Academic Forensic Pathology最新文献

Introduction: The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a great deal of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Since most deaths related to COVID-19 are currently considered natural, and they tend to occur following a clinically recognized illness, many medical examiner/coroner offices within the United States do not take jurisdiction over the majority of COVID-19 deaths.

Methods: In this review, we present the experience of a medium-sized medical examiner's office affiliated with an academic medical school institution, over the first 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: Compared to a 15-month period that immediately preceded the pandemic, our office experienced a significant increase in the total number of reported deaths, scene investigations, full autopsies, natural deaths, accidents, homicides, and drug-related deaths, but a decrease in the number of suicides. Overall, our office performed 5 autopsies during the study period where COVID-19 was considered the primary cause of death, 4 cases where COVID-19 was considered a contributory cause of death, and 28 cases where COVID-19 testing was positive, but COVID-19 was not contributory to death.

Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by a sizeable increase in work volume within our academic medical examiner's office. Although this increased workload was not related to a large number of COVID-19-related deaths investigated by the office, there were numerous areas of increased workload that were likely secondarily related to the conditions associated with the pandemic.

An explosive is a container that is filled with material that will explode when it is thrown or dropped, or when a device inside it makes it explode. Many materials can be used in making up of a bomb individually or when mixed with some other chemical. The type of explosive that gets misused most commonly are those used in manufacturing and other commercial applications due to their easy accessibility to public. Improper handling and inattentive behavior toward the explosives can lead to disastrous circumstances. Here we report such a case in which a 30-year-old male took rocks of potassium sulphate (called Gandhak Potash in the local vernacular language) and struck them with a metallic pestle, which triggered an explosion. The distal phalanges of both hands were found traumatically amputated. Stippling effect due to unburnt powdered explosive substance were present over the head, face, chest, and anteromedial aspect of legs. He died within few hours after the blast. Different type of mechanical injuries and injuries to the internal organs can be sustained over the body due to effects of explosion as we've seen in our case, that is, abrasion, contusion, lacerations, fractures, burn injury and such pattern of injury, and specific injuries sustained due to pressure effect like blast lung along with circumstantial evidence helps in deciding the manner of death.

Limited case reports have been published regarding serotonin syndrome due to the combined effects of supratherapeutic levels of dextromethorphan and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. We report a case of an adolescent with postmortem findings suggestive of a diagnosis of serotonin syndrome-induced psychosis associated with a double homicide and suicide. Postmortem toxicology of the suicide victim was remarkable for elevated serotonergic metabolites of fluoxetine and dextromethorphan in a 14-year-old male.

Objectives: To predict body height using hand length and hand breadth in pharmacy and nursing students at Misrake Ghion College, Northeast Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted from October 15 to January 20, 2021. The study was carried out on 316 students (160 males and 156 females). The study participants were from the Amhara ethnic groups, with the age range of 18 to 25 years. Body height, hand length, and hand breath were measured and analyzed using SPSS version 23. The strength of association was evaluated using correlation analysis. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. A paired sample t test was performed. Regression equations were derived using simple and multiple linear regression analysis.

Results: Hand length and hand breadth had a positive significant correlation with body height in both male and females. In both males and females, left hand length had a strong significant correlation (males r = 0.768, females r = 0.670), followed by right hand length (males r = 0.711, females r = 0.626). Regarding hand length, right hand breadth (males r = 0.671, female r = 0.438) and left hand length (males r = 0.504, females r = 0.525). There was a significant bilateral difference in hand length and hand breadth on its right and left sides (p < 0.05). Simple and multiple regression equations were formulated for each sex.

Conclusion: In both males and females, body height can be estimated from hand length and breadth using simple or multiple regression equations.