Search results for "postmortem"
showing 10 items of 38 documents
Postmortem distribution of dihydrocodeine and metabolites in a fatal case of dihydrocodeine intoxication.
1998
A report of a fatal dihydrocodeine ingestion under substitution therapy is given. Quantitation of dihydrocodeine, dihydromorphine, N-nordihydrocodeine, dihydrocodeine-6-, dihydromorphine-6- and dihydromorphine-3-glucuronide was performed simultaneously after solid-phase extraction prior to HPLC analysis, and the analytes were detected using their native fluorescence. Postmortem concentrations of blood samples from different sampling sites as well as from liver, kidney and cerebrum are reported. A hair sample was investigated to prove long-term use of the substitute drug. Site-to-site differences of the analytes from blood samples were very small. The partition behavior of the opioid glucuro…
GHB related acids (dihydroxy butyric acids, glycolic acid) can help in the interpretation of post mortem GHB results.
2020
Post mortem gamma hydroxy butyric acid (GHB) concentrations should be interpreted with caution since GHB concentrations can increase after death. Post mortem concentrations after the intake of GHB ante mortem do overlap with concentration ranges in cases without known exposure to GHB and make an interpretation challenging. GHB is known to undergo intensive metabolism to related acids (glycolic acid (GA), succinic acid (SA), 2,4- and 3,4-dihydroxy butyric acid (2,4-OH-BA and 3,4-OH-BA)). GHB and these related acids were analyzed using a validated gas chromatographic mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method after liquid liquid extraction and trimethylsilylation. SA concentrations were not usable pos…
The synthetic cannabinoid 5F-MDMB-PICA: A case series
2020
5F-MDMB-PICA has been detected in products sold on the internet as well as in biological samples since 2016. It is associated with serious adverse health and behavioral effects and even death. Herein we report on twelve cases with proven 5F-MDMB-PICA consumption, including three fatalities, four cases of driving under the influence of drugs and five other criminal acts. In these cases, 5F-MDMB-PICA was detected in postmortem blood or serum. Concentrations ranged from 0.1-16ng/mL. In some blood (serum) and urine samples, the hydrolysis metabolite of 5F-MDMB-PICA (M12) could also be detected. In this case series, co-consumption with other drugs occurred in 9 of 12 cases, most commonly alcohol…
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of DNA extracted from postmortem muscle tissues
1990
DNA extracted from 33 postmortem muscle specimens was analyzed using MZ 1.3, a hypervariable minisatellite probe, as well as locus-specific minisatellite probes (g3, MS1 and MS43). After storage at -25 degrees C for 10 months, DNA from all the samples was partially (approximately 21% of total DNA) degraded even when autopsy was performed 1 day postmortem. However, more than 90% of DNA samples up to at least 3 days postmortem were suitable to obtain good restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns. When small strips of specimen were stored for 8 days at room temperature in moist chambers, approximately 42% of total DNA was degraded. Only 30% of these DNA samples still showed goo…
Forensic microbiology applications: A systematic review.
2019
Abstract According to the Human Microbiome Project (HMP), a healthy human body contains ten times more microbes than human cells. Microbial communities colonize different organs of the body, playing fundamental roles both in human health and disease. Despite the vast scientific knowledge of the role of microbial communities in a living body, little is known at present about microbial changes occurring after death, thus leading many authors to investigate the composition of the thanatomicrobiome and its potential applications in the forensic field. The aim of the following review is to provide a general overview of the advances of postmortem microbiology research, mainly focusing on the role…
Expression of PSA-NCAM and synaptic proteins in the amygdala of psychiatric disorder patients.
2011
Neuroimaging has revealed structural abnormalities in the amygdala of different psychiatric disorders. The polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM), a molecule related to neuronal structural plasticity, which expression is altered in schizophrenia, major depression and in animal models of these disorders, may participate in these changes. However, PSA-NCAM has not been studied in the human amygdala. To know whether its expression and that of presynaptic markers, was affected in psychiatric disorders, we have analyzed post-mortem sections from the Stanley Neuropathology Consortium, which includes controls, schizophrenia, bipolar and major depression patients. PSA-NCAM was expr…
Investigation of sterols as potential biomarkers for the detection of pig (S. s. domesticus) decomposition fluid in soils
2012
This study was carried out to evaluate the potential of using cholesterol and coprostanol, as indicators for the detection of decomposition fluid of buried pigs (S. s. domesticus) in soils. In May 2007, four pig carcasses (~35. kg) were buried in shallow graves (~40. cm depth) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Canada. Two pigs were exhumed after three months (Pig 1, Pig 2) and six months (Pig 3, Pig 4) post burial. Soil samples were collected beneath the pig carcasses (~40. cm depth) and from grave walls (~15-20. cm depth) as well as from a parallel control site. Coprostanol and cholesterol were extracted from soils, purified with solid phase extraction (SPE) and analy…
Functional genomics indicate that schizophrenia may be an adult vascular-ischemic disorder
2015
AbstractIn search for the elusive schizophrenia pathway, candidate genes for the disorder from a discovery sample were localized within the energy-delivering and ischemia protection pathway. To test the adult vascular-ischemic (AVIH) and the competing neurodevelopmental hypothesis (NDH), functional genomic analyses of practically all available schizophrenia-associated genes from candidate gene, genome-wide association and postmortem expression studies were performed. Our results indicate a significant overrepresentation of genes involved in vascular function (P<0.001), vasoregulation (that is, perivascular (P<0.001) and shear stress (P<0.01), cerebral ischemia (P<0.001), neurode…
Pitfalls on Postmortem Imaging: The Need of Blending Conventional and Virtual Autopsy on Burnt-Charred Body
2019
Joining forensic traditional autopsy and CT-MR postmortem virtual approach may assist forensic experts in adequate reconstruction of cause, manner, and way of death, significantly to find evidence of found wound/fracture and relative interpretation. Evaluation of criminal burning is often a difficult challenge in the view of misinterpretation of wound/fracture victims and usually poor case history of this criminal offense. In this scenario, a strong collaboration between imaging and classical forensic techniques is helpful.
Postmortem Imaging in Mass Disasters
2019
The term “mass casualty” in the forensic field refers to a sudden tragic event involving a large number of people; such an event determines the need to perform a large number of autopsy exams, possibly in a short time. Mass casualties tend to involve emergencies that are unexpected and result in stressful situation when even those with no or scarce interest or experience could be called to play a role. Radiology could be helpful in the task of identifying victims, in cooperation with a multidisciplinary team, usually headed by a forensic specialist.