Extremity Injuries in Pillion Riders of Fatal 2-Wheeler Road Traffic Accidents: An Autopsy-Based Study.

ABSTRACT: The extremities are the important anatomical regions that are disproportionately injured during road traffic accidents in poor and medium-income countries. The data regarding extremity injuries, particularly in pillion passengers, are minimal globally. We analyzed the pattern of extremity injuries and their association with various parameters such as collision type, seating position, road type, and type of vehicle. This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study. The pillion riders of fatal motorized 2-wheeler road accident cases that were subjected to autopsy were studied over a period of 2 years. We analyzed 73 cases of pillion riders. Females (60%) were the most commonly affected group. The upper extremities were injured in 55 cases (75.3%) and the lower extremities in 49 cases (67.1%). The shoulder (41%), hand (31.3%), and elbow (23.2%) were the predominantly injured anatomical regions of the upper limb. In the lower extremity, knee (41%) and foot (21.9%) were mostly affected. Forty-nine (67.1%) and 48 (65.8%) cases had abrasions in the upper limbs and lower limbs, respectively, followed by lacerations and contusions. Upper extremity injuries are more common compared with lower extremity. The majority of the pillion riders were seated in a side-saddle position, and self-fall from the bike without any collision with other vehicles was the most common mode of injury. Thus, appropriate seating posture with safety gear can be used to reduce extremity injuries.

Predictive accuracy of histopathological profile and immunohistochemical markers for the aging of abrasion: an autopsy-based study.

Wound age estimation is a crucial medicolegal task for forensic pathologists. The main objective of the current study was to evaluate the ability of the histopathological profile and immunohistochemical markers (CD14 and IL-8) to predict the age of abrasion and, furthermore, identify the relationship between the histopathological profile and immunohistochemical markers in abrasion aging. The study involved postmortem cases (n = 246) of abrasion injuries in which the injury infliction time was known. The test skin samples were taken from the abrasion site, and an adjacent area of uninjured skin was sampled for control. Hematoxylin and eosin stain was applied to tissue sections for the histopathological analysis. The semi-quantitative evaluation was made for expressing immunohistochemical markers CD14 and IL-8 on the infiltrating inflammatory cells. The study showed that the age of abrasion was significantly higher (p < 0.05) among the cases with positive staining than those with negative staining for both CD14 and IL-8. Additionally, the study found a significant association between the age of the abrasion and the IHC staining for IL-8. However, no significant association was seen between the age of abrasion and the CD-14 IHC staining. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for more than 72 h of the age of abrasion was compared to 0 to 72 h of the age of abrasion. The odds ratios were 39.00 (4.177-364.13) for the predominant mononuclear cell infiltration and 84.50 (9.287-768.814) for cases with the appearance of fibroblast, granulation tissue, and collagen deposition when compared to an unremarkable change on histopathological examination. Positive staining of immunohistochemical markers CD14 and IL-8 for the age of abrasion of more than 72 h showed a sensitivity of 40% and 80.95%, respectively, and specificity of 71.6% and 52.5%, respectively. The quantification of the histopathological changes of predominant mononuclear cell infiltration and the appearance of fibroblast, granulation tissue formation, and collagen deposition showed a significant correlation for the age of abrasion of more than 72 h. The immunohistochemical analysis revealed IL-8 as a more accurate marker than CD14 in identifying abrasions older than 72 h.

One-Pot Domino Reaction: Direct Access to Polysubstituted 1,4-Benzothiazine 1,1-Dioxide via Water-Gas Shift Reaction Utilizing DMF/H2O.

Benzothiazine 1,1-dioxide (BTDO) is a privileged chemical motif, and its metal-free domino access is in high demand. Current BTDO production methods require costly metal catalysts or harsh reaction conditions. A facile domino approach to BTDO via a water-gas shift reaction (WGSR) employing sodium 2-nitrobenzenesulfinates and α-bromo ketones is presented. This strategy is cost-effective and environmentally beneficial. The optimized reaction conditions demonstrated remarkable chemical tolerance to a wide range of electrically and sterically varied substituents on both coupling partners.

Clinical utility of validated gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry in patients with anticholinesterase pesticides poisoning.

Intentional or unintentional intake of anticholinesterase pesticides became common due to their extensive use in agricultural and domestic purposes, resulting in numerous poisoning cases. A simple, accurate, and sensitive gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry-based method for the quantification of 12 anticholinesterase pesticides (monocrotophos, dimethoate, dichlorvos, azinphos-methyl, carbofuran, chlorpyrifos, dialifos, diazinon, malathion, parathion, methidathion, and terbufos) in serum was developed, and its utility in patients with alleged pesticides poisoning was assessed. The quantification was performed using liquid-liquid extraction by toluene/chloroform (4:1,v/v) with 500 µL of serum. On column limit of detection and limit of quantification were less than 50.00 µg/L. The recovery ranged from 97.54 to 103.23%. The calibration curves were linear (R2 > 0.9937). Accuracy was found to be between - 7.1 and 7.2%. Intra-day and inter-day reproducibility was less than 17% for the spiked quality control serum samples. The level of pesticide in serum quantified by the validated method correlated with clinical signs and symptoms, pseudo-cholinesterase activity, total atropine dose, length of hospital stay, and clinical outcome in 15 patients with alleged pesticide poisoning. The validated method may be used for monitoring and prognosis in patients with pesticide poisoning and diagnosis of poisoning in forensic toxicology.

Fatal Transorbital Intracranial Penetrating Injury Due to a Bicycle Brake Handle.

Transorbital intracranial injuries are uncommon and mostly accidental in nature. These injuries are usually associated with high mortality. The key to preventing this mortality involves an early diagnosis of intracranial injuries and immediate and appropriate management. Any delay can pose a serious risk to the patient's life. A case of a 55-year-old man who had experienced an accidental self-fall while riding a bicycle is presented. Initially, he was treated at a primary health center. He was referred to the tertiary care institute due to unavailability of ancillary investigation at the primary health center. He was declared dead on arrival at the casualty in the tertiary institute. On autopsy, it was observed that the injury above the right side of the upper eyelid was penetrating the right side roof of the orbit and the right cerebral cortex and brainstem. The highlighting feature of the case is that, despite the fatal penetrating brain injury, the eyeball did not sustain any major injury.

Atypical Exit Wound in High-Voltage Electrocution.

Electrocution fatality cases are difficult to investigate. High-voltage electrocution burns resemble burns caused by other sources, especially if the person survives for few days. In that case, circumstantial evidence if correlated with the autopsy findings helps in determining the cause and manner of death. In addition, the crime scene findings also help to explain the pattern of injuries observed at autopsy. A farmer came in contact with a high-voltage transmission wire and sustained superficial to deep burns over his body. A charred and deeply scorched area was seen over the face, which was suggestive of the electric entry wound. The exit wound was present over both feet and lower leg and was atypical in the form of a burnt area of peeled blistered skin, charring, and deep scorching. The injuries were correlated with crime scene findings, and the circumstances that lead to his electrocution are discussed here.

Positional Asphyxia: Death Due to Unusual Head-Down Position in a Narrow Space.

Death due to a head-down position with hyperflexion of the neck is a rare event. A person accidentally falling into a narrow space and remaining in an upside-down position with no timely recovery may experience positional or postural asphyxia. It is a critical condition arising out of particular body positions, leading to mechanical obstruction of respiration. The precipitating factors are intoxication due to alcohol, drugs, obesity, psychiatric illnesses, and injuries. A 30-year-old unmarried woman, weighing 82 kg and with a body mass index of 31.24, was found in a narrow space between the bed and the wall in a naked state and in a head-down position with hyperflexion of the neck. The distribution of lividity was consistent with the position of the body at the scene. Blood was oozing from the mouth and nostrils, and signs of asphyxia were present. The toxicological analyses of viscera, blood, and urine were negative for alcohol, drugs, and poisons. Glucose levels in the blood (86 mg/dL) as well as urine and vitreous humor levels (68 mg/dL) were within normal limits. On microscopic examination, there were no findings of coronary atherosclerosis, whereas the brain and lung were edematous. After meticulous examination, we ruled out sexual assault, autoerotic asphyxia, epilepsy, psychiatric illness, diabetes, toxicity, and coronary artery disease. Death was attributed to the accidental fall of the obese individual being stuck in a narrow space, resulting in positional asphyxia. It is imperative to recognize the precipitating or risk factors before labeling positional asphyxia as a cause of death.

Discovery of 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines as potent dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs).

Compound rac-1 was identified by high throughput screening. Here we report SAR studies and MedChem optimization towards the highly potent dual orexin receptor antagonists (S)-2 and (S)-3. Furthermore, strategies to overcome the suboptimal physicochemical properties are highlighted and the pharmacokinetic profiles of representative compounds is presented.

The prevalence of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in forensic autopsies in a teaching hospital in South India.

Introduction: An autopsy is a valuable tool for finding the cause of death, exploring the clinical diagnosis, documenting unexpected findings, and resolving diagnostic questions. However, this may subject the forensic pathologist and other workers to a wide variety of blood-borne and aerosolized pathogens. Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common cause of illness and death, resulting in infection transmission in the autopsy room. Our objective in this study was to estimate the prevalence of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis among forensic autopsies in a tertiary care hospital in South India. Material and Methods: We identified positive TB cases from acid-fast bacteria staining and culture (Mycobacterium Growth Indicator Tube and Lowenstein-Jensen medium) out of 380 autopsy cases. Results: The prevalence of tuberculosis was 2.4% (n = 9), among which 2.1% of cases were positive for only pulmonary tuberculosis (n = 8), and 0.3% of cases had both pulmonary and extrapulmonary involvement (n = 1). In the bivariate analysis of TB cases, sex, occupation, family history of TB, habit of smoking, BCG vaccine scar, period of hospital stay, and cause of death were potentially significant. Conclusion: The prevalence of TB in forensic autopsy cases were similar to forensic autopsy-based studies, and it was less as compared to the prevalence of TB in the general population.

Diversity in the ligand binding pocket of HapR attributes to its uniqueness towards several inhibitors with respect to other homologues - A structural and molecular perspective.

Vibrio cholerae is a prolific bacterium. Cumulative studies clearly demonstrate the key role of quorum sensing on the lifecycle of this bacterium. Of the sensory network components, HapR is known as high cell density master regulator. Until now, no information is available on native HapR ligand despite the protein having a ligand binding pocket. Interestingly, function of SmcR, a HapR homologue of Vibrio vulnificus is inhibited by a small molecule Qstatin. Structural analysis of SmcR with Qstatin identifies key interacting residues in SmcR ligand binding domain. Despite bearing significant homology with SmcR, HapR function remained unabated by Qstatin. Sequence alignment indicates divergence in the key residues of ligand binding pocket between these two regulators. A series of ligand binding domain mutants of HapR was constructed where only HapR quadruple mutant responded to Qstatin and newly synthesized IMT-VC-212. Crystal structure analysis revealed four key residues are responsible for changes in the volume of ligand binding pocket of HapR quadruple mutant compared to the wild type counterpart, thereby increasing the accessibility of Qstatin and its derivative in case of the former. The mechanistic insights exuberating from this study will remain instrumental in designing inhibitors against wild type HapR.

Discovery of LNP1892: A Precision Calcimimetic for the Treatment of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism.

The calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) plays an important role in maintaining calcium homeostasis. The use of calcimimetic cinacalcet has been established to activate CaSR and normalize hypercalcemia. However, cinacalcet has limitations due to its high cLogP and pKa. A systematic optimization of cinacalcet to reduce its cLogP and pKa yielded compound 23a (LNP1892). Compound 23a showed excellent potency and a favorable pharmacokinetics profile, and lacked the liabilities of cinacalcet, making it a highly differentiated precision calcimimetic. In adenine-diet-induced chronic kidney disease (CKD) models, 23a demonstrated robust and dose-dependent efficacy, as measured by plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. It also showed an excellent safety profile in animal studies. Phase 1 clinical trials with 23a in healthy volunteers confirmed its excellent safety, tolerability, and effectiveness in lowering PTH levels in a dose-dependent manner, without causing symptomatic hypocalcaemia. Encouraged by these promising results, LNP1892 was taken to a Phase 2 study in CKD patients.

Epidemio-toxicological profile and reasons for fatal suicidal poisoning: A record-based study in South India.

Introduction: Poisoning is the second frequent cause of suicide in India. To plan an effective intervention and awareness program, it is essential to know the sociodemographic profile, pattern, and reasons for suicide. Objective: We conducted this study to find the sociodemographic profile, pattern, and reasons for fatal suicidal poisoning. Methods: We conducted a record-based study in a tertiary hospital in Puducherry. We reviewed autopsies conducted between January 2010 and December 2014 for fatal suicidal poisoning. We extracted data using a data collection sheet for age, gender, marital status, occupation, residence, the reason for suicide, time of injury, time of death. We entered data in Microsoft Excel, and we did a descriptive analysis by using R software version. Results: We reviewed 3996 medicolegal autopsies, out of which 595 cases were of fatal suicidal poisoning. The mean age of the cases was 35.8 years (SD-14.6). The majority of the cases were married (74.8%) for 20-30 years (31.8%). Most of the victims were agriculture workers (22.2%), lived in a rural setting (84.4%), died during the daytime (61.2%), and in the summer season (54.5%). The most common poison used was organophosphates (48.7%), and the most common reason was family problems (30.2%). The median survival time (h) for the cases (n = 564) was 45.8 h (IQR: 16.4 to 110.6). Conclusion: We found fatal suicidal poisoning was common among males, young adults, married, agriculture workers/laborers, and in a rural setting. The findings help plan an effective intervention for suicide prevention in India.

Free spermidine evokes superoxide radicals that manifest toxicity.

Spermidine and other polyamines alleviate oxidative stress, yet excess spermidine seems toxic to Escherichia coli unless it is neutralized by SpeG, an enzyme for the spermidine N-acetyl transferase function. Thus, wild-type E. coli can tolerate applied exogenous spermidine stress, but ΔspeG strain of E. coli fails to do that. Here, using different reactive oxygen species (ROS) probes and performing electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we provide evidence that although spermidine mitigates oxidative stress by lowering overall ROS levels, excess of it simultaneously triggers the production of superoxide radicals, thereby causing toxicity in the ΔspeG strain. Furthermore, performing microarray experiment and other biochemical assays, we show that the spermidine-induced superoxide anions affected redox balance and iron homeostasis. Finally, we demonstrate that while RNA-bound spermidine inhibits iron oxidation, free spermidine interacts and oxidizes the iron to evoke superoxide radicals directly. Therefore, we propose that the spermidine-induced superoxide generation is one of the major causes of spermidine toxicity in E. coli.

Role of toll-like receptor 7/8 pathways in regulation of interferon response and inflammatory mediators during SARS-CoV2 infection and potential therapeutic options.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) is the causative agent of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Lower production of type I and III interferons and higher levels of inflammatory mediators upon SARS-CoV2 infection contribute to COVID-19 pathogenesis. Optimal interferon production and controlled inflammation are essential to limit COVID-19 pathogenesis. However, the aggravated inflammatory response observed in COVID-19 patients causes severe damage to the host and frequently advances to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Toll-like receptor 7 and 8 (TLR7/8) signaling pathways play a central role in regulating induction of interferons (IFNs) and inflammatory mediators in dendritic cells. Controlled inflammation is possible through regulation of TLR mediated response without influencing interferon production to reduce COVID-19 pathogenesis. This review focuses on inflammatory mediators that contribute to pathogenic effects and the role of TLR pathways in the induction of interferon and inflammatory mediators and their contribution to COVID-19 pathogenesis. We conclude that potential TLR7/8 agonists inducing antiviral interferon response and controlling inflammation are important therapeutic options to effectively eliminate SARS-CoV2 induced pathogenesis. Ongoing and future studies may provide additional evidence on their safety and efficacy to treat COVID-19 pathogenesis.

Terminal Respiratory Oxidases: A Targetables Vulnerability of Mycobacterial Bioenergetics?

Recently, ATP synthase inhibitor Bedaquiline was approved for the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis emphasizing the importance of oxidative phosphorylation for the survival of mycobacteria. ATP synthesis is primarily dependent on the generation of proton motive force through the electron transport chain in mycobacteria. The mycobacterial electron transport chain utilizes two terminal oxidases for the reduction of oxygen, namely the bc1-aa3 supercomplex and the cytochrome bd oxidase. The bc1-aa3 supercomplex is an energy-efficient terminal oxidase that pumps out four vectoral protons, besides consuming four scalar protons during the transfer of electrons from menaquinone to molecular oxygen. In the past few years, several inhibitors of bc1-aa3 supercomplex have been developed, out of which, Q203 belonging to the class of imidazopyridine, has moved to clinical trials. Recently, the crystal structure of the mycobacterial cytochrome bc1-aa3 supercomplex was solved, providing details of the route of transfer of electrons from menaquinone to molecular oxygen. Besides providing insights into the molecular functioning, crystal structure is aiding in the targeted drug development. On the other hand, the second respiratory terminal oxidase of the mycobacterial respiratory chain, cytochrome bd oxidase, does not pump out the vectoral protons and is energetically less efficient. However, it can detoxify the reactive oxygen species and facilitate mycobacterial survival during a multitude of stresses. Quinolone derivatives (CK-2-63) and quinone derivative (Aurachin D) inhibit cytochrome bd oxidase. Notably, ablation of both the two terminal oxidases simultaneously through genetic methods or pharmacological inhibition leads to the rapid death of the mycobacterial cells. Thus, terminal oxidases have emerged as important drug targets. In this review, we have described the current understanding of the functioning of these two oxidases, their physiological relevance to mycobacteria, and their inhibitors. Besides these, we also describe the alternative terminal complexes that are used by mycobacteria to maintain energized membrane during hypoxia and anaerobic conditions.

Discovery of a Potent and Selective PI3Kδ Inhibitor (S)-2,4-Diamino-6-((1-(7-fluoro-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4-oxo-3-phenyl-4H-quinolizin-2-yl)ethyl)amino)pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile with Improved Pharmacokinetic Profile and Superior Efficacy in Hematological Cancer Models.

PI3Kδ inhibitors have been approved for B-cell malignancies like CLL, small lymphocytic lymphoma, and so forth. However, currently available PI3Kδ inhibitors are nonoptimal, showing weakness against at least one of the several important properties: potency, isoform selectivity, and/or pharmacokinetic profile. To come up with a PI3Kδ inhibitor that overcomes all these deficiencies, a pharmacophoric expansion strategy was employed. Herein, we describe a systematic transformation of a "three-blade propeller" shaped lead, 2,3-disubstituted quinolizinone 11, through a 1,2-disubstituted quinolizinone 20 to a novel "four-blade propeller" shaped 1,2,3-trisubstituted quinolizinone 34. Compound 34 has excellent potency, isoform selectivity, metabolic stability across species, and exhibited a favorable pharmacokinetic profile. Compound 34 also demonstrated a differentiated efficacy profile in human germinal center B and activated B cell-DLBCL cell lines and xenograft models. Compound 34 qualifies for further evaluation as a candidate for monotherapy or in combination with other targeted agents in DLBCLs and other forms of iNHL.

The effect of cold chamber temperature on the cadaver's electrolyte changes in vitreous humor and plasma.

Determination of time since death is one of the important objectives of a medicolegal autopsy. The level of electrolytes present in the body fluids acts as a helpful indicator in this regard. Nowadays cold chambers are present in most of the autopsy centres where the body is stored for a variable period of time at a temperature which is different from the environmental temperature. This study was undertaken to know the effect of the cold chamber temperature on the changes in sodium, potassium and chloride levels of vitreous humor and plasma and also to estimate the time since death from the levels of these electrolytes. For this, the study subjects were exposed to the cold chamber temperature (in a range of +2 °C to +4 °C) for a variable duration of time before beginning the autopsy. The results obtained substantiate the fact that the temperature of the cold chamber has a significant effect on the change in vitreous humor potassium level. In subjects exposed to the cold chamber, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between the sodium and chloride levels of vitreous humor with time since death. The R-squared value for the regression equation to predict time since death from vitreous humor sodium level was found to be 0.0916 and was considered a significant predictor of time since death.

Blending of rodenticide and battery acid - a rare and fatal suicide mix.

BACKGROUND: Self-poisoning usually occurs by the ingestion of a single lethal compound and majority of the poisoning cases in our country are due to the pesticides. Suicide by ingestion of more than one poisonous substance is rare except alcohol and multiple drugs. To the best of our knowledge, suicidal ingestion of a mixture of rodenticide and battery acid has not been reported before in medical literature. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we are discussing a case of simultaneous ingestion of two poisonous substances, i.e., aluminium phosphide and battery acid. In general, an acid is mainly locally acting while metal phosphide is a systemic poison. Features suggestive of both these poisonous substances were noticed on clinical, autopsy and histopathological examination and supported by a positive chemical analysis report of viscera. Moreover, we analysed the possible reactions which may occur between these two compounds and their by-products outside and inside our body. CONCLUSION: In cases where, combination of poisons is suspected a proper history, meticulous autopsy and ancillary investigation including histopathogy and analytical toxicology are required to conclude the cause of death and mechanism of poisoning.

An efficient synthesis of D-erythro- and D-threo-sphingosine from D-glucose: olefin cross-metathesis approach.

[reaction: see text] The D-erythro- and D-threo-sphingosine were synthesized via E-selective olefin cross-metathesis using a D-glucose-derived building block and long-chain terminal alkene.

Occupational death due to bilateral carotid artery occlusion - a medico-legal case report.

Occupational deaths are work-related deaths and usually occur in the work place of an individual. A case of occupational death in a female factory worker has been described, where the saree she was wearing accidentally got entangled in the moving belt and caused ligature strangulation. She was unconscious throughout indicating bilateral occlusion of the carotids and died a day after the incident. The authors have described the correlation between the distribution of the injuries on the body and the manner a saree is worn. Investigation of the workplace revealed that the place where she was standing was located between two machines, and the space was inadequate for normal movement. Some suggestions have been offered which may decrease the incidences of occupational ligature strangulation due to entanglement of dress materials in the moving machineries.