Pyelonephritis is a potentially lethal disease occasionally encountered in the forensic setting. Post mortem computed tomography (PMCT) is an important investigative tool for the forensic pathologist. In particular, it may be used to document and screen disease prior to traditional autopsy methods. While the sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography for pyelonephritis is well studied in the antemortem clinical setting, the test characteristics of PMCT are not yet described in the forensic pathology literature. A series of all cases of fatal pyelonephritis identified at the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, over the course of 1 year was studied. Radiologic, clinical and pathologic findings were reviewed. A fulsome autopsy, including histopathologic examination, was considered the gold standard for sensitivity and specificity calculations. A control group consisting of 16 cases without pyelonephritis (ex: opiate toxicity) in which both PMCT and histologic data were available by way of comparison. Sixteen cases of pyelonephritis were identified. Post mortem computed tomographical signs of pyelonephritis included asymmetric renal enlargement, perinephric fat stranding, and ectopic renal air. The most (57%) individually sensitive of these findings was perinephric fat stranding but sensitivity increased to 100% if any of the three signs were present. The control group analysis revealed the specificity of air asymmetry (81%), asymmetric renal enlargement (81%), and fat stranding (69%). PMCT findings may rule in a diagnosis of pyelonephritis, and should prompt the pathologist to grossly and microscopically examine the kidneys.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12024-022-00540-y | DOI Listing |
Open Med (Wars)
January 2025
Department of Toxicological Chemistry, National Poison Control Center, Military Medical Academy, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia.
Introduction: Qualitative and quantitative testing of ethanol in samples is an important analytical procedure that provides accurate, precise, and reliable results. Given the complexity of the issue, obtaining a realistic picture of lifelong alcoholemia requires supporting blood ethanol findings with analyses of alternative samples, primarily vitreous humor (VH).
Objective: The objective of this study was to develop and validate a headspace gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (HS/GC-FID) method for determining ethanol concentration in VH.
South Afr J HIV Med
December 2024
Department of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Background: Liver disease is the leading cause of non-AIDS-related mortality in people living with HIV (PLWH). Steatotic liver disease (SLD) is increasingly recognised as an important aetiological factor in liver dysfunction in PLWH.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the post-mortem prevalence and severity of SLD and determine HIV- and non-HIV-related risk factors associated with it.
Forensic Sci Med Pathol
January 2025
Adelaide School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Level 2, Room N237, Helen Mayo North, Frome Road, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia.
Tattooing has been a facet of many civilizations and cultures for millennia with a recent resurgence in popularity in many Western countries. The reasons for tattooing are diverse ranging from simple decorative designs to enforced tattooing of concentration camp inmates. In a forensic context tattoos are frequently observed and may play a role in some cases of identification, even after decomposition, incineration or dismemberment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurol
January 2025
Centre de Génétique Humaine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besançon, Besançon, France.
Introduction: The MAPT gene encodes Tau, a protein mainly expressed by neurons. Tau protein plays an important role in cerebral microtubule polymerization and stabilization, in axonal transport and synaptic plasticity. Heterozygous pathogenic variation in MAPT are involved in a spectrum of autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases known as taupathies, including Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, fronto-temporal dementia, cortico-basal degeneration and progressive supranuclear palsy.
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