Primary meningeal glioma.

A 59 yr old man presented with headaches and was shown to have a posterior fossa tumor arising from the inferior surface of the tentorium cerebelli. At operation the tumor was discrete from the cerebellum and was thought to be a meningioma. Pathological examination showed the tumor had features similar to those of a meningioma.

Assessment of PCR of the D17S30 locus for forensic identification.

PCR analysis of the VNTR locus D17S30 was assessed for its potential use in forensic identification analysis. "Allelic drop-out," the inefficient amplification of some alleles, complicates the interpretation of DNA typing at this locus. PCR conditions were varied in an effort to improve amplification of the alleles at this locus.

Death following colchicine poisoning.

A 45-year-old male was admitted to hospital after 2 to 3 days of vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea following an apparent overdose of colchicine tables. During hospitalization his white blood cell count fell dramatically. At death, 33 h following initial hospitalization, pleural effusion with bilateral bronchopneumonia was evident, together with numerous bacterial colonies and marked hypocellularity of bone marrow and reduced megakaryocytes, erythroid, and myeloid cells.

Generalised nuclear and cytoplasmic inclusion disease: a rare case investigated by microscopy and immunohistochemistry.

A Caucasian female who was noted to be mildly microcephalic at birth was diagnosed as having cerebral palsy at the age of 1 year. Her development was delayed and she never walked or talked. She appeared relatively stable neurologically until the age of 17 years when she had an illness with fever thought to be due to a virus.

Photography in forensic medicine.

Forensic photography, although similar to medical photography, has different aims, and different objectives. The main consideration is that the images are taken primarily for legal reasons, therefore the results must be accurate and detailed, and of use in court. The photographer must have an understanding of the technical requirements as well as the related medical and legal requirements.

Colloid cyst of the 3rd ventricle as a cause of acute neurological deterioration and sudden death.

A 13 year old girl presented with a 24 h history of headache and vomiting. There were no focal neurological signs. The diagnoses considered were vascular headache, meningitis and subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Dual ultraviolet wavelength high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the forensic or clinical analysis of seventeen antidepressants and some selected metabolites.

A sensitive method suitable for the determination of tricyclic and other antidepressants in postmortem and clinical specimens is presented. The procedure, which utilizes reversed-phase HPLC combined with dual ultraviolet wavelength detection, enables the separation of 17 commonly prescribed antidepressants and some selected metabolites in a single extraction. Peak purity was confirmed using absorbance ratios at 220 nm and 254 nm wavelengths and revealed little interference from other eluting analytes.

Deaths involving the benzodiazepine flunitrazepam.

A study of eight deaths involving the benzodiazepine flunitrazepam was performed to assess the contribution of this drug to the fatalities. Coronial deaths in Victoria in the 2-year period to mid-1991 were selected in which either flunitrazepam or flunitrazepam and ethanol were the principal toxicological findings. All bodies were subject to a full autopsy by forensic pathologists, and a full toxicological examination.

Infant death due to congenital abnormalities presenting as a homicide.

A perinatal death presenting as a possible homicide is reported. An infant was born with a cleft palate, but without other apparent abnormality, to a mother who experienced postpartum depression. The infant apparently died during feeding.

Simultaneous determination of 6-monoacetylmorphine, morphine and codeine in urine using high-performance liquid chromatography with combined ultraviolet and electrochemical detection.

A method is described for the simultaneous determination of 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), morphine and codeine in post-mortem urine specimens using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with dual ultraviolet spectrophotometric and electrochemical detection. The limits of detection for a 1-ml urine sample were 0.04 mg/l for 6-MAM and 0.

A class-independent drug screen in forensic toxicology using a photodiode array detector.

A class-independent drug screen, that is suitable for use in clinical and forensic toxicology and uses gradient-elution high-performance liquid chromatography and photodiode array detection, is presented. The assay is capable of detecting and identifying therapeutic and toxic amounts of barbiturates, anti-convulsants, diuretics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, sulfonylurea anti-diabetic drugs, theophylline, and analgesic drugs. The assay has been successfully used to screen over 1000 postmortem blood specimens.

Simultaneous HPLC gradient analysis of 15 benzodiazepines and selected metabolites in postmortem blood.

The simultaneous identification and quantitation of 15 benzodiazepines and selected metabolites in postmortem blood, serum, or liver homogenate is described. The assay involves extraction with diethylether, followed by an acid clean-up step of the ether. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Nova-Pak phenyl 18 column using ultraviolet detection at 240 nm.

Failure of a feeding jejunostomy.

A healthy 16-year-old female pedestrian was hit by a motor vehicle. She sustained multiple injuries including severe head injury. She was admitted to hospital unconscious.

Sudden death in pregnancy from congenital malformation of the coronary arteries.

We report the case of a 40 yr old previously healthy woman who died suddenly during her second pregnancy from unusual coronary artery anomalies. The left anterior descending coronary artery arose from the above of the right sinus of Valsalva 1.1 cm above the ridge in the aorta and coursed behind the pulmonary valve before it dipped deeply into the myocardium of the interventricular septum.

Alterations to plasma melatonin and cortisol after evening alprazolam administration in humans.

Six healthy volunteers were given a 2-mg dose of alprazolam at 21:00 h and hourly blood samples were collected until 08:00 h the following morning. A control night of hourly blood sampling was undertaken 7 days before Plasma was analyzed for melatonin, cortisol, and alprazolam concentrations. Melatonin concentrations were significantly suppressed by alprazolam at 23:00, midnight, 01:00, 06:00, and 07:00 h.

Direct sequencing of double-stranded PCR products incorporating a chemiluminescent detection procedure.

A simple and reliable method is described for direct sequencing of material generated by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sequencing reactions can be performed directly on PCR products without the need for purification of the template by removal of residual deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates or primers. The coupling of a chemiluminescent detection system with the use of the same primers in the initial and sequencing PCR's allows for sequencing of a number of PCR products on the one gel.

Incidence of psychoactive cannabinoids in drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents.

A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay was developed for the psychoactive cannabinoids Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 11-Hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC) using electrochemical detection (ECD). A C8 bonded column was used and the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile, methanol and 0.01 M sulphuric acid at a flow rate of 1.

Diffuse Lewy body disease with immediate post-partum onset.

A previously healthy 27 years-old woman developed psychotic depression and parkinsonism shortly after delivery of her first child. Her neuropsychiatric symptoms progressed to dementia and she died 5 years after onset. Diffuse Lewy body disease was found at autopsy.

Methadone toxicity causing death in ten subjects starting on a methadone maintenance program.

Methadone maintenance therapy is designed to reduce the need for addicts to use heroin or other illegal opiates. Death in patients starting on such a program has not previously been documented. We report the death of 10 persons who died within days of starting a methadone maintenance program administered by general practitioners.

Death due to superficial soft tissue injuries.

A series of deaths due to multiple superficial injuries is reported. These cases represented 5% of a consecutive homicide series in the Northern Territory of Australia. All cases were characterized by extensive superficial injuries, particularly involving soft tissue, which were present over much of the body including the face, head, arms, legs, and trunk.

Death by greyhound.

We present the case of a man who was last seen leaving to feed his greyhound dogs. He was found dead lying in a yard just outside the gate to one of the dog pens. Holes were present in the fence on both sides of the gate.