Changes in nitric oxide levels in striated muscles of rats following different types of death.

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide is a signal molecule regulating the organism functions in living bodies. The aim of this study was to investigate the NO levels of striated muscles after different types of death in rats. METHODS: Nitric oxide levels in the muscles of masseter, triceps, and quadriceps obtained from right and left sides of 24 Spraque-Dawley rats following death were investigated. The rats were divided into three groups as cervical dislocation (control) group, electric shock group, and drowning group. After applying a light anesthesia, the rats were killed by cervical dislocation, electric shock and drowning. The samples were taken immediately and 120 minutes after death. RESULTS: In all muscle types of all groups, NO concentrations were lower in samples obtained 120 minutes after death than in those obtained immediately after death. NO concentrations were lower in the electric shock and drowning group than in the control group for both times. CONCLUSION: We can conclude that the type of death may affect the occurrence of rigor mortis and NO measurement may give an important clue in evaluation the mode of death.

Sudden death due to ruptured hydatid cyst of the liver.

The cyst stage of Echinococcus granulosus is commonly located in the liver, which frequently results in a long symptomless period. We present a sudden death due to a freshly hemorrhagic hydatid cyst following blunt trauma to the liver in a 19-year-old boy. The possible mechanism was thought to be an anaphylactoid reaction to the leakage of the cyst fluid.

Renal pelvic tumour diagnosed incidentally after traumatic rupture of hydronephrotic kidney.

A 27-year-old man was found to have a low grade transitional cell tumour of the renal pelvis at pathological examination of his traumatically ruptured kidney. The kidney was also hydronephrotic due to urolithiasis of long duration. The medicolegal aspects of the case are evaluated.

Diagnosing isolated nasal fractures in the emergency department: are they missed or overdiagnosed? Ten years experience of 535 forensic cases.

AIM: Nasal bone is the most common broken bone of the face. Incorrect assessments of nasal trauma are frequently encountered in forensic evaluations. Here, we aimed to determine the reasons and frequency of erroneous assessments of nasal trauma in emergency department (ED). METHODS: This is a cross-sectional multicentric study analyzing the Forensic Medical Department archive retrospectively. Epidemiologic features, type of fracture (depressed or non-depressed), and specialty of the doctor examining the cases in ED were studied. Forensic evaluation was reported by analyzing all radiologic examinations (CT and X-ray), medical records, and after repeated physical examination of nasal trauma by the forensic council, consisting of a forensic expert, a radiologist and an otolaryngologist. Nasal fracture was diagnosed when at least two of three physicians agreed. RESULTS: A total of 535 cases (mean age 31.7 ± 14.4, 87.1 % males) were analyzed. The most common causes of injuries were assault (81.8 %), followed by traffic accident (15.3 %) and falls from a height (2.1 %). There were misdiagnoses in ten patients (1.9 %) and overdiagnosis in 135 (24.5 %). The possibility of fracture overdiagnosis was 13.5 times higher than missing it. General practitioners and emergency physicians have 19.7 times (95 % CI 5.5-22. 3) and 3.4 times (95 % CI 1.5-7.8) the tendency to report soft tissue nasal injuries as non-depressed fractures, respectively. CONCLUSION: We found that nasal fractures are rarely missed while the overdiagnosis was very common. Examination of patients by a general practitioner or an emergency physician without consultation with a specialist and using only plain radiographs were found to be independent parameters affecting overdiagnosis.

Henna (Lawsonia inermis Linn.) induced haemolytic anaemia in siblings.

Henna is a traditional cosmetic agent and is used worldwide. It is used worldwide not only as a cosmetic agent to stain the hair, skin and nails but also is applied to the body on lesions in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis or fungal infections. Different pathologies have been described as caused by henna. The aim of this study is to draw attention to the adverse effects of henna, applied over the whole body, observed in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzyme deficient siblings. In the present paper, we report on two siblings with G6PD deficiency who developed haemolytic anaemia following topical application of henna to their whole body to treat skin lesions. Their parents were also found to be G6PD deficient. Even though anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects of henna have been shown, it may cause severe side-effects in some cases. For this reason, especially, in the regions where G6PD enzyme deficiency is common, people should be informed about the side-effects of topical henna application and clinicians should be aware of these manifestations.