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Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2022Dismemberment is characterized by the fragmentation of the body into anatomical sections. It can occur because of a murder, suicide, or accident. In the literature,... (Review)
Review
Dismemberment is characterized by the fragmentation of the body into anatomical sections. It can occur because of a murder, suicide, or accident. In the literature, there are no cases of patricide perpetrated by a daughter in which the offender performed the dismemberment. However, in this paper, we reported a case of patricide by a schizophrenic daughter that was not treated with antipsychotic therapy. Post-mortem Computed Tomography (PMCT), autopsy, and histological examinations were performed. The soft tissues were removed through maceration techniques and chemical treatment. An analysis was performed to study the bone margins and clarify the weapon and manner of death. This investigation, which used radiological and histological studies, helped to assess the vitality of the injuries. The purpose of the study is to discover the weapon used, the cause, and the manner of death, with particular interest in this case due to the dismemberment. Moreover, we emphasize the correlation between patricide, dismemberment, and a lack of antipsychotic treatment in patients with schizophrenia.
PubMed: 35885483
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12071577 -
Current Opinion in Plant Biology Jun 2015In the classical theory of apical dominance, auxin depletion from the stem releases bud dormancy. Recent studies have revealed a poor correlation between the initial bud... (Review)
Review
In the classical theory of apical dominance, auxin depletion from the stem releases bud dormancy. Recent studies have revealed a poor correlation between the initial bud release and auxin depletion from the stem after decapitation. Sucrose mobility in plants and its accumulation in buds correlates well with the onset of bud release and is able to trigger bud outgrowth. The diversion of sugars away from axillary buds decreases bud release even where hormones are at levels generally considered conducive to bud release. This impact of sugars on bud outgrowth may be mediated by specific sugar and hormonal signalling pathways.
Topics: Carbohydrate Metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Indoleacetic Acids; Plant Development; Plant Growth Regulators; Plant Physiological Phenomena; Plant Shoots; Plant Stems; Plants; Signal Transduction; Sucrose
PubMed: 25938609
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2015.04.004 -
Iranian Journal of Basic Medical... Feb 2023Studying the effect of melatonin pretreatment and ischemic preconditioning on renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI).
OBJECTIVES
Studying the effect of melatonin pretreatment and ischemic preconditioning on renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Forty-eight Wistar rats were randomized into six groups: control, sham operation, IRI (IRI in left kidney + right nephrectomy), IRI+ischemic preconditioning, IRI+Melatonin, and IRI+ischemic preconditioning+Melatonin groups. Melatonin (10 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected for 4 weeks before renal IRI. Ischemic preconditioning was performed by three cycles of 2 min-ischemia followed by 5 min-reperfusion period. A right nephrectomy was initially done and the left renal artery was clamped for 45 min. After 24 hr of ischemia-reperfusion, rats were decapitated. Kidney tissue samples were taken for histopathological assessment and the determination of kidney proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, apoptotic protein caspase-3, oxidative stress markers, and activities of antioxidant enzymes. Serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations were measured for evaluation of renal function.
RESULTS
Renal IRI animals showed increased levels of creatinine, BUN, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), caspase-3, total nitrite/nitrate, and malondialdehyde (MDA), and decreased levels of interleukin-13 (IL-13), and activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Melatonin pretreatment or ischemic preconditioning resulted in decreased creatinine, BUN, TNF-α, caspase-3, nitrite/nitrate, and MDA, and increased IL-13, GPx, and SOD, with improved histopathological changes. Combined melatonin and ischemic preconditioning showed more effective improvement in renal IRI changes rather than melatonin or ischemic preconditioning alone.
CONCLUSION
Combined melatonin and ischemic preconditioning have better beneficial effects on renal IRI than applying each one alone.
PubMed: 36742133
DOI: 10.22038/IJBMS.2022.67127.14722 -
PloS One 2021We aimed to describe the epidemiology of statue attacks along with statue representativeness relative to modern day demographics in one case study country: New Zealand.
OBJECTIVES
We aimed to describe the epidemiology of statue attacks along with statue representativeness relative to modern day demographics in one case study country: New Zealand.
METHODS
We performed Internet searches for the existence of outdoor statues of named individuals and historical attacks in New Zealand (NZ), combined a national survey with field visits to all identified statues to examine for injuries and repairs.
RESULTS
Of the 123 statues identified, nearly a quarter (n = 28, 23%) had been attacked at least once (total of 45 separate attack events), with the number of attacks increasing from the 1990s. Attacks involved paint/graffiti (14% of all statues at least once), nose removal/damage (7%), decapitation (5%), and total destruction (2%). The risk of attack was relatively higher for statues of royalty (50%), military personnel (33%), explorers (29%), and politicians (25%), compared to other reasons for fame (eg, 0% for sports players). Statue subjects involved in colonialism or direct harm to Māori (Indigenous population), had 6.61 (95%CI: 2.30 to 19.9) greater odds (adjusted odds ratio) of being attacked than other subjects. Most of the statue subjects were of men (87%) and Europeans (93%). Other ethnicities were 6% Māori (comprising 15% of the population) and 1% each for Asian and Pacific peoples, who comprise 12% and 7% of the population respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
This national survey found an association between statue attacks and the role of statue subjects in colonialism or direct harm to the Indigenous population. Furthermore, the demography of the statue subjects may represent historical and current social power relationships-with under-representation of women and non-European ethnic groups.
Topics: Crime; Humans; New Zealand
PubMed: 34081698
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252567 -
Romanian Journal of Morphology and... 2019Born on April 15, 1452, in a modest family in a hamlet from Tuscany, Leonardo da Vinci became the unassailable icon of Renaissance. Pushed throughout his entire life by... (Review)
Review
Born on April 15, 1452, in a modest family in a hamlet from Tuscany, Leonardo da Vinci became the unassailable icon of Renaissance. Pushed throughout his entire life by his relentless curiosity, he was a painter, draughtsman, sculptor, poet, musician, writer, engineer, stage designer, architect, physicist, astronomer, cartographer and anatomist. His earliest surviving anatomical drawings (ca. 1485-1493) include studies of the skull, meninges, brain and cerebral ventricles. He was the first to pith a frog, concluding that piercing the spinal medulla will result in immediate death - a completely unexpected result in that era. In an effort to better understand the origins of the sensory and motor functions of the brain - which at the time was believed to be in the ventricles - he developed a method of injecting hot wax into the ventricles of an ox. He was the first to correctly describe the four ventricles of the brain. Thus, he circumvented a 16 century-long flaw in the dissection technique, which did not allow the correct study of the shape of the ventricles - decapitation and drainage of fluids before study. Even though he was never formally educated in the study of medicine, his work continues to inspire us today, 500 years after his death.
Topics: Anatomists; Animals; History, 15th Century; History, 16th Century; Humans
PubMed: 32239124
DOI: No ID Found -
PloS One 2019Little is known about the precise date of the emergence of decapitation in a ritual context and the presence of systematic postmortem modification patterns in the...
Little is known about the precise date of the emergence of decapitation in a ritual context and the presence of systematic postmortem modification patterns in the ancient Central Andes. The ceremonial complex at Pacopampa in the northern Peruvian highlands provides early osteological evidence of decapitation in six individuals dating to the latter half of the Late-Final Formative Periods (500-50 BC) and to the Early Cajamarca Period (AD 200-450). Based on osteological evidence, and when taken together with archaeological settings and settlement patterns, researchers can be certain that those whose heads were disembodied were not likely to have been involved in organized battles. In addition, the similarities in the cut-mark distribution, direction, and cross-sectional morphology of each individual's remains, as well as the characteristics of selected individuals, imply that the decapitated individuals were carefully prepared using a standardized method and that those who modified the heads may have been professional decapitators. This study offers indisputable bioarchaeological evidence of ritualistic offerings of human skulls and systematic postmortem modification patterns, which is consistent with a contemporaneous iconographic motif of decapitation and extends the chronology of this practice back to the Formative Period in the northern Peruvian highlands.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Archaeology; Decapitation; Ecosystem; Female; Fractures, Bone; Geography; Humans; Male; Mandible; Middle Aged; Peru; Postmortem Changes; Young Adult
PubMed: 30620764
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210458 -
The American Journal of Forensic... Sep 2019Separation of the head from the body can occur for a variety of reasons and in various locations across the neck. This study presents a review of the literature to... (Review)
Review
Separation of the head from the body can occur for a variety of reasons and in various locations across the neck. This study presents a review of the literature to identify the patterns of decapitations in forensic cases in relation to manner of death, age, and anatomical location (n = 88). The most common manner of death was suicide, followed by homicide and then accident. Ages ranged from 32 weeks prenatal to 85 years. Decapitation is reported at higher rates for individuals between 19 and 65. The majority of decapitations occurred at the midneck (second to fifth cervical vertebrae), followed by the upper neck and then the lower neck. This pattern holds true for all manners of death; however, in homicides, the percentage occurring at the midneck decreases. The findings of this study indicate some patterns in terms of manner of death, age, and location of decapitation, which could aid the medicolegal community in interpreting neck trauma. A case study is also briefly presented to illustrate findings.
Topics: Accidents; Age Distribution; Cervical Vertebrae; Decapitation; Female; Forensic Pathology; Homicide; Humans; Pregnancy; Prenatal Injuries; Suicide; Vacuum Extraction, Obstetrical
PubMed: 31205058
DOI: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000490 -
Journal of Spine Surgery (Hong Kong) Dec 2015Increasing focus has been placed on the use of simulation in neurosurgical and spinal surgical training worldwide, with the establishment of many surgical laboratories...
BACKGROUND
Increasing focus has been placed on the use of simulation in neurosurgical and spinal surgical training worldwide, with the establishment of many surgical laboratories dedicated to such purpose. So far, the opportunities for hands-on cadaveric training in the areas of neurosurgery and spine surgery remain limited in Australia, owing to various factors, including the abolition of dissection in many medical schools, high maintenance requirements and widespread geographical distribution of surgical trainees.
METHODS
We established a cadaver-based neurosurgical laboratory based at the medical school of the University of New England in Armidale, Australia, which is used by the surgical dissection course for junior surgical trainees offered by the university. We reported our experiences in setting up a neurosurgical research laboratory, and explored the feasibility of establishing a cost-effective anatomical research facility in a rural setting in Australia.
RESULTS
We found that Genelyn(TM)-fixed cadavers had limited movements of the head as required for adequate surgical positioning and exposure. Furthermore, we discovered that bodies embalmed via the femoral vein had poorly perfused heads after surgical exposure, and thus decapitation had to be performed unfortunately for our purpose. Cadaver samples and surgical equipment were sourced from various veterinary practices and commercial companies. Using human and animal cadavers, this laboratory provided trainees with hands-on opportunities to improve their surgical skills and neuroanatomical knowledge, as well as develop familiarity with highly specialized surgical equipment.
CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrated the feasibility of establishing a cost-effective neurosurgical research laboratory in Australia and discussed various aspects of its maintenance.
PubMed: 27683680
DOI: 10.3978/j.issn.2414-469X.2015.09.02 -
Journal of Forensic Sciences May 2019A case of postmortem dismemberment and evisceration is presented. Over a 5-year period, a serial killer murdered twelve men, with a necrophilic intent, so he could mimic...
A case of postmortem dismemberment and evisceration is presented. Over a 5-year period, a serial killer murdered twelve men, with a necrophilic intent, so he could mimic relationship behaviors with the corpses of those he killed. Analysis of the methods he chose to dispose of his victims reveals a stark contrast to the motive for perpetrating the homicides, methods which are suggestive of anger toward the victim when they could no longer fulfill their role in the necrophile's fantasy.
Topics: Corpse Dismemberment; Forensic Psychiatry; Forensic Psychology; Homicide; Humans; Male; Paraphilic Disorders
PubMed: 30248179
DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13906 -
Child's Nervous System : ChNS :... Aug 2016Traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation is an uncommon, severely unstable pathology, which can lead to detrimental or even fatal neurological impairment. Specifically,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation is an uncommon, severely unstable pathology, which can lead to detrimental or even fatal neurological impairment. Specifically, children have consistently been reported to be more susceptible to this type of injury because of their disproportionately larger head, ligament laxity, and injury mechanisms. However, to date, rates of missed injury and outcomes including neurologic recovery of pediatric and adult populations following this insult have not been comparatively evaluated.
METHODS
Standard search engines were used to investigate outcomes of traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation in children and adolescents compared to adults.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on case reports and small series from the literature, it seems that children and adolescents tend to have a better likelihood of survival with the possibility of long-term neurological complications. Comparatively, adults who suffer traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation either succumb to their injuries or survive with very little if any neurological complications.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Atlanto-Occipital Joint; Child; Humans; Joint Dislocations; Nervous System Diseases
PubMed: 27226061
DOI: 10.1007/s00381-016-3118-y