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The American Journal of Forensic... Sep 2009Suicide by train with complete voluntary decapitation is an extremely rare event, however, well known and reported in the scientific literature. The authors analyze 4...
Suicide by train with complete voluntary decapitation is an extremely rare event, however, well known and reported in the scientific literature. The authors analyze 4 cases of suicide with complete decapitation by main line or underground train that were subjected to medico-legal autopsies at the Milan Institute of Legal Medicine between 1995 and 2006. Personal, circumstantial, autopsy, and toxicological data were analyzed to define the type and pathologic characteristics of the injuries (vital reaction of wound edges, absence of any signs of defense); alcohol and drug consumption was considered and the victim's psychical profile was outlined.
Topics: Adult; Cannabinoids; Central Nervous System Depressants; Cervical Vertebrae; Decapitation; Depression; Ethanol; Female; Forensic Pathology; Fractures, Comminuted; Humans; Male; Railroads; Retrospective Studies; Spinal Fractures; Suicide
PubMed: 19696595
DOI: 10.1097/PAF.0b013e318187df18 -
The Journal of Emergency Medicine Mar 2016Amniotic band sequence (ABS) is a rare disorder that can result in a wide spectrum of congenital craniofacial, limb, trunk, and viscera deformities. One of the more rare...
BACKGROUND
Amniotic band sequence (ABS) is a rare disorder that can result in a wide spectrum of congenital craniofacial, limb, trunk, and viscera deformities. One of the more rare manifestations of ABS is intrauterine fetal decapitation.
CASE REPORT
This case report presents the ultrasonographic diagnosis of first-trimester intrauterine fetal demise resulting from decapitation secondary to amniotic band sequence. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: This case report presents a rare and atypical presentation of intrauterine demise valuable for an emergency physician to recognize while performing or reviewing pelvic ultrasounds. It is important for the clinician to understand and counsel the patient that subsequent pregnancies will not be at increased risk due to a prior miscarriage from ABS, as opposed to other etiologies of first-trimester spontaneous abortion.
Topics: Adult; Amniotic Band Syndrome; Decapitation; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Stillbirth; Ultrasonography, Prenatal
PubMed: 26810022
DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2015.11.007 -
The Journal of Emergency Medicine Aug 2016
Topics: Amniotic Band Syndrome; Decapitation; Humans; Ultrasonography, Prenatal
PubMed: 27262732
DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2016.04.025 -
Plant Physiology Jun 2000Decapitation-induced axillary bud outgrowth is a vital mechanism whereby shoots are able to continue normal growth and development. In many plants, including wild-type...
Decapitation-induced axillary bud outgrowth is a vital mechanism whereby shoots are able to continue normal growth and development. In many plants, including wild-type garden pea (Pisum sativum L.), this process can be inhibited by exogenous auxin. Using the ramosus (rms) increased branching mutants of pea, we present evidence that this response to auxin is dependent on graft-transmissible substance(s) regulated by the genes Rms1 and Rms2. The response to exogenous auxin is massively diminished in decapitated rms1 and rms2 mutant plants. However, basipetal auxin transport is not reduced in intact or decapitated mutants. Grafting rms1 or rms2 shoots onto wild-type rootstocks restored the auxin response, indicating that Rms1 and Rms2 gene action in the rootstock is sufficient to enable an auxin response in mutant shoots. We conclude that Rms1 and Rms2 act in the rootstock and shoot to control levels of mobile substance(s) that interact with exogenous auxin in the inhibition of bud outgrowth after decapitation. At least for rms1, the reduced auxin response is unlikely to be due to an inability of auxin to decrease xylem sap cytokinin content, as this is already low in intact rms1 plants. Consequently, we have genetic evidence that auxin action in decapitated plants depends on at least one novel long-distance signal.
Topics: Biological Transport; Genes, Plant; Indoleacetic Acids; Pisum sativum
PubMed: 10859199
DOI: 10.1104/pp.123.2.689 -
Forensic Science International Apr 2011We describe a case of complete decapitation following a motorcycle accident in which the victim was wearing a full face helmet. A young man lost control of his...
We describe a case of complete decapitation following a motorcycle accident in which the victim was wearing a full face helmet. A young man lost control of his motorcycle and was thrown about 20 m, hitting his head against the barrier separating a tramline from the road. The resulting trauma caused his decapitation, the only fatal wound ascertained by the various forensic investigations. The authors present this rare case and compare it against the other two cases reported in the literature, providing some observations on the ways in which this injury can come about. The absence of abrasions or signs that the wound edges came into contact with a metal structure, the presence of signs of impact on the side of the helmet and the finding of a transversal fracture at the base of the skull point to the violent action of a side-to-side opposite force, due to the resistance provided by the lower edge of the protective helmet.
Topics: Accidents, Traffic; Adult; Cervical Vertebrae; Decapitation; Forensic Pathology; Head Protective Devices; Humans; Italy; Male; Motorcycles; Nasopharynx; Spinal Fractures
PubMed: 21269787
DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.12.010 -
Forensic Science, Medicine, and... Jun 2014
Topics: Alcoholic Intoxication; Autopsy; Decapitation; Embalming; History, 20th Century; Humans; Male; Museums; Serbia; Suicide; Young Adult
PubMed: 24277266
DOI: 10.1007/s12024-013-9509-4 -
PloS One 2015We present here evidence for an early Holocene case of decapitation in the New World (Burial 26), found in the rock shelter of Lapa do Santo in 2007. Lapa do Santo is an...
We present here evidence for an early Holocene case of decapitation in the New World (Burial 26), found in the rock shelter of Lapa do Santo in 2007. Lapa do Santo is an archaeological site located in the Lagoa Santa karst in east-central Brazil with evidence of human occupation dating as far back as 11.7-12.7 cal kyBP (95.4% interval). An ultra-filtered AMS age determination on a fragment of the sphenoid provided an age range of 9.1-9.4 cal kyBP (95.4% interval) for Burial 26. The interment was composed of an articulated cranium, mandible and first six cervical vertebrae. Cut marks with a v-shaped profile were observed in the mandible and sixth cervical vertebra. The right hand was amputated and laid over the left side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the chin and the left hand was amputated and laid over the right side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the forehead. Strontium analysis comparing Burial 26's isotopic signature to other specimens from Lapa do Santo suggests this was a local member of the group. Therefore, we suggest a ritualized decapitation instead of trophy-taking, testifying for the sophistication of mortuary rituals among hunter-gatherers in the Americas during the early Archaic period. In the apparent absence of wealth goods or elaborated architecture, Lapa do Santo's inhabitants seemed to use the human body to express their cosmological principles regarding death.
Topics: Archaeology; Bone and Bones; Brazil; Burial; Decapitation; Geography; History, Ancient; Humans; Radiometric Dating; Strontium Isotopes
PubMed: 26397983
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137456 -
The Anatomical Record Oct 1955
Topics: Animals; Craniocerebral Trauma; Decapitation; Fetus; Hypophysectomy; Neck Injuries; Pituitary Gland; Rats
PubMed: 13275720
DOI: 10.1002/ar.1091230204 -
Neuroscience Letters Jan 2001Rat brain, frozen in liquid nitrogen immediately after decapitation, contains a substantial amount of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (0.34 nmol/g tissue), an endogenous...
Rat brain, frozen in liquid nitrogen immediately after decapitation, contains a substantial amount of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (0.34 nmol/g tissue), an endogenous cannabinoid receptor ligand. The level of 2-arachidonoylglycerol in the brain was rapidly augmented after decapitation, the peak being noted 30 s after decapitation (1.54 nmol/g tissue). Noticeably, there are two phases during the increase in the levels of 2-arachidonoylglycerol: a rapid transient increase and a subsequent gradual sustained increase, suggesting that at least two separate mechanisms are involved in the generation of 2-arachidonoylglycerol in the decapitated brain. Gradual sustained formation was also observed for other monoacylglycerols, (e.g. 2-palmitoylglycerol plus 2-oleoylglycerol and 2-cis-vaccenoylglycerol). Thus, it is important to minimize post-mortem changes to estimate the exact tissue levels of 2-arachidonoylglycerol as well as other monoacylglycerols in the brain.
Topics: Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Brain; Brain Chemistry; Brain Ischemia; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Endocannabinoids; Glycerides; Ligands; Male; Postmortem Changes; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Cannabinoid; Receptors, Drug
PubMed: 11137756
DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(00)01691-8 -
Lancet (London, England) May 1959
Topics: Decapitation; Family Practice; General Practice; Homicide; Humans; National Health Programs
PubMed: 13655667
DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(59)91277-2