Pictorial review of the postmortem computed tomography in neonaticide cases.

Neonaticide is defined by the deliberate killing or homicide of a child within 24 h of its birth. In this context, three fundamental questions are generally asked of the forensic pathologist: what is the cause of death of the neonate? Was the child viable (i.e.

Extensive Necrotic Purpura in Levamisole-Adulterated Cocaine Abuse - A Case Report.

Levamisole, which is used as an adulterated compound of cocaine, is currently being seen year after year in cocaine intoxication. For a few cases in the last decade, necrotic purpura and neutropenia after levamisole/cocaine intoxication have been described in the medical community. Herein, we present an original case of levamisole intoxication of a 40-year-old woman who smoked heroin and cocaine few during a month.

Forensic features of a fatal Datura poisoning case during a robbery.

Datura poisonings have been previously described but remain rare in forensic practice. Here, we present a homicide case involving Datura poisoning, which occurred during a robbery. Toxicological results were obtained by second autopsy performed after one previous autopsy and full body embalmment.

False positive aortic dissection on postmortem computed tomography.

Unlabelled: Post-mortem CT-scan (PMCT) has become increasingly useful as a diagnostic tool. However, certain normal postmortem changes may mimic the appearance of pathologic findings. We report two cases of false positive aortic dissection.

[Clinical forensic valuation of school violence].

Aim: In recent years, the National Education in France has developed tools to identify acts of violence in schools. This has allowed adjusting government policies for the care of victims. School violence can also be measured from the perspective of clinical forensic medicine, a special discipline for observing a society's violence.

Use of hair testing to determine methadone exposure in pediatric deaths.

A case of death attributed to methadone acute poisoning in an infant aged 11 months is reported. A sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) was suspected, whereas a traumatic cause of death was excluded regarding autopsy findings. Specimens were submitted to a large toxicological analysis, which included ethanol measurement by HS-GC-FID, a targeted screening for drugs of abuse and various prescription drug classes followed by quantification using UPLC-MS/MS methods.

Philemon and Baucis syndrome: three additional cases of double deaths of married couples.

The simultaneous death of two people is immediately considered as a suspect. However, this feeling is reinforced when the individuals are spouses. In these situations, criminal and forensic investigations are required to establish whether or not the deaths were homicidal in nature.

Typical external skull beveling wound unlinked with a gunshot.

Lesions of the cranial vault resulting from firearms are traditionally described in forensic medical literature with many reports illustrating atypical bone lesions carried out to the skull by gunshot wounds. The authors present this report which illustrates an external beveled skull wound, associated with internal beveling damage, caused by a stabbing injury. A partially buried human skeleton was found in a forest.

Involvement of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases UGT1A9 and UGT2B7 in ethanol glucuronidation, and interactions with common drugs of abuse.

Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) determination is increasingly used in clinical and forensic toxicology to document ethanol consumption. The enzymes involved in EtG production, as well as potential interactions with common drugs of abuse, have not been extensively studied. Activities of human liver (HLM), kidney (HKM), and intestinal (HIM) microsomes, as well as of 12 major human recombinant UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), toward ethanol (50 and 500 mM) were evaluated in vitro using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

[Organ procurement in forensic deaths].

Objective: There is a chronic shortage of transplants. There are many obstacles on organ procurement and some are related to forensics aspects of deaths. In these situations in France, the judge decides whether or not to perform the organ recovery.

Skull wounds linked with blunt trauma (hammer example). A report of two depressed skull fractures--elements of biomechanical explanation.

The lesions of the skull following perforating traumas can create complex fractures. The blunt traumas can, according to the swiftness and the shape of the object used, create a depressed fracture. The authors describe through two clinical cases the lesional characteristic of the blunt traumas, perforating the skull using a hammer.

[Body's integumentary restoration after autopsy: legislative, technical and ethical issues].

In France, families of the deceased raised concerns as regards to the conditions of restoration of body. If scientists hospital autopsies are organized by the Bioethics Law of August 6, 2004, the forensic autopsies were so far not provided with such a legal framework. The legislator has proposed the creation of a new chapter in the Code of Criminal Procedure institutionalizing forensic activities.

[Evaluating the functional impairment of assault survivors in a judicial context: frequency of aggravating factors according to the French Penal Code and evidence for heterogeneous medical practice].

Objectives: In cases of assault and battery, the French Penal Code considers some aggravating factors. No data are available on the frequency of aggravating factors. Our main objective was to determine this frequency.

Mechanisms of hyoid bone fracture after modelling: evaluation of anthropological criteria defining two relevant models.

Several studies have attempted to describe the morphology of the hyoid bone, while other authors have focused on discovering the role of this bone in the occurrence of fractures. Hyoid fractures are known to be dependent on the force applied against the bone, or on the location at which the force is applied. We wished to assess the value of defining one or more models of the hyoid bone by analyzing variations in the size and angle of the various component parts of the bone relative to the sex and morphology of an individual (height and weight) in a sample of 72 bones obtained during forensic autopsy at our institution.

Profiling gene expression of whole cytochrome P450 superfamily in human bronchial and peripheral lung tissues: Differential expression in non-small cell lung cancers.

Susceptibility to lung diseases, such as lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is largely influenced by the metabolic capacity of lung tissues. This capacity is partly determined by the expression profile of the cytochromes P450 (CYPs), a superfamily of enzymes that have relevant catalytic properties toward exogenous and endogenous compounds. Using quantitative real-time RT-PCR, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the expression profile of the 57 human CYP genes in non-tumoral (bronchial mucosa and pulmonary parenchyma) and tumoral lung tissues of 18 patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

CYP2F1 genetic polymorphism: identification of interethnic variations.

Since human cytochrome P450 2F1 (CYP2F1) is predominantly expressed in lung tissue and is involved in the metabolism of various pneumotoxicants with potential carcinogenic effects, variations in the nucleotidic sequence of its gene may contribute to interindividual and interethnic differences in the susceptibility to lung tumorigenesis. The aim of the current study was to compare the frequency of a previously reported frameshift mutation, namely c.14_15insC, responsible for the synthesis of a severely truncated protein, between several populations of different ethnic origins.

Medical liabilities of the French physician passenger during a commercial air flight.

Nearly two billion passengers travel each year on commercial air flights. More elderly people and/or people with a pre-existing condition are taking to the air and with the anticipated growth of air travel, in-flight illnesses and injuries are expected to increase as well. Even if in-flight medical events and deaths are still uncommon, physician passengers are occasionally called upon to render assistance.

Molecular analysis of the CYP2F1 gene: identification of a frequent non-functional allelic variant.

The CYP2F1 is a human cytochrome P450 that is selectively expressed in lung tissue and involved in the metabolism of various pneumotoxicants with potential carcinogenic effects. In the present study, we report the first systematic investigation of the genetic polymorphism of this enzyme. We analyzed the nucleotidic sequence of the CYP2F1 gene in DNA samples from 90 French Caucasians consisting in 44 patients with lung cancer and 46 control individuals, using single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis of PCR products (PCR-SSCP).

Fatal accidental intrathecal injection of vindesine.

A 25-year-old woman being treated for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was accidentally given vindesine intrathecally. The error was recognized immediately and a spinal cord washing was performed through syringing with isotonic saline. However, the patient died 6 weeks later with increasing paralysis, which was followed by neurologic failure.