Strength and ductility with {10͞11} - {10͞12} double twinning in a magnesium alloy.

Based on their high specific strength and stiffness, magnesium alloys are attractive for lightweight applications in aerospace and transportation, where weight saving is crucial for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Unfortunately, the ductility of magnesium alloys is usually limited. It is thought that one reason for the lack of ductility is that the development of - double twins (DTW) cause premature failure of magnesium alloys. Here we show with a magnesium alloy containing 4 wt% lithium, that the same impressively large compression failure strains can be achieved with DTWs as without. The DTWs form stably across the microstructure and continuously throughout straining, forming three-dimensional intra-granular networks, a potential strengthening mechanism. We rationalize that relatively easier slip characteristic of this alloy plastically relaxed the localized stress concentrations that DTWs can generate. This result may provide key insight and an alternative perspective towards designing formable and strong magnesium alloys.

[Retinal bleeding and venous stasis in a 10-month-old infant after a fall?]. / Retinale Blutungen und venöse Stase bei einem 10 Monate alten Säugling nach Sturz?

This report describes the case of a 10-month-old infant, who was delivered to our hospital by the emergency physician intubated and in an unclear unconscious state. The father reported that the child had fallen from the couch to the ground. The consulted ophthalmologist reported venous stasis in both eyes including intraretinal and preretinal bleeding in all four quadrants, a diffuse vitreous hemorrhage in the right eye and temporal retinal wrinkling in both eyes. Based on these particular clinical findings a shaken baby syndrome was suspected. This report demonstrates the importance of recognizing and correctly interpreting the typical ophthalmological signs of physical child abuse in order to detect and prevent further mistreatment of children; moreover, the increasing importance of photographic documentation and histological work-up of the findings for forensic reasons are emphasized.

Determination of Vitamin B12 in meat products by RP-HPLC after enrichment and purification on an immunoaffinity column.

A quantitative method for the determination of Vitamin B12 in meat products by RP-HPLC and UV detection was developed and compared to the reference method (microbiological assay, MBA). Vitamin B12 was extracted with 50mM sodium acetate buffer in the presence of sodium cyanide. For the quantification of total Vitamin B12, it was necessary to release protein-bound Vitamin B12 by pepsin treatment. Cyanocobalamin was detected as total Vitamin B12 after purification and enrichment on an immunoaffinity column. The calibration with five concentrations of Vitamin B12 was linear with a regression coefficient r2>0.99. The method was validated at three different concentration levels (5-15 ng/g) with salami showing good recovery rates between 80 and 108% and low relative standard deviations between 1.50 and 7.26% (n = 6). The detection limit was found to be 2 ng/g. The Vitamin B12 levels of 50 meat products measured by the developed procedure were similar or significantly lower than those determined by the MBA.

Dumping after homicide using setting in concrete and/or sealing with bricks--six case reports.

Homicide with subsequent hiding of the body using setting in concrete or sealing with bricks are rarely seen forensic cases. The article describes the circumstances and findings of six cases in which bodies were encased with concrete and/or bricks. In all cases, the offenders were male, in one case together with his wife and--except for one case--the victims were related to the offender. The causes of death were heterogeneous (suffocation, blunt force, shot) and the motive mainly domestic quarrel. Setting corpses in concrete and/or sealing with bricks does not prevent smell, slows decomposition and therefore complicates the estimation of the post mortem interval.

Upper limit on the photon fraction in highest-energy cosmic rays from AGASA data.

A new method to derive an upper limit on photon primaries from small data sets of air showers is developed which accounts for shower properties varying with the primary energy and arrival direction. Applying this method to the highest-energy showers recorded by the AGASA experiment, an upper limit on the photon fraction of 51% (67%) at a confidence level of 90% (95%) for primary energies above 1.25 x 10(20) eV is set. This new limit on the photon fraction above the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff energy constrains the -burst model of the origin of highest-energy cosmic rays.

Post-mortem evaluation of 415 pacemakers: in situ measurements and bench tests.

AIM: The hypothesis was that there is more undetected dysfunction of implanted pacemaker systems than that detected and corrected. This prompted a research project (sponsored by the German Research Foundation) to detect pacemaker abnormalities and evaluate their complications for patients, thus, proving or disproving the hypothesis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four hundred and fifteen pacemakers of deceased patients were analyzed assessing their functionality by in situ measurements and bench tests including five measurements and one telemetric interrogation. Results were divided into four categories and statistically evaluated. Life-threatening abnormalities were found in 3.8%, potentially life-threatening in 3.7%, probably symptomatic, divided into atrial and ventricular problems, 13.3% and 2.8%, respectively, and premature exhaustion in 1.2%. Three of 179 bipolar ventricular leads and 2 of 131 bipolar atrial leads had insulation defects corresponding to 1.7% and 1.5%, respectively. The bipolar complication rate was 2.8 times higher than unipolar. CONCLUSION: The pacemaker patients investigated, living 4 years with their pacemaker on average, had a post-mortem evaluated complication rate of the category "life-threatening" of 3.8%. This result corresponds to an annual complication rate of 0.94% compared with a rate of only 0.39% in an earlier investigation.

[Risks of drug screening using immunoassays]. / Risiken beim Drogenscreening mit Immunoassays.

Now-a-days immunoassays are world wide used for the rapid screening of drugs. Despite the fact that they are a highly valuable tool for the test of legal and illicit drugs, there is a non-negligible risk of false positive and false negative findings and many pitfalls must be taken into account when using these tests in an uncritical manner and without valid confirmation procedures.

[Obligation to report occupational diseases. Importance of external post-mortem examinations before cremation]. / Meldepflicht von Berufskrankheiten. Bedeutung der Leichenschau nach dem Feuerbestattungsgesetz.

The practical use of the legally required documentation of occupational diseases is demonstrated by a case of asbestos-related pleural mesothelioma. During the mandatory inquest before cremation, information of manifest pleural mesothelioma had been relayed to the widow of the patient, and an investigation for a possible occupational disease was performed. Reconstruction of the case showed that in the course of 3 months at least 13 physicians had been involved in in-hospital as well as ambulatory therapeutic measures. Until death, none of them informed the trade association about a suspected occupational disease in accordance with BK 4105 of the codex of occupational diseases, although the diagnosis of manifest pleural mesothelioma had been histologically confirmed already 10 weeks prior to the death of the patient. This case demonstrates obvious and evident deficiencies in applying the Code of Social Law VII, which requires physicians to report occupational diseases. In addition, it shows the importance of the post-mortem examination as a control function before cremation.

[Deaths due to mechanical restraint in institutions for care]. / Todesfälle im Zusammenhang mit mechanischer Fixierung in Pflegeinstitutionen.

The state of confusion in patients with severe disorientation and brain damage symptoms presents particular problems in gerontologic psychiatry. Six fatalities at different institutions due to improperly employed physical restraint and deficient surveillance are described. The causes of death involved strangulation which was accidentally caused by patients who become stuck between bedrails and mattress or who were fixed in an abdominal restraint belt or in a special protective blanket (mostly used for serious pre-conditions). The reconstruction of the scene of death was based in almost all the cases on the autopsy findings. We assume a considerable number of unreported emergency or fatal cases. The legal, psychiatric and nursing-related issues are discussed in this paper. Furthermore the precise documentation of the on-site appearance of the situation at discovery of death is called for. The indication for physical restraint should be limited as far as possible. Further studies in nursing homes and hospitals should focus on structural conditions with respect to the frequency of physical restraint in order to optimize the protection by quality standards.

Traumatic venous aneurysm of the popliteal vein with outcome: a case report and review of the literature.

A case of sudden death due to recurrent pulmonary thromboembolism is described. The fatality took place three and a half weeks following blunt trauma to the left popliteal region. The patient died unexpectedly. Autopsy revealed the source of the emboli as a sacciform venous aneurysm of the popliteal vein, an entity seldom described, but important to consider in cases of soft tissue popliteal masses or unexplained pulmonary embolism, especially in otherwise healthy individuals.

[Criminal process record Winckelmann (Triest, 1768). Comments on the criminal process dealing with the murder of Johann Joachim Winckelmann from the forensic historical and legal medicine viewpoint]. / Prozessakte Winckelmann (Triest, 1768). Anmerkungen zum Kriminalprozess gegen den Mörder Johann Joachim Winckelmanns aus forensisch-historischer under rechtsmedizinischer Sicht.

Johann Joachim Winckelmann, German historian of ancient art and archaeologist, was born on 9 December 1717 in Stendal, a town in Saxony-Anhalt. At the age of 50 he was murdered on 8 June 1768 in a Trieste hotel. The voluminous original record of the criminal proceedings against his murderer, Francesco Arcangeli, was presumed lost for about 150 years. A new edition in the wording of the original text appeared in 1964. This long sought historical document gives cause for forensic-historical reflections under consideration of the autopsy protocol about Winckelmann, which is likewise a historical document. A considerable change of paradigm in comparison to current autopsy protocols is observed with regard to the evaluation of injuries and the circumstances of death.

Multiple homicides as a result of chloroform poisoning: case report and experimental study.

Two cases (involving five murder victims) of multiple homicide by inhalational chloroform intoxication are reported. In the discussion of the findings the valence of toxicological analyses is underlined with regard to the possibility of forcible external suffocation due to occlusion of the respiratory orifices by means of a chloroform-soaked soft covering. In addition storage experiments were performed at +4, +20 and -20 degrees C with cadaver blood mixed with chloroform. The optimal solution for avoiding volatile losses was stored in glass tubes with ground glass stoppers. In cases of unclear death in which involvement of volatile substances is suspected it is, therefore, advisable to preserve an additional blood sample at -20 degrees C in glass tubes that are only opened for the analysis of volatile substances.

[Satellite dish as source of electric current. Case report of a fatal and nearly fatal accident at the work site]. / Satellitenschüssel als Stromquelle. Kasuistik eines tödlichen und beinahe tödlichen Unfalls am Arbeitsplatz.

The authors report on an initially unrecognized fatal accident caused by electric current at the place of work. The source of the current was a satellite dish which had been improperly connected to an old music box with subsequent connection to the household electrocution system (220 V, 50 Hz). Only when a second nearly fatal accident occurred, proper diagnosis and detection of the uncommon source of the electric current was made.

Phase I and pharmacokinetic study of docetaxel and irinotecan in patients with advanced solid tumors.

PURPOSE: We conducted a phase I and pharmacokinetic study of docetaxel in combination with irinotecan to determine the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), and the dose at which at least 50% of the patients experienced a DLT during the first cycle, and to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetic profiles in patients with advanced solid tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with only one prior chemotherapy treatment (without taxanes or topoisomerase I inhibitors) for advanced disease were included in the study. Docetaxel was administered as a 1-hour IV infusion after premedication with corticosteroids followed immediately by irinotecan as a 90-minute IV infusion, every 3 weeks. No hematologic growth factors were allowed. RESULTS: Forty patients were entered through the following seven dose levels (docetaxel/irinotecan): 40/140 mg/m(2), 50/175 mg/m(2), 60/210 mg/m(2), 60/250 mg/m(2), 60/275 mg/m(2), 60/300 mg/m(2), and 70/250 mg/m(2). Two hundred cycles were administered. Two MTDs were determined, 70/250 mg/m(2) and 60/300 mg/m(2); the DLTs were febrile neutropenia and diarrhea. Neutropenia was the main hematologic toxicity, with 85% of patients experiencing grade 4 neutropenia. Grade 3/4 nonhematologic toxicities in patients included late diarrhea (7.5%), asthenia (15.0%), febrile neutropenia (22.5%), infection (7.5%), and nausea (5.0%). Pharmacokinetics of both docetaxel and irinotecan were not modified with the administration schedule of this study. CONCLUSION: The recommended dose of docetaxel in combination with irinotecan is 60/275 mg/m(2), respectively. At this dose level, the safety profile is manageable. The activity of this combination should be evaluated in phase II studies in different tumor types.

Metabolism of irinotecan (CPT-11) by CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 in humans.

7-Ethyl-10[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino] carbonyloxy-camptothecin (CPT-11), a DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor, undergoes several metabolic pathways to generate conjugated and unconjugated derivatives that could be excreted from the body. The objective of this study was to determine the oxidative metabolites of CPT-11 recovered in human urine samples and to identify cytochrome P450 (CYP) involved in their formation. In addition to the already known metabolites of CPT-11 [SN-38, SN-38-G, 7-ethyl-10-[4-N-(5-aminopentanoic acid)-1-piperidino]carbonyloxycamptothecin (APC), and 7-ethyl-10-(4-amino-1-piperidino) carbonyloxycamptothecin (NPC)], we isolated three oxidized metabolites from the urine of two children and two adults given CPT-11. M1 and M2 (molecular weight, 602) were hydroxylated, respectively, on the CPT moiety and on the terminal piperidine ring of CPT-11. M3 had a molecular mass of 602, but its urine concentration in patients was too low to establish its chemical structure by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. In vitro incubations with cells expressing CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP1A1, CYP1A2, or CYP3A7 did not produce any detectable metabolites. Only CYP3A4 produced both APC and NPC, resulting from the oxidation of the piperidinylpiperidine side chain of CPT-11 along with metabolite M2. The metabolism of CPT-11 by CYP3A5 was markedly different because neither APC or NPC nor M2 was produced, whereas only one new metabolite, M4 (molecular weight, 558), was generated by de-ethylation of the CPT moiety. No previous study has reported the presence of the M4 metabolite. Production of APC, NPC, M2, and M4 was prevented by ketoconazole, a specific CYP3A inhibitor. The parameters of CPT-11 biotransformation into M2 and M4 were examined using cell lines expressing, respectively, with CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, indicating that CPT-11 is preferentially metabolized by CYP3A4. In conclusion, CYP3A plays a major role in the metabolism of CPT-11, with some differences of the metabolic profile exhibited by 3A4 and 3A5.

[Death in the milieu of homeless persons. A comparative retrospective analysis of an autopsy sample of different regional population structures (Middle Hessia/Hamburg)]. / Tod im Obdachlosenmilieu. Vergleichende retrospektive Analyse eines Sektionsgutes unterschiedlicher regionaler Bevölkerungsstrukturen (Mittelhessen/Hamburg).

For an evaluation concerning different regional population and community characteristics, 23 fatalities of homeless individuals were selected from the current autopsy series of the Institutes of Legal Medicine of Giessen/Germany and Hamburg/Germany from 1990 to 1996. The outcome of this retrospective analysis enables to overcome the deficiency of knowledge of causes, manners and circumstances of death among homeless individuals.

Histomorphologic studies of the glottic region to elucidate the pathogenesis and functional significance of fibrinoid vocal cord lesions in infants and young children.

Focal lesions of the vocal cord in form of fibrinoid necrosis and thickening of the basement membrane are morphological findings in infants and young children that receive only scant attention and are also controversially valued. We discuss two causes for the pathogenesis of these findings: (1) recurrent laryngospasms and (2) a laryngeal phonotrauma resulting from frequent spells of shrill, presumably high-frequency crying. The aim of our study therefore was to gain insight into the development and functional significance of these lesions by examining their histological patterns and to draw the pertinent conclusions. In 56 deaths (natural and unnatural causes, fetal life up to 4 years, no pathological or traumatic laryngeal lesions) histological investigations were carried out on putrefaction-free material. For the histomorphological studies, horizontal sections through the region of the vocal cord were obtained and stained according to conventional and immunohistochemical staining methods. In 42 cases the thickness of the basement membrane was determined morphometrically. In 12 of the 56 cases (21%) we observed staged variations of focal lesions, ranging from fibrinoid necrosis to degenerative lesions with pronounced macrophage involvement and deposits of PAS-positive plaques. Measurements at the basement membrane revealed a thickness of 7.9 microm. Separate measurements at the anterior and posterior portions of the vocal fold showed a ratio of 1.7:1. When the cases were subdivided into those with and without fibrinoid necrosis the ratios were 2.5:1 and 1.5:1. This different pattern makes it unlikely that laryngospasm is the sole or essential cause. Pathogenetically more important might be phonatory overstraining due to maximum vibrations in only the anterior portions of the vocal fold, which is not specific for later SIDS victims. This assumption is also supported by the often observed conspicuous phonetic behavior of some later SIDS victims and the absence of these stage-like vocal cord lesions in stillborns and adults. It is presumably an age-specific, temporary finding which is completely reversible.

[Rare suicidal death by electrocution using a timer and vital reaction]. / Seltener suizidaler Stromtod mittels Zeitschaltuhr und vitaler Reaktion.

A case of seldom electrocution by using a timer is presented being carried out from a 35 year old woman, who didn't have any professional background. As the fundamental histological result and classical vital reaction a bone marrow embolism was found. Circumstances, results and line of argumentation are presented in detail and discussed.

[Disorders of thrombocyte function as a cause of postoperative hemorrhage after tonsillectomy]. / Thrombozytenfunktionsstörungen als Ursache von Nachblutungen nach Tonsillektomien.

Tonsillectomies are the most frequently performed ENT surgical procedures and are potentially beset with a number of possible complications. Post-operative secondary hemorrhage still remains the most frequent complication despite improvements in surgical techniques and preoperative diagnostic evaluations. Besides unsuitable operative techniques, disturbances of circulation and wound infections, disturbances of hemostasis may play an important part. The objective of this paper was to examine the relative frequency of platelet functional disorders as a possible cause for secondary hemorrhage after tonsillectomies. In the past, most of these have been related to medication use. Eighty-nine patients were studied and historically showed no predisposition increased hemorrhage per se or in their families or gave reasons for other factors favoring secondary hemorrhage. The diminution or lack of collagen or ADP-induced agglutination served as an indication for a platelet functional disorder. Ten percent of the 89 patients experienced secondary hemorrhage, with platelet functional disorders proved in 40% of these patients. Because of these results a correlation was attempted between secondary hemorrhage and abnormal deficits of collagen and ADP-induced agglutinations in platelet functional tests, but this was not found. Necessary preoperative studies was attempted screening for hemostasis as well as medico-legal aspects connected with the prescription of medicines inhibiting platelet agglutination, especially use of acetylsalicylic acid before tonsillectomies, are discussed.