RESUMO
In cases of crimes involving blood, the perpetrators often attempt to remove the traces they have left behind. Setting fire to the crime scene, aside from cleaning measures, seems to achieve this goal and presents a major challenge for crime scene investigators. There is only very little published information available on the effect of fire and extreme heat on blood and the detection thereof. After exposure to high temperatures of or exceeding 1.000 °C, blood is deemed to be undetectable. This study exposed 11 different potentially crime-relevant objects using a standardized and controlled procedure to temperatures of 300 °C, 700 °C, and 1.000 °C documenting the influence of heat on bloodstains and the detection of blood. The results of the forensic collection of blood traces with and without liquid latex confirmed the advantage of using the latex method. Almost all objects showed a clear luminescence-caused visualization of traces of blood after removing the soot with a latex lift. There were also fewer false positive results than in tests not using latex.
Assuntos
Manchas de Sangue , Incêndios , Temperatura Alta , Látex/química , Luminescência , Substâncias Luminescentes/química , Luminol/química , Coleta de Amostras Sanguíneas/métodos , Crime , Ciências Forenses , Humanos , TemperaturaRESUMO
A recurrent observation in forensic casework is that culprits and/or their abettors attempt to remove or mask bloodstain patterns, e.g., by painting the walls. The present study was designed to elucidate whether luminol treatment of bloodstains on (a) plastered and (b) wallpapered walls may help with the visualization of respective patterns after being repainted beyond macroscopic recognition. Furthermore, wallpaper punches of luminol-positive spots were analyzed for DNA. The experiments showed that the prospects for visualization after a four- to sixfold paint application declined considerably as the drying time of the paint increased. A compelling explanation for this observation is that paint becomes increasingly resistant to water during the drying process after paint application. In these cases, moistening the surface in question with distilled water for 15 min has been proven to be a promising pretreatment before luminol application. DNA analysis revealed full STR profiles in 74% of luminol-positive wallpaper punches, whereas rubs of the aforementioned positively tested regions (luminol and human blood pretests) demonstrated negative results.
Assuntos
Manchas de Sangue , Impressões Digitais de DNA , DNA/isolamento & purificação , Substâncias Luminescentes , Luminol , Pintura , Destilação , Humanos , Repetições de Microssatélites , Manejo de Espécimes , ÁguaRESUMO
Post-mortem chemical excitability of the iris is one of the non-temperature-based methods in forensic diagnosis of the time since death. Although several authors reported on their findings, using different measurement methods, currently used time limits are based on a single dissertation which has recently been doubted to be applicable for forensic purpose. We investigated changes in pupil-iris ratio after application of acetylcholine (n = 79) or tropicamide (n = 58) and in controls at upper and lower time limits that are suggested in the current literature, using a digital photography-based measurement method with excellent reliability. We observed "positive," "negative," and "paradox" reactions in both intervention and control conditions at all investigated post-mortem time points, suggesting spontaneous changes in pupil size to be causative for the finding. According to our observations, post-mortem chemical excitability of the iris should not be used in forensic death time estimation, as results may cause false conclusions regarding the correct time point of death and might therefore be strongly misleading.
Assuntos
Iris/efeitos dos fármacos , Miose/induzido quimicamente , Midríase/induzido quimicamente , Mudanças Depois da Morte , Acetilcolina/administração & dosagem , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Feminino , Humanos , Injeções , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Antagonistas Muscarínicos/administração & dosagem , Fotografação , Tropicamida/administração & dosagem , Vasodilatadores/administração & dosagem , Adulto JovemRESUMO
A case of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in several occupants of two neighboring residential buildings in Hamburg-Harburg (Germany) caused by a defective gas central heating system is described. Because of leaks in one of the residential buildings and the directly adjacent wall of the neighboring house, the gas could spread and accumulated in both residential buildings, which resulted in a highly dangerous situation. Exposure to the toxic gas caused mild to severe intoxication in 15 persons. Three victims died still at the site of the accident. Measures to protect the occupants were taken only with a great delay. As symptoms were unspecific, it was not realized that the various alarms given by persons involved in the accident were related to the same cause. In order to take appropriate measures in time it is indispensible to recognize, assess and check potential risks, which can be done by using carbon monoxide warning devices and performing immediate COHb measurements with special pulse oximeters on site. Moreover, the COHb content in the blood should be routinely determined in all patients admitted to an emergency department with unspecific symptoms.
Assuntos
Gasometria/métodos , Intoxicação por Monóxido de Carbono/etiologia , Intoxicação por Monóxido de Carbono/prevenção & controle , Monóxido de Carbono/sangue , Patologia Legal/métodos , Calefação/instrumentação , Monóxido de Carbono/toxicidade , Falha de Equipamento , Alemanha , Calefação/efeitos adversos , HumanosRESUMO
The article reports on the exhumation and identification of unknown soldiers from the Second World War. With the help of medicolegal investigation and reconstruction methods an American pilot presumably murdered by a shot to the head (lynch law) and an interned Italian soldier could be identified after about 70 years and brought back home.
Assuntos
Osso e Ossos/patologia , Antropologia Forense , Processamento de Imagem Assistida por Computador , Militares/história , Militares/legislação & jurisprudência , Mudanças Depois da Morte , Crânio/patologia , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios X , II Guerra Mundial , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo/história , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo/patologia , Adulto , Impressões Digitais de DNA/legislação & jurisprudência , Europa (Continente) , Exumação/legislação & jurisprudência , História do Século XX , Homicídio/legislação & jurisprudência , Humanos , Masculino , Adulto JovemRESUMO
To investigate which fungi can be found during forensic autopsies, a PubMed literature review was done in regard to fungal growth on decomposed human bodies. Unfortunately, the existing data is limited and not all fungi were identified to the species level. We, therefore, collected skin samples with macroscopically visible fungal growth from 23 autopsy cases in Germany and identified the fungi to the species level by molecular methods. The identified species included Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans, which pose an allergenic risk, especially to persons with underlying lung diseases. Because safety standards are lacking, we recommend the use of respiratory protection during exhumations and forensic autopsies, when fungal growth is noted. With regard to the future, a database was set up which could possibly be used as a forensic tool to determine the time of death.
Assuntos
Fungos/isolamento & purificação , Mudanças Depois da Morte , Pele/microbiologia , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , DNA Fúngico/genética , Feminino , Patologia Legal , Fungos/genética , Humanos , Masculino , Microscopia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Especificidade da EspécieRESUMO
53% of the forensically autopsied decedents in Hamburg were overweight. The cause of death and any comorbidities, especially coronary heart disease, are often associated with the obese condition. This correlation is illustrated by two examples, viz. a 65- and a 56-year-old man with grade III obesity, which do not only show the medical but also the logistical problems that come along with it.
Assuntos
Causas de Morte , Obesidade/mortalidade , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Autopsia , Índice de Massa Corporal , Comorbidade , Feminino , Alemanha , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Obesidade/classificação , Obesidade/complicaçõesRESUMO
The skull presents a variety of morphological traits suitable for sex discrimination due to the degree of their development. The vertical frontal inclination has been established. as another marker of sex discrimination, as a steep forehead is considered as a female and a receding frontal inclination as a male attribute. In the literature, there are many different ways to define the morphognostic term "frontal inclination" and "forehead profile" respectively. As part of the project "Digital Forensic Osteology" definitions of the frontal inclination commonly found in the literature have been tested with regard to their applicability to virtual skulls based on post-mortem CT data. The actual angle measurements were carried out automatically using software developed by the authors of this article. For the investigations, profile images of skulls generated from volume-rendered CT data were used in which anthropometric measuring points had been set manually. With the help of discriminant analysis it was tested whether sex discrimination on virtual skulls based on defined variables can be carried out with sufficient sensitivity. The measurement accuracy of the defined variables on the volume-rendered images turned out to be good. No significant sex differences regarding the tested variables were found. Using all the four selected variables the sensitivity for female skulls was only about 66%, whereas for male skulls it was not much higher than the rate of coincidence (53%). The results of this pilot study suggest that apart from extending the sample size the inclusion of additional variables based on strict consideration of validity and reliability criteria should be critically tested.
Assuntos
Cefalometria/métodos , Caracteres Sexuais , Determinação do Sexo pelo Esqueleto/métodos , Crânio/patologia , Terminologia como Assunto , Tomografia Computadorizada de Feixe Cônico/métodos , Feminino , Humanos , Interpretação de Imagem Assistida por Computador/métodos , Imageamento Tridimensional/métodos , Masculino , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Valores de Referência , SoftwareRESUMO
According to the literature, physicians have an increased risk of committing suicide, which can partly be explained by occupational stress. A retrospective analysis of the deaths investigated by the Hamburg office of Criminal Investigation and documents of the Hamburg Institute of Forensic Medicine for the years 2001 to 2013 showed that the average suicide rate among physicians is not significantly higher than that of the total population, it is 0.021% for physicians, 0.023% for dentists and 0.013% for the general public; thus the difference is not statistically significant (p: 0.57 for physicians and 0.74 for dentists). Drug intoxication has been found to be the most common method of suicide committed by physicians. However, these results must be interpreted with caution in view of the fact that a detailed evaluation of data was often not possible, especially because information as to the profession of the deceased and the motive for the suicide were missing or insufficiently documented.
Assuntos
Odontólogos/estatística & dados numéricos , Médicos/estatística & dados numéricos , Suicídio/estatística & dados numéricos , População Urbana/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto , Idoso , Feminino , Alemanha/epidemiologia , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prevalência , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
The assessment of the ossification status of the medial clavicular epiphysis plays a decisive role in forensic age diagnostics to determine whether a person has completed his or her 18th or, respectively, 21st year of life. Currently, computed tomography is the gold standard method for age diagnostics of this kind. However, efforts are being made to establish non-ionizing methods, such as ultrasonography, predominantly, in an attempt to reduce the radiation exposure load of living persons. The present study is the first to score and to compare the ossification status of both medial clavicular epiphyses of the same subjects by sonography, computed tomography, and, in some of the cases, by macroscopy. Our study was conducted on five male corpses, ranging in age from 15.8-28.8 years. In the comparison of high-resolution sonography (frequency, 12-15 MHz) and thin slice computed tomography (slice thickness, 0.6 mm), performed separately for left and right clavicles, the results from these two methods differed in seven of ten cases. In six cases, the ossification stage of the medial clavicle, determined by sonography and classified according to Schulz et al. (2008), was scored higher than with computed tomography. In one case, it was rated lower. There was only one subject for whom both the sonographic and computed tomography findings agreed for both body sides.
Assuntos
Determinação da Idade pelo Esqueleto/métodos , Clavícula/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Osteogênese , Adolescente , Adulto , Clavícula/diagnóstico por imagem , Epífises/diagnóstico por imagem , Epífises/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Antropologia Forense , Humanos , Imageamento Tridimensional , Masculino , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios X , Ultrassonografia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
In forensic medicine, there is an undefined data background for the phenomenon of re-establishment of rigor mortis after mechanical loosening, a method used in establishing time since death in forensic casework that is thought to occur up to 8 h post-mortem. Nevertheless, the method is widely described in textbooks on forensic medicine. We examined 314 joints (elbow and knee) of 79 deceased at defined time points up to 21 h post-mortem (hpm). Data were analysed using a random intercept model. Here, we show that re-establishment occurred in 38.5% of joints at 7.5 to 19 hpm. Therefore, the maximum time span for the re-establishment of rigor mortis appears to be 2.5-fold longer than thought so far. These findings have major impact on the estimation of time since death in forensic casework.
Assuntos
Articulação do Cotovelo/patologia , Articulação do Joelho/patologia , Mudanças Depois da Morte , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Patologia Legal , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: During the last years, Post Mortem Computed Tomography (PMCT) has become an integral part of the autopsy. PMCT-angiography may augment PMCT. Both exams have proven their value in visualizing complications after heart surgery. Therefore, they should also show complications after transvascular interventions. This assumption initiated our project: to evaluate the possibilities of PMCT and PMCT-angiography after transvascular cardiac interventions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In our archives of characteristic and typical PMCT findings, we searched for observations on preceding transvascular cardiac interventions. Additionally, we reviewed our PMCT-angiographies (N = 140). RESULTS: After transvascular cardiac interventions, PMCT and PMCT-angiography visualized bleeding, its amount and its origin, cardiac tamponade, free and covered perforations, transvascular implanted valves and their position, catheters and pacemakers with fractures, abnormal loops and bending. Bubbles in the coronary vessels (indicating air embolism) become visible. CONCLUSION: After transvascular cardiac interventions, PMCT and PMCT-angiography show complications and causes of death. They prove a correct interventional approach and also guide autopsy. In isolated cases, they may even replace autopsy.
Assuntos
Procedimentos Cirúrgicos Cardíacos/efeitos adversos , Doença da Artéria Coronariana/diagnóstico por imagem , Doença da Artéria Coronariana/cirurgia , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/diagnóstico por imagem , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/etiologia , Autopsia/métodos , Causas de Morte , Angiografia Coronária/efeitos adversos , Ponte de Artéria Coronária/efeitos adversos , Feminino , Alemanha , Humanos , Processamento de Imagem Assistida por Computador/métodos , Masculino , Mudanças Depois da Morte , Hemorragia Pós-Operatória/diagnóstico por imagem , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios X/métodosRESUMO
The aspiration of a foreign body is a high-risk event in the life of an infant or toddler, which needs fast clinical diagnosis and therapy. If the respiratory tract is massively obstructed, the aspiration can be fatal, as shown in the case of an 18-month-old child. The little boy choked on a fragment of a hazelnut shell. Besides radiography and bronchoscopy, a CT scan can be of special value to visualize the foreign body. Based on the data obtained, a virtual bronchoscopy can be calculated. Compared with conventional radiography, the advantages of computed tomography are better image quality, higher indicative value and the possibility to exactly localize the foreign body in the respiratory tract. In the presented case, the nutshell could be visualized in the larynx before autopsy.
Assuntos
Obstrução das Vias Respiratórias/patologia , Asfixia/patologia , Processamento de Imagem Assistida por Computador , Imageamento Tridimensional , Laringe/patologia , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios X , Autopsia , Broncoscopia , Prova Pericial/legislação & jurisprudência , Evolução Fatal , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , Interface Usuário-ComputadorRESUMO
An intense discoloration of the gastric mucosa or the gastrointestinal tract found at autopsy gives rise to the question of its cause. Such discolorations are mostly described in the context of intoxications. However, traditional foods and diagnostic procedures using indicator dyes can also lead to an unusual discoloration of the mucous membranes. The authors report on the autopsy findings in a man who died from a bleeding gastric ulcer and whose gastric mucosa showed intense blue discoloration. Experimental postmortem examinations (on stomachs) were performed with methylene blue, a dye used in gastroenterology, resulting in a blue discoloration resembling the appearance of the stomach in the autopsy case. Together with the outcome of the toxicological analyses, the experiments pointed to a diagnostic procedure using methylene blue (chromoendoscopy).
Assuntos
Autopsia/métodos , Mucosa Gástrica/patologia , Azul de Metileno , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Cárdia/patologia , Causas de Morte , Humanos , Masculino , Úlcera Péptica Hemorrágica/patologia , Úlcera Gástrica/patologiaRESUMO
Most cases of fatal hypothermia are accidental, often in connection with alcoholisation, homelessness, age-related confusedness and others. The phenomenon of paradoxical undressing may be observed. A paradoxical feeling of warmth in the advanced condition of hypothermia leads to the behaviour of undressing, partly or completely. Suicides with intentional hypothermia are rare. Fatal hypothermia often appears as a concomitant mechanism, e. g. in drug poisoning. The case report describes the fatality of a young woman dying from suicidal hypothermia. She was found partly undressed. This was part of her scheduled plan and not a consequence of paradoxical undressing.
Assuntos
Vestuário , Hipotermia/patologia , Suicídio/legislação & jurisprudência , Suicídio/psicologia , Autopsia , Difenidramina/intoxicação , Overdose de Drogas/patologia , Feminino , Humanos , Hipnóticos e Sedativos/intoxicação , Adulto JovemRESUMO
As fatalities attributable to novel H1N1/S-OIV infections are currently rising, an increasing number of autopsies will have to be performed on these cases. In view of this challenge, adequate safety precautions and recommendations for autopsy procedures and the sampling and handling of specimens have to be established. Based on current literature, procedures for daily autopsy practice are proposed, particularly in regard to personal protection equipment, swab usage, and autopsy hygiene.
Assuntos
Autopsia , Controle de Infecções/métodos , Transmissão de Doença Infecciosa do Paciente para o Profissional/prevenção & controle , Vírus da Influenza A Subtipo H1N1/patogenicidade , Influenza Humana/transmissão , DNA Viral/isolamento & purificação , Desinfecção , Humanos , Vírus da Influenza A Subtipo H1N1/genética , Influenza Humana/diagnóstico , Influenza Humana/epidemiologia , Equipamentos de Proteção , Manejo de EspécimesRESUMO
The present study compared cases of attempted and completed homicide in Hamburg from 1984 to 1989 and from 1995 to 2000 (n = 887). Data collection was performed using the police records. Attempted homicide showed a significant increase (34.8% vs. 57.9%, P < 0.0001). The majority of the victims and offenders were male with the share of male victims increasing from 59.7% to 74.2% (P < 0.0001). The age of the victims and offenders ranged between 22 and 40 years in both periods. The share of persons with a nationality other than German increased both in the victims (23.1% vs. 37.2%, P < 0.0001) and in the offenders (26.8% vs. 37.2%, P < 0.0001). The most common motives were interpersonal conflicts and robbery. The most frequently used forms of violence were sharp force, blunt force and strangulation.
Assuntos
Homicídio/legislação & jurisprudência , Homicídio/tendências , Adolescente , Adulto , Fatores Etários , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Causas de Morte/tendências , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Estudos Transversais , Etnicidade/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Alemanha , Homicídio/etnologia , Homicídio/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fatores Sexuais , Taxa de SobrevidaAssuntos
Neoplasias Abdominais/patologia , Traumatismos Cranianos Penetrantes/patologia , Suicídio Assistido , Tentativa de Suicídio , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo/patologia , Neoplasias Abdominais/diagnóstico por imagem , Idoso , Animais , Autopsia , Causas de Morte , Cães , Evolução Fatal , Feminino , Balística Forense , Patologia Legal/métodos , Traumatismos Cranianos Penetrantes/diagnóstico por imagem , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Cônjuges , Traumatismos Torácicos/patologia , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios X , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo/diagnóstico por imagemRESUMO
In sex determination from crania, a "vertical" forehead is considered a female feature, while a "sloping" forehead is considered a male feature. Precise description of frontal inclination with a quantitative measure like an angle is considerably more difficult as it requires accurate identification of clearly defined craniometric points. In the literature, the morphognostic terms "frontal bone inclination," or "frontal profile," are defined in numerous ways. The aim of this study was to determine which of these frontal inclination definitions is best suited for sex estimation. In a study in the context of the digital forensic osteology project, 10 of the frontal angle definitions described in the literature were assessed for their usefulness in sex determination on 211 virtual crania, reconstructed from postmortem CT-data. Custom-developed software was used for the automated measurement of frontal bone inclination angles from lateral-profile, volume-rendered 3D cranial images in which 10 anthropometric landmarks had been manually marked. Discriminant function analysis was performed to determine if satisfactory accuracy rates for the classification of sex could be achieved with defined variables. Four of the ten examined definitions were found to be highly significant for sex determination; three of these, also provided satisfactory intra- and inter-observer reliability. The frontal angle according to Schwalbe provided the best accuracy rate of 75.4% and a critical discriminatory value (separation value) of 88.6°: angles greater than this, suggest female sex; angles smaller than this, suggest male sex. Further, the open-source, custom-developed software introduced here proved compatible with commonly used image-processing and statistical programs and allowed quick, automated, valid measurement of numerous cranial angles. Other craniometric angles can, thus, also be quickly and easily determined with this software.