusion that the subdural hemorrhage was the result of natural disease. Although the majority of acute subdural hematomas occurring in cases of sudden unexpected death involve trauma of some type, they can occur as a result of natural processes, or as a spontaneous phenomenon associated with cortical artery rupture. The literature describing nontraumatic causes of subdural hemorrhage is reviewed.

ISSN:0195-7910    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Suicide statistics for Britain (England and Wales) from 1950 to 1990 are analysed. A rising suicide rate among males, particularly the young, is associated with an increased use of hanging as a suicide method. The same trend is not seen among females. Death by hanging can seldom be concealed or regarded as other than suicide, so statistics for suicidal hanging are likely accurate. Increased suicidal hangings cannot be explained by changes in the availability or awareness of the method and must reflect change in choice of method. Hanging as a suicide method has been historically unpopular in Britain because of the dishonourable repute associated with its use for judicial execution. The abolition of judicial hanging in Britain in 1965 may have led to an increased acceptability of hanging as a suicide method. The resultant increased use of this highly lethal method may be one underlying cause of the increased numbers of completed suicides and the rise in the suicide rate.

ISSN:0195-7910    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

A 12-year-old girl fatally suspended herself accidentally from a tree branch with a circumferential webbing tape tied round the midtrunk area. This occurred as part of a recreational practice whereby the body, tied in this fashion, could be made to swing in a pendulumlike horizontal plane. She was found dead in this position, hanging transversely one foot above the ground. A complete autopsy showed a tram-line circumferential parchmented bruise of the midtrunk area and bruising of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm with occasional petechiae. The mechanism through which death resulted in this case is believed to have involved a progressive tightening and compression of the primary respiratory muscles, resulting in eventual failure of the respiratory effort.

ISSN:0195-7910    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

A case of autoerotic asphyxiation is presented. The incident demonstrates 12 of the 13 characteristics particular to autoerotic asphyxias. The elements of attire and bondage used are unique in comparison with previously reported cases. The addictive nature of this behavior is well demonstrated in the victim's sexual history. Interestingly, his spouse was aware of his autoerotic activity.

ISSN:0195-7910    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

In cases of unusual death, scene investigation plays an important role in assisting the investigator to determine the manner of death. The following case history describes an unusual suicide in which scene investigation was essential in assisting the authorities in determining the manner of death.

ISSN:0195-7910    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Intraamniotic instillation of urea is a common mode of legal second-trimester pregnancy termination. Associated mortality rarely occurs and is most commonly due to amniotic fluid embolism, pulmonary thromboembolism, infection, hemorrhage, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). We present the case of an 18-year-old gravida 2, para 1 white woman at 18 weeks' gestation who underwent intraamniotic instillation of hyperosmolar urea and intracervical insertion of laminaria tents; 19 h later, she became unresponsive, acidemic, and went into shock. Coagulation studies were diagnostic of DIC. Bacilli were seen on peripheral blood smear. Autopsy showed marked subcutaneous emphysema of the anterior abdominal wall, necrosis and emphysema of the uterus, diffuse pulmonary alveolar damage, and renal cortical necrosis. Antemortem blood cultures grewClostridium perfringensandEscherichia coli.Postmortem culture of the uterus grewE. coli.The source of infection was most likely the introduction of vaginal organisms via laminaria insertion. This is apparently the first reported case of death caused byClostridium perfringensandE. colisepsis following urea instillation.

ISSN:0195-7910    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID