[The morphofunctional features of the heart associated with acute morphine poisoning during the period of chronic drug intoxication].

The objective of the present study was to improve forensic medical diagnostics of the cases of death associated with morphine poisoning based on the investigation into the biochemical changes in blood and pericardial fluid as well as morphological changes in the myocardial structures. The studies were carried out with the use of thin-layer chromatography, colorimetric and morphological methods including hematoxylin and eosin, Lee's methylene blue, and van Gieson's picrofuscin staining. These techniques were supplemented by light and polarization microscopy. The study has demonstrated the presence of morphine in 99.16% of the blood and pericardial samples obtained in the cases of poisoning. The comparison of the results of biochemical and pathomorphological studies of the myocardium made it possible to evaluate the functional and morphological conditions of the heart in the case of acute morphine poisoning during the period of chronic drug intoxication.

[Changes in the biochemical, chemical and toxicological characteristics of pericardial fluid in the case of fatal narcotic intoxication].

This article describes the biochemical and chemical-toxicological investigations into the properties of the pericardial fluid designed to improve the effectiveness of forensic medical examination of the cases of fatal drug poisoning. The objectives of the study were the detection and determination of the type of narcotic substances in the pericardial fluid, evaluation of the quantitative changes in enzyme activities (AST, ALT and CPK) in the pericardial fluid, and the development of the criteria for the forensic medical diagnostics of fatal drug poisoning. The materials used in the study were the pericardial fluid and blood taken during forensic medical examination of 247 corpses of men (87.04%) and women (12.96%) at the age from 13 to 35 years who died from different causes. They were divided into two groups. The study group was comprised of 142 subjects who died from drug poisoning, the control group consisted of 105 subjects who died from other causes. The methods used to study the pericardial fluid included gas-liquid chromatography to detect the presence and the type of the poisonous drugs, as well as biochemical and colorimetric methods to determine the amount of enzymes AST, ALT, and CPK. The study revealed no traces of drugs or their metabolites in the pericardial fluid from the 105 control corpses. Positive results of the forensic drug tests were obtained in all the 142 cases of the study group. The changes in the parameters and the biochemical composition of pericardial fluid and blood in fatal drug poisoning were reliably established including the alteration of the enzyme levels, such as AST, ALT, and CPK. In the control group, the quantitative parameters of the enzyme activities did not exceed the normal values whereas in the study group a significant increase of AST, ALT, and CPK levels in the pericardial fluid and blood in comparison with the normal values was documented. Conclusion: the results obtained in the studies of both groups provide a basis on which to propose the reliable criteria for forensic medical diagnostics of fatal drug poisoning taking into consideration the changes in the chemical, toxicological, and biochemical parameters of the pericardial fluid.

[The updated techniques for the detection of diatomic plankters in the corpse after death by drowning].

The authors report investigations carried out with a view to improving the method for the detection of diatomic plankters for the purpose of forensic medical expertise of death by drowning. The methods for studying diatomic plankton present in blood, pericardial fluid, and contents of the sphenoid bone sinus are proposed to be employed for the purpose of differential diagnostics of death by drowning. Specific approaches to sampling cadaveric materials, their preparation and examination by dark field and phase contrast microscopy are described. It was shown that the application of the proposed methods for the investigation of diatomic plankton in cadaveric biological fluids ensures preservation of all planktonic species and thereby significantly improves the quality of analysis and decreases the time needed to perform forensic medical expertise.

[Forensic medical epidemiological characteristic of fatal narcotic substance intoxication in the Almaty region, Republic of Kazakhstan].

The present study has revealed a tendency toward a decrease in the frequency of cases of fatal outcomes of drug intoxication throughout the Almaty region during the 5 year period from 2007 till 2011 years. It is concluded that this positive trend is attributable to the improved quality of preventive measures undertaken by public healthcare services and law enforcement authorities in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

[Acute fatal intoxication with narcotic substances during their intracavitary transportation].

The authors describe a case of sudden death of a passenger on the train from Uzbekistan bound for Russia via Kazakhstan. The death was attributed to the poisoning with an illegally transported narcotic substance that was detected in the subject's stomach and intestines.