[Lethal intravenous infusion of a wound antiseptic containing polyhexanide]. / Tödliche intravenöse Infusion eines polyhexanidhaltigen Wundantiseptikums.

Polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) is considered to be highly histocompatible and is one of the most frequently used wound antiseptics. Only one case of intoxication has been reported so far. The present case of a lethal intoxication is the first fatal incident described where causality is substantiated by a temporal coincidence between application and ascertainable organ damage. The laboratory-chemical and histological investigations verified the toxicity of this substance after intravenous application with the main findings being severe hepatic and pancreatic damage.

[Sudden death in the presence of systemic mastocytosis and urticaria pigmentosa]. / Plötzlicher Tod bei systemischer Mastozytose mit Urticaria pigmentosa.

Systemic mastocytosis is an extremely rare disease characterised by abnormal mast cell production and accumulation of mast cells in the bone marrow or organs, and to some extent also in the skin (urticaria pigmentosa). To date there have been no descriptions of death caused by systemic mastocytosis. The present first description of such a fatality is based upon a case of anaphylactic histamine shock, probably caused by the consumption of peanuts. The affected person suffered from urticaria pigmentosa and developed a fairly typical pruritus prior to death. In the serum sample taken post-mortem the tryptase concentration was markedly elevated. The diagnosis of systemic mastocytosis was established on the basis of two primary and three secondary criteria according to the WHO classification, which underlines the importance of histological investigations in cases where the cause of death is unclear.

[Immunocytochemical examination of biological traces on knife blades]. / Immunzytochemische Untersuchungen biologischer Spuren an Tatklingen.

In cases of penetrating stab wounds by different knives it is highly relevant to prove which knife caused which injury, especially if one of the injuries was lethal. This is possible by immunocytochemical examination of cellular material remaining on the injuring blade because some organs have organ-specific antigen determinants such as alpha-l-fetoprotein in the liver cells or cardiac troponin I in the heart muscle cells, to which antibodies can bind. Even when penetrations occur through several layers of clothing, enough cells from the injured organ remain on the blade of a knife to allow immunohistochemical examination. These cells can be collected by means of adhesive film or wiping the blade and can be stained immunocytochemically. The organ specificity of the examined proteins allows proof of their origin. The present study shows that immunocytochemical alpha-l-fetoprotein and cardiac troponin I staining of the cells remaining on a knife blade enables proof of whether the knife blade injured the heart or the liver, or both.

[Visualization of biological traces on evidence by ninhydrin]. / Visualisierung von biologischem Spurenmaterial auf Spurenträgern mit Hilfe von Ninhydrin.

Because of possible contamination of samples with PCR inhibitors and to avoid the typing of mixed profiles the source material for forensic DNA investigations should be collected as directly and securely as possible from the evidence. This approach requires a detectability of the source material which is often not given. The procedure introduced here using selected cases enables visualization of DNA-containing materials on evidence and hence controlled analysis. For this purpose the specimen is treated with ninhydrin. A following dye reaction verifies the presence of biological material, which possibly contains DNA. An impact on subsequent STR-analysis was not observed.

[Immunohistochemical proof of amelogenin in teeth--a contribution to the evaluation of the age in the identification of unknown corpses]. / Immunhistochemischer Nachweis von Amelogenin an Zähnen--ein Beitrag zur Abschätzung des Lebensalters bei der Identifikation unbekannter Leichen.

When a corpse is found that cannot be identified, one of the forensic tasks is to determine how old the person was when she or he died. To solve this frequently asked question in forensic practice, the enamel protein amelogenin was marked immunohistochemically in 249 extracted teeth. Amelogenin is already produced during prenatal development and is gradually used up throughout life into old age. Hence, the demonstrability decreases with age. The extent of the labelling can be quantified by measuring the mean optical density (MOD). While it is not possible to determine the age on the basis of the mean optical density measurements alone, logistic regression of the MOD together with dichotomisation of the teeth according to age allows statements as to whether the person was younger or older than 30 years.

[Dynamics of decapitation after falling in a self-tightening rope noose]. / Dekapitationsdynamik nach Sturz in eine sich unter Last selbst verengende Seilschlinge.

In decapitation by dropping into a slip noose, it is in principle justified to doubt that suicide is involved. It must hence always be checked whether the dynamics to be inferred from the concrete facts can result in decapitation. Essential characteristics of the dynamics are the deceleration forces (tractional force of the rope) that are determined by the height of the drop, the directional force of the rope and the body mass of the victim as well as the density of the lines of centripetal force acting on the neck. However, the appropriateness of the dynamics must at all events be corroborated by compatible autopsy and scientific criminological findings with regard to the characteristic wound morphology, the intravital signs, the trace analysis and the topography of the fiber ablation traces on the rope that are due to the effect of heat.

[Quantification of human DNA from forensic samples via real time PCR by the help of a telomerase assay]. / Quantifizierung humaner DNA aus forensischen Proben mittels Real-time PCR unter Verwendung eines Telomerase-Assays.

Quantitative data concerning the content of human DNA and the effect of PCR inhibitors in a sample would provide very important information within a forensic DNA analysis. With the help of real-time PCR it is possible to test DNA samples for these influencing factors. However, the amplified DNA segments detected by means of usual TaqMan DNA probes are longer than most of the short tandem repeats to be investigated. Because of possible DNA degradation, a DNA probe located in the human telomerase transcriptase gene was successfully tested on forensic samples in the present study. Its amplified DNA segment is only 94 bases in length and, thus, shorter than the short tandem repeats. Therefore, it seems perfectly suited for the examination of degraded DNA. With the telomerase probe it was possible to obtain accurate results of the influence factors mentioned above. Based on the findings of this examination and on a case example, in which the poorly preserved remains of a baby were subjected to paternity testing, the possible uses of the telomerase assay are discussed.

[An already archived latent fingerprint as a DNA source for STR typing in a murder case]. / Eine bereits archivierte Fingerspur als Ausgangsmaterial für eine STR-Analyse in einem Mordfall.

Former studies have shown that even a single skin contact, resulting in a latent fingerprint, can transfer enough DNA for genetic analysis. However, up to now latent fingerprints have usually not been used for DNA typing. In the present case the smeared trace of a hand was found in the suspect's car and archived. As it could not be evaluated in a classical manner, the evidence had to be examined by molecular genetic methods. DNA was extracted and typed in five different STR loci. Based on the yielded results, the significance of the findings is discussed.

Immunocytochemical examinations of biological traces on expanding bullets (QD-PEP).

When a crime victim has been injured with several different objects, it is of central importance for the forensic investigation to be able to show which object caused which injury, especially if one of the injuries was lethal. In cases of bullet penetration wounds it is often not possible to find such evidence. However, immunocytochemical investigations can accurately match a victim's injury to a particular bullet path through the body. In cases where expanding bullets have been used and the heart or liver has been struck by a projectile, it can be shown that the cells remaining on the bullet stem from those particular organs. In this case the specific cytological evidence was established by means of marking heart- and liver-specific tissue proteins with appropriate antibodies (cardiac troponin I and HepPar 1) followed by disclosure with an appropriate chromogen. Thus, in principle, cells can be used as evidence after being extracted from the projectiles by either damp cotton-wool swabs or adhesive trace evidence tape. Because of the specificity of the used immunocytochemical antibodies, finding evidence of an antigen on a particular projectile proves that it was the object that injured the organs.