Fatal heat stroke in children found in parked cars: autopsy findings.

Unlabelled: A common and unfortunate cause for heat stroke-related deaths in children is entrapment in closed vehicles. The aim of this study was to analyze the pathological consequences of such grave events. Autopsy reports of all children that were brought to a national forensic medicine center after being found dead in closed vehicles over a 21-year period (1995-2015) were reviewed.

An Analysis of the Characteristics of Thoracic and Abdominal Injuries Due to Gunshot Homicides in Israel.

De-identified wound data from 197 homicidal gunshot postmortems were obtained between 2000 and 2008. Forensic ballistics data were only available for cases between 2004 and 2008. Males represent 91% of gunshot victims and were struck in the thorax/abdomen with an average of 2.

[Combination of imaging studies and autopsy in death investigations].

The progress in quality and availability of imaging studies has made them an invaluable part of the clinical diagnostic process, so much so that the forensic medical community had to acknowledge their importance and to implement them in death investigations. Since 2011 roughly 200 post-mortem radiographic examinations were conducted, mostly followed by full autopsies. Four of those cases are given as an example of the benefits and limitations of these methods.

Atlas occipitalization in a supersonic fighter pilot involved in a midair collision: a case report.

We report a case of a midair collision between two F16 fighter aircraft, in which one pilot survived and the other was ejected upon impact and his remains recovered from sea. In autopsy, no patholgy was detected, other than the expected evidence of mechanical trauma. No defects in the aircraft or faults in the parachute or ejection mechanism were found.

Sudden cardiac death of a woman during extramarital sex: a case report and review of the literature.

Sudden death of cardiac patients related to sexual activity has been widely reported in the medical and forensic literature, specifically of male partners in heterosexual relationships, usually with extramarital partners. We present a unique case of a 46 year old woman who died during a sexual encounter with her lover. Cause of death was an acute cardiac failure due to hypertensive chronic cardiovascular disease, following sexual activity.

["Scared to death"--lethal cardiac arrhythmia caused by emotional stress].

Background: The cause of death in cases of sudden and unexpected death is determined by the forensic pathologist based on autopsy findings and toxicological analysis. In cases where no acute pathology or lethal injury are detected, and the circumstances surrounding the death were highly stressful or emotional, it is possible to attribute the inciting event as contributory to the death by causing cardiac dysrhythmia.

Method: Ten cases of sudden death related to stressful events were examined over a period of 2 years in the National Center of Forensic Pathology, all of which lacked findings of acute disease or serious injury.

Response of proopiomelanocortin and gonado- or lactotroph systems to in-vitro fertilisation procedures stress.

Objective: To analyse for the first time the response of the corticotroph-type and the melanotroph-type pituitary proopiomelanocortin (POMC) system with regard to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment using self-developed highly specific non-cross-reacting radioimmunoassay.

Setting: University hospital. patients: A total of 28 patients undergoing IVF oocyte retrieval.

[Gunshot wounds to the head--common errors of clinicians in diagnosing direction and range of fire].

Background: Evaluating direction and range of fire based on gunshot wound characteristics requires theoretical and/or practical training in terminal ballistics. Clinicians specializing in trauma, surgery and neurosurgery are sometimes called upon to assess direction of fire without prior knowledge or experience in the field. Descriptions of gunshot wounds and determination of bullet direction are documented in medical records.

Cardiac perforation by a pectus bar after surgical correction of pectus excavatum: case report and review of the literature.

Pectus excavatum (PE) is a congenital sternal depression. The two most popular methods of correction are the highly modified Ravitch repair (HMRR) and the Nuss procedure. Presented here is a case of PE surgical correction in a 17.

Self-inflicted gunshot wound mimicking assault: a rare variant of factitious disorder.

This paper presents the case of 52-year-old man who died in an attempt to prove factitious allegations of persecution. To the best of our knowledge, there are no other reported cases of a self-inflicted, long-distance gunshot injury causing death. We discuss other cases of crime-scene "staging" and review the literature on factitious disorders and malingering in our search for motive, and stress again the importance of crime scene analysis and investigation of circumstances in determining the manner of death.

Migration of a Kirschner wire used in the fixation of a subcapital humeral fracture, causing cardiac tamponade: case report and review of literature.

Metallic pins and wires are frequently used for fixation of fractures and dislocations. Migration is one of the potential complications of such fixation methods. Usually, migration of the pins causes only minor complications, but if the device migrates to a vital cavity, serious damage and even death may ensue.

Influence of deoxyribonucleic acid damage on fertilization and pregnancy.

Objective: To investigate sperm DNA damage in relation to fertilization and pregnancy.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: The Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Giessen, Germany.

Influence of polarization effects in ooplasma and pronuclei on embryo quality and implantation in an IVF program.

Purpose: The presence of a clear half-moon-like zone of cytoplasm in oocytes is called "halo effect." The prognostic value of this effect is not yet determined. Aligned nucleoli in pronuclei (PN) represent a further polarization phenomenon and a marker for implantation potential.

Elevated interleukin-10 and sex steroid levels in peritoneal fluid of patients with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Background: The ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) following ovulation induction is characterized by a cystic enlargement of the ovaries with an acute third space fluid sequestration. Inflammatory cytokines mediate the inflammatory response (IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, TNFalpha) and play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of OHSS.

Objective: To determine the role of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) in OHSS and to examine its correlation with 17beta-estradiol and progesterone.

Different cumulative pregnancy rates in patients with repeated IVF- or ICSI cycles: possible influence of a male factor.

The low rate of ongoing pregnancies in IVF cycles leads to a high number of repeated cycles in couples with previously failed attempts. Therefore it would be helpful to have a prediction about the chance of becoming pregnant in a repeated cycle. In a retrospective study the data of about 4246 cycles were analysed.

Treatment-related stresses and depression in couples undergoing assisted reproductive treatment by IVF or ICSI.

The purposes of the study were to compare treatment-related stresses of couples undergoing IVF or ICSI treatment (ejaculated, epididymal or testicular spermatozoa) and to identify sex differences and risk factors for depression. A one-year cohort of couples was retrospectively sent questionnaires on infertility and treatment-related distress and depression (Depression Scale, D-S). Two hundred and eighty-one women and 281 men (61% of those eligible) were included.

Sperm selection methods for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in andrological patients.

Purpose: To improve the chances of successful in vitro fertilization, spermatozoa have to be separated from semen before insemination. Therefore, sperm preparation methods are of great importance.

Methods: To obtain sufficient numbers of spermatozoa from patients with cryptozoospermia or severe OAT syndrome, only Minipercoll centrifugation and migration-sedimentation (MS) are practicable methods.

Andrological work-up of patients undergoing microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration or testicular sperm extraction.

Microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA) and testicular sperm extraction (TESE) require close cooperation between andrologists, urologists and gynaecologists. Intracytoplasmic sperm injections were established in Giessen in March 1994 and embryo transfer (ET) was performed in 342 of 375 patients (91.2%).

Ovarian stimulation in assisted reproduction.

In assisted reproductive medicine the controlled ovarian hyperstimulation enables several oocytes to be collected with the following transfer of more than one embryo and a higher pregnancy rate than in natural cycles. The most frequently used stimulation protocols are: i) clomiphene citrate (CC) and hMG stimulation; ii) hMG/FSH stimulation; iii) GnRH agonist (GnRH-a) and hMG/FSH stimulation, iiia) GnRH-a long protocol, iiib) GnRH-a short protocol, GnRH-a ultrashort protocol, iv) GnRH antagonist and hMG stimulation. The protocols are described and the advantages and disadvantages are discussed.

Pregnancy and birth after intracytoplasmic sperm injection with spermatozoa from a patient with tail stump syndrome.

Tail stump syndrome, which may be associated with primary ciliary dyskinesia, is also associated with morphological defects of the flagellum resulting in severe asthenozoospermia. Until recently, these morphological anomalies caused definite male infertility. Today, however, new methods such as micromanipulation techniques provide a rational therapy for this patient group.

Acrosin activity of human spermatozoa by means of a simple gelatinolytic technique: a method useful for IVF.

Acrosin activity was determined using a gelatinolysis technique in 100-microliter semen aliquots of 114 patients (normozoospermia, n = 90; asthenozoospermia, n = 12; oligozoospermia, n = 10; polyzoospermia, n = 2) attending an in vitro fertilization (IVF) program. Halo diameter, halo formation rate, and a calculated acrosin activity index correlated significantly with the IVF rates (P = 0.0054, r = 0.

Influence of hysterectomy on the fibrinolytic activity of plasma of women with intact ovarian function.

Hysterectomies are frequently required operations in gynecology. Several studies have reported an association between premenopausal hysterectomy and the risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, the pathophysiological linkages between these two conditions have not been elucidated.

Determination of the acrosome reaction in human spermatozoa is predictive of fertilization in vitro.

The acrosome reaction was determined in aliquots from ejaculates of 74 patients undergoing in-vitro fertilization at the University of Giessen, Germany, by means of the triple-stain technique. The percentage of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa after low-temperature induction of the acrosome reaction was not significantly related with the fertilization rate (H test, P = 0.693, SJ test, P = 0.

Estrogen induces expression of endometrial epidermal growth factor receptors before implantation.

Problem: Pharmacological doses of 17 beta-estradiol increase epidermal growth factor binding to uterine membranes.

Methods: To determine whether physiological elevated E2 concentrations in the preimplantation phase of rabbits and preovulatory phase of women cause epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor expression, we performed radioligand binding studies of endometrial membranes with [125I]-EGF.

Results: Unmated rabbits revealed a binding maximum (Bmax) of 514 +/- 197 fmol/mg protein for [125I]-EGF.