A comparative and comprehensive analysis of nonsexual assaults.

The aim of this study was to make a comparative and comprehensive analysis of nonsexual assaults in 488 medico-legal cases presented to Forensic Medicine Outpatient Clinic of Celal Bayar University Hospital (Manisa, Turkey), between 2005 and 2009. There were blunt force injuries (BFI) in 262 cases (53.7%), sharp force injuries (SFI) in 163 cases (33.4%), and firearm-related wounds (FRW) in 63 cases (12.9%). The results showed significant differences in the monthly distribution of assaults, localization of injuries, and severity of injuries depending on the types of assaults. Most of the injuries were localized to the face, head, and neck in BFI and SFI and to the lower limbs in FRW. The results of this study will help researchers to investigate characteristics of victims, offenders, and injuries and types of assaults because of nonsexual violence.

Suicides in Turkey between 1996 and 2005: general perspective.

Suicide is a significant problem in the world. Sharing the information about the national suicide rates in the international scientific area is an important issue for not only the solution of the problem, but also improving the efforts for decreasing the suicidal deaths. We aimed to add the statistical information about the rates, the risk factors, and the methods of suicides in Turkey to the literature. The suicide rates in Turkey increased in the period between 1996 and 2005 years; it was 3.8 per 100,000 populations in 2005. The average ratio of male to female was 1.58/1 between 1996 and 2005 years. The suicidal deaths increased above the age of 75, especially in male population. In females, the most dangerous period was 15 to 24 age group. The major risk factor for suicides was found to be illness (29.6%) for both genders and especially for above middle ages. Hanging was the most preferred method for both genders and for most of the age groups in Turkey. Suicides increased in the spring and summer.

Criminal and legal responsibilities in Tourette's syndrome.

Tourette's Syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by the presence of multiple involuntary motor tics accompanied by one or more vocal tics. Articles about TS and criminal responsibility and the restriction of civil rights are limited. A person with TS was evaluated to consider his criminal responsibility after swearing at a referee during a football game. He was also evaluated as to whether or not he was capable of professionally driving a service bus. Additionally, medico-legal situations regarding military service, obtaining a shotgun license and marriages of patients with TS were considered.

Unusual torture methods and mass murders applied by a terror organization.

This study aims at describing autopsy findings of 19 victims killed by various torture methods applied by a terror organization after they had been kidnapped by this organization, as well as the unusual and unique binding style applied during these killings. The present study also aims at describing the unusual killing method of binding for literature and discussing international descriptions of torture.

Deaths due to terrorist bombings in Istanbul (Turkey).

Our study was based on a retrospective analysis of terrorist bombing related deaths in Istanbul (Turkey) between 1976 and 2000. A total of 45,714 autopsy case reports from the Morgue Department of Council of Forensic Medicine were reviewed for this study. There were 120 (0.26%) deaths due to terrorist bombing. Terrorist bombing related deaths were significantly higher during the years of increasing terrorism events in Turkey. Ninety-eight (81.7%) of cases were male and 22 (18.3%) of cases were female. The most frequent age groups of victims and terrorists was between 21 and 30 years of age (n=60; 50% of the total cases). In 49 events only one death occurred. The highest mortality was 24 in a single event. In this study, we have renewed of characteristics traumatic lesion to ascertain the cause of deaths and other autopsy findings in victims and terrorists. We also emphasize that scene investigation and medico-legal autopsy are the most important procedures provide appropriate information about deaths due to terrorist bombings.

Clinical experience of removing aerodigestive tract foreign bodies with rigid endoscopy in children.

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to document the aerodigestive tract foreign body accidents among children, and to investigate the circumstances surrounding these events. METHODS: A review of the charts of pediatric patients admitted with the definitive or suspicious diagnosis of aerodigestive tract foreign bodies was carried out in the period between January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2002. RESULTS: There were 53 eligible children; 39 boys and 14 girls, with an age range of 7 months to 14 years. Food items were the most common airway foreign bodies and coins were the most common esophageal foreign bodies. Among the 32 patients who underwent bronchoscopy, no foreign body was identified in 9 patients. Among the 21 patients who underwent esophagoscopy, foreign body was removed in 19 patients. In 2 cases, large foreign bodies which we could not extract with forceps were pushed into the stomach. CONCLUSIONS: Foreign bodies in the airway and esophagus constitute a constant hazard in all age groups, which demands immediate approach and management. Although the rigid endoscopic removal of aerodigestive foreign bodies was successful in this series, the most effective treatment of foreign body accidents is their prevention.

Medicolegal evaluation of vascular injuries of limbs in Turkey.

This study evaluated 372 cases of post-traumatic extremity vessel lesions, for which the Forensic Medicine Council, Istanbul, Turkey prepared medicolegal evaluation reports between 1998 and 2000. The study group (n = 372) comprised of 346 men (93.0%) and 26 women (6.9%), and their ages ranged between 6 and 73 years (30.18 +/- 6.13). There were 378 artery (74.5%), and 131 vein injuries (25.5%) out of a total of 509 limb vascular injuries. The most frequently injured arteries and veins were the femoral artery (n = 73), and the deep femoral vein (n = 41), respectively. The causes of injuries were as follows: cutting and stabbing complements, in 160 cases (43.0%); gunshots in 136 cases (36.6%); traffic accidents in 52 cases (14%); work accidents in 23 cases (6.2%); and blunt trauma in one case (0.3%). These injuries were accompanied by local nerve lesions (27.1%), local bone lesions (37.1%), and injuries to other organs (11.0%). The medicolegal assessments by the Forensic Medicine Council showed that there were risk of death in 371 cases. Additionally, there was 'organ dysfunction' in 37 (9.9%) and 'organ loss' in 53 (14.2%) cases. The results of this study suggested that the main causes of severe vascular injuries (i.e. those accompanied by bone and nerve lesions) had serious consequences such as amputation, permanent disorders or loss of function and were caused by gunshot and traffic accidents.

The correlation between skull fractures and intracranial lesions due to traffic accidents.

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the relationship between skull fractures and intracranial lesions following head injury. For this purpose, 500 cases, which were referred to the Third Committee of Council of Forensic Medicine in Istanbul due to traffic accidents by the courts of laws between 1998 and 2000, were examined retrospectively. They were categorized in 3 groups based on findings of their cranium x-rays and brain tomographies. 1- The cases who have fractures in skull bones with brain lesions 2- The cases who have fractures in skull bones with no brain lesions 3- The cases who have brain lesions with no skull fractures. They were examined in detail according to age, sex, localization of skull fractures and brain lesions, and if surgery was applied or not. Of the cases, 152 (30.4%) had only linear fractures, 69 (13.8%) had depressed fractures, 92 (18.4%) had linear fractures plus intracranial lesions, 49 (9.8%) had depressed fractures plus intracranial lesions and 138 (27.6%) had only intracranial lesions. The rate of intracranial lesion among the cases with the skull fracture was 38.9% (141/362), while the rate of skull fracture among the cases with the intracranial lesion was 50.3% (141/279) (P < 0.001). Male to female ratios were 2.4/1 for linear fractures, 5.2/1 for depressed fractures, and 3.5/1 for intracranial lesions. Linear fractures were more frequent among females whereas depressed fractures were often among males (chi2: 9.68, df: 4, p: 0.046). The mean age was 26.3. The rate of depressed fractures was higher the age groups of 0-30 years. (chi2: 16.28, df: 4, p: 0.003). Depressed fractures in the regions of frontal and parietal and, linear fracture in the regions of temporal and occipital were found at higher rates (P < 0.001). In conclusion, we reviewed skull fractures and/or intracranial lesions due to traffic accidents, and found depressed fractures to be more common among males whereas linear fractures to be more common among females and young males. In the male, the skull architecture is thicker and stronger than females and young males. We can state that presence of skull fractures lowers the incidence of intracranial lesions by lowering the intracranial pressure.