ABSTRACT
Estimating the post mortem interval (PMI) in skeletonized cases is an extremely challenging exercise. Sri Lanka lacks adequate taphonomic research which is a serious limitation when assessing PMI in forensic death investigations. Methods that have been proposed to estimate PMI using the total body score (TBS) and accumulated degree days (ADD) are mainly based on data from continental and temperate climates and have shown less reliability in tropical climates. With the intention of developing a region-specific, evidence-based guide which would be applicable to tropical climates like Sri Lanka, we selected thirteen skeletonized remains with known PMIs from forensic case records and analysed their taphonomy in relation to selected weather data. We also compared the ADD values within our dataset with reference ranges calculated using published formula. All except one were found from outdoor locations. The TBS ranged from 24 to 32 and had a weak positive correlation with the PMI. The earliest appearance of skeletonization was 15 days in a body found indoors. The highest rate of skeletonization was seen in a body with a TBS of 32 and a PMI of 23 days. The average daily temperature and relative humidity were similar across all the cases however, the amount of rainfall varied. Bodies exposed to monsoon rains (n = 6) had a lower mean rate of skeletonization compared to those that were not exposed (n = 4) suggesting lower rates of decomposition during periods of heavy rainfall. No correlation was found between ADD and TBS. In 9 (69.2%) cases, the actual ADD was much lower than reference ADD ranges for TBS values, indicating poor applicability of TBS and ADD based formulae in estimating PMI within the Sri Lankan climate. Our study shows a strong need for taphonomic and entomological research in tropical climates to further explore the impact of monsoons on biotic and abiotic factors affecting skeletonization.
Subject(s)
Asian People , Forensic Anthropology , Rain , Tropical Climate , Humans , Autopsy , Reproducibility of Results , Retrospective Studies , Sri Lanka , Time FactorsABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Vespa affinis is a hornet widely distributed in Sri Lanka and it is responsible for the highest number of deaths related to Hymenoptera stings. Apart from the early reactions, victims often die in hospital many hours later due to complications such as myocardial infarction and multiple organ failure. Increased microvascular permeability and acute pulmonary oedema as the primary pathology is less known in hornet envenoming. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we report clinical and postmortem findings of two Sinhalese patients, a 48-year-old husband and his 46-year-old wife, who both died following a massive attack by hornets 32 hours and 9 hours after the incidence respectively. At postmortem examination, both patients had pleural effusions, acute pulmonary oedema and red cell casts in their urine. Their coronary arteries and histology of myocardium were normal. CONCLUSION: Early recognition of acute pulmonary oedema in hornet stings is needed with implementation of crucial treatments to avert deaths.
Subject(s)
Acute Kidney Injury/pathology , Insect Bites and Stings/pathology , Kidney/pathology , Lung/pathology , Pulmonary Edema/pathology , Wasps , Acute Disease , Acute Kidney Injury/etiology , Animals , Capillaries/pathology , Fatal Outcome , Female , Humans , Insect Bites and Stings/complications , Male , Middle Aged , Pulmonary Edema/etiology , Skin/blood supply , Skin/pathology , Sri Lanka , Venules/pathologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate gender-wise diversity of digital dermatoglyphic traits in a sample of Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka. FINDINGS: Four thousand and thirty-four digital prints of 434 Sinhalese individuals (217 males and 217 females) were examined for their digital dermatoglyphic pattern distribution. The mean age for the entire group was 23.66 years (standard deviation = 4.93 years). The loop pattern is observed more frequently (n = 2,592, 59.72%) compared to whorl (n = 1,542, 35.53%) and arch (n = 206, 4.75%) in the Sinhalese population. Females (n = 1,274, 58.71%) have a more ulnar loop pattern than males (n = 1,231, 56.73%). The plain whorl pattern is observed more frequently in males (n = 560, 25.81%) compared to females (n = 514, 23.69%).The double loop pattern is observed more frequently on the right and left thumb (digit 1) of both males and females. Pattern intensity index, Dankmeijer index and Furuhata index are higher in males. CONCLUSIONS: Ulnar loop is the most frequently occurring digital dermatoglyphic pattern among the Sinhalese. All pattern indices are higher in males. To some extent, dermatoglyphic patterns of Sinhalese are similar to North Indians and other Caucasoid populations. Further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to confirm our findings.
Subject(s)
Dermatoglyphics , Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data , Hand/anatomy & histology , Adult , Anthropology, Physical , Female , Humans , Male , Sex Characteristics , Sri Lanka/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
Delayed sequelae after pressure on the neck are rare. Awareness of such sequelae as well as a high degree of suspicion is essential for early detection and proper clinical management. Injuries to the common carotid artery and pseudo aneurysm formation leading to fatal hemorrhage are still rare occurrences after attempts of manual strangulation. When such cases are presented to the forensic pathologist, he has to establish the link between the cause and effect, excluding other possible causes for such complications. In addition, he may have to give opinions in possible medical negligence charges.
