Macroscopic, histological and toxicological aspects of early Gammarus pulex scavenging.

Two cases of scavenging postmortem freshwater shrimps (Gammarus pulex) are presented. We report the two first illustrated observations of cutaneous postmortem injuries inflicted by a G. pulex population, a small freshwater crustacean, on two non putrefied drowning victims, and we describe their particular histological features and their potential in forensic investigations.

Postmortem injuries inflicted by crawfish: morphological and histological aspects.

A scavenging postmortem crawfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) is presented. A 60-year-old woman was found dead immersed in 2m of water in an artificial lack near a dam. The divers, on discovering the body, observed numerous crawfish near the face, the abdomen and the hands of the cadaver that disappeared at their approach. Her face showed extensive hemorrhagic lesions of the eyelids, lips and neck, initially attributed by the police investigators to a possible criminal assault. On autopsy, the face injuries were identified as a postmortem defect by animal scavenging. We present the macro- and microscopic aspects of these postmortem changes in relation to animal predation.

Study of endolaryngeal structures by videolaryngoscopy after hanging: a new approach to understanding the physiopathogenesis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate laryngoscopic findings in hanging cases and to compare them with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and forensic autopsy results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Postmortem nasolaryngofibroscopy and MRI of five people who died from hanging were performed. Three people who died from other causes than hanging were also examined with a flexible laryngofibroscope. The results were compared with injuries discovered during forensic autopsy. RESULTS: In all five hanging cases, laryngofibroscopic investigation showed a vocal fold position in complete adduction confirmed by MRI. This position did not seem to be influenced by the intensity of the forces applied to neck or postmortem delay and cadaveric phenomena. The vocal cords of the three non-hanging deceased were found in the intermediate position. These findings could suggest that pressure applied to the cervical nervous and cartilaginous structures or their elongation during hanging could lead to closure of the glottis with vocal cord adduction maintained after death. CONCLUSION: Laryngofibroscopic examination in hanging cases could be very useful in confirming the vital character of the hanging and understanding asphyxial phenomena in incomplete suspension without laryngeal crush.

[Values of the autopsy in the university hospitals illustrated by the casuistry]. / Intérêts de l'autopsie hospitalière illustrés par la casuistique.

PURPOSE: Clinical autopsy rate have been declining since the 1950s, but it remains a useful investigation tool. METHODS AND RESULTS: Through six examples of our experience, we underline its interest for clinical, didactic and public health purposes. CONCLUSIONS: We try to understand the reasons for its decline and, as demonstrated, it can be attributed to a number of factors. These need to be addressed in order to reassert the status of the autopsy as an investigation and audit tool which is crucial to the future effectiveness of modern medicine.

Analysis of the transcriptional response to Rice Yellow Mottle Virus infection in Oryza sativa indica and japonica cultivars.

Several cDNA libraries were constructed using mRNA isolated from roots, panicles, cell suspensions and leaves of non-stressed Oryza sativa indica (IR64) and japonica (Azucena) plants, from wounded leaves, and from leaves of both cultivars inoculated with Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV). A total of 5549 cleaned expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated from these libraries. They were classified into functional categories on the basis of homology, and analyzed for redundancy within each library. The expression profiles represented by each library revealed great differences between indica and japonica backgrounds. EST frequencies during the early stages of RYMV infection indicated that changes in the expression of genes involved in energy metabolism and photosynthesis are differentially accentuated in susceptible and partially resistant cultivars. Mapping of these ESTs revealed that several co-localize with previously described resistance gene analogs and QTLs (quantitative trait loci).

Effect of aging on the amide group of bone matrix, measured by FTIR spectrophotometry, in adult subjects deceased as a result of violent death.

In order to determine the effects of age on bone quality, human bone tissue taken from adult subjects deceased from violent death was analyzed by means of fast Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) in the Diffuse Reflectance mode (DR). This technique allows the characterization of both the mineral and organic parts of bone in a nondestructive manner. Only the organic part is discussed in this report. A quantitative change in the entire organic part of bone tissue is observed with the aging of subjects. The effects of these changes on bone strength were not measured.

[An idolized pill: a pill to be gilded...or resistance to oral contraception]. / Une pilule adoree--a dorer...ou les resistances a la contraception orale.

PIP: Contraception can be perceived by a woman either as a subjugation to socioeconomic imperatives or as a means of escaping the fate of repeated pregnancies or abortions. Whether contraception liberates or constrains depends on the individual attitude. In France, decision of whether to have a child is influenced by the couple's perception of cultural norms such as the ideal 4-member family proposed by advertisers, the organization of collective life, and the design of consumer goods such as 4-seat automobiles. The 2-child norm is rapidly becoming internalized, but may be influenced by such societal factors as declining employment opportunities for women which prompt them to reassume the career of motherhood. Among sources of resistence to contraception are those stemming from the physician who may be reluctant to prescribe potent drugs with obvious societal implications to a healthy woman. The patient seeking cure of an ailment and the patient seeking OCs have completely different psychological encounters with the physician in the position of furnishing supplies rather than of diagnosing and explaining treatment. The resulting loss of power may frustrate some physicians. The woman may however return power to the physician by demanding reassurances about the medical aspects of pill use. Concern about the possibility of thromboses or other side effects also serves to return the OC consultation to the realm of a more traditional medical practice. The attitude of the physician can reinforce resistence of the woman to contraception or provide a scientific rationalization for it. Taking the pill daily, a regular reminder to the woman that she is suppressing her maternal potential, is a cause of stress and perhaps of forgetfulness for some women. OCs, because of their efficacy, may not be seen merely as the means of suspending the procreative function for a given time, but as suppressing and negating it permanently. Women who for various reasons are disturbed by the loss of reproductive function or who subconsciously wish to assure themselves of their fecundity may have recourse to less effective contraceptive methods or to abortion. For some women, taking OCs creates guilt or shame because the total suppression of procreation goes against religious and moral teachings. The dichotomy of woman as mother or woman as prostitute may have become ingrained to the degree that the implications of free enjoyment of sex without fear of pregnancy become unbearable. Such side effects of OCs as nausea, weight gain, and breast swelling may represent a somatic expression of a desire to return to the maternal pole of the dichotomy. The use of OCs may be perceived as castrating by men who at least unconsciously equate fertility with virility. Some men may refuse to let their partners use OCs on the pretext that they will be used to hide affairs with other men.^ieng

[Personality of women resorting to repeated voluntary abortions]. / A propos de la personnalité des femmes ayant recours à des interruptions volontaires de grossesse répétées.

Women having recourse to repeated voluntary abortion are more and more numerous. Contraception is not a prophylactic mean for that, and it explains the interest to study the personality of women who abort repeatedly. We tested 41 of these women with the Minnesota Multiphasic. The answers showed psychotic and psychopathic tendencies, all the more as they were younger.

PIP: Repeated abortions represent about 5-20% of all abortion cases. This study investigates the personality of 41 repeated abortion seekers who were asked to be tested with the Minnesota Multiphasic Test. The test was taken the same day of the abortion procedure, which may have influenced the results. Results showed that 21.4% of women had balanced personalities; 17.4% had psychotic tendencies; 32.0% had psychopathic tendencies; 35.7% had paranoic tendencies. Negative tendencies were more marked in women younger than 25, unmarried and nulliparae. Studies investigating repeated abortion seekers never give uniform results. It is obvious, however, that the prevention of repeated abortions is not associated with contraceptive use only.