Sudden death of a young adult with coronary artery vasculitis, coronary aneurysms, parvovirus B19 infection and Kawasaki disease.

We present a case of a 20-year-old man who suffered from Kawasaki disease (KD) associated with a florid parvovirus infection, and who died suddenly from thrombotic occlusion of the coronary arteries. The autopsy revealed several aneurysms of the coronary arteries, a chronic vasculitis and a myofibroblast proliferation leading to focal luminal narrowing. The inflammatory response as well as the detection of the viral particles by PCR in blood and in the lesional tissue demonstrated a possible cause by Parvovirus infection. The expression of endoglin on endothelial cells of neoangiogenesis indicates the involvement of the TGF-beta pathway, necessary for maintaining chronic inflammation. In addition, a possible connection between the intake of methylphenidate, arteritis and a possible pre-existing heart disease must be discussed. Furthermore, KD must also be considered as a cause of sudden death in the adult population.

Death after misuse of anabolic substances (clenbuterol, stanozolol and metandienone).

A 34-year old male was found breathless and panting at home by his girlfriend three hours after a gym workout. Minutes later, he collapsed and died. Autopsy, histological and chemical analyses were conducted. The examination of the heart showed left ventricular hypertrophy, while the right coronary artery showed only a small vascular lumen (3 mm in diameter), due to its anatomical structure. In femoral blood concentrations of approx. 1 µg/L clenbuterol, approx. 56 µg/L stanozolol and approx. 8 µg/L metandienone, with trenbolone (

Extracellular Distribution of Collagen II and Perifibrillar Adapter Proteins in Healthy and Osteoarthritic Human Knee Joint Cartilage.

Perifibrillar adapter proteins, interconnecting collagen fibrils, and linking the collagen network with the aggrecan matrix seem to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Therefore, we examined immunohistochemically the extracellular distribution of collagen II and the main perifibrillar adapter proteins-collagen IX, decorin, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), and matrilin-3-in human samples of healthy (n=4) and OA (n=42) knee joint cartilage. Histopathology assessment was performed using an OA score. Staining patterns were evaluated in relation to the disease stage. The perifibrillar adapter proteins were uniformly distributed in the upper zones of healthy cartilage. In moderate OA (n=8; score 14.3 ± 4.7), all proteins analyzed were locally absent in the fibrillated area or the superficial and upper mid zone. In advanced OA (n=20; score 18.9 ± 5.3), they were uniformly distributed in these zones and accumulated pericellularly. Perifibrillar adapter proteins are important for the stabilization of the collagen network in the upper zones of healthy cartilage. Their degradation might be a critical event in early OA. In advanced OA, there are indications for an increased synthesis in an attempt to regenerate the lost tissue and to protect the remaining cartilage from further destruction.

Homicidal strangulation by victim's own artificial hair extensions.

A 24-year-old woman was strangulated by her husband using his wife's own 60-cm long artificial head hair integrations. During a domestic conflict, she was strangulated while lying in bed in a prone position. Her husband wrapped her hair around her neck and pulled it with one hand while fixing her head with the other hand. Due to the soft and broad nature of the ligature, the neck skin presented scarcely any ligature marks and showed a horizontal pale area in the middle of the neck above which the neck and face were congested; the skin showed extensive petechial haemorrhages. The autopsy revealed no internal injuries except two small haematomas in the soft tissue on each side of the neck. These were located under the pale area of the skin. The larynx and hyoid bone were intact. No natural disease was found. The toxicological analyses showed negative results. This is the first report of a homicidal strangulation by means of the victim's own artificial hair extensions.

[Conceiling the cadaver in masonry and cement]. / Leichenverbergung durch Einmauern und Einbetonieren.

Encasing with concrete and/or bricks are relatively rare forms of hiding or disposing of a body; criminologically, cases of this kind are often treated as "matters involving a missing person" at first. The article describes the circumstances and findings of 2 cases in which bodies were encased with concrete. Under the aspects of reconstruction it is of importance that bodies may be preserved quite well in concrete, which allows not only identification of the victim but also determination of the cause of death even after a prolonged post-mortem interval, the more so as occasionally tools used for committing the offense are also encased together with the body.