We present 20 medicolegal autopsies performed at the Department of Forensic medicine, Seoul National University Medical College during the year of 1996. In Korea Postmortem Invesigation (PI) system is not established and is needed greatly provide the basic considerations on PI system, we detailed the cases with impediments to be overcome. Among the 20 cases, 13cases were unusual deaths and 6 cases were natural. For unusual deaths, 7 were by mechanical injuries, four by asphyxia. Test for toxic stance was the most needed part to be solved.
Asphyxia ; Autopsy* ; Forensic Medicine ; Humans ; Korea ; Seoul

At "Keumjung-gul" site, bones of more than 153 persons are excavated in October 1995. They were interred in Autumn of 1950 during Korean War. Among them, 70 skulls were examined in morphological method and DNA test for sex determination. With PCR amplification of amelogenin, 60 skulls were proved male, 9; female, 1; not amplified. Result with Y27H39LR, SRY and alphoid repeats were not satisfactory. The morphologic determination for sex were made maily by (1) prominence of the supercilliary arch, (2) prominence of the external occipital protuberance and crest, (3) size and shape of the mastoid process. The concurrence rate between two examiner, and between two morphologic result and DNA result were low (<70%), largely because of the subjectivity of morphologic trait and the paucity of experiences.
Amelogenin ; DNA* ; Female ; Humans ; Korean War ; Male ; Mastoid ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Skull*

To know the amplification pattern according to relative concentration ratio in mixed samples, two STRloci, vwF locus and MBP locus and two VNTR loci, D1S80 locus and d17S5 locus were amplified in DNA with various concentration of two individuals were easily identified. But when the concentration of one person were lowered to 1/20-1/40 of the other's the intensity of product bands diminshed and hardly discernible. Also different amplification efficiency according to the template length was noted, especially in VNTR loci. Using automatic sequencer and RFLP scan program, the intensity OD of each PCR product band could be calculated, and this correlates the felative amplification efficiency of each allele. By using this we could construct quantitative PCR for the mixed samples. This could be used in practical case work for forensic purpose, and also be a valuable candidate for 'chimerism detection' in case of bone marrow transplatation.
Alleles ; Bone Marrow ; DNA ; Humans ; Minisatellite Repeats ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length

Multiplex PCR for three STRs of same repetition unit [GATA]n, 4804LR[D12S66], 27H39LR[DYS19] and 4815LR[D12S67] loci, was constructed for forensic application DNA was extracted from 200 unrelated Koreans and amplified with a mixture of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, so called Amp-FLP procedure. Three loci could be co-amplified in a reaction with easy, and reaction condition was not so quite different from that of each locus. The PCR products of each locus could be separated bp, and 4815LR from 241 bp to 281 bp, so these alleles of each locus could be separated on a single electrophoresis. A total of six alleles was noted in 4804LR and heterozygosity was 0.5764. The allele 11 and allele 12 were frequently noted with the frequency of 0.6225 and 0.1775, respectively. Sequencing was done for 2 alleles, and the exact size of the alleles and the repetition unit were confirmed. Through statistical analysis forensic applicability of the STR 4804LR locus was confirmed. For 4815LR and heterozygosity was 0.5764. The allele 11 and llele 12 were frequently noted with the frequency of 0.6225 and 0.1775, respectively. Sequencing was done for 2 alleles, and the exact size of the alleles and the repetition unit were confirmed. Through statistical analysis forensic applicability of the STR 4804LR locus was confirmed. For 4815LR locus the amplification was successful, but the separation of the alleles on routine polyacrylamide gel was not successful. Some alleles was hardly separable, some alleles did not match the allelic ladder exactly, so the interallele was suspicious. On sequencing gel the electrophoresis pattern was quite different with that of routine polyacrylamide gel. A total of 11 allele was noted in 4815LR and heterozygosity was 0.765. For the routine use of the 4815LR locus, more meticulous method for the separation of the alleles such as using automatic DNA sequencer was necessary.
Alleles ; DNA ; Electrophoresis ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

No abstract available.
Cushing Syndrome*

The Widmark formula has been widely used in forensic fields since the early decades of 20 the century. When the calculation of blood-alcohol concentrations (BAC) from given quantities of alcoholic beverages consumed was required, Widmark equation has been applied. However, some modern experimental results have reported that the Widmark factor, r showed discrepancy between individuals. Furthermore, Widmark equation was derived from Caucasian to the calculation of blood alcohol concentration. To estimate and compare Widmark factor of blood with breath ethanol metabolism in Koreans, we performed the controlled drinking study for 50 healthy male. All subjects are classified into three groups considering alcohol-drinking history (frequency and quantity in the past year). Group A subjects (n=20) consumed 0.5 g ethanol per kilogram of body weight, group B subjects (n=18) 0.8 g, and group C subjects (n=12) 1.0 g in fast state, respectively. Biological specimens of blood and breath were obtained for alcohol experiment from 60 minutes to 6 hour every 30-60 minutes after the alcohol intake. Concentration-time profiles of alcohol were plotted for each subject and the Widmark values (C0 and r0) from blood and breath were extrapolated using linear regression analysis. We determined the practical factors, rpeak at peak blood alcohol concentration. The evaluated data of Widmark factor for Korean male are 1.19 (group A), 1.06 (group B), and 0.75 (group C), respectively, showing the unreliability and inaccuracy of Widmark formula to the male Korean population. Our findings suggest that Widmark equation could be applied only for gross approximation, and no accuracy must be offered.
Alcoholic Beverages ; Body Weight ; Drinking ; Ethanol ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male* ; Metabolism

As times go by, the objects and subjects of researches have changed. Forensic medicine and science can not be escaped. To overview the international changes and trend of forensic medicine and science, we gathered abstracts of 3,354 articles from 5 outstanding international journals, those are (1) Forensic Science International, (2) Journal of Forensic Science, (3) American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, (4) Medicine, Science and the Law, (5) International Journal of Legal Medicine. There were 1,226 articles (36.6%) on forensic pathology, followed by forensic genetics (902 articles, 26.9%), toxicology (549 articles, 16.4%), forensic sciences (445 articles, 13.3%) and medical law & criminal psychology (232 articles, 6.9%). Corresponding authors from 4 countries (USA, Great Britain, Germany and Japan) took more than half of total corresponding authors. And there were 27 articles (0.8%) from Korea. This article will introduce us an overview of international trend of forensic researches.
Criminal Psychology ; Forensic Genetics ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Pathology ; Forensic Sciences ; Germany ; Great Britain ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Pathology ; Toxicology ; United Nations

Cyclopia is rare congenital craniofacial anomaly, in which the eyes are fused together and located in a single orbit. It is consistently associated with severe holoprosencephaly, which is the failure of cleavage of the prosencephalon with a deficit in the midline facial development. chromosomal study revealed 47, X( ), +13 (Patau syndrome).
Holoprosencephaly ; Orbit ; Prosencephalon ; Trisomy*

BACKGROUND: Nitric Oxide (NO) has been discovered to be an important endothelium-derived relaxing factor. The exogenous inhaled NO may diffuse from the alveoli to pulmonary vascular smooth muscle and produce pulmonary vasodilation, but any NO that diffuses into blood will be inactivated before it can produce systemic effects. To examine the effects of NO on pulmonary and systemic hemodynamics, NO was inhaled by experimental dogs in an attempt to reduce the increase in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) induced by hypoxia in dogs. METHODS: Eight mongrel dogs were studied while inhaling 1)50% O2 (baseline), 2)12% O2 in N2 (hypoxia), 3)followed by the same hypoxic gas mixture of O2 and N2 containing 20, 40 and 80 ppm of NO, respectively. RESULTS: Breathing at FIO2 0.12 nearly doubled the pulmonary vascular resistance from 173 56dyn sec cm-5 to 407 139dyn sec cm-5 and significantly increased the mean pulmonary artery pressure from 16 3mmHg to 22 4mmHg. After adding 20~80 ppm NO to the inspired gas while maintaining the FIO2 at 0.12, the mean pulmonary artery pressure decreased (p<0.05) to the level when breathing oxygen at FIO2 0.5 while the PaO2 and PaCO2 were unchanged. The pulmonary vascular resistance decreased significantly and the right ventricular stroke work index returned to a level similar to breathing at FIO2 0.5 by addition of NO into the breathing circuit. Pulmonary hypertension resumed within 3~5 minutes of ceasing NO inhalation. In none of our studies did inhaling NO produce systemic hypotension and elevate methemoglobin levels. CONCLUSIONS: Inhalation of 20~80 ppm NO selectively induced pulmonary vasodilation and reversed hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction without causing systemic vasodilation and bronchodilation. Methemoglobin and NO2 were within normal limit during the study.
Animals ; Anoxia ; Dogs ; Endothelium-Dependent Relaxing Factors ; Hemodynamics* ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Hypotension ; Inhalation* ; Methemoglobin ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Nitric Oxide* ; Oxygen ; Pulmonary Artery ; Respiration ; Stroke ; Vascular Resistance ; Vasoconstriction* ; Vasodilation

BACKGROUND: To reduce the risk of Mendelson's syndrome, it is customary to fast patients for 8 hours before anesthesia. However preoperative fast is unpleasant for patients, who complain frequently of thirst and dry mouth, and this conventional fast may be over-cautious. We have studied the effect of ingestion of barley tea, a Korean popular beverage, 3 hours before anesthesia on gastric contents (volume and pH), blood sugar level, thirst, and anxiety. METHODS: We studied prospectively 284 adult patients undergoing elective surgery. The patients in the control group (n=142) fasted for at least 8 hours, and those in the experimental group (n=142) received 250 ml of barley tea 3 hours before anesthesia. On arrival in the operating room, subjects were asked to assess thirst and anxiety. After induction of anesthesia, gastric contents were aspirated via 18 French Salem sump tube and gastric volume, pH and blood sugar level were measured. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in gastric fluid volume and pH and blood sugar level between control and experimental groups. However, patients in experimental group complained of less thirst than those in control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that in adult patients undergoing elective surgery, allowing patients to drink 250 ml of barley tea until 3 hours before anesthesia may relieve patients from thirst without compromising safety.
Adult ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Anxiety ; Beverages ; Blood Glucose ; Eating ; Hordeum ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration* ; Mouth ; Operating Rooms ; Pneumonia, Aspiration ; Prospective Studies ; Tea ; Thirst