Greenish-blue discoloration of the brain and heart after treatment with methylene blue.

Greenish-blue discoloration of the brain and heart was observed during the autopsy of a 63-year-old woman who had been treated with methylene blue for septic shock following a traffic accident. This "pistachio" or "avatar" discoloration occurs when the colorless metabolite leucomethylene blue is oxidized to methylene blue upon exposure to atmospheric oxygen. Other clinically documented adverse effects of methylene blue include greenish-blue urine and bluish discoloration of the skin and mucosa.

[Flagrant of a Clavicle Fracture as Bullfight Injury].

The Vila Franca de Xira Hospital is located in the region with the highest number of festivals and bullfighting activities of Portugal. As a natural consequence, the hospital ends up with a particular experience in the treatment of victims of bullfighting accidents. These are usually common people harvested in street celebrations during the traditional festivals of the region, but also workers such as cattle herders, foremen, ranchers and others who handle the wild cattle and in particular those who deal with the bulls, such as forcados, banderilleros, matadors and cavaleiros.

A rare case of digital myiasis.

Cutaneous myiasis is the infestation of the skin or mucous membranes by larvae of the order Diptera. Wound myiasis affect the skin with a previous lesion, and it may consume both dead and living tissue. Finger infestation is rarely a cause of death, but it may provoke considerable morbidity.

Spinous Process Osteochondroma as a Rare Cause of Lumbar Pain.

We present a case of a 5th Lumbar Vertebra (L5) spinous process osteochondroma as a rare cause of lumbar pain in an old patient. A 70-year-old male presented with progressive and disabling lower lumbar pain. Tenderness over the central and left paraspinal area of the lower lumbar region and a palpable mass were evident.

A Wormian Bone, Mimicking an Entry Gunshot Wound of the Skull, in an Anthropological Specimen.

Wormian bones (WB) are irregular small cranial ossicles found along suture lines and fontanels. In Brazil, gunshot wounds to the skull are quite common in young individuals. Nevertheless, as far as we know, this is the first report of a WB giving an erroneous aspect of gunshot entrance due to its displacement position.

Enlarged parietal foramina: a rare forensic autopsy finding.

Enlarged parietal foramina (EPF) are a quite rare developmental defect of the parietal bone which has to be distinguished from the normal small parietal foramina. We report a forensic case of an individual found in an advanced state of putrefaction in his own house with an undetermined cause of death. No evidence of trauma was observed, and the toxicological exam was negative.

Death in the "microwave oven": A form of execution by carbonization.

Death in the "microwave oven" has nothing to do with microwaves energy. It is the jargon name given to a criminal form of execution by carbonization that has been adopted by drug dealers in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The goal is to torture and intimidate victims, in an attempt of corpse occultation and to make identification harder or impossible.

Knee glomangioma: a rare location for a glomus tumor.

Glomus tumor is a rare, benign neoplasm rising from the glomus apparatus of the skin. It occurs most frequently on fingers and toes and accounts for 1.6% of all soft tissue tumors.

IMPORTANCE OF A NATIONAL ARTHROPLASTY REGISTER FOR IDENTIFICATION BY MEDICAL EXAMINER.

Mass catastrophes are realities that come to pass with lamentable frequency. In such situations, one of the fundamental forensic problems is in relation to identifying the victims. All the elements that might be capable of contributing towards this identification process are essential, and among these are orthopedic prostheses, which frequently remain intact.