Andrew Forrester, Radha Kothari, Sarah Allen, Annie Bartlett
{"title":"Prison healthcare: The practical and ethical consequences of the current state of prisons.","authors":"Andrew Forrester, Radha Kothari, Sarah Allen, Annie Bartlett","doi":"10.1177/00258024241302277","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024241302277","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"85-88"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142801228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A case of Sudden Cardiac Death with myocardial infarction due to iatrogenic coronary dissection in a patient with coronary vasospasm.","authors":"Samadhi Dandeniya Arachchi, Mary N Sheppard","doi":"10.1177/00258024241290037","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024241290037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Coronary vasospasm and coronary artery dissection are two recognized causes of Sudden Cardiac Death [SCD] in association with Myocardial Infarction in Non-Obstructive Coronary Artery [MINOCA]. This is a case of post procedure death in a 50-year-old female during cardiac angiography, who had a family history of coronary spasm with sudden cardiac death in her mother. She went into cardiac arrest during the procedure with iatrogenic acute coronary dissection which was treated with LMS/LCx vessel stenting. However, she died in 4 days post procedure. Postmortem cardiac examination demonstrated a transmural hemorrhagic infarction of the entire circumferential wall of the left ventricle with normal coronaries both macroscopically and microscopically. Acute coronary dissection was confirmed histologically in the left main stem.Coronary vasospasm is transient constriction of coronary arteries, which causes partial or complete obstruction of the vessels. The exact pathophysiological mechanism is poorly understood, but atheroma, drugs and a genetic predisposition are common associations. This case highlights the strong genetic link of coronary vasospasm in both mother and daughter and also the complication of iatrogenic coronary dissection which is a rare, but serious complication reported in about 0.1% of coronary angiography. This is the first postmortem report of procedure-related dissection in a patient with vasospasm indicating the cause is functional. Forensic practitioners need to be aware of coronary vasospasm and the complications of coronary angiography as a cause of acute myocardial infarction. Detailed autopsy yields valuable information in this rare condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"162-165"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142522304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Crime-scene and offender characteristics in conventional and nonconventional stranger homicides committed by male offenders in Sweden.","authors":"Sara Rodre, Joakim Sturup, Thomas Masterman","doi":"10.1177/00258024241255779","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024241255779","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In Sweden, from 1990 to 2013, most homicides occurred between family members, friends or acquaintances: the annual rate of incidents between unacquainted offenders and victims ranged between 8% and 13%. In the majority of these \"stranger homicides,\" three common motives, as defined by the precipitating event, could be identified: homicides resulting from a spontaneous altercation; homicides committed in the context of a robbery or burglary; and homicides committed in the context of a gangland conflict. The remaining minority-with uncommon or indiscernible motives-could, nonetheless, be categorized according to their nonconventional distinguishing feature: homicides characterized by the offender's ostensibly mentally aberrant behavior; homicides committed in the context of a hate offense or politically motivated offense; homicides committed in the context of a sexual offense; and homicides committed in the context of a mass killing or series of homicides. In this registry-based study of 224 incidents, \"conventional\" stranger homicides, defined by their commonplace motive, were compared with \"nonconventional\" stranger homicides, defined by their lack of such motive. The former were more often committed with an accomplice, against a male victim, whereas the latter were more often committed in a public place, after contact initiated by the offender. In the latter, offenders were less often intoxicated at the time of the offense and more often adjudged to suffer from a severe mental disorder. The subcategory of nonconventional stranger homicides characterized by the offender's ostensibly mentally aberrant behavior corresponded largely to both the archetypal stranger-homicide construct and the popular notion \"act of madness.\"</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"98-112"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12044210/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141155387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction of a statistical error: The data does not show Letby's presence at the baby deaths could have occurred by chance.","authors":"Sam Shuster","doi":"10.1177/00258024241293005","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024241293005","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"172"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12044198/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142503499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Augustinas Stasiūnas, Jurgita Stasiūnienė, Diana Vasiljevaitė, Sigitas Chmieliauskas, Sigitas Laima, Paulius Mankevičius, Rokas Šimakauskas, Dmitrij Fomin
{"title":"The significance of prostate-specific antigen in forensic examinations of sexual violence: A case report.","authors":"Augustinas Stasiūnas, Jurgita Stasiūnienė, Diana Vasiljevaitė, Sigitas Chmieliauskas, Sigitas Laima, Paulius Mankevičius, Rokas Šimakauskas, Dmitrij Fomin","doi":"10.1177/00258024251330100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00258024251330100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests are used in forensic science to perform rapid semen screening on vaginal swab samples from suspected victims of sexual assault. In some sexual assault cases, clothing or bedding is key evidence. A pre-trial investigation was launched following a complaint by an 85-year-old woman, who alleged that she had been raped by her 63-year-old son-in-law with whom she lives. Traces of seminal fluid were found in the vaginal swab (following a PSA test), and traces of seminal fluid, along with the victim's DNA and a partial DNA profile of the suspect, were found on the victim's underwear. The first-instance court (district court) found the man guilty and sentenced him to 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment for rape. Although PSA is produced in the prostate and secreted into seminal fluid, it is not exclusive to the prostate. PSA can be detected in women's bodies in various pathological conditions. In cases of sexual violence, the proper interpretation of laboratory tests is essential, taking into account all the circumstances of the incident as well as the victim's medical history.</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"258024251330100"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143753379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction to a correction of a statistical error.","authors":"John O'Quigley","doi":"10.1177/00258024251319908","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00258024251319908","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"258024251319908"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143625436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Forensic and psychopathological framing of complex suicides: A retrospective study over the last 30 years.","authors":"Stefano Tambuzzi, Guendalina Gentile, Michele Boracchi, Franca Crippa, Raffaella Calati, Riccardo Zoja","doi":"10.1177/00258024251319694","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00258024251319694","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Complex Suicide</i> (CS) is defined as an unusual form of suicide in which several harmful methods are used, simultaneously or in succession, whose purpose is to avoid the possible ineffectiveness of one of the methods used to produce a certain fatal outcome. The study of CS is of great interest and plays a fundamental role in characterizing the knowledge of these rare events. We have retrospectively evaluated all CS cases examined at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Milan from 1993 to 2022 (n = 75) with the aim of characterizing the deceased who have resorted to it. We also compared the sample of 75 CS cases with a sample of paired 115 \"simple\" suicides (with a single method). Our analysis revealed that the CS cases were carried out by a \"typical\" subject identified as an adult male, between 41 and 50 years old, suffering from psychiatric disorders and, in particular, major depressive disorder. The most frequent harmful mode was plastic bag suffocation associated with self-poisoning. CS cases used less violent methods than simple suicide controls. The pathological-forensic approach has brought to light elements that can be useful both for forensic professionals (pathologists and psychiatrists) in correctly classifying these unusual and challenging events and for clinicians working on the front line. Some profiles have been outlined that can be used to identify potentially vulnerable individuals who could benefit from increased health surveillance to treat and prevent suicide.</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"258024251319694"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143468533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Reena Sarkar, Hayley Duncan, Richard Bassed, Olaf H Drummer, Abbie Roodenburg, Jennifer Schumann
{"title":"An analysis of offence patterns and legal response to one-punch fatalities in Australia.","authors":"Reena Sarkar, Hayley Duncan, Richard Bassed, Olaf H Drummer, Abbie Roodenburg, Jennifer Schumann","doi":"10.1177/00258024251316669","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00258024251316669","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>One-punch deaths draw considerable legal and media attention due to the nature of catastrophic events and their impact on victims and families. Empirical research on the sentencing outcomes and offence categories faced by the perpetrators is non-existent. This Australian study examined judicial sentencing reviews to unpack perpetrator characteristics, offence patterns and sentencing outcomes for one-punch fatalities over a 30-year period. Two hundred and eighty-seven perpetrator convictions were reported by various parameters such as median sentencing length, injury mechanism and maximum sentencing categories. Secondary outcomes were details of concentrations of alcohol and illicit drug usage and usage of one-punch specific laws, hitherto unelucidated for one-punch assaults. Nearly all perpetrators were male with a median age of 26 years, with 61% charged in New South Wales and Victoria alone. The median sentence length of imprisonment was 3.8-11.5 years for a manslaughter conviction. Median sentence length when categorized by injury mechanism demonstrated variation in both life sentence and one-punch offence categories. About 40% of Australian perpetrators were convicted under one-punch laws in states where these were introduced. The study will increase knowledge and public awareness regarding the impact of one-punch violence and outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"258024251316669"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143189770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Without a trace: Long-term missing women and girls and '<i>no-body</i>' femicides from the Republic of Ireland.","authors":"Bernadette M Manifold","doi":"10.1177/00258024251316240","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00258024251316240","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Missing persons are a major part of everyday policing. However, some missing person cases can be highly emotive and challenging such as missing women and girls. Women who go missing have a greater risk of coming to harm. This study focused on 38 long-term missing women and girls from the Irish Republic from 1971 to 2023 of which 12 cases are now classified as homicides, and the whereabouts of the bodies remain unknown. The majority of cases are in Leinster with 25. Eight missing persons are under 18 years, and 22 are between the ages of 18 and 45 years. Domestic violence was a feature in five cases, involvement in a fight prior to disappearance in seven cases, and inconsistencies in statements by intimate partners and close family members regarding the victim's mental health were noted in seven cases. In nine cases, the personal belongings of the victim remained in the home. In seven cases, there was suggestive evidence that the victim entered water. These factors were seen in both the missing and classified homicide cases. The suicide narrative is heavily implied in many of these cases. A woman's mental health and stage of life such as pregnancy, childbirth and menopause can be exploited and used as an advantage to a potential killer. It is therefore paramount that missing women who are considered to have taken their own lives should be thoroughly investigated, with a special focus on cases where evidence suggests drowning and jumping from a height.</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"258024251316240"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143123110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The three-parent baby: Medicolegal, forensic and ethical concerns.","authors":"Nandini Chitara, Kewal Krishan, Tanuj Kanchan","doi":"10.1177/00258024241266566","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024241266566","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the recent past, human genetics and in vitro fertilization (IVF) have undergone various advances to combat with several congenital and developmental disorders. These advances are a boon for the families and patients who were restricted from having a child due to one or the other reasons. One such reason is the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations, which are definitely transmitted from the mother to the child due to uniparental/maternal inheritance of mitochondria. Depending upon the range of the mutation (mutation loads) present, the mtDNA mutation leads to various devitalizing to fatal disorders, all of which are incurable. Scientists and researchers developed a technique known as mitochondrial donation technique or mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) to combat with the mtDNA mutations. The technique relies on the replacement of faulty mitochondria in the mother's egg with the normal wild-type from a donor female resulting in a \"three-parent baby.\" On the other side, forensic scientists and anthropologists continuously explore the mtDNA in various medicolegal cases and in uncoupling the mystery of human origin and migration respectively. In this regard, we explored the genetic, forensic and ethical aspects of a \"three-parent baby.\" The present communication also attempts to highlight the importance and limitations of the MRT technique/three-parent baby in a medicolegal context.</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"71-76"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141759632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}