Vilnius University Press Scholarly Journals
Not a member yet
27622 research outputs found
Sort by
Teismo medicinos ekspertas – labiau teisėjas ar liudytojas?
No full textThis paper examines whether a forensic expert is more of a judge or a witness in criminal and civil proceedings. It analyses criminal and civil cases and the data from the examination of judges in order to determine what impact the forensic expert’s conclusions have on the outcome of these cases
Rare Run-Over Clinical Case. Evisceration of the Intestines through the Wrist
No full textBackground: Deaths resulting from car-pedestrian collisions are frequently encountered in forensic practice. Such accidents often cause extensive, multi-system injuries, many of which are concealed beneath minimally damaged soft tissues and may not be immediately visible externally. Common external injuries include extensive skin abrasions, subcutaneous hematomas, and lacerations. Internally, these incidents typically result in multiple bone fractures and severe organ ruptures. A less frequent but noteworthy injury is the evisceration of abdominal organs through ruptures in the diaphragm, rectum, or abdominal wall. This report presents a unique case of small intestine evisceration through damaged skin on the wrist.Materials and methods: The literature search was conducted in the PubMed and Google Scholar databases using keywords. The analysis focused on scientific literature that was published in last 10 years but also referred to older scientific papers with strong arguments. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reported cases of evisceration of abdominal contents through the damaged skin of the lower arm (wrist). A clinical case examination from the Lithuanian State Forensic Medicine Service data was performed.Case presentation: A 70-year-old woman was injured in the run-over accident by a truck. The victim died at the scene. External examination revealed multiple injuries, including significant soft tissue deformities in the left arm. During the internal examination of the corpse, multiple fractures with ruptures of internal organs were found. Only isolated fragments of intestinal loops were present in the abdominal cavity. Evisceration of the small intestines through the left upper arm and forearm was found.Conclusions: Run-over accidents involving heavy vehicles are a common cause of fatal injuries. These incidents often result in extensive lacerations, multiple comminated fractures, and severe damage to internal organs. In rare cases, evisceration of internal organs can occur through various anatomical sites. This case demonstrates that evisceration can occur not only through common locations such as the diaphragm, abdominal wall, rectum, or vagina but also through atypical sites, such as the skin of the wrist. In such cases, it is particularly important for a forensic pathologist to assess the damage of clothing and to evaluate the macromorphological appearance of the injuries to determine the mechanism of injury
Mechanical Mitral Valve Prosthesis Thrombosis: A Case Report
No full textBackground: A rare but serious complication of heart valve replacement, prosthetic valve thrombosis carries significant risks of morbidity and mortality. Effective management depends on prompt diagnosis and the appropriate treatment, often involving fibrinolytic agents. Protocols using slower infusion rates and lower doses of these agents have led to improved therapy outcomes.Clinical case: We report a case of a 56-year-old man admitted to the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics due to mechanical mitral valve prosthesis thrombosis complicated by a respiratory failure and atrial fibrillation. The patient was treated with ultraslow thrombolysis with alteplase. The function of the mechanical valve prosthesis became normal, and the patient was discharged from the hospital.Discussion and Conclusions: Managing prosthetic valve thrombosis is challenging due to overlapping clinical features with other diagnoses and the lack of consensus on the treatment methods. Slow-infusion, low-dose thrombolytic therapy with alteplase can be a life-saving intervention with a high success rate
Biological Versus Synthetic Grafts in ACL Reconstruction: A Comparative Analysis of Failure Rates, Knee Stability, and Functional Outcomes
No full textBackground: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common and impactful musculoskeletal injuries, particularly in athletic populations. A variety of biological and synthetic grafts are used in surgical reconstruction, each offering different biomechanical properties and long-term outcomes.Materials and Methods: This narrative review analyzed 42 original clinical studies published between 1989 and 2024. Articles were retrieved from PubMed and Google Scholar by using terms such as ‘ACL reconstruction’, ‘BPTB’, ‘hamstring tendon’, ‘quadriceps tendon’, ‘LARS’, ‘Leeds-Keio’, and ‘GORE-TEX’. Key outcomes included graft failure rates, postoperative knee stability (e.g., KT-1000, Lachman test), and functional outcomes (Lysholm, Tegner, IKDC). Numerical data were pooled descriptively; no formal meta-analysis was performed.Results: Biological grafts, particularly BPTB and quadriceps tendon autografts, demonstrated the lowest failure rates (as low as 1.2%) and superior mechanical stability (>95% achieving Grade 0–1 laxity) compared to synthetic options. Hamstring tendon autografts were slightly less durable but still reliable. Synthetic grafts, and especially GORE-TEX and Leeds-Keio, were associated with higher failure rates (up to 33%) and complications related to poor biological integration.Conclusions: BPTB and QT autografts remain the most reliable options for ACL reconstruction, offering excellent long-term outcomes. While synthetic grafts may be appropriate in select patients, they carry a higher risk of failure and complications. Graft selection should be individualized based on the patient activity level, anatomical considerations, and tolerance for donor-site morbidity
Apie nepamirštamą partizaną ir primirštą laisvės kainą
No full textApie anuos nepamirštamus laikus: Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto ir Nijolės Bražėnaitės susirašinėjimas, sudarytoja Laima Vincė-Sruoginis, Vilnius: Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas, 2021, 478 p., ISBN 978-609-425-309-6Apie anuos nepamirštamus laikus: Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto ir Nijolės Bražėnaitės susirašinėjimas, sudarytoja Laima Vincė-Sruoginis, Vilnius: Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas, 2021, 478 p., ISBN 978-609-425-309-
Prisitaikę, bet nepamiršę: partizanų vaikų pasakojimai apie (ne)prisitaikymą prie sovietinės okupacijos
No full textBased on the second generation stories collected in 2019–2024, the article examines the forms and practices of resistance and adaptation to the Soviet regime in the families of participants of the partisan war. Resistance was expressed by means of cultivating the ideas of freedom, transmitting the memory of partisan activities and repressions against partisans to the children, as well as religious practices, listening to the foreign radio stations, singing partisan and deportees’ songs, and criticism of the regime. These practices either compensated for the silenced experiences of the parents or supplemented them in terms of value.
Children willingly and with pride mention their parents’ non-reconciliation with the Soviet reality, but they also remember the surveillance of the families and restriction of their rights. One of the signs of adapting to the regime was participation in the Soviet children’s and youth organizations. Parents sought to ensure that their children did not stand out in public; however, this was perceived as a mere necessity that did not change the values fostered within the family.
Partisan families lived a double life during the Soviet era: while adapting publicly, they maintained the spirit of resistance privately. This duality shaped the second generation’s view of the family and the national history, and it is on this basis that partisan children still reflect the Soviet occupation and the essence of partisan warfare today.Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos pasipriešinimo ir prisitaikymo prie sovietinio režimo formos ir praktikos partizaninio karo dalyvių šeimose, remiantis 2019–2024 m. surinktais šių šeimų antrosios kartos pasakojimais. Pasipriešinimo raiška apėmė laisvės idėjų puoselėjimą, partizanavimo ir represijų atminties perdavimą vaikams, tikėjimo praktikas, užsienio radijo stočių klausymą, partizanų bei tremtinių dainų dainavimą ir režimo kritiką. Šios praktikos kompensavo tėvų patirčių nutylėjimą bei vertybiškai jas papildė.
Vaikai noriai ir su pasididžiavimu mini tėvų nesusitaikymą su sovietine tikrove, tačiau prisimena ir tai, kad šeimos buvo stebimos, o jų teisės varžomos. Vienas iš būdų prisitaikyti prie režimo ženklų buvo dalyvauti sovietinėse vaikų ir jaunimo organizacijose. Tėvai siekė, kad vaikai viešajame gyvenime neišsiskirtų iš kitų, tačiau tai buvo suvokiama kaip būtinybė, nekeičianti šeimoje puoselėjamų vertybių.
Partizanų šeimos sovietmečiu gyveno dvigubą gyvenimą: viešai prisitaikė, o privačiai išlaikė rezistencijos dvasią. Šis dvilypis veikimas formavo antrosios kartos požiūrį į šeimos ir tautos istoriją – būtent juo remdamiesi partizanų vaikai ir šiandien reflektuoja sovietinę okupaciją, partizaninio karo esmę
The Influence of Different Factors on Brain Weight
No full textBackground: A postmortem brain weight examination can provide valuable diagnostic information on probable causes of death. Deviations from normal brain weight can indicate the presence of different factors such as psychoactive substance use, the presence of neurological conditions, tumours, brain oedema or traumatic brain injury. The aim of this study is to analyse these factors and their role in understanding the underlying causes of death.Materials and methods: This research was designed as a retrospective study. The study sample consisted of 651 autopsy cases from 2013 to 2023. The brain weight was compared between people who died from traumatic brain injury, by hanging, of other sudden causes, and were intoxicated by alcohol or drugs. The collected data were processed by using R software. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant.Results: The mean brain weight of the control group was 1274.93 ± 124.74 g. The mean brain weight of males was greater than that of females. The brain weight was lower in children and the elderly, whereas the greatest in adults between the ages 21–30. In the ethyl alcohol-intoxicated group, the mean brain weight was 1344.01 ± 148.69 g, whereas, in the drug-intoxicated group, it measured 1418.45 ± 125.45 g. The mean brain weight of subjects with strangulation asphyxia was 1372.13 ± 128.83 g, while for those with traumatic brain injury it was 1358.27 ± 150.42 g. The highest brain weight was observed in subjects with epidural hematoma and with subarachnoid haemorrhage. The most frequent complications in patients who died after brain injury were cerebral herniation and pneumonia. The mean brain weight of subjects with cerebral herniation was 1376.95 ± 164.29 g. After traumatic brain injury, skull fractures, brain surgery and cerebral herniation were associated with a higher brain weight. There was a negative correlation between the brain weight and the Glasgow Coma Scale score.Conclusions: A greater brain mass was observed in subjects with ethyl alcohol and drug intoxication, in the groups with strangulation asphyxia and traumatic brain injury compared to the control group. In the traumatic brain injury group, a greater brain weight was observed in men, in those with skull fractures, with epidural haemorrhage, with herniation signs, and after brain surgery
Flectamus genua. Gonarthrosis in the Remains of the Blessed Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet (Catania, Italy, 19th Century AD)
No full textIntroduction: This study investigates the bioanthropological and paleopathological features of the late Blessed Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet, a revered 19th-century archbishop of Catania. Dusmet’s remains were examined during the most recent canonical recognition in 2021, providing an opportunity to study the skeletal characteristics that may reflect his lifestyle and health.Materials and methods: Paleopathological analysis focused on degenerative changes using macroscopic inspection to identify osteoarthritic conditions. Historical records were also consulted to understand the potential connection between his devout religious practices and his physical health.Results: Significant degenerative and osteoarthritic changes were observed, particularly in the knees. These changes are hypothesized to be linked to Dusmet’s frequent practice of kneeling in prayer, a physical activity historically associated with knee osteoarthritis.Conclusion: This study highlights how bioanthropological and paleopathological analysis can provide insights into the health and lifestyle of historical figures. The observed knee osteoarthritis in the Blessed Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet’s remains suggests a possible link between his behavior and the development of joint degeneration. This research adds to our understanding of the physical impact of religious practices and contributes to the study of health in historical figures
Pott’s Puffy Tumour – Rare and Forgotten, yet Relevant and Life-Threatening: Case Report
No full textPott’s Puffy Tumour (PPT) is an inflammation and swelling of the forehead secondary to osteomyelitis of the frontal bone. Multiple aetiologies are associated with this condition, predominately involving a prior sinus surgery or a direct trauma to the frontal bone. There can be intracranial extension with an epidural, subdural as well as intracerebral abscess. We present the case of an 8-year-old boy who presented with swelling in his forehead secondary to trauma. His general condition was poor, and further evaluation revealed multiple subdural empyemas. Although PPT is rare in this modern era of antibiotics, it should be kept as a differential for any inflammation of the forehead. Timely diagnosis and the appropriate treatment by a multidisciplinary team are indispensable in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with this case