MEDICO-LEGAL APPLICATIONS OF FRACTURE HEMATOMA: REVIEW.

This review aimed to elucidate the critical role of fracture hematoma in forensic medicine, with a specific focus on its utility in differentiating antemortem from postmortem fractures. The study seeks to provide a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge on the subject, highlighting the biological and medico-legal implications of fracture hematoma analysis in forensic investigations. A systematic review of literature was conducted, encompassing various scientific databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, focusing on studies published from 2000 to 2024. The search employed keywords such as "fracture hematoma," "antemortem fractures," "perimortem fractures" and "postmortem fractures," among others, to explore relevant data. Selected studies were scrutinized based on their relevance, the presence of substantial data on fracture hematoma, and their contribution to forensic analysis. The review underscores the significance of fracture hematoma as an indicator of antemortem injuries, revealing that active blood circulation at the time of injury facilitates hematoma formation. Detailed analyses within the selected studies illustrate the interplay of cellular and molecular dynamics within fracture hematomas, emphasizing the roles of cytokines, particularly IL-6, and cellular constituents in the healing process. Fracture hematoma analysis emerges as a vital forensic tool in establishing the vitality of bone fractures, enhancing the accuracy of forensic assessments. However, the review also acknowledges the challenges posed by individual healing variability and postmortem changes, suggesting a need for further research to refine the interpretative frameworks used in forensic hematoma analysis.

Morphological characteristics of tissue damages from electrical contact.

The purpose of the study was to reveal the morphological pattern of different tissues mostly vulnerable to electric contact injury from domestic electrical appliances and to determine the possible diagnostic criteria of this damage. The matter is of particular importance as domestic electrical appliances are widely used in torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. The pilot part of the study was experimental and as the material of study have been used adult Wistar white rats. The microscopic study of slides taken from tissues damaged by electricity and dyed by routine Hematoxilin-Eosin reveals general structural changes that does not represent characteristic morphological pattern sufficient for forensic diagnosis of electric injury. The electricity damage of kidney and adrenal glands reflects the morphological pattern of stress that allows complex evaluation of damage but could have only orientating value for the estimation of cause of injury. Due to results obtained from pilot part of the study there is considered in regard to determine the possible diagnostic criteria for electrical injury of tissues the experimental morphological study must continue on skin and myocardial material using routine Hematoxilin-Eosin as well as other classical and modern morphological methods of study.