Blue toe syndrome - systemic cholesterol crystal embolism secondary to cardiovascular procedures: a forensic autopsy report of two cases.

Blue toe syndrome, also referred to as cholesterol crystal embolism is characterized by the distal embolization of cholesterol crystals originating from ruptured atherosclerotic plaques. This condition commonly arises in the context of cardiovascular procedures. Emboli from the thoracoabdominal aorta primarily affect the downstream extremities and intra-abdominal viscera, often resulting in fatal atheroembolic renal failure.

Fatal human herpes virus 6B myocarditis: Postmortem diagnosis of HHV-6B based on CD134 T-cell tropism.

Human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) is one of the most important pathogens of viral myocarditis, and is often responsible for sudden death in young adults. A 59-year-old immunocompetent man died of serious lymphocytic myocarditis, and his peripheral blood sample showed HHV-6 DNAemia. Recently, HHV-6 cell entry and reactivation have been suggested to be regulated by the expression of specific CD receptors on T lymphocytes.

Pre-administration of low-dose methamphetamine enhances movement and neural activity after high-dose methamphetamine administration in the striatum.

Methamphetamine (METH) is a powerful stimulant drug of abuse, with potent addictive and neurotoxic properties. In this study, the effects of low-dose METH administration prior to high-dose METH administration on movement and neural activity in rats were examined. Rats were administered low-dose (1 mg/kg/day) METH or saline for 5 consecutive days (m5 and s5, respectively), followed by high-dose (10 mg/kg) METH on day 6 (m5M and s5M, respectively).

An autopsy report of accidental burial in a beach sand hole.

We present a 23-year-old married couple who died by accidental burial in a beach sand hole. The victims fell into a hole that had been covered with a plastic sheet, and were buried suddenly by sand that had been piled on the top of the sheet. At autopsy, facial congestion; petechial hemorrhages in the conjunctivae and the oral mucosa; skin petechiae at the face, neck and upper chest; congestion and hemorrhages in the cervical lymph nodes; and some minor hemorrhages in the cervical muscles were found in both victims.