Raman Handheld Versus Microscopic Spectroscopy for Estimating the Post-Mortem Interval of Human Bones: A Comparative Pilot Study.

The post-mortem interval estimation for human skeletal remains is critical in forensic medicine. This study used Raman spectroscopy, specifically comparing a handheld device to a Raman microscope for PMI estimations. Analyzing 99 autopsy bone samples and 5 archeological samples, the research categorized them into five PMI classes using conventional methods.

Bursting of the upper jaw prosthesis and fractures of the lower jaw as indirect injury pattern caused by a headshot: a case report.

Gunshots to the human body can cause direct and indirect injuries. Direct injuries are a consequence of the projectile guiding its way through the body, creating a permanent wound channel and thereby damaging the penetrated as well as the adjacent tissue. In addition, the temporary wound cavity is responsible for indirect injuries occurring distant to the actual wound tract.

Raman spectroscopy for postmortem interval estimation of human skeletal remains: A scoping review.

Estimating postmortem intervals (PMI) is crucial in forensic investigations, providing insights into criminal cases and determining the time of death. PMI estimation relies on expert experience and a combination of thanatological data and environmental factors but is prone to errors. The lack of reliable methods for assessing PMI in bones and soft tissues necessitates a better understanding of bone decomposition.

Skin laceration caused by a short distance shot from a pepper spray launcher: a case report.

Pepper spray launchers are more precise and wind stable compared to conventional pepper sprays and are commonly used as a self-defensive tool. With the advanced potential, they may also harbour a greater risk for injuries, especially if they are not used within the suggested safety distance. If the shooting distance is below 1.

Post-Mortem Interval of Human Skeletal Remains Estimated with Handheld NIR Spectrometry.

Estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI) of human skeletal remains is a critical issue of forensic analysis, with important limitations such as sample preparation and practicability. In this work, NIR spectroscopy (NIRONE® Sensor X; Spectral Engines, 61449, Germany) was applied to estimate the PMI of 104 human bone samples between 1 day and 2000 years. Reflectance data were repeatedly collected from eight independent spectrometers between 1950 and 1550 nm with a spectral resolution of 14 nm and a step size of 2 nm, each from the external and internal bone.

Application of Micro-Computed Tomography for the Estimation of the Post-Mortem Interval of Human Skeletal Remains.

It is challenging to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI) of skeletal remains within a forensic context. As a result of their interactions with the environment, bones undergo several chemical and physical changes after death. So far, multiple methods have been used to follow up on post-mortem changes.

Nerve at risk: anatomical variations of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve and implications for thoracic surgeons.

Objectives: Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury during thoracic surgery may result in life-threatening postoperative complications including recurrent aspiration and pneumonia. Anatomical details of the intrathoracic course are scarce. However, only an in-depth understanding of the anatomy will help reduce nerve injury.

Effects of growth hormone treatment on adult height in severely short children with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets.

Background: We recently showed that a 3-year growth hormone (GH) treatment improves linear growth in severely short children with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH). It is unknown if GH therapy increases adult height in XLH patients.

Methods: We carried out a follow-up analysis of a randomized controlled open-label GH study in short prepubertal children with XLH on phosphate and active vitamin D treatment.

Genetic characteristics and long-term follow-up of 11 patients with congenital hyperinsulinism followed in a single center.

Background: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a rare disease with an estimated incidence of 1:40,000 live births. Here, we characterize 11 patients treated at Munich Children's Hospital Schwabing.

Methods: We analyzed data on birth, treatment and laboratory results including genetic testing and evaluated the long-term course with a follow-up visit.

Somatic mosaicism underlies X-linked acrogigantism syndrome in sporadic male subjects.

Somatic mosaicism has been implicated as a causative mechanism in a number of genetic and genomic disorders. X-linked acrogigantism (XLAG) syndrome is a recently characterized genomic form of pediatric gigantism due to aggressive pituitary tumors that is caused by submicroscopic chromosome Xq26.3 duplications that include GPR101 We studied XLAG syndrome patients (n= 18) to determine if somatic mosaicism contributed to the genomic pathophysiology.

Diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents with genetic syndromes.

Background: Several genetic syndromes are associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). This study aimed to analyse data from the DPV database with regard to frequency, treatment strategies and long-term complications in paediatric DM patients with genetic syndromes, including Turner syndrome (TS), Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), Friedreich ataxia (FA), Alström syndrome (AS), Klinefelter syndrome (KS), Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), Berardinelli-Seip syndrome (BSS) and Down syndrome (DS).

Methods: Longitudinal data for 43 521 patients with DM onset at age < 20 years were collected from 309 treatment centres in Germany and Austria using the DPV software.

Three-year growth hormone treatment in short children with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets: effects on linear growth and body disproportion.

Context: Children with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH) are prone to progressive disproportionate stunting despite oral phosphate and vitamin D treatment.

Objective: Our objective was to analyze the effects of GH treatment on stature and lengths of linear body segments in short children with XLH.

Design, Settings, And Patients: A 3-yr randomized controlled open-label GH study in short prepubertal children with XLH (n = 16) on phosphate and calcitriol treatment was conducted.

[Impact of slow-release oral morphine on drug abusing habits in Austria].

A well-established possibility to treat opiate addiction is the participation in opiate maintenance treatment programmes. For this purpose the opioids methadone and buprenorphine have been evaluated and are used nowadays in many countries. However, since 1998 also the use of slow-release oral morphine (SROM) has been legally permitted in Austria.

[False positive death certification. Does the Lazarus phenomenon partly explain false positive death certification by rescue services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland?].

Apart from misdiagnosis, the Lazarus phenomenon, a spontaneous return of circulation after cardiac arrest, is a potential cause for false positive death certification. Because of medicolegal consequences and thus a negative publication bias, the incidence of false positive death certification is unknown. As a false positive death certification results in criminal prosecution and thus media interest, numerous media archives in Germany, Austria and Switzerland were searched for such reports.

First report of ectopic ACTH syndrome and PTHrP-induced hypercalcemia due to a hepatoblastoma in a child.

Context: Only occasionally, endocrine-active tumors develop directly from hepatic tissue, and may lead to paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS). PNS mostly accompany malignancy of adulthood and are exceedingly rare in children.

Patient: A girl aged 6 years and 9 months presented with a 2-month history of rapidly progressive weight gain, abdominal distension, and polyuria/pollakiuria accompanied by short episodes of abdominal pain.

Chromogranin peptides in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder which primarily affects motor neurons. Eight cases of ALS and seven control cases were studied with semiquantitative immunocytochemistry for chromogranin A, chromogranin B and secretogranin II that are soluble constituents of large dense core vesicles, synaptophysin as a membrane protein of small synaptic vesicles and superoxide dismutase 1. Among the chromogranin peptides, the number and staining intensity of motor neurons was highest for chromogranin A.

Daily insulin requirement of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: effect of age, gender, body mass index and mode of therapy.

Design: The purpose of this study was to generate insulin dose (ID) percentiles for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) having the opportunity to assess this important parameter in relation to age and sex.

Methods: Daily IDs per weight (ID/kg) were recorded in 22,177 patients with DM1 (3-25 years of age, DM1 duration of more than 2 years, 48% female) and ID percentiles (ID-Perc) were created statistically. The ID-Perc were compared between male and female, and between multiple insulin injection therapy (MIT) and continuous s.

Atrial natriuretic peptide and CD34 overexpression in human idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathies.

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) is a primary myocardial disease of unknown cause characterized by ventricular chamber enlargement with impaired contractile function. In familial forms of IDCM, mutations of genes coding for cytoskeletal proteins related to force transmission, such as dystrophin, cardiac actin, desmin, and delta-sarcoglycan, have been identified. Here, we report the data of a retrospective investigation carried out to evaluate the expression of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), CD34, troponin T and nestin in the myocardium of patients affected with IDCM.

Metabolic control as reflected by HbA1c in children, adolescents and young adults with type-1 diabetes mellitus: combined longitudinal analysis including 27,035 patients from 207 centers in Germany and Austria during the last decade.

Introduction: While the central role of HbA1c levels for the prediction of micro- and macrovascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes is generally accepted; recommendations in current guidelines and the level of metabolic control actually achieved during routine care differ widely. Limited information is available on factors that influence metabolic control in the pediatric age group and during the transition from pediatric to adult diabetes care. In a large prospective multicenter database (DPV-Wiss), 338,330 individual HbA1c measurements from 27,035 patients with type-1 diabetes (94,074 observation years) were recorded between 1995 and 2005.

"Recreational" drug abuse associated with failure to mount a proper antibody response after a generalised orthopoxvirus infection.

Infections with orthopoxviruses usually lead to cross-protection among all species of the family. This has been a prerequisite for successful eradication of smallpox. Here we report the rare case of a 17-year-old male, who survived a generalised cowpox virus infection of unusual severity but surprisingly did not show a proper seroconversion.

Prolonged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-assisted support provides improved survival in hypothermic patients with cardiocirculatory arrest.

Objective: Extracorporeal circulation is considered the gold standard in the treatment of hypothermic cardiocirculatory arrest; however, few centers use extracorporeal membrane oxygenation instead of standard extracorporeal circulation for this indication. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-assisted resuscitation improves survival in patients with hypothermic cardiac arrest.

Methods: A consecutive series of 59 patients with accidental hypothermia in cardiocirculatory arrest between 1987 and 2006 were included.

Another 'soberade' on the market: does Outox keep its promise?

Objective: Several products are being widely promoted for reduction of the concentration of alcohol in the human body. One of these preparations, the fructose soft drink Outox, claims to noticeably increase the alcohol elimination rate (beta 60). Theories to explain this 'fructose effect' are based on the assumption that NAD+, the coenzyme for alcohol dehydrogenase, is regenerated faster in the presence of fructose.