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The Lancet. Child & Adolescent Health Jun 2024Population-based statistics on deaths from child abuse and neglect are only routinely available in countries that have reliable national statistics on child murder. For...
BACKGROUND
Population-based statistics on deaths from child abuse and neglect are only routinely available in countries that have reliable national statistics on child murder. For low-income and middle-income countries, relatively little is known about prevalence trends of child murder. South Africa is an exception, having conducted dedicated national studies on child murders for 2009 and 2017 to provide data on child murders overall and on child abuse and neglect-related murders. We aimed to compare child abuse and neglect-related murders in South Africa across two surveys to determine any change between 2009 and 2017.
METHODS
We conducted two retrospective national mortuary-based surveys on murder of children aged 0-17 years for 2009 and 2017 from a proportionate random sample of medico-legal laboratories in South Africa. A sampling frame of medico-legal laboratories for each study year was prepared with stratification by medico-legal laboratory size. A minimum of 2 years after the crime was allowed before data collection to enable progression of the investigation process. Child abuse and neglect-related murders were identified using both medico-legal laboratory post-mortem autopsy reports and police data. To identify a child abuse and neglect-related murder, we primarily used the framework of abuse happening within the context of responsibility of care arrangements but broadened this to include all perpetrators and abuse identified from the data. We stratified age into 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, and 15-17 years and further stratified children younger than 5 years into early neonates (newborns killed within 6 days of birth), 7 days to 11 months, and 1-4 years. We calculated incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% CIs to compare rates between 2009 and 2017.
FINDINGS
An estimated 458 (95% CI 377-539) children in 2009 and 213 (179-247) children in 2017 were murdered in circumstances of child abuse and neglect. The percentage of all child murders that were child abuse and neglect-related declined from 2009 to 2017 (458 [45·0%] of 1018 in 2009 vs 213 [25·0%] of 851 in 2017), with the overall age-standardised rate decreasing from 2·6 to 1·1 per 100 000 children aged 0-17 years (IRR 0·43 [95% CI 0·35-0·54]). Girls represented 276 (60·3%) of 458 murders in 2009, which declined to 96 (45·1%) of 213 murders in 2017, and boys represented 178 (38·9%) of 458 murders in 2009 and 109 (51·4%) of 213 murders in 2017. The decrease was statistically significant for girls in the 0-4 year (IRR 0·33 [0·22-0·49]) and 5-9 year (0·33 [0·15-0·73]) age groups and for boys in the 0-4 year age group (0·49 [0·33-0·71]). Among early neonates (within 6 days of birth), the decrease in child abuse and neglect-related murders was more pronounced among girls than among boys (IRR 0·33 [95% CI 0·19-0·56] vs 0·46 [0·28-0·77]).
INTERPRETATION
Child abuse and neglect-related murders are common in South Africa but our study shows that they can be reduced. The high rate of these murders points to the need to continue research and monitoring to inform priority targeted interventions and to better understand the impact of child support policies.
FUNDING
Ford Foundation and South African Medical Research Council.
PubMed: 38944051
DOI: 10.1016/S2352-4642(24)00110-X -
Injury Jun 2024Homicides using knives or other sharp objects are the most common type of homicide in Europe, and the second most common type of homicide worldwide. In contrast,...
INTRODUCTION
Homicides using knives or other sharp objects are the most common type of homicide in Europe, and the second most common type of homicide worldwide. In contrast, suicides using sharp objects are rarer, constituting only a few per cent of all suicides in western countries. We investigated single stab injuries to the trunk in both homicides and suicides to assess differences in extent of injuries and in medical care, which could be of value for trauma management, public health and forensic assessment.
METHODS
We identified all cases in Sweden between 2010 and 2021 that died of a single stab to the trunk, in either a homicide (n = 94) or a suicide (n = 45), and that were the subject of a forensic autopsy. We obtained data on demographics, hospital care and injured structures. To assess the severity of injuries, we applied AIS (Abbreviated Injury Score) and NISS (New Injury Severity Score). The inter-rater reliability of NISS between two raters was evaluated with intra-class correlation (ICC), with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). The data was analysed using Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression models.
RESULTS
The inter-rater reliability between the two NISS raters showed an ICC of 0.87 (95 % CI 0.68-0.95). We observed a larger variation of injuries in suicides, with a higher proportion of both unsurvivable (NISS 75) and minor injuries (NISS ≤ 8) (66.7 % and 8.9 % respectively) compared to in homicides (46.8 % and 0 % respectively). We observed a larger proportion of injuries to the heart in suicides (68.9% vs. 46.8 %, p = 0.018). In homicides, injuries involving vessels (52.1% vs. 13.3 %, p < 0.001) and hospital care (56.4 % vs. 8.9 %, p < 0.001) were significantly more common compared to suicides.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Causation (self-inflicted or assaults) seems to be associated with characteristics of injury and the likelihood of receiving hospital care. These findings could potentially be valuable for trauma management and forensic assessment of manner of death, however, determining the mortality of the injuries would require a comparison group comprising injured survivors.
PubMed: 38943797
DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2024.111694 -
Legal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan) Jun 2024The clinical use of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and blood concentrations of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (HFABP) is well-established in...
The clinical use of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and blood concentrations of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (HFABP) is well-established in diagnosing heart conditions. However, their applicability in forensics is controversial due to postmortem changes. NT-proBNP and HFABP are excreted in the urine due to their small molecular weights and may be found in postmortem urine samples; however, their correlation has not been evaluated. In this study, we compared the concentrations of urinary NT-proBNP and HFABP in 386 forensic autopsy cases. The urinary NT-proBNP levels were significantly higher in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure (CHF), sepsis, and hyperthermia cases, with the highest levels in CHF cases. Similarly, HFABP concentration was significantly higher in CHF, sepsis, and hyperthermia cases, with the highest level observed in hyperthermia cases. However, the difference in urinary HFABP levels between the AMI and control cases was not significant. Our analysis revealed a correlation between postmortem urine NT-proBNP and HFABP levels, and the NT-proBNP/HFABP ratio was high in patients with CHF and sepsis cases and low in those with hyperthermia. The difference between the ratios was possibly due to the combined release of ventricular myocardial cells in response to ventricular wall stress and myocardial injury for NT-proBNP, as well as myocardial and skeletal muscle injuries for HFABP. This study, for the first time, demonstrates the utility of postmortem measurements of urinary NT-proBNP and HFABP levels, offering valuable insights for improving the accuracy of postmortem diagnosis in forensic medicine.
PubMed: 38943789
DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102479 -
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease : JAD Jun 2024Computer-aided machine learning models are being actively developed with clinically available biomarkers to diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD) in living persons. Despite...
BACKGROUND
Computer-aided machine learning models are being actively developed with clinically available biomarkers to diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD) in living persons. Despite considerable work with cross-sectional in vivo data, many models lack validation against postmortem AD neuropathological data.
OBJECTIVE
Train machine learning models to classify the presence or absence of autopsy-confirmed severe AD neuropathology using clinically available features.
METHODS
AD neuropathological status are assessed at postmortem for participants from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC). Clinically available features are utilized, including demographics, Apolipoprotein E(APOE) genotype, and cortical thicknesses derived from ante-mortem MRI scans encompassing AD meta regions of interest (meta-ROI). Both logistic regression and random forest models are trained to identify linearly and nonlinearly separable features between participants with the presence (N = 91, age-at-MRI = 73.6±9.24, 38 women) or absence (N = 53, age-at-MRI = 68.93±19.69, 24 women) of severe AD neuropathology. The trained models are further validated in an external data set against in vivo amyloid biomarkers derived from PET imaging (amyloid-positive: N = 71, age-at-MRI = 74.17±6.37, 26 women; amyloid-negative: N = 73, age-at-MRI = 71.59±6.80, 41 women).
RESULTS
Our models achieve a cross-validation accuracy of 84.03% in classifying the presence or absence of severe AD neuropathology, and an external-validation accuracy of 70.14% in classifying in vivo amyloid positivity status.
CONCLUSIONS
Our models show that clinically accessible features, including APOE genotype and cortical thinning encompassing AD meta-ROIs, are able to classify both postmortem confirmed AD neuropathological status and in vivo amyloid status with reasonable accuracies. These results suggest the potential utility of AD meta-ROIs in determining AD neuropathological status in living persons.
PubMed: 38943387
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-231321 -
Diagnostic Pathology Jun 2024Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) is defined as a lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) involving the bone marrow (BM) with presence of IgM monoclonal protein, and...
BACKGROUND
Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) is defined as a lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) involving the bone marrow (BM) with presence of IgM monoclonal protein, and comprises > 95% of all LPL cases. Rituximab-based regimens have been predominant in the management of WM. Infusion-related reactions (IRRs) are a primary concern with rituximab, although it is generally better tolerated with less toxicity than conventional anticancer agents. Here, we present an autopsy case of an elderly man who died suddenly after receiving the initial infusion of rituximab for WM/LPL.
CASE PRESENTATION
An 84-year-old man was found dead in his bedroom. He had undergone the initial intravenous rituximab infusion for progressive anemia related to Waldenström's macroglobulinemia/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (WM/LPL) approximately 15 h before death. Although the protocol for rituximab administration and additional medication was considered appropriate, he exhibited several symptoms consistent with infusion-related reactions (IRRs) during the infusion. Autopsy revealed monotonous proliferation of small-to-medium-sized lymphocytic cells in the bone marrow, consistent with the premortem diagnosis of WM/LPL. Additionally, immunoglobulin λ-light chain-derived amyloid (ALλ) deposition was identified in all organs other than the brain. Although ALλ deposition and LPL infiltration were found in the heart, they were not severe enough to cause severe functional impairment. Severe congestion and/or edema were observed in the lungs, liver, and brain. Although significant inflammatory cell infiltration was not found in any organs, laboratory tests revealed elevated serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and the presence of IgM-λ monoclonal protein.
CONCLUSION
Acute IRRs associated with the initial rituximab infusion were the major contributing factor to his sudden unexpected death. The autopsy findings of present case suggest the necessity for thorough monitoring of older patients with WM/LPL undergoing rituximab treatment, particularly when pronounced IRRs occur during the first administration, in addition to investigating complications of WM/LPL before infusion.
Topics: Humans; Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia; Rituximab; Male; Aged, 80 and over; Autopsy; Death, Sudden; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological; Bone Marrow; Fatal Outcome; Infusions, Intravenous
PubMed: 38943126
DOI: 10.1186/s13000-024-01519-9 -
Resuscitation Jun 2024The incidence of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during acute coronary syndrome is somewhat unclear, since often subjects dying before the first healthcare contact are not...
BACKGROUND
The incidence of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during acute coronary syndrome is somewhat unclear, since often subjects dying before the first healthcare contact are not included in the estimates. We aimed to investigate the complete incidence of SCA during ACS.
METHODS
The study population consists of two cohorts. The first cohort includes 472 ACS patients from Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland from year 2016 and the second cohort 162 autopsy-verified SCD subjects (extrapolated) from the same region and year, whose death was attributable to coronary artery disease (CAD) and ACS. An extrapolation of SCA incidence during ACS was done by utilizing autopsy data and data from prior autopsy study on this sample.
RESULTS
The overall incidence of SCA in the setting of ACS was 17.5%. The incidence of SCA was 20.6% in all ACS subjects without prior CAD diagnosis, and 25.4% in STEMI subjects without prior CAD diagnosis. In subjects with previously diagnosed CAD, the incidence of SCA was 10.9% in all ACS subjects and 16.1% in STEMI subjects. There was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of SCA between subjects with and without prior CAD diagnoses (p=0.0052).
CONCLUSION
The inclusion of ACS-SCA subjects dying before the first emergency medical service (EMS) contact results in a higher and likely more accurate estimation of SCA during ACS. The incidence of SCA was higher among subjects without prior CAD diagnosis. The high mortality rate highlights the importance of early ACS detection to reduce the burden of CAD-related premature deaths.
PubMed: 38942268
DOI: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2024.110297 -
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine Jun 2024Pheochromocytoma is a neuroendocrine tumor that secretes catecholamines; excessive catecholamine secretion can lead to pheochromocytoma crisis (PCC), a rare and...
Pheochromocytoma is a neuroendocrine tumor that secretes catecholamines; excessive catecholamine secretion can lead to pheochromocytoma crisis (PCC), a rare and life-threatening condition. Sibutramine, a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, was previously used for obesity treatment but is now banned due to its cardiovascular side effects. Although fatalities related to PCC and adverse events associated with sibutramine have been frequently reported individually, there is no documented literature addressing PCC-induced by sibutramine. Here we report a rare case of fatal sibutramine-induced PCC in a previously asymptomatic young female with undiagnosed pheochromocytoma. The 25-year-old patient took a weight-loss pill containing sibutramine for the first time and subsequently experienced nausea, vomiting, chest tightness, and other symptoms. She went to hospital about 6 hours after taking the pill but died approximately 4 hours later despite the resuscitation efforts. An autopsy revealed a pheochromocytoma in the right adrenal gland. The cause of death was attributed to sibutramine-induced PCC. To our knowledge, this is the first report to document the occurrence of sibutramine-induced PCC.
PubMed: 38941912
DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102711 -
Medicine Jun 2024Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a rare but serious complication in patients with malignancy; its main manifestation includes acute pulmonary... (Review)
Review
RATIONALE
Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a rare but serious complication in patients with malignancy; its main manifestation includes acute pulmonary hypertension with severe respiratory distress. More than 200 cases have been reported since it was first identified in 1990. PTTM accounts for approximately 0.9% to 3.3% of deaths due to malignancy, but only a minority of patients are diagnosed ante-mortem, with most patients having a definitive diagnosis after autopsy.
PATIENT CONCERNS
Two middle-aged women both died within a short period of time due to progressive dyspnea and severe pulmonary hypertension.
DIAGNOSES
One patient was definitively confirmed as a gastrointestinal malignant tumor by liver puncture biopsy pathology. Ultimately, the clinical diagnosis was pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy.
INTERVENTIONS
The patient was treated symptomatically with oxygen, diuresis, and anticoagulation, while a liver puncture was perfected to clarify the cause.
OUTCOMES
Two cases of middle-aged female patients with rapidly progressive pulmonary hypertension and respiratory failure resulted in death with malignant neoplasm.
LESSONS
PTTM has a rapid onset and a high morbidity and mortality rate. Our clinicians need to be more aware of the need for timely diagnosis through a targeted clinical approach, leading to more targeted treatment and a better prognosis.
Topics: Humans; Female; Thrombotic Microangiopathies; Middle Aged; Fatal Outcome; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms
PubMed: 38941435
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000038618 -
Biological Trace Element Research Jun 2024Metals are used in orthopedic implants. The wear of arthroplasty implant can lead to the release of arthroprosthetic metals, both locally and systemically, after...
Metals are used in orthopedic implants. The wear of arthroplasty implant can lead to the release of arthroprosthetic metals, both locally and systemically, after migration into the organs. While the toxicity of metal-on-metal arthroplasty implants is well-known and monitored, the toxicity associated with metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) ones is not as comprehensively understood. This study aimed to investigate the release of metals from MoP arthroplasty implants and their impact on the tissue metal profile in autopsied individuals, comparing them to deceased controls without prostheses. High-resolution ICP-MS was employed to analyze 39 metals in the blood, urine, hair, organs, and periprosthetic tissue of 25 deceased individuals with arthroplasty implants and 20 control subjects (Prometox study, protocol ID: APHP180539, NCT03812627). Eight metals (beryllium, chromium, cobalt, lanthanum, molybdenum, nickel, tellurium, titanium) exhibited significant impacts in arthroplasty implant wearers across various organs. Increased concentrations of La and Be were observed, the origin of which could not be precisely defined within the scope of this study. Notably, the lungs emerged as the primary target organ for metallic ions contained in implants. This study suggests that MoP arthroplasty implants, even when functional and not visibly worn, release arthroprosthetic metals into the body, potentially causing disturbances. Furthermore, considering the presence of an arthroplasty implant in autopsy reports may be relevant, as the released metals could influence the tissue metal profile.
PubMed: 38941062
DOI: 10.1007/s12011-024-04278-2 -
JACC. Advances Jul 2023Obesity cardiomyopathy (OCM) can be associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD) but its pathologic features are not well described.
BACKGROUND
Obesity cardiomyopathy (OCM) can be associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD) but its pathologic features are not well described.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of this study was to characterize the clinical and pathological features of OCM associated with SCD.
METHODS
This was a retrospective case control autopsy study. OCM was identified by an increased heart weight (>550 g in males; >450 g in females) in individuals with obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m) in the absence of other causes. Cases of OCM with SCD were compared to sex and age matched SCD controls with obesity or with normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m) and morphologically normal hearts. Autopsy measures included: heart weight, atrial dimensions, ventricular wall thickness, and epicardial adipose tissue. Fibrosis was assessed microscopically.
RESULTS
Of 6,457 SCD cases, 53 cases of OCM were identified and matched to 106 controls with obesity and 106 normal weight controls. The OCM mean age at death of individuals with OCM was 42 ± 12 with a male predominance (n = 34, 64%). Males died younger than females (40 ± 13 vs 45 ± 10, = 0.036). BMI was increased in OCM cases compared to controls with obesity (42 ± 8 vs 35 ± 5). The average heart weight was 598 ± 93 g in OCM. There were increases in right and left ventricular wall thickness (all < 0.05) in OCM cases compared to controls. Right ventricular epicardial fat was increased in OCM compared to normal weight controls only. Left ventricular fibrosis was identified in 7 (13%) cases.
CONCLUSIONS
OCM may be a specific pathological entity associated with SCD. It is most commonly seen in young males with increased BMI.
PubMed: 38938994
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2023.100414