Kraftfahrzeugbrand

Most deaths occurring in connection with car fires are the result of traffic accidents. With regard to differential diagnosis, suicides and homicides also have to be kept in mind. Compared with other charred bodies, for example from house fires, they show stronger consumption by the fire, which makes it more difficult to assess the case at autopsy and to identify the victims. In fires occurring after traffic accidents, the question to be answered is whether death was caused by the fire or by any accident-related injuries. While in the presence of potentially fatal injuries perimortem burning has to be discussed, it may be difficult to differentiate peracute death due to the effect of heat from purely postmortem burning. The most important signs of vital exposure to the fire are soot deposits in the respiratory tract, the oesophagus and the stomach as well as an elevated COHb concentration in the corpse blood. In deaths occurring after car fires due to collisions, the COHb values are usually <40%, often even <20%. Higher values are seen especially when the fire started in the passenger compartment.     

Beitrag zum Spasmus facialis

Zusammenfassung Bericht über klinisch-neurologische, elektromyographische, neurographische und nystagmographische Befunde bei 20 Fällen von Spasmus facialis. Diskussion der klinischen Phänomene unter dem Aspekt der parabiotischen Schädigung des n. facialis und der Ephapsen-Theorie. Es werden Überlegungen zur Lokalisation der Facialis-Läsion angestellt und die für die Entstehung der parabiotischen Veränderung in Frage kommenden ätiologischen Faktoren besprochen. Zur Pathogenese wird eine chronische, subklinisch verlaufende Vorschädigung des n. facialis angenommen, in deren Bereich sich nach Entwicklung zusätzlicher, als Auslöser wirkender Funktionsstörungen pathologische Übergangsstellen zwischen den Nervenfasern als Ephapsen bilden können. Zu den therapeutischen Möglichkeiten wird Stellung genommen.     

Metabolomics in postmortem cerebrospinal fluid diagnostics: a state-of-the-art method to interpret central nervous system–related pathological processes

International Journal of Legal Medicine - In the last few years, quantitative analysis of metabolites in body fluids using LC/MS has become an established method in laboratory medicine and...     

Antifolate Agents Against Wild and Mutant Strains of Plasmodium falciparum

Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase is an important target for antimalarial chemotherapy. The emergence of resistance has significantly reduced the efficacy of the classic antifolate drugs cycloguanil and pyrimethamine. In this paper we report new dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors identified using molecular modelling principles with the goal of designing new antifolate agents active against both wild and tetramutant dihydrofolate reductase strains three series of trimethoprim analogues were designed, synthesised and tested for biological activity. Pyrimethamine and cycloguanil have been reported to loose efficacy because of steric repulsion in the active site pocket produced due to mutation in Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase. The synthesised molecules have sufficient flexibility to withstand this steric repulsion to counteract the resistance. The molecules have been synthesised by conventional techniques and fully characterised by spectroscopic methods. The potency of these molecules was evaluated by in vitro enzyme specific assays. Some of the molecules were active in micromolar concentrations and can easily be optimised to improve binding and activity.     

Subcutaneous tri-block copolymer produces recovery from spinal cord injury

We have studied the ability of nonionic detergents and hydrophilic polymers to seal permeabilized membranes of damaged cells, rescuing them from progressive dissolution, degeneration, and death. We report that a single subcutaneous injection of the tri-block copolymer, Poloxamer 188 (P188) 6 hr after a severe compression of the adult guinea pig spinal cord is able to: (1). preserve the anatomic integrity of the cord; (2). produce a rapid recovery of nerve impulse conduction through the lesion; and (3). produce a behavioral recovery of a spinal cord dependent long tract spinal cord reflex. These observations stood out against a control group in blinded evaluation. Conduction through the lesion was monitored by stimulating the tibial nerve of the hind limb, and measuring the arrival of evoked potentials at the contralateral sensory cortex of the brain (somatosensory evoked potentials; SSEP). Behavioral recovery was determined by a return of sensitivity of formerly areflexic receptive fields of the cutaneous trunchi muscle (CTM) reflex. This contraction of back skin in response to tactile stimulation is totally dependent on the integrity of an identified bilateral column of ascending long tract axons. A statistically significant recovery of both SSEP conduction through the lesion and the CTM reflex occurred in P188-treated animals compared to vehicle-treated controls. Quantitative 3D computer reconstruction of the lesioned vertebral segment of spinal cord revealed a statistically significant sparing of spinal cord parenchyma and a significant reduction in cavitation of the spinal cord compared to control animals We determined that the proportion of P188-treated animals that recovered evoked potentials were nearly identical to that produced by a subcutaneous injection of polyethylene glycol (PEG). In contrast, P188 was not as effective as PEG in producing a recovery of CTM functioning. We discuss the likely differences in the mechanisms of action of these two polymers, and the possibilities inherent in a combined treatment.