[Analysis of suicide cases in the autopsy material of the Department of Forensic Medicine Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, University of Nicolaus Copernicus in Torun in 2011-2020]. / Analiza przypadków samobójstw w materiale sekcyjnym Katedry Medycyny Sadowej Collegium Medicum w Bydgoszczy Uniwersytetu Mikolaja Kopernika w Toruniu w latach 2011-2020.

Aim: Analysis of suicides on the basis of forensic post mortem examinations conducted at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Bydgoszcz in comparison with data from previous years and other centers. Material and methods: The assessment included 6,564 forensic medical opinions from the post mortem examinations carried out in 2011-2020, including 1,073 cases of suicide, taking into account the sex and age of the victims, the place where the suicide was committed, the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants, methods of committing suicides and date (month and year). Results: Suicides accounted for 16.34% of all post mortem examinations. The most common method of suicide was hanging - 73%. The second most common way to take your own life was fall from height - 8%. The most numerous age group among those committing suicide are people between 51 and 60 years of age. In most cases, the suicide victims were sober. There is a significant difference between the state of sobriety and the gender of the victim. Male victims were much more often under the influence of alcohol during the suicide. 14% of all suicides were committed by women, and 86% by men. Death as a result of suicide took place somewhat more often within the boundaries of large urban agglomerations than in towns and villages. Conclusions: The research showed an increase in the suicide rate compared to the previous years. Hanging is still the most common form of suicide. There has been an increase in the number of suicides in the elderly and an increase in the number of so-called combined suicides.

A Fatal Case of Pentedrone and α-Pyrrolidinovalerophenone Poisoning.

We report a fatal case of combined α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP) and 2-(methylamino)-1-phenylpentan-1-one (pentedrone) poisoning. A 28-year-old man was taken to hospital in asystole. Despite resuscitation efforts over 30 min, he died. The forensic autopsy showed pulmonary edema and moderately advanced atherosclerotic lesions of the arteries. Microscopic observation revealed chronic changes in the heart. Confirmation of the presence of pentedrone, α-PVP, and its metabolite 1-phenyl-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)pentan-1-ol (OH-α-PVP) in tissues and fluids were achieved using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis after liquid-liquid extraction. A quantitative validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method was used to determine the concentrations of the above designer drugs in postmortem samples. Pentedrone, α-PVP, and OH-α-PVP concentrations were 8,794, 901 and 185 ng/mL in whole blood, respectively; 100,044, 2,610 and 2,264 ng/g in the liver, respectively; 22,102, 462 and 294 ng/g in the kidney, respectively; 13,248, 120 and 91 ng/g in the brain, respectively and 500,534, 4,190 and 47 ng/g in the stomach contents, respectively. This is the first known reported death attributed to the combined use of α-PVP and pentedrone. Additionally, this article is the first to report the distribution of pentedrone in postmortem human samples.

Cases of non-fatal chop wounds to the head / Przypadki obrazen rabanych glowy bez skutku smiertelnego.

Chop wounds, due to the fact that they are usually located on the head and are inflicted by a weapon or an object with a large mass, usually lead to death from an extensive damage to the skull and brain structures. Non-lethal chop wounds to the head are found very rarely in forensic practice. The following paper presents three cases, in which the occurrence of wounds has been attributed to the use of an axe. In the first case, the sustained injuries actually resulted in a life-threatening condition. The injuries in the second case bore attributes of exposure to direct danger to life and health within the meaning of the relevant article of the Criminal Code. The third case can be considered interesting, not only because of the nature of the suffered post-traumatic lesions, but also in view of the circumstances of the death of the victim occurring later on in life.