Toxicity Investigations of (R)-3-Hydroxybutyrate Glycerides In Vitro and in Male and Female Rats.

TCN006, a formulation of (R)-3-Hydroxybutyrate glycerides, is a promising ingredient for enhancing ketone intake of humans. Ketones have been shown to have beneficial effects on human health. To be used by humans, TCN006 must be determined safe in appropriately designed safety studies.

'The healthcare system is not designed around my needs': How healthcare consumers self-integrate conventional and complementary healthcare services.

Objective: To explore healthcare consumers' experiences of healthcare service integration.

Methods: This phenomenological study comprised three focus groups of 13 participants who were purposively invited to span three broad generations: young adults, middle-aged adults and seniors. Transcripts of focus group recordings were analysed thematically.

The effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the treatment of lower limb ulceration: a systematic review.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy has been reported as an effective treatment for lower limb ulceration. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the treatment of lower limb ulceration. Five electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Knowledge, Scopus and Ovid AMED) and reference lists from relevant studies were searched in December 2013.

An unusual case of homicidal near drowning followed by electrocution.

A young woman was found dead in a bath-tub with her facial orifices under water and current burn marks at the right big toe and at the neck near the hairline. Initial police investigations assumed an accidental electric shock due to a radio falling into the water. The forensic autopsy was followed by extensive histology and immunohistochemistry of the internal organs and skin marks.

Specific traces in stun gun deployment.

Stun guns are electric shocking devices that can be deployed as defensive or offensive weapons. The aim of this study was the identification of several types of trace evidence for corroborating deployment and providing clues to the weapon actually used. In a series of some 250 tests, the after-effects of firing a stun gun were studied under the differential influence of factors, such as time duration, distance from target, and bare skin vs clothing as target surface.

Death due to intravenous application of enteral feed.

A 6-month-old male infant was treated with intravenous infusions and enteral feed via a naso-gastric tube. Accidentally, enteral feed containing pureed carrots diluted with water was injected intravenously and the child died immediately. Carrot material could be found in the pulmonary blood vessels and in various organs of the systemic circulation.

Surfactant-encapsulated clusters (SECs): (DODA)20(NH4)[H3Mo57V6(NO)6O183(H2O)18], a case study.

We present a comprehensive study of the partially reduced polyoxomolybdate [H3-Mo57V6(NO)6O183(H2O)18]21-encapsulated in a shell of dimethyldioctadecylammonium (DODA) surfacmolecules. Treatment of an aqueous solution of (NH4)21[H3Mo57V6-(NO)6O183(H2O)18] . 65H2O (1a) with a trichloromethane solution of the surfactant leads to instant transfer of the encapsulated complex anion into the organic phase.

Fatal intoxication due to excessive dichloromethane inhalation.

A 22-year-old white male was found dead at his working place in a car lacquering company. He had removed lacquer residues by using a solvent containing dicloromethane (DCM) without using a gas mask. Pathology revealed signs of asphyxiation with obvious petechial bleedings and expressed microthrombosis of the pulmonary arteries.

No stress--no whiplash? Prevalence of "whiplash" symptoms following exposure to a placebo rear-end collision.

Volunteer studies of experimental, low-velocity rear-end collisions have shown a percentage of subjects to report short-lived symptoms, but the cause of these symptoms remains unknown. It is unclear whether the symptoms arise from biomechanical stress causing injury or from psychological stress causing symptom expectation and anxiety. Similarly, the cause of symptoms remains obscure in virtually all "whiplash" patients because it is impossible to identify acute pathology in many cases.

[The practice of medical postmortem examination].

Background And Objective: The quality of the external examination of corpses has repeatedly been criticized. This study provides information on the performance of the external examination of bodies in practice which is necessary for improving the quality of the examination.

Methods: 1000 randomly selected medical practitioners from the "Arztekammer Westfalen-Lippe" were sent a questionnaire concerning personal data, the performance of the external examination of bodies and possible influencing of the decision on the manner of death (i.

Multiple interchanging of tissue samples in cases of breast cancer.

Due to the suspicion of a gynaecologist, a pathologist was suspected of incorrect diagnoses in cases of breast cancer and the interchanging of tissue samples. Many women applied to the attorney's bureau to clarify the reproaches. The privately owned laboratory for pathology was searched and 926 histological slides, roughly the same number of paraffin blocks and about 20 formalin fixed tissue samples were confiscated.

Post-mortem orthopantomography--an aid in screening for identification purposes.

Ante-mortem orthopantomograms may be of great value in the identification of human remains. This x-ray technique provides an overall view of the teeth and jaws and thus of numerous individual structural characteristics within a short time. Standardised post-mortem orthopantomography has previously not been feasible in the forensic practice.

Film Formation and Redispersion of Waterborne Latex Coatings.

Poly(vinyl acetate-co-ethylene) latex dispersions are prepared and their films investigated with a focus on the effect of composition upon redispersion. Films of dispersions containing sufficient amounts of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) can be redispersed in water. This property is lost in the presence of surfactant, a fact which suggests a procedure to control film formation.

Manipulated radiographic material--capability and risk for the forensic consultant?

As interest is being increasingly focused on the digital processing of radiographs for identification of the deceased, the benefits and risks of electronic image processing are presented. With digitization of all kinds of radiographic equipment being on the increase and image processing personal computers being readily accessible, increasing quantities of manipulated radiographic material are to be expected in the future. This potential risk is meanwhile highlighted from the legal aspect.

Inflammation of the cardiac conduction system in a case of hyperthyroidism.

A 37-year-old female showed signs of hyperthyroidism 2 weeks before death after a partial thyroidectomy was carried out 15 years previously. An examination 3 days before death revealed a normal blood cell count, an increased level of thyroidal hormones, sinus tachycardia and a high blood pressure of 170/90 mm Hg. A hyperthyroidism was diagnosed and therapy with carbimazol (2 x 10 mg) was started but 2 days later fever and chill occurred and before death short phases of unconsciousness and dyspnoea.

[Examining patients with facial skull fractures from an etiological and legal perspective].

Maxillofacial traumas are common and often associated with other injuries. From a forensic point of view, it is often necessary to relate the traumatic event to the subsequent injuries. The aim of this study was to explore the etiology of maxillofacial injuries due to objective signs and the anamnestic history of patients.

[Forensic identification value of roentgen images in determining tooth-colored dental filling materials].

Unlabelled: Identification of unknown bodies is mainly made by dental examination and comparison with accurate dental records. Therefore it is necessary to examine the jaws carefully and to locate every tooth-coloured dental restoration. Overlooking dental fillings can make positive identification impossible.

Organically modified aluminosilicate mesostructures from block copolymer phases.

Organically modified aluminosilicate mesostructures were synthesized from two metal alkoxides with the use of poly(isoprene-b-ethyleneoxide) block copolymers (PI-b-PEO) as the structure-directing molecules. By increasing the fraction of the inorganic precursors with respect to the polymer, morphologies expected from the phase diagrams of diblock copolymers were obtained. The length scale of the microstructures and the state of alignment were varied using concepts known from the study of block copolymers.

[Homicides without clues in children].

From 1990 to 1995, 274 deaths of infants (age range 7 days-6 years) were investigated in Münster, where there were no indications of suspicious circumstances. In 167 cases a legal autopsy was carried out and revealed 5 homicides. In 107 cases where an autopsy was not ordered by the prosecutor 3 homicides were discovered.

[Pulmonary artery catheters: are deadly complications avoidable?].

Unlabelled: Three cases are presented dealing with rare lethal complications during the insertion of pulmonary artery catheters (PAC). Complications resulting from catheter insertion have been reported on numerous occasions; we report further examples of inadequate insertion techniques.

Case Reports: Deviating from the recommended guidelines was presumably a significant factor in the development of fatal pulmonary bleeding.

Macrophage subtype patterns in protracted asphyxiation.

The question was examined whether protracted asphyxiation is associated with a distinct macrophage subtype pattern in lung tissue. Immunohistochemical preparations of lung specimens were tested with the antibodies MRP8, MRP14, 27E10 and 25F9 in cases of protracted asphyxiation (n = 8) and in "control" groups (hanging: n = 6; peracute deaths: n = 9). MRP8 and MRP14 interstitial cell counts showed a doubling in protracted asphyxiation.

The distinction between lacerations and cuts in ligaments and tendons.

In contrast to skin wounds the characteristic forensic features of lesions of ligaments and tendons have rarely been investigated. However, in a suspected homicide the question became crucial whether an isolated discontinuity of the posterior atlanto-occipital membrane was caused by a rupture mechanism or by a cut. In order to reevaluate the associated criteria experimental lesions were made in ligaments and tendons and examined histologically.