The analysis of Y chromosome polymorphisms has become common place for the identification of male component in forensic cases. In male/female mixtures of many rape cases, Y-STRs are also very useful for the determination of contributors' number. During the analyses of 17 Y-STR haplotypes for forensic applications using the AmpFlSTR(R) Yfiler(TM) system, a number of null and duplicated alleles (40 out of 2144 subjects) were discovered. Interestingly, two haplotypes should focus the attention on forensic interpretation of Y-STR haplotype profiles, because multiple mutational events at various loci can be interpreted as a wrong mixed or allele drop-out profile.
Alleles ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Male ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Rape ; Y Chromosome

Accidental hanging in infancy and early childhood is not common and the autopsy findings have not been well-known. We experienced five cases of accidental hanging in children in a variety of situations. All cases were concluded as accidental hanging after a comprehensive examination based on the death scene investigation, autopsy findings, and investigation of their background and past history. Two cases happened at slides in a playground and in a kindergarten, the other cases related with by various kinds of cords in their house. As it is not always possible to predict every dangerous circumstance, these cases will be helpful to prevent the cases of accidental hanging.
Autopsy ; Child ; Humans

Subvalvular aortic aneurysms are rare but can be a cause of sudden death. This case report involves a 36-year-old male who died suddenly from rupture of a subvalvular aortic aneurysm with resultant hemopericardium with tamponade. He had a bicuspid aortic valve with acute infective endocarditis. A review of the literature enlightens the association between bicuspid aortic valve and subvalvular aortic aneurysm. The pathogenesis of the diseases of the aortic root will be discussed.
Adult ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Valve ; Bicuspid ; Death, Sudden ; Endocarditis ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Humans ; Male ; Pericardial Effusion ; Rupture

Sturge Weber syndrome (SWS) is a rare, congenital neurocutaneous syndrome. We rarely experienced neurocutaneous disorders in forensic practice but there are unexpected sudden deaths of patients with SWS due to epilepsy, intracranial hemorrhage, thromboses and secondary accident. We introduce a case of drowning death probably due to an epileptic attack of a person diagnosed as a patient of SWS by an autopsy. We review some of the neurocutaneous syndromes and a discussion of autopsy approach is presented.
Autopsy ; Death, Sudden ; Drowning ; Epilepsy ; Humans ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Neurocutaneous Syndromes ; Sturge-Weber Syndrome ; Thrombosis

Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is one of the most common and dangerous complications in orthopedic surgery. We experienced a fatal PTE in a 29-year-old man who had a simple fibular shaft fracture and cast immobilization for about one month. Despite simple fibular shaft fracture in patient with low risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), a terrible outcome occurred. During immobilization, thromboprophylaxis such as low molecular weight heparin should be always considered. We report a rare case of PTE after simple fibular shaft fracture.
Adult ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Orthopedics ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Venous Thromboembolism

The TASER(R) gun has been used as an alternative one instead of lethal weapons, but death following Taser gun use has been reported. In Korea, the case of eye injury by Taser gun was reported, but the case of Taser gun-related death has not been known. Recently we experienced a case of lethal stab injury after the use of Taser gun. On the basis of this case and current available articles, we need to be aware of the potential injury patterns in cases of death or injury associated with Taser gun.
Eye Injuries ; Korea ; Weapons

We report on a 56-year-old male laborer who injured his thorax in a construction field and complained of chest pain. About 3 weeks later, he was diagnosed as multiple rib fractures and hemothorax and found dead 3 days later at his house. At autopsy, the pneumothorax test was positive, due to not pulmonary parenchymal rupture but pleural adhesion and cavitary abscess from Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia. Acinetobacter baumannii often causes hospital-acquired pneumonia, but rarely causes community-acquired pneumonia. This is the first report in Korea of a positive pneumothorax test at autopsy caused by community-acquired pneumonia due to Acinetobacter baumannii.
Abscess ; Acinetobacter ; Acinetobacter baumannii ; Autopsy ; Chest Pain ; Hemothorax ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia ; Pneumothorax ; Rib Fractures ; Rupture ; Thorax

Crime scene reconstruction is the use of scientific methods, physical evidence, deductive and inductive reasoning and their interrelationships to gain explicit knowledge of the series of events that surround the commission of a crime. Event analysis is the method of crime scene reconstruction. As disciplines of crime scene reconstruction, bloodstain pattern analysis and fire investigation have many common points. Comparing bloodstain pattern analysis with fire investigation in point view of event analysis helps us to further understand crime scene reconstruction as well as bloodstain pattern analysis and fire investigation themselves. We study event analysis and apply it to cases and we seek similarities and differences between bloodstain pattern analysis and fire investigation by analyzing the methodology of both of them. In a fire scene, the point with the greatest damage is the point where the fire burned longest, which is likely to be the origin. In bloodstained scenes this approach is reversed. The greatest bloodshed point is most likely the ending point of the incident and is likely at or near the point where the bloodshed started. Above this, there are other similarities between them. Mastering the crime scene reconstruction requires long time hard training. Thus if the fire investigation experts or arson experts among crime scene investigators join the field of bloodstain pattern analysis(or reverse), then there will be many synergy effects to both of them.
Burns ; Crime ; Fires ; Firesetting Behavior ; Humans ; Research Personnel

Deaths caused by grenades hardly occur except for during wartime, and can be seen as a particular incident that can be observed only within the military or by acts of terrorism. However, there has never been any data which tried to analyze the damage patterns through mock grenade explosions. So far, the processes leading to deaths were merely inferred by reconstructing the situation with limited intelligence after the incidents have already occurred. Therefore, the authors believe that having mock grenade explosions in order to compare and study the observances with those of the actual incident will be helpful for a more precise and objective medical jurisprudence, and thus have summarized the damage patterned obtained on 8 butchered pigs, that were 6~8 months old, about 100 cm in length and 70~100 kg in weight by photographing with radioactive rays and running autopsies after detonating grenades on them. In conclusion, if there was extensive loss of body parts, the grenade probably exploded when in contact with the lost body parts. If fractures were found the grenade is likely to have detonated contacting or within 25 cm of distance with the body, and if there were no lacerations or loss of body parts the grenade probably exploded at a distance of at least 50 cm. If soot was prevalent on the deceased's body, the grenade is likely to have exploded within a distance of 25 cm from the body at a free floating state, in which it was not in contact with the ground or the body. Lastly, if no soot was found, the grenade most probably detonated at a distance of 50 cm or more. The posture or the direction of the body cannot give precise clues of the victim's state before theexplosion, and a hasty presupposition could be very dangerous in case of contact explosions especially.
Autopsy ; Bombs ; Explosions ; Hand ; Homicide ; Human Body ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Jurisprudence ; Lacerations ; Military Personnel ; Posture ; Running ; Soot ; Suicide ; Swine ; Terrorism

BACKGROUND: Propofol is a widely used anesthetic in anesthesia and sedation. Though it is not regulated under the controlled substance act, the public media broadcasted apprehensive programs about propofol abuse of laypersons. We attempted to determine whether the propofol is abused by the medical personnel working in the operation room in Korea. METHODS: We surveyed the 95 delegates who sat in the back benches in the Korean Society of Anesthesiologists. The questionnaire included the job of the propofol abuser, the rehabilitation, drug abuse history, stressful condition, family history of drug abuse in medical personnel in operation room. Additional question was what is the adequate method to prevent propofol abuse. RESULTS: Seventy two delegates among 95 candidates were responded. Seven of 72 responders answered that they knew 9 medical personnel who abused propofol in operation room. Four of them were anesthesiology residents, two were other departments' residents, one was a nurse in anesthesiology and the other two were unknown. Among nine subjects, two had tried to rehabilitate but failed, and all abusers quit working within 1 year. As for the prevention methods, 9 of 12 responders suggested that propofol should be controlled like other centrally acting anesthetics. CONCLUSION: Although propofol has not been traditionally considered a drug of abuse, a few medical team members abuse it working in operation room. A stricter pharmacy control of propofol or controlled substance act for propofol should be needed to prevent abusing it and to protect medical team members.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesiology ; Anesthetics ; Humans ; Korea ; Pharmacy ; Propofol ; Substance Abuse Detection ; Substance-Related Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires