Browsing by Author "Radnic, Bojana (55245986600)"

The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of "décollement," traumatic lesions of subcutaneous soft tissue, among victims fatally injured because of falls from different heights. Three hundred seventy-five cases of fatalities due to injuries acquired when falling from various heights onto a solid, flat surface, in which the complete forensic autopsy was performed, were analyzed. Décollement was noted in 125 (33%) of the cases. Comparative analysis of groups with and without décollement and observed factors has shown that the height of fall and the manner of death have statistically significant influence on décollement appearance. With regard to suicidal, accidental, or undefined origin of death décollement is statistically more common in accidental deaths. Décollement provides important clues for forensic reconstruction and could be a significant indicator of the body's position at primary impact and the height from which the victim has either jumped or fallen. © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

As acute alcohol intake can trigger suicidal ideas and attempts in people already at risk, and self-aggression is more intense after alcohol consumption, the aim of this study is to assess the relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and the lethality of suicide methods. A number of different socio-demographic and clinical predictors related to selection of high lethality methods were evaluated. This retrospective autopsy study covers an 11-year period of autopsies performed in the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Belgrade. It included 308 subjects with confirmed BAC above 0‰ who committed suicide. The suicide methods were dichotomized in terms of lethality–low lethality methods (LLM–drug/chemical overdose or use of a sharp object, n = 20) and high lethality methods (HLM–hanging, firearms and explosives, drowning, jumping from a height and immolation, n = 288). Our study did not reveal a statistically significant relationship between alcohol concentration and HLM. There is an obvious trend of HLM in rising BAC categories, but without any statistical significance. Of all tested predictors, only the male gender has significant correlation with HLM (p = 0.036). Despite the absence of correlation between BAC and HLM, the rising trend in BAC in our study showed, along with opposing literature data, that we can conclude this interconnection is highly complex. © 2020 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences.

[No abstract available]

The high-pressure water jet unit is a generator of frequent burst of water jets. The water jet reaches very high speeds and is able to cause wounds similar to those of high-velocity projectiles. In the presented case, unusual fatal injuries sustained by water jet are presented. Operating with the unit, an untrained worker accidentally activated a high-pressure water jet unit, and the extremely high pressure of water liberated the jet unit from his hand and whirled it around him. A jet stream of water ran across his body and caused fatal penetrating injuries in the femoral region. The edges of the wound were mainly sharp with contusion rings on the skin beyond the edges. Exploring the inside of the canals during the autopsy, the left femoral artery and vein were found to be completely transected. The resemblance to a firearm entry wound and the severity of the internal injury make it a noteworthy entity. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

The high-pressure water jet unit is a generator of frequent burst of water jets. The water jet reaches very high speeds and is able to cause wounds similar to those of high-velocity projectiles. In the presented case, unusual fatal injuries sustained by water jet are presented. Operating with the unit, an untrained worker accidentally activated a high-pressure water jet unit, and the extremely high pressure of water liberated the jet unit from his hand and whirled it around him. A jet stream of water ran across his body and caused fatal penetrating injuries in the femoral region. The edges of the wound were mainly sharp with contusion rings on the skin beyond the edges. Exploring the inside of the canals during the autopsy, the left femoral artery and vein were found to be completely transected. The resemblance to a firearm entry wound and the severity of the internal injury make it a noteworthy entity. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Current autopsy principles for evaluating the existence of brain edema are based on a macroscopic subjective assessment performed by pathologists. The gold standard is a time-consuming histological verification of the presence of the edema. By measuring the diameters of the cranial cavity, as individually determined morphometric parameters, a mathematical model for rapid evaluation of brain edema was created, based on the brain weight measured during the autopsy. A cohort study was performed on 110 subjects, divided into two groups according to the histological presence or absence of (the – deleted from the text) brain edema. In all subjects, the following measures were determined: the volume and the diameters of the cranial cavity (longitudinal and transverse distance and height), the brain volume, and the brain weight. The complex mathematical algorithm revealed a formula for the coefficient ε, which is useful to conclude whether a brain edema is present or not. The average density of non-edematous brain is 0.967 g/ml, while the average density of edematous brain is 1.148 g/ml. The resulting formula for the coefficient ε is (5.79 x longitudinal distance x transverse distance)/brain weight. Coefficient ε can be calculated using measurements of the diameters of the cranial cavity and the brain weight, performed during the autopsy. If the resulting ε is less than 0.9484, it could be stated that there is cerebral edema with a reliability of 98.5%. The method discussed in this paper aims to eliminate the burden of relying on subjective assessments when determining the presence of a brain edema. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine

Current autopsy principles for evaluating the existence of brain edema are based on a macroscopic subjective assessment performed by pathologists. The gold standard is a time-consuming histological verification of the presence of the edema. By measuring the diameters of the cranial cavity, as individually determined morphometric parameters, a mathematical model for rapid evaluation of brain edema was created, based on the brain weight measured during the autopsy. A cohort study was performed on 110 subjects, divided into two groups according to the histological presence or absence of (the – deleted from the text) brain edema. In all subjects, the following measures were determined: the volume and the diameters of the cranial cavity (longitudinal and transverse distance and height), the brain volume, and the brain weight. The complex mathematical algorithm revealed a formula for the coefficient ε, which is useful to conclude whether a brain edema is present or not. The average density of non-edematous brain is 0.967 g/ml, while the average density of edematous brain is 1.148 g/ml. The resulting formula for the coefficient ε is (5.79 x longitudinal distance x transverse distance)/brain weight. Coefficient ε can be calculated using measurements of the diameters of the cranial cavity and the brain weight, performed during the autopsy. If the resulting ε is less than 0.9484, it could be stated that there is cerebral edema with a reliability of 98.5%. The method discussed in this paper aims to eliminate the burden of relying on subjective assessments when determining the presence of a brain edema. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine

Air travel as a risk factor for pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is rarely described in forensic literature. Two cases of PTE after air travel are presented in this report. Each flight was intercontinental and lasted for more than 10. h, resulting in typical " traveler's thrombosis" within 2. weeks. In both cases, the risk factors were age, duration of flight and also peripheral circulation problems caused by heart (hypertension, arrhythmia), and varicose veins failures. Possible pathophysiological mechanisms of thrombus formation in these cases were blood flow stasis from prolonged recumbence, reduced function of the lower leg muscle pump, dehydration, and hypobaric hypoxia. Legal aspects of death due to PTE after air travel and possible responsibility of air companies are discussed. © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Most young patients with mild-to-moderate aortic stenosis show no symptoms, and sudden death appears only occasionally. We hypothesised that malignant ventricular arrhythmias could be responsible for the high incidence of sudden death in such patients. If multiple factors such as asymptomatic aortic stenosis in association with arrhythmia-provoking agents are involved, could it be sufficient to account for sudden unexpected death' In this study, eight cases of sudden death in young adults, with ages ranging from 22 to 36 years, who had never reported any symptoms that could be related to aortic stenosis, were investigated. Full autopsies were performed, and congenital aortic stenosis in all eight cases was confirmed. DNA testing for channelopathies was negative. Comprehensive toxicological analyses found an electrolyte imbalance, or non-toxic concentrations of amitriptyline, terfenadine, caffeine, and ethanol. Collectively, these results suggest that congenital asymptomatic aortic stenosis without cardiac hypertrophy in young adults is not sufficient to cause sudden death merely on its own; rather, an additional provoking factor is necessary. According to our findings, the provoking factor may be a state of physical or emotional stress, a state of electrolyte imbalance, or even taking a therapeutic dose of a particular drug. © Cambridge University Press 2016.

�External bevelling of an entrance gunshot wound to the skull is a known, but rare entity. We present two cases of a combined external and internal bevelling of cranial entries. In the first case, a 35-year-old woman had two entrance wounds in the right half of the forehead, made by a 10.2 mm calibre bullet. Second case presents a 48-year-old man with an entry wound in the middle of the occiput, made by a 7.62 mm calibre bullet. All the entry wounds on the skin had stellate appearance. The corresponding wounds to the skull were of roughly round shape. Both the inner and the outer plates of the bone were bevelled for 2-4 mm. Bony edges of all entrance wounds were covered in soot, as a definite sign of an entry. In this case study, we underline the importance of recognizing this phenomenon in order to avoid misinterpretation of entry vs. exit wounds. © 2018 Romanian Society of Legal Medicine.