Forensic science international
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Barium contrast radiography is a conventional procedure aimed at revealing lesions of the alimentary tract using barium sulfate on X-ray irradiation. Although it is widely used in clinics, adverse effects and complications are observed, such as anaphylaxis, granuloma, fecalithes, abdomen-leaking, embolism, bacterial contamination, and aspiration. We report a case of death due to a massive barium sulfate aspiration resulted from an air-barium double contrast enema radiography. ⋯ The result of autopsy revealed the cause of death to be severe chemical pneumonitis induced by gastric fluid which was aspirated into her lungs. Barium sulfate is generally recognized to be chemically inert for the respiratory system, but a mixture of barium sulfate with gastric contents is fatal. Here we intend to suggest that, when determining the potential cause of death, medical examiners should consider a patient's status quo as well as the possible adverse effects and complications caused by the barium sulfate preparation during gastrointestinal radiography.
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This paper reports on a fatal overdose case involving the potent hallucinogenic drug 25C-NBOMe (2-(4-chloro-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-[(2-methoxyphenyl)methyl]ethanamine). In the present case, a young male was hospitalized after the recreational use of this potent drug. He died at the hospital at approximately 12h after ingestion, with preceding signs of serotonin toxicity. ⋯ The autopsy findings were consistent with acute poisoning. Based on the toxicological findings, the cause of death was determined to be a fatal overdose of 25C-NBOMe in combination with amphetamine intake. To our knowledge, the present paper reports the first quantification of 25C-NBOMe in biological specimens from a fatal intoxication case.
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Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an emerging atomic emission based solid sampling technique that has many potential forensic applications. In this study, the analytical performance of LIBS, as well as that of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and X-ray microfluorescence (μXRF), was evaluated for the ability to conduct elemental analyses on Cannabis plant material, with a specific investigation of the possible links between hydroponic nutrients and elemental profiles from associated plant material. No such study has been previously published in the literature. ⋯ For Cannabis samples collected at the same growth time, the elemental profiles could be related to the use of particular commercial nutrients. In addition, the study demonstrated that ICP-MS, LA-ICP-MS and LIBS are suitable techniques for the comparison of Cannabis samples from different sources, with high discriminating powers being achieved. On the other hand, μXRF method was not suitable for the discrimination of Cannabis samples originating from different growth nutrients.
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We present a toxicologically confirmed 25I-NBOMe related death from Australia. 25I-NBOMe is a synthetic new psychoactive substance (NPS), which is a derivative of the 2C-X series of phenethylamines. NBOMe compounds have hallucinogenic and stimulant properties and are potent agonists of the human 5HT2A receptor. They have been associated with severe toxicity and fatalities. ⋯ Very limited toxicological data is available in the current literature. The decedent in the presented case had a post mortem aortic non-preserved blood concentration of 25I-NBOMe of approximately 28 μg/L, a concentration that appears to be much higher than those previously reported in non-fatal cases of toxicity and analytically confirmed 25I-NBOMe related fatalities. The publication of new data is essential in improving knowledge and awareness amongst the forensic community regarding emerging psychoactive substances, such as the NBOMe compounds.
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Multicenter Study
Can ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm be accurately diagnosed as the cause of death without postmortem computed tomography when autopsies cannot be performed?
This study aimed to conduct a multicentre retrospective review of cases to clarify how many ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (RAAAs) as the cause of death could be diagnosed without post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) when autopsies cannot be performed. ⋯ Post-mortem diagnosis of RAAA is difficult to make based on ante-mortem clinical presentation, post-mortem external examinations, or peri-mortem ultrasonography. PMCT is recommended for diagnosing RAAA as the cause of death if pre-mortem CT examinations are not carried out when autopsies cannot be performed.