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A drinking study on the pharmacokinetics of the typical grappa congeners 2-butanol and 2-butanone (methyl ethyl ketone) was performed. It was expected that the concentration ratio might provide a means to estimate the time of ingestion of a grappa beverage. Twelve subjects drank a volume of the grappa "Vecchio di Prosecco" (42 vol%) to reach a blood alcohollevel of 1.20 %o. In the congener analyses in serum, a median 2-butanol concentration of 0.79 mg/1 (range 0.45-1.34 mg/1) and of 1.01 mg/I (0.44-1.62 mg/1) for 2-butanone were measured. The concentration-time curve was biphasic starting with a slow and plateau-like elimination. However, considerable inter-individual differences were observed. Only in 3 subjects, a 2-butanol : 2-butanone ratio below 1 suggested ingestion within the last 6 hours. The majority of the subjects exhibited higher concentrations of 2-butanone than of 2-butanol such that the ratio was always smaller than 1. According to the present results the concentrations of 2-butanol and 2-butanone or their ratio do not provide a reliable basis to draw conclusions on the time of grappa ingestion.

Two rare causes of iatrogenic pericardial effusions are presented. In the first case, a 61-year-old woman who had undergone laparoscopic surgery for a diaphragmatic hernia was resuscitated without success the next day. As cause of death circulatory failure as a result of post-operative pulmonary embolism was reported. Autopsy results showed that the pericardium and the heart had been sewn to the diaphragm. The suture was torn from the tissue, which caused a hemorrhage into the pericardium and the chest cavity, so that death was diagnosed to be due to cardiac tamponade and hemothorax after an iatrogenic heart injury. In the second case, a 62-year-old man who had developed a massive incisional hernia after treatment of an abdominal gunshot wound underwent open herniotomy with mesh repair. Postoperatively, the man complained about increasing pain and shortness of breath. He was transferred to another hospital for further assessment, where a cardiac tamponade was diagnosed. Autopsy results showed that three of the plastic staples used to fix the mesh had perforated the diaphragm and the pericardium thus injuring the adjacent right ventricle with subsequent perforation and development of a hemopericardium.

After the discovery of skeletonized human remains, the estimation of stature is an important element of the so-called "biological profile". Typically, long bone lengths are used in regression formulas. If long bones are not available, predictions of stature cannot be made. Human skulls are often the subject of forensic osteological examination, sometimes even detached. Therefore, it seems reasonable to search for skull measurements that have a sufficiently good correlation to stature. The aim of the study presented was to measure odonto-stomatological parameters using post-mortem CT data to check whether the esti- mation of stature was possible on this basis. Three classic tooth dimensions (MD, BL, ZL), two diagonal tooth dimensions (MBDL, DBML) first described by Lund and Mörnstad in 1999, two tooth dimensions defined for the first time in this study (MKDO, DKMO), the mesiodistal index (MDS) and also the palatal arch dimensions (arch length, arch width, molar length and dental length) - each at maxilla and mandible - were digitally measured on a total of 799 teeth of 48 virtual 3-D-reconstructed skulls (33 males and 15 females). For most of the aforementioned measurements no statistically significant relation to stature was found. There were positive correlations by Pearson at a significance level of 99 % (2-sided) at three measurements: ZL 15, MKDO 14 and MKDO 15. Positive correlations by Pearson at a significance level of 95 % (2-sided) could be determined for eight measurements, but an applicable regression formula could not be calculated for any of the parameters. Despite a statistical correlation of a few teeth parameters with body length, they must be considered unsuitable for estimating stature.

The cause-of-death-statistics and the release of the body for burial depend primarily on the information contained in the death certificate. How to handle the death certificate has been critically discussed in professional circles again and again. A retrospective review of 1,315 deaths from six acute care hospitals in Germany was carried out with regard to the quality of the death certificates, taking into account information contained in the medical records. The review covered the readability of the death certificate, the quality of the epicrisis, misclassifications relating to the manner of death and the degree of certainty regarding the cause of death. In 93 % of cases (n= 1,221), death certificates were clearly legible. In about half the cases (43.3 %, n=569), the quality of the entries in the "epicrisis" section was good. In 45 % of cases (n= 592), no details were provided in the "epicrisis " section. In 3.9 % (n = 42) of deaths classified as natural, information was given indicating a non-natural death. Most of these deaths occurred in connection with a fall or an injury (n = 27) or possible errors relating to treatment or care (n = 7). Overall, the review showed that clinicians handled the medical death certificate in a competent and careful manner. However, based on the content of the files, the review identified individual and avoidable misclassifications as to the manner of death and improbable causes of death; it also demonstrated that information on the epicrisis is often missing and needs significant improvement.

In the present study, immunochemical tests (Mahsan DrugInspector, DOA4, DOA8, DOA10, Protzek) as well as the detection rate of police checks were evaluated. Urine and blood samples of suspected car drivers were analysed by chromatography-mass spectrometry. Additionally, anonymised urine samples were analysed on a voluntary basis in cases where no legal proceedings were initiated. Toxicological analyses (total unknown screening) were performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after hydrolysis, acidic and alkaline extraction and derivatization. A data base for screening 9000 substance entries was applied. In addition, urine samples were analysed using liquid chromatography/ time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ToF-MS) to screen psychiatric and narcotic drugs. In total, samples of 154 suspects were analysed, of these, 46 samples for no actual reason. In 5 of the latter samples, forensically relevant substances were detected; in two cases the consumption of illicit drugs, i. e. cannabis and methamphetamine, was proved. Of the 154 suspects, 108 were charged with driving under the influence of drugs; in samples of 103 of these cases, illicit drugs were found. Immunochemical pretesting showed posi- tive results in 97 of the 108 cases; in 6 samples, psychiatric drugs (citalopram, doxepin, promethazine, mirtazapine, fluoxetine, venlafaxine) were later identified, which are not detectable by ordinary pretesting systems. Police officers successfully identified 95.4 % of the suspects as drug consumers, which is an excellent result. In practice, pretesting of urine samples using immunochemical techniques proved to be very reliable. The Protzek system in particular corresponded well with the results of the chromatographic analyses. In conclusion, systematic chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of urine samples of suspects is recommended to identify car drivers consuming illicit drugs and to obtain data usable in legal proceedings (e. g. suspending of the driving license), which is not always possible when using blood samples in cases of drugs consumed some time ago.

In suicide cases involving an automobile, the car is mostly used as a tool/instrument for the suicide (intoxication by exhaust fumes, crash against solid objects such as a pylon). However, a car is uncommonly also used only as the location for a suicide. In the present case, a 70-year-old man had been found dead on the passenger seat of his car. According to witnesses, the car had not been parked there at the same time of the previous day. During that period, the weather had been dry, with temperatures ranging from -1⁰ C at night to +5⁰ C during the day. The man had shot himself with a small-caliber revolver (so-called bulldog-revolver) almost horizontally in the left temple (transtemporal shot through the frontal lobes). Obviously, the suicide had retained the capability to act at least for a short time, as the revolver was found under his left bottom. As morphological signs of prolonged agony some findings of hypothermia were observed (e. g. Wischnewski spots of the stomach).

In Germany, suicides by firearms are not very common in contrast to deaths by hanging and intoxications. The use of historical muzzle-loading firearms in the context of suicides is a rarity. Contact shots from muzzle loaders cause an unusual wound morphology with extensive soot soiling. We report the case of a 59-year-old man, who committed a planned complex suicide by shooting into his mouth with a replica percussion gun in combination with hanging. The gunshot injury showed strong explosive effects in the oral cavity with fractures of the facial bones and the skull associated with cerebral evisceration (so-called Krönlein shot). Due to the special constellation of the case with hanging immediately after the shot, external bleeding from the head injuries was only moderate. Therefore, the head injuries could be assessed and partially reconstructed already at the scene.

The famous violin virtuoso Nicolò Paganini (born on 27 October 1782 in Genoa, died on 27 May 1840 in Nice) left us with many puzzles. An interesting aspect is his hair: In the 19th century, hair given away as a token of friendship or romantic love became very popular, and Paganini also seems to have made use of this fad. In 2009, a lock of hair, purportedly that of Paganini, kept in a locked presentation box together with a bilingual autograph inscription saying: "Alla Signora Chatterton avec les compliments de Nicolò Paganini" was bought at an auction. From this hair lock a sample was taken and was investigated morphologically by using digital light microscopy (digital microscope VHX-100, Keyence) in reflected and transmitted light with and without polarization at different magnifications up to 1:5,000. The sample was then compared with a hair sample from the possession of the Paganini family, which had been microscopically examined in 2012 by the co-author of this paper yielding numerous figures with measurement results that had been stored and could be retrieved for direct comparison. The hair sample consisted of ten strands of hair or hair fragments and was investigated with great effort for the following parameters: exogenous hair damage, especially feeding traces caused by parasites, modeling and angulation of hairs, hair thickness, medulla and pigmentation, curling and mercury load on the trace material. After evaluation of all findings not only a non-exclusion of identity can be determined, but due to the broad match of also rare findings there is no reasonable doubt about their identity. In addition, the findings suggest that the studied hair samples are in fact from Paganini's head. The present case of Nicolò Paganini's hair lock is also an excellent starting point for reflections on the probative value of trace hair investigations. This point is also critically discussed in the paper. Finally, this study shows that said lock of hair had probably really been dedicated and given to Eliza Davenport Latham (born on 25 November 1806, died on 9 January 1877), the future wife of the, at that time, best-known and most famous English harpist John Balsir Chatterton (born on 25 November 1804, died on 9 April 1871). Paganini must have met her on his concert tour 1831/32, where he had travelled to Paris, London, the rest of England, Scotland and Ireland.

The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is defined as unexpected death of a previously healthy infant with no cause of death being established. Comprehensive histological and immunohistochemical investigations are required subsequent to autopsy. In 18 cases of sudden infant death, histological (H&E, PAS and iron stain) and immunohistochemical investigations (CD68, CD45RO and LCA) were performed regarding a possible role of pancreatitis in SIDS and histomorphological alterations of the pancreatic islets, respectively. In all the investigated cases, no inflammatory changes of the infantile pancreatic tissue and no other significant histomorphological alterations of the pancreatic islets were found.

Fatalities caused by cattle occur relatively often in rural areas and mostly show sharp and blunt injuries. In the presented case, a 61-year-old farmer was found dead in a cowshed together with an untied bull. Autopsy revealed severe hemorrhages and massive chest trauma with multiple bilateral rib fractures. The cause of death was severe chest trauma. In the presented case, death was not brought about by the bull's horns but by butts to the man's chest.