Autoerotic deaths: report of two unusual cases.

Autoerotic death is a rare but recurring phenomenon in forensic medicine. This article presents two cases of unusual autoerotic death with signs of autoerotic asphyxia. Although the first case appeared to be asphyxia, the autopsy confirmed natural cause of death during solitary sexual activity of 69-year-old man found with exposed and bandaged genitals.

[Applicability of non-invasive imaging methods in forensic medicine and forensic anthropology in particular].

Massive progress in developing even more precise imaging modalities influenced all medical branches including the forensic medicine. In forensic anthropology, an inevitable part of forensic medicine itself, the use of all imaging modalities becomes even more important. Despite of acquiring more accurate informations about the deceased, all of them can be used in the process of identification and/or age estimation.

[Alcohol congeners and their implications for medicolegal assessment of drunkeness].

Unlabelled: Ethanol is the main psychoactive ingredient of alcoholic beverages. Together with water it makes their major part. The other substances contained in alcoholic beverages are called congeners.

Snow groomer vehicle-related fatality: an illustrative case study of the importance of medicolegal involvement.

This article describes and discusses an unusual case of an accidental death of a 29-year-old female snowboarder. A snow-grooming vehicle had run over her body after she accidentally fell down during a training ride. According to the official statement, the victim was probably under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and the snowboarder caused the accident because she did not respect the safety restrictions and collided with the snow vehicle.

Giant cell myocarditis and endomyocardial calcification in a 2.5-month-old infant triggered by excessive maternal alcohol abuse: case study of an unusual association.

This report describes an unusual case of a 2.5-month-old infant's sudden death secondary to giant cell myocarditis and endomyocardial calcification, both unusual entities in pediatric patients. The mother had a history of excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the postnatal period.

Fatal alcohol intoxication in women: a forensic autopsy study from Slovakia.

Background: Plenty of information related to alcoholism can be found in the literature, however, the studies have mostly dealt with the predominance of male alcoholism and data related to addiction in women are desperately scarce and difficult to find. Basic demographic data focusing on the impact of acute alcohol intoxication on the circumstances of death and social behaviour in the alcohol addicted female population are needed especially in the prevention of alcohol related mortality.

Methods: A retrospective forensic autopsy study of all accidental deaths due to alcohol intoxication over a 12-year period was performed in order to evaluate the locations, circumstances, mechanisms and causes of death.

Correlations of survivin expression with clinicomorphological parameters and hormonal receptor status in breast ductal carcinoma.

The antiapoptotic protein survivin is widely expressed in most human cancers, including carcinomas of the breast. It is rarely detected in corresponding normal adult tissues. Therefore, survivin comes into the limelight as a promising diagnostic biomarker and prognostic parameter.

[Pohoda no. II (delayed death--following music festival)].

A mass tragedy on the Slovak biggest music festival "POHODA", caused by a windstorm, shocked whole society, even abroad. Many questions concerned a causality and a circumstances of the incident arose immediately. The forensic autopsies of victims (29-aged man and 19-aged woman) represented a very special expertise act in police investigation of the case.

[Pohoda no. I (death on music festival)].

A fatal accident of a young man, visitor of the summer music festival, shocked the whole Slovak society. Many unanswered questions concerned a causality of the incident arose immediately. Altough most questions have been focused to technical experts concerning the cause of a tent fall, the forensic medicine can bring some important reflections and conclusions, too.

An unusual case of anesthetic abuse by a full-face gas mask.

The authors report a case of sniffing of halothane (Narcotan) by a 32-year-old man, master of pharmacy, through the military full-face gas mask. The liquid halothane had been applied on the scrubber of the gas mask and voluntarily inhaled. The sniffer was found dead in his flat, with the gas mask still fixed and sealed on his face.

The interdisciplinary cooperation of forensic medicine, clinical medicine and palaeozoology: a case of cave bear (Ursus speloeus) bones.

Three pathologically modified bones (cranium, left mandible, iliac bone) of a cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) were found in the Last Glacial deposits (OIS 3) in the caves of the Vel'ká Fatra carst, Slovak republic. Despite of thorough paleontological examination, the bear bones were examined by experts in forensic medicine, traumatology and stomatology, too. The pathological changes were found in the tooth bed on the right side of the maxilla at the place of M1, being interpreted as a result of odontogenic purulent inflammation of soft tissues of tooth bed and surrounding bone.

[Forensic interpretation of postmortal ethanol neogenesis in blood samples of cadaverously decomposed bodies].

There is no real possibility for detail knowledge of postmortal changes of blood alcohol concentration in the near future, so that it is necessary to comment alcoholaemia with special aspect on empirical practice. Potential use of alternative (more resistant to putrefaction) body fluid or tissue can help to distinguish ratio of endogenous and exogenous ethanol. It seems that using of vitreous (eventually urine) is the best way to avoid desinterpretation mistakes of alcoholemia in cadavers.

[The forensic-anthropological expertise of a historically important person's relics, destroyed by fire--the contribution of forensic experts to the preservation of a historical heritage].

The forensic-anthropological expertises of the human remains being destroyed by the external heat are rather rare in general practice of the medical examiner (burned body remains in the fired houses, in traffic accidents, air crashes, explosions in coal mines etc.). In the aim to restore the identity of the burned person, such an expertises have to solve a complex set of problems, which--on the site of a forensic expert--need the application of a very specific approaches and know how.

Vomitus as a cause of fatal diving accident of a commercial diver.

The forensic expertise of the victim of fatal diving accident (commercial diver), who died in depth of 41 mts due of unknown reasons, had been realised by the authors. One of the authors of the paper was present on site of the diving accident as a diving medicine specialist. The autopsy revealed, that the cause of death of the diver was suffocation due to vomitus and massive aspiration of gastric content to the airways.

[Impact of acute alcoholism on the women's mortality in the northern region of Slovak Republic].

Problem of women's alcoholism doesn't belong among main topics of Slovak or Czech public discussions. Though everyone meeting the phenomenon of women's alcoholism can feel the fatal consequences of this mistake, our society used to perceive alcoholism as a men's problem. The authors performed the complex analysis of the mortuary files with particular focusing on the cases of women's deaths caused by alcohol intoxication, and the cases of deaths where an alcohol played the dominating role, in the northern regions of Slovak republic.

[The taphonomic aspects of cadaverous changes in corpses, buried in the plastic foils].

The forensic expertise of the 6 human bodies, being murdered in organised crime activities, had been realised by the authors. All the cadavers were packed in plastic bags or plastic foils, then buried to the illegal graves, being prepared in advance. The detail overlook and autopsy of the bodies had disclosed, that due of almost airtight sealing of the cadavers in plastic materials, the postmortal cadaverous changes went on much slower and were manifested under a different picture, as seen in the human cadavers being buried in the standard wooden coffins.

[The technological screening of beers, made in Slovak Republic, in the view of forensic alcohology].

The questions connected with forensic alcohology are closely bounded with the legal norms and actual production of alcoholic beverages, incl. the breweries. The presented work, dealing with the beers being made in Slovak republic, had been stipulated by the Slovak Society of Forensic Medicine, in the aim to inform the forensic experts about the beers being produced in the country mentioned.

[The lethal alcohol intoxications and deaths due to severe drunkenness in North Slovakia regions (1994-1996, 2003-2005): a medicolegal comparative study].

The authors performed the complex analysis of the mortuary files (since 1994 to 1996 and 2003 to 2005) with particular focusing on the cases of deaths caused by alcohol intoxication, and the cases of deaths where an alcohol played the dominating role, in the northern regions of Slovak republic. Based on the analysis mentioned, authors point out the continuous rise of alcohol abuse, followed by the fatal consequences for human beings. The authors are to express the urgent need of public discussion concerning the alcohol consumption in Slovakia; the phenomenon being widely tolerated by the society, thus leading to the number of social tragedies even in 21st century.

[Fatal injuries in bicyclists].

An analysis of 58 cases of fatal bicycle accidents during the years 1991-1996. Substantial prevalence of males was a common feature among deceased persons especially in the 21-40-year and 61-70-year age groups. More fatal bicycle accidents occurred in evening hours between 6 and 12.