Unenhanced PMCT in the diagnosis of fatal traumatic brain injury in a charred body.

Traffic incidents are one of the most frequent causes of death in young adults worldwide. Depending on the location of the incident, the velocity of the vehicle(s), the weather condition, traffic incidents are often complicated making the investigation of the circumstances difficult. Here we report a case of an incinerated body involved in a vehicle incident.

Tissue-Specific Immunopathology in Fatal COVID-19.

In life-threatening coronavirus disease (COVID-19), corticosteroids reduce mortality, suggesting that immune responses have a causal role in death. Whether this deleterious inflammation is primarily a direct reaction to the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or an independent immunopathologic process is unknown. To determine SARS-CoV-2 organotropism and organ-specific inflammatory responses and the relationships among viral presence, inflammation, and organ injury.

Ex vivo F-fluoride uptake and hydroxyapatite deposition in human coronary atherosclerosis.

Early microcalcification is a feature of coronary plaques with an increased propensity to rupture and to cause acute coronary syndromes. In this ex vivo imaging study of coronary artery specimens, the non-invasive imaging radiotracer, F-fluoride, was highly selective for hydroxyapatite deposition in atherosclerotic coronary plaque. Specifically, coronary F-fluoride uptake had a high signal to noise ratio compared with surrounding myocardium that makes it feasible to identify coronary mineralisation activity.

Quantification of Macrophage-Driven Inflammation During Myocardial Infarction with F-LW223, a Novel TSPO Radiotracer with Binding Independent of the rs6971 Human Polymorphism.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and inflammation is central to tissue response and patient outcomes. The 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) has been used in PET as an inflammatory biomarker. The aims of this study were to screen novel, fluorinated, TSPO radiotracers for susceptibility to the rs6971 genetic polymorphism using in vitro competition binding assays in human brain and heart; assess whether the in vivo characteristics of our lead radiotracer, F-LW223, are suitable for clinical translation; and validate whether F-LW223 can detect macrophage-driven inflammation in a rat MI model.

Unexpected active tuberculosis on Post Mortem CT: A case report and review of the literature.

Unexpected active tuberculosis (TB) at autopsy represents a serious transmissible health risk to mortuary and laboratory staff. Post Mortem CT (PMCT) is widely accepted as a valuable adjunct to autopsy throughout the world, but the uptake and implementation varies from country to country. We present a case of unexpected active TB on PMCT and review the literature on the incidence of and risks from the condition.

The role of mobile computed tomography in mass fatality incidents.

Mobile multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scanners are potentially available to temporary mortuaries and can be operational within 20 min of arrival. We describe, to our knowledge, the first use of mobile MDCT for a mass fatality incident. A mobile MDCT scanner attended the disaster mortuary after a five vehicle road traffic incident.

Forensic webwatch: Forensic computing.

With the rapid and continuous development of information technology, policing faces new challenges. As computer equipments are becoming cheaper and the internet more readily available, computer crime and criminal exploitation is on the increase. Investigating such crimes requires identification, preservation, analysis and presentation of digital evidence, the key elements of forensic computing.

A screwdriver in the skull : A case report of an unusual finding.

The examination of the body of a murdered adult female found in her apartment revealed the presence of a 6-inch screwdriver in the skull cavity that had been inserted through the medial border of the left eye. The presence of a small bruise around the medial aspect of the eye together with the absence of fresh hemorrhage along the tract of the screwdriver was consistent with a postmortem origin. Death, however, was caused by a large incised wound of the neck and multiple skull fractures consistent with hammer blows.

Galectin-3 does not reliably distinguish benign from malignant thyroid neoplasms.

Aims: To determine whether galectin-3 is a sensitive indicator of thyroid malignancy. It has been suggested as a potential marker for differentiating thyroid carcinoma from benign or non-neoplastic lesions in preoperative fine-needle aspirates (FNAs).

Methods: Galectin-3 protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed thyroid tissues from 124 patients with histological diagnoses of papillary carcinoma (n = 38), follicular carcinoma (n = 19), follicular adenoma (n = 32) and dominant nodules of multinodular goitre (n = 35).

Forensic web watch--forensic nursing.

At times the boundaries between medicine and other allied health care professions becomes blurred such that roles historically undertaken by doctors are today undertaken by others often, in fact, more suited to the role. At the time of conception and implementation this exchange of duties may not be accepted by those trapped within the traditions of the hierarchy of medicine which often leads to conflict between the two groups who initially have to work side by side. A good example of the exchange of duties and the differences of forensic practice throughout the world is that of the role of the nurse in death and forensic investigation.