Journals Portal Naif Arab University for Security Sciences
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Paraphenylenediamine Poisoning in Tunisia: A Case Report
No full textParaphenylenediamine (PPD) represents the main active substance in the color of hair dyes. In Tunisia, PPD poisoning is very common, especially in rural areas where the consequences linked to this toxic substance are still unknown. In this paper, we report a case of PPD poisoning and confirm the diagnosis by a qualitative method of analysis. We discuss the clinical manifestations and study the kinetics of biological parameters during the monitoring of the poisoning. The main complication was renal failure and the treatment was basically symptomatic
Planned Complex Occupation-related Suicide by Sulfuric Acid Ingestion and Thorax Stab Wound: Case Report
No full textSulfuric acid is a colourless, odorless liquid, which causes typical injury patterns such as cutaneous and ocular burns, respiratory complications from inhalation, and ingestion injuries (coagulative necrosis of the mucosa, gastric and intestinal perforations) with significant dermal and mucosal injury because of its corrosive action. Most injuries caused by sulfuric acid ingestion are accidental, especially in the paediatric population. Intentional cases of ingestion have rarely been reported in adults as a method of suicide following a major depressive disorder. In this paper, we report the case of a 44-year-old woman who was found dead outside her home with a retained fillet knife embedded in her left chest wall and cutaneous chemical burns extending from her mouth down her chin and anterior torso. During the crime scene investigation, a half empty bottle of chemical drain cleaner containing concentrated sulfuric acid was found next to her body. An autopsy revealed chemical burns to the tongue, trachea, larynx, pharynx and oesophagus along with a blackish fluid in the peritoneal cavity. Histological analyses showed extensive corrosive changes in the gastrointestinal tract. Toxicological screening of blood and urine samples was negative; gastric contents contained a high quantity of concentrated (≈ 96%) sulfuric acid with a pH value of < 1.0. Death was attributed to shock following sulfuric acid ingestion. Circumstantial evidence and autopsy findings proved that the manner of death was suicidal. Complex suicides can be challenging for the forensic pathologist because of the plurality of methods used. The authors highlight the importance of systematical exhaustive postmortem investigation in order to ascertain the cause and manner of death in cases of planned complex suicide
The Importance of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis in the Investigation of Road Traffic Accidents: A Case Report
No full textBloodstain pattern analysis has become a field of specialization in Forensic sciences and plays an important role in the reconstruction of events at a crime scene. Research, books, and articles have been published on the analysis and interpretation of bloodstain patterns We present a case study of a road traffic accident in which bloodstain pattern analysis helped us to solve the discrepancy between reports produced by forensic examiners and by the forensic biology department. The case was of a 22-year-old man who died immediately and a 31- year-old woman who survived a road traffic accident. They were both found outside their overturned car and it was impossible to ascertain from initial observations which of the victims was driving the car at the time of the accident. An external examination of the man revealed multiple injuries, and the cause of his death was severe brain injury. The woman survived with a fracture of the forearm, dislocated clavicle bone, and other minor injuries. After initial examination of the car and based on the pattern of injuries the deceased received, forensic examiner concluded that the man was the driving the car at the time of accident. On the other hand, the forensic DNA analysis of bloodstains obtained from the driver's seat matched that of the woman, suggesting that she was the driver. This apparent discrepancy directed the forensic examiner to carry out a bloodstain pattern analysis on the driver's seat. The bloodstain pattern analysis helped resolve the discrepancy and enabled the investigators to identify the driver correctly. This case report emphasizes the importance of bloodstain pattern analysis in the reconstruction of cases involving road traffic accidents
Toxicological Investigation of Acute Cyanide Poisoning Cases: Report of Four Cases
No full textCyanide is a deadly poison. Acute cyanide poisoning in humans is rare and is predominantly caused by smoke inhalation from fires and much more rarely by intentional ingestion of cyanide salts as in suicide or homicide attempts. The main objective of this report is to emphasize the need to consider cyanide poisoning, even if it is rare, in differential diagnosis while evaluating cases of sudden death and the significance of gastric content analysis in acute poisoning cases. The authors reported four cases of lethal cyanide poisoning. Autopsy specimens were submitted to the author’s laboratory for analysis. A presumptive test for cyanide using Vitamin B12 indicated the presence of cyanide. Confirmation and quantification of cyanide was performed using headspace gas chromatograph coupled to flame ionization detector technique. The toxicological analysis revealed lethal hydrogen cyanide concentrations in all postmortem specimens ranging from 24 to 2600 mg/L in gastric contents, 70 to 282 mg/kg in liver specimens, 11 to 12 mg/kg in a mixture of viscera (liver, spleen, kidney) and 15 mg/L in blood. The cause of deaths in the reported cases was acute respiratory failure and cardiac arrest following cyanide intoxication
Acute Cyanide Poisoning from Jewelry Cleaning Solutions
No full textCyanide is one of the most lethal and devastating poisons. It causes acute toxicity through smoke inhalation simultaneously with carbon monoxide, or by ingestion of cyanide salts that are commonly used in metallurgy and in jewelry or textile industries. Cyanide intoxication is an extremely rare event; in the present study, we report a case of cyanide poisoning involving a 25-year-old jeweler, who ingested a jewelry cleaning solution containing potassium cyanide in a suicide attempt
Determination of Cyanide in Biological and Non-biological Matrices by Headspace Gas Chromatography coupled to Flame- Ionization Detector
No full textA simple, rapid and reliable method for quantitation of cyanide was developed on a headspace gas chromatograph coupled to a flame ionization detector using a HP-Innovax (Polyethylene glycol bonded) column on an Agilent 7890A GC. Cyanide in blood or other matrices was liberated by conversion of potassium cyanide to the volatile hydrogen cyanide (HCN) through addition of 5N sulfuric acid in a headspace vial and analyzed using an Agilent G1888 headspace auto-sampler. HCN gas diffuses into the headspace above the specimen in a sealed vial based on Henry’s Law of partial pressure. This method showed good linearity (r2= 0.9996) in the range of 8.0-60.0 μg/mL with 1.0 μg/mL of HCN as the limit of detection. The accuracy of the method at three different concentrations (8.0, 16.0, 50.0 μg/ mL of HCN) was in the range of 95.0% to 101.9% and inter-day precision (%CV) ranged from 1.3% to 3.8%. Identical calibration curves with a coefficient of correlation above 0.990 were obtained when blood, gastric contents, liver tissue homogenate, urine and water were used as calibration standard matrices. Therefore, a single calibration curve is sufficient for diverse matrices and preparation of matrix-matched standards is not required. The method showed successful quantitation of Hydrogen cyanide in gastric contents, which is one of the most variable matrices in forensic toxicology. The method is well adopted for postmortem specimens because of its wide linear range, adaptability to various matrices, ease and rapidity of use
Stay in the Execution of Penal Sentences due to Illness: Selected Case Reports and a Review of the Legal Framework in Turkey
No full textThe postponement of penal sentences due to illness is defined in article 16 of Law No. (5275) on the execution of penalties and security measures in Turkey. According to this article, the execution of a penal sentence is carried out if the disease or illness of a convicted criminal is mild and is treatable at a prison clinic or at a public hospital having separate out-patient or in-patient clinics for prisoners. On the other hand, if the convict is suffering from a serious or life-threatening disease and the execution may risk the convict's life, then execution of the sentence is delayed until the convict has suitably recovered. In Turkey, the decision to grant a stay in the execution of a penal sentence is given by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on the basis of medical reports prepared by the specialized health committees of public hospitals and approved by the Council of Forensic Medicine or directly prepared by the Council of Forensic Medicine. According to the law of the Council of Forensic Medicine, these reports are sent to the 3rd Specialization Board of the Council of Forensic Medicine by the Prosecutor's Office and then a medical examination of the applicants is arranged. In the present paper, four cases are presented in order to show the working approach of the Council of Forensic Medicine. The first two cases exemplify medical conditions which entitle an ill convict to a stay in the execution of their prison sentence. The last two cases exemplify medical conditions that do not qualify a convict to be considered for a stay in the execution of their sentence
Estimation of Stature from Footprint Anthropometry Using Regression Analysis: A Study on the Bidayuh Population of East Malaysia
No full textThe human foot has been studied for a variety of reasons, i.e., for forensic as well as non-forensic purposes by anatomists, forensic scientists, anthropologists, physicians, podiatrists, and numerous other groups. An aspect of human identification that has received scant attention from forensic anthropologists is the study of human feet and the footprints made by the feet. The present study, conducted during 2013-2014, aimed to derive population specific regression equations to estimate stature from the footprint anthropometry of indigenous adult Bidayuhs in the east of Malaysia. The study sample consisted of 480 bilateral footprints collected using a footprint kit from 240 Bidayuhs (120 males and 120 females), who consented to taking part in the study. Their ages ranged from 18 to 70 years. Stature was measured using a portable body meter device (SECA model 206. The data were analyzed using PASW Statistics version 20. In this investigation, better results were obtained in terms of correlation coefficient (R) between stature and various footprint measurements and regression analysis in estimating the stature. The (R) values showed a positive and statistically significant (p < 0.001) relationship between the two parameters. The correlation coefficients in the pooled sample (0.861–0.882) were comparatively higher than those of an individual male (0.762-0.795) and female (0.722-0.765). This study provided regression equations to estimate stature from footprints in the Bidayuh population. The result showed that the regression equations without sex indicators performed significantly better than models with gender indications. The regression equations derived for a pooled sample can be used to estimate stature, even when the sex of the footprint is unknown, as in real crime scenes
Suicide with One Cranial Gunshot by a .320 Caliber Pocket Revolver
No full textSuicide using a firearm is the most commonly used method of committing suicide for men and women. In this paper, we present and discuss a suicide case in which an 86-year-old man shot himself using a .320 caliber pocket revolver. Proper crime scene investigation, recovery of the weapon used, and precise interpretation of autopsy findings play a fundamental role in determining the exact cause and manner of death. Accurate analysis of the injuries and a thorough knowledge of weapons and ballistics are essential for an adequate investigation in these unusual cases. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a cranial gunshot inflicted by a .320 caliber pocket revolver