ABSTRACT
Morphological aspects of the human hyoid bone are, like many other skeletal elements in human body, greatly affected by individual's sex, age and body proportions. Still, the known sex-dependent bimodality of a number of body size characteristics overshadows the true within-group patterns. Given the ambiguity of the causal effects of age, sex and body size upon hyoid morphology the present study puts the relationship between shape of human hyoid bone and body proportions (height and weight) under scrutiny of a morphological study. Using 211 hyoid bones and landmark-based methods of geometric morphometrics, it was shown that the size of hyoid bones correlated positively with measured body dimensions but showed no correlation if the individual's sex was controlled for. For shape variables, our results revealed that hyoid morphology is clearly related to body size as expressed in terms of the height and weight. Yet, the hyoid shape was shown to result primarily from the sex-related bimodal distribution of studied body size descriptors which, in the case of the height-dependent model, exhibited opposite trends for males and females. Apart from the global hyoid shape given by spatial arrangements of the greater horns, body size dependency was translated into size and position of the hyoid body. None of the body size characters had any impact on hyoid asymmetry. Ultimately, sexually dimorphic variation was revealed for age-dependent changes in both size and shape of hyoid bones as male hyoids tend to be more susceptible to modifications with age than female bones.
Subject(s)
Hyoid Bone/anatomy & histology , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Analysis of Variance , Body Size , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Reference Values , Sex CharacteristicsABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: Suicides are divided into simple and complex suicides. Complex suicides are further classified as primary (planned) and secondary (unplanned) complex suicides. The term "complex suicide" refers to a suicide in which more than one suicide method is applied. In primary complex suicide several methods of suicide are employed simultaneously (two and more). In secondary complex suicide additional suicide methods are involved after the initial chosen suicide method failed. Authors present a 30-year retrospective study of complex suicides (1989-2009). Of the 2753 finished suicides in the given time period, 66 complex suicides were identified: 15 primary complex suicides and 51 secondary complex suicides. Complex suicides were analyzed in terms of gender, age, methods of suicide, locality and time of suicide, presence of alcohol and of the presence of suicide note and were compared with remaining 2687 cases of simple suicides from the same time period. KEYWORDS: suicide - complex suicide - primary complex suicide - secondary complex suicide - methods of suicides.
Subject(s)
Ethanol , Suicide , Humans , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Crural ulcers are found in 3-5 % of the population, venous ulcers appear in 0,15-2 % of the population. Acute hemorrhage from venous ulcer is a rare complication which can lead to unattended and rapid external blood loss. Herein we present a case of 65-year-old man who was found in the kitchen of his flat in a large pool of blood with blood-tinged simple bandage applied on the right leg. At autopsy was revealed rupture of varicose vein at the base of large venous ulcer leading to fatal haemorrhage.
Subject(s)
Hemorrhage/etiology , Varicose Veins/complications , Aged , Fatal Outcome , Humans , Male , Rupture, Spontaneous/complications , Varicose Veins/pathologyABSTRACT
We describe and discuss autopsy findings of synovial membrane hemorrhage and bloody discoloration of synovial fluid ("inner knee sign") within a study population comprising 36 cases of fatal hypothermia and 300 control cases. Synovial membrane hemorrhage and bloody discoloration of synovial fluid of the knees were seen in 27 cases of fatal hypothermia (75%). Though we are not dealing here with an obligatory autopsy finding in fatal hypothermia, the detection of the inner knee sign might be used as another corroborative sign of vital hypothermia after considering all differential diagnostic aspects. However, the absence of this finding does not exclude death due to hypothermia.
Subject(s)
Hemorrhage/pathology , Hypothermia/diagnosis , Knee Joint/pathology , Synovial Fluid , Synovial Membrane/pathology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Case-Control Studies , Dilatation, Pathologic , Erythrocytes/pathology , Female , Forensic Pathology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Seasons , Synovial Membrane/blood supplyABSTRACT
Three cases of suicide by single bullet injury to head by home-made guns with immediate incapacitation are reported in following article. Zip gun (home-made gun) is a improvised firearm, usually a handgun. Home-made guns are almost always single-shot, as the improvised construction sometimes makes them weak enough to be destroyed by the act of firing. Zip guns are mostly smoothbore. Zip gun injuries, although unique today, represent a special category of missile injury with atypical low velocity terminal ballistics.
