[Homicide, suicide or fatal accident?]. / Vrazda, samovrazda alebo náhodný úraz?

A forensic explanation of womandrinker's death is presented in the article. Exsanguination from multiple cut wounds was cause of death. Origin of wounds was unable to explain due to its atypical character and localisation on body surface. Only a subsequent exact allocation of wounding object made clear biomechanical aspects of wounds. A hard ethanol alteration of psychical, senzorical et motorical functions with strong posttraumatic et toxometabolic changes of the body took share on mechanism of death.

[The correlation of results of breath analysers and laboratory blood examinations of blood-ethanol concentration (Czech and Slovak study)]. / Mezirepubliková Cesko-Slovenská studie korelace výsledku dechových analyzátoru a výsledku laboratorní analýzy pri zjistování hladiny alkoholu v krvi.

The target of this study was to compare the results of breath analysers and "lege artis" laboratory blood examinations when determining alcohol levels. This was then used to determine whether any differences exist between the two methods, and how large these differences are. 610 cases from 11 workplaces in the Czech Republic and Slovakia were analysed. The type of breath analyser was not taken into consideration. All cases had to be in the elimination phase. Difference of time between breath test and blood test were rectified through the use of reverse recomputation. It was detected that only 20.8% of the results of respiratory analyser tests correspond to the detected real alcohol level in blood. The maximum difference when a respiratory analyser measured more than a blood test was 1.34 g x kg(-1). and the maximum difference when the analyse measured less was 1.86 g x kg(-1).

Ritual suicide of a Japanese girl in the Slovak Republic.

The body of a young Japanese woman was found buried in the mass of snow in February 2006 near the town of Liptovsky Mikulas in the Slovak Republic. Hypothermia was declared as the cause of her death, the body of the deceased was deeply frozen. The autopsy and police investigation classified her death as a suicide, having some features of an Eastern Asian suicidal ritual. The case shows that the era of world globalization and migration of people bring together also the curious cases of human tragedies. Thus the forensic expert of nowadays must expect that s/he might be faced with cases of death unseen before.

C-13 explosion victims--peculiarities of autopsy findings.

Mass disasters such as e.g., plane or train crash, shipping accidents or huge explosions in the region of Slovak Republic are not very often, but in spite of this fact sometimes they occur. Such a terrible event--a destructive detonation of non-specified amount of explosives, happened on 2nd March 2007 in the Military Repairing Enterprise in Novaky, Slovak Republic, by which the whole enterprise was almost totally destroyed, many employees were injured and eight persons died due to consequences of the explosion. Investigation of this disaster took several months, and parts of dead bodies were found in following weeks during the ruins removal; authors describe the autopsy findings on the explosion victim's bodies and the possibilities of unknown human remains identification found in the area of the detonation often provided only by DNA analysis.

Gravidity complicated by abdominal neoplastic process.

The case of 31-year-old pregnant woman in the 28th week of pregnancy is presented. She was brought in a bad condition to a small hospital by her parents. The case history of only 5 h included e.g. nausea, multiple emesis, cephalea, deteriorated respiration. Shock status was diagnosed in the hospital intensive care unit. After the patient lost her consciousness, resuscitation, intubation and artificial ventilation breath control were realised immediately, the doses of 13 mg of adrenalin were applied.

[The taphonomic aspects of cadaverous changes in corpses, buried in the plastic foils]. / Tafonomické aspekty kadaveróznych zmien u mrtvol ulozených do zeme v plastových obaloch.

The forensic expertise of the 6 human bodies, being murdered in organised crime activities, had been realised by the authors. All the cadavers were packed in plastic bags or plastic foils, then buried to the illegal graves, being prepared in advance. The detail overlook and autopsy of the bodies had disclosed, that due of almost airtight sealing of the cadavers in plastic materials, the postmortal cadaverous changes went on much slower and were manifested under a different picture, as seen in the human cadavers being buried in the standard wooden coffins. The authors point out the peculiarities of such a postmortal changes, with particular focusing on the estimation of postmortal period.

Differential synthesis of peritoxins and precursors by pathogenic strains of the fungus Periconia circinata.

Pathogenic strains of the soilborne fungus Periconia circinata produce peritoxins with host-selective toxicity against susceptible genotypes of sorghum. The peritoxins are low-molecular-weight, hybrid molecules consisting of a peptide and a chlorinated polyketide. Culture fluids from pathogenic, toxin-producing (Tox(+)) and nonpathogenic, non-toxin-producing (Tox(-)) strains were analyzed directly by gradient high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with photodiode array detection and HPLC-mass spectrometry to detect intermediates and final products of the biosynthetic pathway. This approach allowed us to compare the metabolite profiles of Tox(+) and Tox(-) strains. Peritoxins A and B and the biologically inactive intermediates, N-3-(E-pentenyl)-glutaroyl-aspartate, circinatin, and 7-chlorocircinatin, were detected only in culture fluids of the Tox(+) strains. The latter two compounds were produced consistently by Tox(+) strains regardless of the amount of peritoxins produced under various culture conditions. In summary, none of the known peritoxin-related metabolites were detected in Tox(-) strains, which suggests that these strains may lack one or more functional genes required for peritoxin biosynthesis.

Identification of the 100-kD victorin binding protein from oats.

The fungus Cochliobolus victoriae, the causal agent of victoria blight of oats, produces the host-specific toxin victorin. Sensitivity of oats to victorin, and thus susceptibility to the fungus, is controlled by a single dominant gene. This gene is believed to also confer resistance to the crown rust pathogen Puccinia coronata. In the case of victoria blight, the gene has been hypothesized to condition susceptibility by encoding a toxin receptor. A 100-kD victorin binding protein (VBP) has been identified; it binds radiolabeled victorin derivatives in a ligand-specific manner and in a genotype-specific manner in vivo. The VBP may function as a toxin receptor. In vitro translation coupled with indirect immunoprecipitation was used to identify the mRNA for the 100-kD VBP, and fractionated mRNAs were used to prepare cDNA libraries enriched in the relative abundance of cDNA for the 100-kD VBP. A 3.4-kb cDNA clone was isolated that, when subjected to a 400-bp 5' deletion, was capable of directing the synthesis of a protein in Escherichia coli, which reacted to an antibody specific for the 100-kD VBP. Peptide mapping, by limited proteolysis, indicated that the protein directed by the cDNA is the 100-kD VBP. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the cDNA revealed extensive homology to a previously cloned cDNA for the P protein component of the multienzyme complex glycine decarboxylase. Glycine decarboxylase is a nuclear-encoded, mitochondrial enzyme complex. Protein gel blot analysis indicated that the 100-kD VBP copurifies with mitochondria. Based on analysis of in vitro translation products, nucleotide sequence homology, mitochondrial localization, and the widespread species distribution of the 100-kD VBP, we concluded that the 100-kD VBP is the P protein component of glycine decarboxylase.

Structure of the host-specific toxins produced by the fungal pathogen Periconia circinata.

Four metabolites named peritoxins A and B and periconins A and B have been isolated together with the known metabolite circinatin from culture filtrates of the fungal pathogen Periconia circinata. Peritoxins A and B, which correspond to the P. circinata toxins Ia and IIa partially characterized in previous work, are selectively toxic to genotypes of Sorghum bicolor susceptible to the pathogen, whereas periconins A and B are biologically inactive. Combination of instrumental analysis and chemical degradation has led to structural assignments for each of the four compounds; only the configuration at some of the chiral centers remains undefined. Structural comparison suggests a precursor role for circinatin in the formation of the peritoxins and the periconins.

The joint-contact area of the ankle. The contribution of the posterior malleolus.

Eight ankles from fresh cadavera were tested under simulated clinical conditions to determine the effect of increasing the size of the posterior malleolar fracture on the contact area of the ankle joint and on the distribution of joint pressure. The surface area of contact decreased with increased size of the posterior malleolar fragment. However, the documented changes were smaller than expected on the basis of the findings of Ramsey and Hamilton; they reported a 42 per cent reduction in contact area with only a one-millimeter lateral shift of the talus, which clinically would be associated with a similar one-millimeter shift of the distal tibial fragment. In addition, clinical experience has shown a high rate of post-traumatic degenerative arthritis associated with an inadequately reduced one-half-size posterior fragment. There were considerable changes in the load-distribution patterns, with increased confluence and concentration of loads as the size of the fragment was increased. In plantar flexion, many specimens had three separate areas of contact between the tibia and the talus. With increased size of the posterior fragment, the three areas of contact always joined to become one. Similarly, for all positions of the ankle, increased size of the posterior fragment caused decreases in the contact area. The maximum loss of contact area was 35 per cent for specimens with one-half-size fractures that were tested in the neutral position.

Immunological comparison of the in vitro and in vivo labeled victorin binding protein from susceptible oats.

The fungus Cochliobolus victoriae causes victoria blight of oats and produces the host-specific toxin victorin. The reaction of oats to the fungus and its toxin is controlled by a single dominant gene whose product has been hypothesized to function as the site of action (receptor) of the toxin in susceptible oat genotypes. Previously, using a biologically active (125)I derivative of the toxin, we identified a 100 kilodalton victorin-binding protein (VBP) which binds victorin in a ligand-specific manner and binds in vivo only in susceptible oat genotypes. However, a VBP in both the susceptible and resistant oat genotypes was identified by in vitro binding experiments. One interpretation of the lack of genotype-specific binding in vitro is that the 100 kilodalton protein detected in vitro is not the same 100 kilodalton protein detected in vivo. To clarify the relationship between the 100 kilodalton protein(s) labeled in vivo and in vitro, we developed antisera to the in vitro-labeled VBP from the susceptible genotype and demonstrated that these preparations react with the in vivo-labeled VBP from the susceptible genotype. This finding coupled with previous observations strongly suggest that the VBP observed in vivo is the same protein detected in vitro. Furthermore, the results support our previous observations which suggest that the VBPs labeled in vitro in susceptible and resistant genotypes are closely related or identical.

Specific binding of victorin to a 100-kDa protein from oats.

Susceptibility of oats to victoria blight, caused by the fungus Cochliobolus victoriae, and sensitivity to the host-specific toxin victorin, produced by the fungus, are controlled by the dominant allele at the Vb locus. It has been postulated that the Vb locus encodes a toxin receptor, although direct evidence for such a receptor is not available. Our recent studies on structure-activity relationships of the toxin established a methodology for producing (125)I-labeled victorin. Electrophoretic analysis of proteins from isogenic susceptible and resistant oat genotypes following treatment of leaves with radiolabeled victorin showed that victorin binds in a covalent and a genotype-specific manner to a 100-kDa protein only in susceptible oat leaf slices. This in vivo binding was competitively displaced by reduced victorin, a nontoxic protective compound, and appeared to be correlated with biological activity. In vitro binding to the 100-kDa protein in leaf extracts showed several differences from in vivo binding. Binding was not genotype specific and required a reducing agent that was not required for in vivo binding. Differential centrifugation showed that the 100-kDa victorin binding protein was not a cytosolic protein but was enriched in a high-speed particulate fraction. The data support the hypothesis that the 100-kDa protein is the victorin receptor.

Molecular Features Affecting the Biological Activity of the Host-Selective Toxins from Cochliobolus victoriae.

The structures of the toxins produced by Cochliobolus victoriae, victorin B, C, D, E, and victoricine, have recently been established. These toxins and modified forms of victorin C were tested for their effect on dark CO(2) fixation in susceptible oat (Avena sativa) leaf slices. Half-maximal inhibition of dark CO(2) fixation occurred with the native toxins in the range of 0.004 to 0.546 micromolar. An essential component for the inhibitory activity of victorin is the glyoxylic acid residue, particularly its hydrated aldehyde group. Removal of glyoxylic acid completely abolished the inhibitory activity of victorin, and the reduction of the aldehydo group transformed the toxin into a protectant. Conversion of victorin to its methyl ester resulted in diminution of inhibitory activity to 10% of the original activity of the toxin, whereas derivatization of the epsilon-amino group of the beta-hydroxylysine moiety resulted in a decrease of inhibitory activity to 1% of that of victorin C. However, the derivatized toxin retained its host selectivity. In addition, the opening of the macrocyclic ring of the toxin drastically reduced the inhibitory activity.

Ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid (Timentin) therapy for osteomyelitis.

Timentin is an exciting new antibiotic agent that is a combination of ticarcillin and clavulanic acid. Forty-seven patients with osteomyelitis received 3.1 g of Timentin intravenously every six hours. The mean duration of therapy was 32 days. The diagnosis was made by bone biopsy; bone biopsy was repeated at the completion of therapy. The bacterial etiology was predominately gram-positive organisms. Of the organisms isolated, Staphylococcus aureus was the most common isolate and represented 39 percent of the total isolates. Streptococcus species were isolated in 13 percent, Group D Enterococcus in 15 percent, Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 10 percent; 23 percent of the isolates were other gram-negative organisms. All but one organism were initially sensitive to Timentin. Three resistant organisms were isolated during therapy. Twenty-seven patients were classified as having a cure, based on no growth on repeat bone biopsy cultures and clinical signs of bone healing. Twenty-two patients returned for follow-up (one to nine months after therapy) and had no evidence of infection; however, because of the short follow-up period, these patients were classified as showing improvement. Six patients had adverse reactions to Timentin: two had mild allergic phenomena and two had prolonged bleeding times. In all four, therapy was discontinued. Two patients had a transient, mild elevation in the level of serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (less than twice normal levels). This new agent looks exciting for therapy of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial osteomyelitis.

Biological Activity of the Isomeric Forms of Helminthosporium sacchari Toxin and of Homologs Produced in Culture.

The effect of Helminthosporium sacchari (HS) toxin isomers and related, pathogen-produced compounds on dark CO(2) fixation in HS-susceptible sugar cane leaf slices was investigated. HS toxin consists of a mixture of three isomeric bis-5-O-(beta-galactofuranosyl)-beta-galactofuranosides (A, B, and C) differing in the position of one double bond in the sesquiterpene aglycone. Maximum inhibition of dark CO(2) fixation in susceptible sugar cane (CP52-68) occurred within 30 to 40 minutes, and amounts necessary to reach 50% inhibition values typically were approximately 1.7 micromolar for natural toxin mixture ( approximately 2:3:5 mixture of isomers A:B:C) and 4, 6, and 0.7 micromolar for isomers A, B, and C, respectively. Other fractions from cultures of the pathogen consist of comparable mixtures of sesquiterpene isomers but have only 1, 2, or 3 galactofuranose units (HS(1), HS(2), HS(3)) or two alpha-glucopyranose units as well as four beta-galactofuranose units (HS(6)). The lower toxin homologs were not toxic to clone CP52-68, but protected sugar cane from the effects of toxin. Minimum ratios of protectant: toxin giving 95% protection were approximately 50:1, 6:1, and 12:1 for HS(1), HS(2), and HS(3), respectively. HS(2) and HS(3) protected when added up to 12 minutes after toxin as well as when added with or before toxin. Some common plant galactopyranosides were not toxic and did not protect at 500:1 molar excess. The sample of HS(6) was toxic at 500 micromolar, and did not protect against HS toxin. With the availability of purified, homogeneous preparations of HS toxin, homologs, and chemically modified or synthetic analogs, the dark CO(2) fixation assay should prove to be a useful tool for understanding the mode of action of HS toxin.

Acrolein induces differentiation of infection structures in the wheat stem rust fungus.

A chemical factor from wheat stem rust uredospores that induces infection structure formation has been identified as acrolein (2-propenal). This compound is the active component of distillates from uredospore extracts previously shown to induce infection structure formation.

Identification of the germination self-inhibitor from wheat stem rust uredospores.

Two germination inhibitors from wheat rust uredospores were identified as the cis and trans isomers of methyl 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamate (methyl ferulate). They are the self-inhibitors from these spores described previously.

Self-inhibitor of bean rust uredospores: methyl 3,4-dimethoxycinnamate.

Two germination inhibitors from bean rust uredospores were identified as the cis and trans isomers of methyl 3,4-dimethoxycinnamate. They appear to be the "self-inhibitors" previously described from these spores.