Congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasis is a rare cause of severe respiratory distress in the newborn period and most of these patient die, usually within the first 24 hours of life. The light microscopic characteristics of the lungs are a network of partly tubular, partly cystically enlarged lymph vessels within large areas of connective tissue and they have thin wall lined by endothelium. Also congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasis is closely associated with cardiovascular malformation, and most frequently occurs in the clinical setting of congenital heart disease with or without pulmonary venous obstruction(total anomalous venous return, atresia of large pulmonary veins) The authors describe three typical cases of congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasis.
Connective Tissue ; Endothelium ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Lung ; Lymphangiectasis* ; Lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Wilms' tumor is the most common urinary tract neoplasm and one of the most frequent solid abdominal malignant tumors of childhood, usually diagnosed between the ages of 2 and 5 years. Typically, it is manifested as an asymptomatic unilateral or upper abdominal mass. Abdimonal pain after some traumatic incident, fever, anemia, hematuria and hypertension are other patterns of presentation. In a considerable number of these patients, pulmonary metastases are present at the time of primary diagnosis. But, the initial presentation of acute pulmonary tumor emboli without surgical manipulation is very rare. We describe a sudden unexpected infantile death case diagnosed as pulmonary tumor embolism preexisting Wilms tumor. To our knowledge, this is the initial autopsy presentation of Wilms tumor with tumor embolism as sudden and unexpected death in Korea.
Anemia ; Autopsy ; Death, Sudden* ; Diagnosis ; Fever ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating* ; Urologic Neoplasms ; Wilms Tumor*

To observe developing process of human fetal skin during intrauterine life, morphological studies in light microscopic level were made based on 27 human embryos and 76 fetuses ranging from 4 to 40 gestation weeks. The fetuses were the products of induced abortion and were found to have no associated diseases of congenital anomalies at the autopsy. Ten different portions of the body were sampled and examined. They were scalp, forehead, face, chest, abdomen, back, palm, sole, finger and toe. In embryos two different portions; cephalic and caudal portions were examined: The following results were obtained: 1) A single layer of undifferentiated cell was the primitive epidermis at the 4th week and it was followed by two layered epidermis consisting of periderm and primitive basal cell layer. Epidermal ridges started to develop along with primitive eccrine and hair germs as clustering of basal cells at the llth week. Stratum inter-medium was formed at the 12th week, and primitive granular cell layers and keratin formation in association with hair follicles at the 19th week forming earliest adult type epidermis, followed by progressive maturation. 2) The thickness of the fetal epidermis and keratin layer increased as the fetal age approached to the term with its slightly different developmental pattern by the site of body. Cephalic protions developed slightly earlier than the other parts. 3) The developmental pattern of various portions of epidermis could be categorized into three groups; (1) scalp, forehead and face; (2) chest, abdomen and back; (3) palm, sole, finger and toe.
Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans

The developing process of the hair of the fetal skin was studied. The ages of 103 human embryos and fetuses ranged from 4 to 40 gestation weeks. Ten different sites were selected, i.e., scalp, forehead, cheek, chest, abdomen, back, palm, sole, finger and toe. For the embryos 3 sites were studied, i.e., cephalic, trunk, and caudal portions. Following results were made: 1) The primitive hair germ was first noted the 10th week in the face skin as nubbins of mesenchymal cells beneath discrete foci of crowdes, elongated germinative epithelial cells. The developing hair germs and hair pegs were observes at the cephalic portion by 11 weeks. At 15 weeks the hair pegs including hair germs were noted in the trunk skin. The bulbous hair peg stage started at the 16th week in the cephalic portion and at the 18th week in the trunk. 2) Relative number of fetal hairs progressively increase up to 20 weeks of gestation but, thereafter decreased although it was different by the site of the body. 3) The diameter of fetal hair follicles increased with fetal age to the term with slight difference by the portion of body. 4) The developmental process of hair was more rapid in the cephalic portion than the trunk in views of morphologic changes of the hair structures, number and diameter of hair follicles.
Humans

A 60-year-old man presented with electrocardiographic abnormalities after treatment for oral squamous cell carcinoma with surgical resection and radiation therapy 7 months ago. The patient died within 2 h without response to CPR after sudden arrest. Electrocardiographic changes 9 h before death included low QRS voltage and sinus tachycardia. Autopsy revealed cardiac metastasis with chronic active fibrinoid pericarditis accompanied by tumor cell infiltration. Although the frequency of cardiac metastasis in patients with oral cancer is reportedly low, clinicians should be aware that cardiac metastasis may exist if there are electrocardiographic changes in patients receiving follow-up care for primary malignancy. We report a rare medicolegal case of cardiac metastasis-related sudden death.
Autopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Death, Sudden ; Electrocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pericarditis ; Tachycardia, Sinus

The study presents the application of STR polymorphisms to male identification in the cases of a serial rapist in Korea. Since October 2000 a rapist from Cheongju city (a town located in central district) committed at least 36 rapes. DNA profiles obtained from semen stains, buccal cells and tongue tissue left at the scenes of crime and vaginal swabs of victims gave information that one and the same man had committed all the rapes. The Y-chromosome haplotype (12 loci) obtained was used for the identification process of rapist in mixed genotypes including victim's alleles. The crime scene data were referred from investigating police authorities described the relationship of victim to the offender, victim's age, time and place of sexual assault and rape locations. The behavioural analysis of crime scenes showed more similarities than differences for related crimes. These components were usually assessed in terms of proximity in time and space. Certain crime scene aspects of a serial rapist help identify components of offender spatial behaviour. As a result of this work, future research on the geography of rape and behavioural aspects of rapist will be directed towards those aspects of offences, which have been identified as relevant to the distance between an offender's base, and the site where he approached his victim.
Alleles ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Coloring Agents ; Crime* ; Criminals ; DNA ; Genotype ; Geography ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Korea ; Male* ; Police ; Rape ; Semen ; Tongue

We reports a woman's death caused by massive intraabdominal hemorrhage, who was in chronic alcoholic state with advanced liver cirrhosis and found dead in her room. No macroscopic source for the bleeding was found in her intraabdomen and there was no circumstances of traumatic forces to the individual's body around the death. The presenting unsuspected death could be consistent with the forensic pathological cases described as sudden, unexpected death due to massive nontraumatic intraabdominal hemorrhage in association with liver cirrhosis by DiMaio in 1987.
Alcoholics ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver*

Chronic rheumatic heart disease is the most important consequence of rheumatic fever and characterized principally by deforming fibrotic valvular disease(particularly mitral stenosis), which can produce permanent dysfunction and severe, sometimes fatal, cardiac dysfunction decades later. So the operation should be carried out in symptomatic patients with moderate to severe mitral or aortic stenosis or regurgitation. Postoperative mortality rate is low. But some postoperative complications including thromboembolism and prosthetic valve endocarditis are associated with high mortality. We report a autopsy case diagnosed as cerebral infarction due to thromboembolic complication of rheumatic heart disease patient with mechanical mitral and aortic prostheses. To our knowledge, this is the initial autopsy presentation of cerebral infarction due to thromboembolic complication of mechanical prosthetic valve in the patient with rheumatic heart disease in Korea.
Aortic Valve Stenosis ; Autopsy ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Endocarditis ; Heart Valve Prosthesis ; Humans ; Korea ; Mortality ; Postoperative Complications ; Prostheses and Implants* ; Rheumatic Fever ; Rheumatic Heart Disease* ; Thromboembolism

Carbon monoxide which is an odorless, colorless, non-irritating gas causes asphyxia by blocking the hemoglobin of the RBC from carrying oxygen to the tissues and from returning carbon dioxide to the lungs. The clinical symptoms of CO poisoning depend on the blood CO saturation level and in a healthy middle-aged individual a blood CO saturation greater than 50% is considered fatal. In forensic science, the investigation of the scene in cases of CO poisoning is imperative to determine the manner of death or the source of CO production, while postmortem diagnosis of CO poisoning is not difficult. The author reported four cases of CO poisoning in the unusual or atypical circumstances, which were not recognized in the scene.
Asphyxia ; Carbon Dioxide ; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning* ; Carbon Monoxide* ; Carbon* ; Diagnosis ; Forensic Sciences ; Lung ; Oxygen ; Poisoning

We report a case of epidermolysis bullosa simplex occurred in a 12-year-old girl, who presented with intractable bullous lesions of the hands and feet after minor traumas ever since her early neonatal period. The bullous lesions were noted on the 2nd and 4th webs of the fingers and dorsum of the hands as well as on the skin of the ankle. The lesions were healed without scar formation. Family history was not contributary and seasonal pattern was not noted. Histologic sections revealed intraepidermal bullae just above the well preserved basement membrane. Electron microscopic findings revealed cytolysis of basal cells with preservation of the basement membrane, indicating the epidermal type of epidermolysis bullosa simplex.
Infant, Newborn ; Humans