Estimation of the post-mortem interval; added value of mechanical excitability of human skeletal muscle.

Estimation of the post-mortem interval (PMI) is mainly based on the state of body cooling, post-mortem lividity (livor mortis) and post-mortem muscle stiffness (rigor mortis). However, the time span of development of these post-mortem phenomena are influenced by a variety of factors concerning the body of the deceased and the environment in which the body is found. Subsequently, this leads to a substantial spread in upper and lower limits of PMI based on determination of the state of these phenomena. Moreover, interpretation of post-mortem phenomena like lividity, rigor and interpretation of the correction factor for Henssge's nomogram is subjective. For this reason, PMI estimations are often broad, possibly too broad to be helpful for answering questions which are relevant for the criminal investigation. Therefore, combining the outcome of different methods for estimating the PMI, the so-called compound method, is recommended. Supravital muscle reaction by mechanical stimulation of skeletal muscle is a less known aspect of the compound method. Here we present a series of cases series in which supravital muscle reaction contributed to a more precise estimation of the PMI.

Technical note: Practical application of post-mortem mechanical stimulation of skeletal muscle, a field study.

BACKGROUND: Estimation of the post-mortem interval (PMI) is a crucial aspect in crime scene investigation. PMI is defined as the time between the moment of death and the moment of finding the dead body. A combination of methods for estimating the PMI in forensic casework is internationally mostly used. Supravital muscle reaction (SMR) is one of those methods. SMR is an idiomuscular contraction and can be provoked by mechanical stimulation. OBJECTIVES: A field study was carried out with the aim to investigate whether a reflex hammer can be used as tool for triggering an idiomuscular contraction and, furthermore, to determine if a learning period has to be taken into account by a forensic physician for appropriate application of a reflex hammer to trigger SMR. METHODS: From January 2017 to January 2022, four forensic physicians used this SMR by mechanically stimulating the musculus brachioradialis and musculus biceps brachii. In total, 332 cases were included with a PMI less than 24 h. The cases were divided in chronological clusters of 20 cases. The ratio of the number of positive SMR versus the total number stimulations per forensic physician was used as a measure of accuracy of a reflex hammer for triggering SMR. The distribution of the data was analyzed by comparing the clusters in chronological order to assess whether a learning curve applies. RESULTS: In 55.7%, a muscle reaction could be provoked by mechanical stimulation. Comparable outcome of SMR between the participating physicians was observed after 40 stimulations. CONCLUSION: A reflex hammer is usable for provoking SMR. A learning period has to be taken in to account during the first forty cases per forensic physician.

Contamination history of lead and other trace metals reconstructed from an urban winter pond in the Eastern Mediterranean coast (Israel).

Pollution history of Pb and other trace metals was reconstructed for the first time for the Eastern Mediterranean, from a small urban winter pond (Dora, Netanya), located at the densely populated coastal plain of Israel. An integrated approach including geochemical, sedimentological, and historical analyses was employed to study sediments from the center of the pond. Profiles of metal concentrations (Pb, Zn, V, Ni, Cu, Cr, Co, Cd, and Hg) and Pb isotopic composition denote two main eras of pre- and post-19th century. The deeper sediment is characterized by low concentrations and relatively constant 206Pb/207Pb (around 1.20), similar to natural Pb sources, with slight indications of ancient anthropogenic activity. The upper sediment displays an upward increase in trace metal concentrations, with the highest enrichment factor for Pb (18.4). Lead fluxes and isotopic composition point to national/regional petrol-Pb emissions as the major contributor to Pb contamination, overwhelming other potential local and transboundary sources. Traffic-related metals are correlated with Pb, emphasizing the polluting inputs of traffic. The Hg profile, however, implies global pollution rather than local sources.

A cross-sectional study of exposures, lung function and respiratory symptoms among aluminium cast-house workers.

UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVES To investigate exposures, respiratory symptoms, lung function and exposure-response relationships among aluminium cast-house workers. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 182 workers. Exposure data were used to model exposure to irritants. Lung function and questionnaire data on respiratory symptoms were compared to a general population sample and an internal reference group. Blood samples were taken from 156 workers to examine total IgE, eosinophils and sensitisation to common allergens. RESULTS: Average daily mean exposure to inhalable dust, metals, hydrogen fluoride, fluoride salts and sulphur dioxide was relatively low compared to reference values. Airflow patterns in the hall were disturbed regularly and resulted in pot emissions with high concentrations of fluorides. Peak exposures to chlorine gas occurred intermittently due to production process disturbances. Workers reported significantly more respiratory symptoms (continuous trouble with breathing (prevalence ratio (PR) 2.5; 95% CI 1.2 to 5.3), repeated trouble with breathing (PR 1.8; 95% CI 1.1 to 3.0), wheezing (PR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.8), asthma attack (ever) (PR 2.8; 95% CI 1.7 to 4.6) and doctor diagnosed asthma (PR 2.6; 95% CI 1.5 to 4.4). Regression analysis showed significantly lower FEV(1) values (-195 ml) and FVC values (-142 ml) compared to a general population sample. Lung function did not differ between groups. CONCLUSION: This epidemiological study suggests cast-house workers in the aluminium industry are exposed to respiratory hazards. Exposure-response relationships could not be demonstrated but this study supports preventive measures in the work environment with a focus on (peak) exposures to irritants.

Assessment of peripheral vascular obliterative disease by transcutaneous oxygen tension tests.

By repeated measurements in each of ten normal subjects and ten patients with mild intermittent claudication, the performance of three transcutaneous oxygen tension (PtcO2) test in the diagnosis of obliterative peripheral arterial disease was studied. PtcO2 resting value, PtcO2 response to oxygen breathing and PtcO2 reperfusion response after tourniquet obstruction were all measured on the dorsum of the foot. We found that PtcO2 resting values were not different between patients and controls, while responses to 100% oxygen breathing and reperfusion responses differed significantly between the two groups. The most prominent difference between the two groups was observed in the latency of PtcO2 rise after reperfusion. Therefore the reperfusion response test may have a place in the assessment of claudication by PtcO2 measurement.

Weight-Change Patterns in Cut and Intact Rose Shoots II. Floral and Foliar Contributions as Related to Competition for Water.

Foliar contributions to diurnal light/dark changes in total shoot weight were assessed, with the aid of non-destructive beta-ray gauging (see Part I, De Stigter 1982), in two cultivars of intact or cut roses, the cut ones in water or in glucose + Al(3+). Once the flower buds of the intact, single-stem plants had fully opened, weight changes in both cultivars were mainly due to the gradually senescing blooms, with a minor contribution of the foliage. In the cut roses cultivar differences were distinct in overall performance resulting from water or glucose treatment, and in relative resistance or sensitivity of the foliage to water stress. Flower and foliage were found to differ in their kinetics of weight loss in the light and of recovery in the dark. These results and cultivar differences are interpreted in terms of varying inter-organ competition for water between flower and foliage. In most cases the overall fresh-weight evolution of the foliage was remarkably linear and consisted of diurnal light/dark fluctuations of rather constant amplitude. It is concluded that, apart from beta-gauging as presented here, the early course of foliar fresh weight may also be estimated by backward extrapolation of the pattern found in the leafy shoot after petal shedding. In very poorly performing cut roses this procedure is permissible only with reservations, because too many factors are changing simultaneously: the general trends in both total-shoot and foliar weight, as well as their respective diurnal amplitudes. On balance, the respective floral and foliar contributions to weight pattern in the cut rose shoots did not show a fixed proportionality, but a continuous shift toward a decreasing floral, and an increasing foliar share, the actual levels depending on cultivar and organ sensitivity to water stress.

[Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella in game and poultry]. / Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica en Salmonella in wild en gevogelte.

Samples of various sorts of game and poultry (other than chicken), obtained from poulterers, hunters, rearing-farms and slaughterhouses, were surveyed for the presence of Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella. These pathogens were isolated from hare, wild boars, pheasants, guinea-fowl, turkeys, mallards and domestic ducks. Yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella were also cultured from wild and domestic rabbits. Moreover, Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated from wood pigeons. The possible origins of contamination of game and poultry with these pathogenic bacteria and the risks of food-borne infection caused by these products are discussed.