[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).

[Polarographic determination of metals in firearm injuries]. / Polarografické stanovení kovu u strelných poranení.

There was tested the use of the polarographic determination of some metals (Pb, Cu, Fe, Sb) in the skin in deceased due to multiple firearm injuries. The authors present on a real case, in which the shots through the dress of victim penetrated, the possibility to determine entry and exit wound.

[Morphologic findings in chronic abuse of heroin and pervitine]. / Morfologické nálezy u chronického abúzu heroinu a pervitinu.

In a deceased 39-year-old man with a history of 10-year consumption of heroin and pervitin the authors made histological and immunohistochemical examinations of organs focused on detection of old and recent pathological changes. In the brain they detected oedema, venostasis, inflammatory infiltrates in the wall and surroundings of some vessels and hypoxic changes of neurons with a drop or disappearance of neuron-specific enolase. The myocardium was marked by oedema of the interstitium, focal diminution to disappearance of basophilia of myocyte nuclei with increased eosinophilia of some fibres and smaller and larger foci of fibrosis formed by mature and less mature connective tissue. Immunohistochemical examination revealed focal fibrinogen deposits in myocytes. A surprise was to a certain extent the finding of dispersely distributed caspase-8 in myocytes, caspase being one of the substances signalizing apoptosis. On microscopic examination of the lungs severe haemorrhagic oedema dominated. In the liver they found acute venostasis and chronic inflammatory changes with connective tissue proliferation in the portal areas. The finding in the kidneys suggested acute tubular nephrosis. The authors discuss the problem of direct toxicity of the ingested drugs, the influence of repeated states of hypoxia and infection.

[Detection of free histamine and serotonin in the evaluation of the vital reaction in injuries]. / Prukaz volného histaminu a sérotoninu pri posuzování vitální reakce poranení.

Skin injury alive produces quick and distinct increase of free histamine and serotonin. A fluorimetric method for detection of these compounds in tissues has been the only one described in the literature up to now but it needed a time consuming extraction and big amount of primary material (about 3 g of skin devoid of subcutaneous fat tissue) as well. The authors succeeded in substituting the method and developed a voltametric detection of histamine and serotonin using the computerized ECO-TRIBO-Polarograph. It enabled to omit the extraction of skin compounds and to decreased the amount of primary tissue to a quarter. The detection of free histamine and serotonin levels is presumed to enable a more accurate determination of the time of injury, particulary in short interval before death; it presents, with a simultaneous of glycophorin, a convenient complementation of immunohistochemical investigation of fibronectin.

[Evaluation of the vital reaction in injuries]. / Posuzování vitality vzniku poranení.

Evidence of an early vital reaction after a skin injury is sometimes of decisive importance in forensic practice. Attention is devoted increasingly to immunohistochemical evidence of substances, the presence of which in the borders of the wounds signalizes an intravital origin of the injury. In this context evidence was focused on detection of glycophorine at sites of haematomas of the skin and subcutaneous layer and to fibronection in the borders of injuries and in haematomas. To visualize the two substances in paraffin tissue sections, the immunohistochemical method of indirect immunoperoxidase reaction was selected where in the first layer specific sera were used wither against glycophorine A, B or against fibronectin. Glycophorine is a sialoglycoprotein which is part of the red cell membrane. It can be detected at the site of haematomas and after the disintegration of erythrocytes during post-mortem autolysis. Conversely it is lacking where membrane structures were not present. This makes it possible even during advanced stages of post-mortem changes to differentiate actual haematomas from mere post-mortem inhibition of tissue by blood pigment (e.g. in hypostasis) where glycophorine cannot be detected. Fibronectin, another glycoprotein substance can, already in the early stage of injury, form the basis for a netlike structure in the shape of fine "strings". Detection of fibronectin suggests the intravital development of injury and in the authors cases it could be detected already within several minutes after the development of the injury.

[Forensic evaluation of drowning]. / Príspevek k soudne lékarskému hodnocení utopení.

The authors discuss the basic types of the mechanism of drowning and different findings on necropsy. They draw attention to some endogenous and exogenous factors which participate in the development and course of drowning and changes which occur when the corpse is in water for prolonged periods. On examples from practice they demonstrate difficulties which may influence the diagnosis, in particular uncommon interferences with the organism.

[Determination and interpretation of carboxyhemoglobin in traces of biological material]. / Príspevek k moznosti stanovení a interpretaci hladiny karbonylhemoglobinu ve stopách biologického puvodu.

The author investigated the possibility of assessment of the carboxy haemoglobin level in blood stains and particles of tissues which contain at least minimal amounts of blood pigment. For the examination methods were modified which are used for similar estimations in blood. In the blood stains the decline of carboxy-haemoglobin was investigated in relation to some external influences. The author investigated also the ability of haemoglobin to react with carbon monoxide at different periods after the development of blood stains.

[Detection of urinary substances in stains from amniotic fluid, urine and the blood of pregnant women using thin-layer chromatography]. / Detekce mocových substancí ve skvrnách od plodové vody, moci a krve tehotných pomocí chromatografie na tenké vrstve.

When examining traces of biological origin it is possible to draw conclusions from the findings of some urinary constituents in a stain produced by urine; via foetal urine, however, in the spots also amniotic fluid can be detected. By chromatographic analysis on a thin layer the authors are able to detect in spots from amniotic fluid urea without hippuric acid, in urine spots urea, creatinine and hippuric acid; in blood stains under equal conditions none of the above constituents is detected. The results, using the above method, can be considered a contribution which helps to differentiate these traces and it can be also used to detect amniotic fluid in stains.