scholarly journals DIAGNOSTIC POSSIBILITIES OF ANALYSIS OF THE MAP OF LINEAR BIREFRINGENCE OF THE CRYSTAL FRACTION OF VITREOUS BODY FOR ACCURATE DETERMINATION OF THE TIME SINCE DEATH

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 82-89
Author(s):  
Yuliia Sarkisova ◽  
Viktor Bachynskіy ◽  
Alina Palamar ◽  
Nadya Palibroda ◽  
Maryna Patratii

Introduction: This paper discusses the possibility of polarization microscopic tomography of polycrystalline structure of vitreous body (VB) for use in forensics and in determining the time since death (TSD). Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a new set of forensic criteria to enhance the functionality of the high-precision definition of TSD over a long period of time according to polarization microscopic tomography of the polycrystalline structure of the VB of the human eye by statistical and wavelet analysis. Results: We obtained the numerical values of the change in the magnitude of the statistical moments of the 1-4 orders, which characterize the coordinate distributions of the magnitude of the linear birefringence (LB) of the polycrystalline component of the VB by the magnitude of the TSD. The results from our research illustrate the differences between the optical anisotropy of fibrillar collagen networks of VB layers with different TSD. The sensitivity range (36 hours) and accuracy (15 minutes) of the method of polarization tomography of the LB distributions of the polycrystalline component of the VB layers in the determined TSD were established. Conclusion: These results confirm the experimental processes outlined accurately determine the time of death. In turn, will provide scientific evidence, specifications thereof, and objective expert opinion.

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 54-61
Author(s):  
YU.V. Sarkisova ◽  
V. T. Bachynskyy ◽  
O. H. Ushenko ◽  
M. M. Melnyk

Abstract Purpose of the study. Develop a complex of new forensic objective criteria to enhance the functionality of accurate definition time of the since death (TSD) estimation according to polarization microscopic tomography of the polycrystalline structure of human vitreous body (VB). Materials and methods. The object of study is polycrystalline VB layers taken from 56 people who died from cardiovascular disease with known time of death ranged from 3 to 36 h. Measuring parameter distributions of birefringence of the polycrystalline component of VB preparations were carried out with a standard Stokes-polarimeter. Results. The time dynamics of the magnitude of the set of statistical moments of the 1–4th order, which characterize the distributions of the birefringence of the polycrystalline component of the VB layers at different TSD values were investigated. The sensitivity range of the method of polarization tomography of the distributions of the birefringence of the polycrystalline component of the VB layers was determined (24 h), with the accuracy of TSD estimation – 20 min. The efficiency of wavelet analysis of the distribution of the magnitude of the birefringence layers of human VB layers at different TSD values is demonstrated. Scale-selective analysis has been shown to increase the sensitivity range up to 36 h while increasing the accuracy of TSD determination to 15 min. Conclusion. The efficiency of the method of polarization microscopic tomography of the polycrystalline structure of human VB preparations in the determination of TSD is demonstrated. Sensitivity ranges method up to 36 h was determined with an accuracy of up to 15 min. Keywords: laser polarimetry, time since death, vitreous body.


2021 ◽  
pp. 79-85
Author(s):  
Yuliia Sarkisova

In this paper the results of modern scientific researches are analyzed and the possibilities of the method of establishing the amount of K+ and Na+ in the vitreous body (VB) of a person for solving problems of practical forensic medicine are studied. The aim of the work. To investigate the possibilities of accurately establishing the time since death (TSD) by determining the amount of electrolytes (K+ and Na+) of human VB. Materials and methods. VB samples from 120 deaths due to cardiovascular pathology (exclusion criteria: eyeball injuries, traumatic brain injury, exogenous intoxications) were studied. The study of the test material was performed on an analyzer of electrolytes and gases ROCHE COBAS B121. The main task was to analyze and establish the dependence of the change in the amount of K+ and Na+ of the VB on the TSD. Statistical processing of the obtained results was performed using Statistica software. Results. In all cases, on average in the first 6 hours, its amount was 7,4 mmol/l, after 6-12 hours – 9,8 mmol/l, after 12-18 hours – 12,1 mmol/l, after 18-24 hours – 16,5 mmol/l, after 24-36 hours – 20,2 mmol/l, after 36-48 hours – 25,3 mmol/l. The amount of Na+ ranged from 120 to 200 mmol/l. Conclusions. It is established that the number of electrolytes of the VB of the human eye naturally changes with increasing postmortem interval, which allows to use this technique to determine the TSD. In particular, the accuracy of setting the DNS by the number of K+ – 4-6 hours between 1 and 18 hours after death. There is an increase in the range of accuracy at a later date of the TSD.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 12-13
Author(s):  
LuAnn Haley ◽  
Marjorie Eskay-Auerbach

Abstract Pennsylvania adopted the impairment rating provisions described in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) in 1996 as an exposure cap for employers seeking predictability and cost control in workers’ compensation claims. In 2017, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania handed down the Protz decision, which held that requiring physicians to apply the methodology set forth in the most recent edition of the AMA Guides reflected an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power to the American Medical Association. The decision eliminates the impairment-rating evaluation (IRE) mechanism under which claimants were assigned an impairment rating under the most recent edition of the AMA Guides. The AMA Guides periodically are revised to include the most recent scientific evidence regarding impairment ratings, and the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, acknowledges that impairment is a complex concept that is not yet defined in a way that readily permits an evidence-based definition of assessment. The AMA Guides should not be considered standards frozen in time simply to withstand future scrutiny by the courts; instead, workers’ compensation acts could state that when a new edition of the AMA Guides is published, the legislature shall review and consider adopting the new edition. It appears unlikely that the Protz decision will be followed in other jurisdictions: Challenges to using the AMA Guides in assessing workers’ compensation claims have been attempted in three states, and all attempts failed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 112972982198916
Author(s):  
Ton Van Boxtel ◽  
Mauro Pittiruti ◽  
Annemarie Arkema ◽  
Patrick Ball ◽  
Giovanni Barone ◽  
...  

The need for filtering intravenous infusions has long been recognized in the field of venous access, though hard scientific evidence about the actual indications for in-line filters has been scarce. In the last few years, several papers and a few clinical studies have raised again this issue, suggesting that the time has come for a proper definition of the type of filtration, of its potential benefit, and of its proper indications in clinical practice. The WoCoVA Foundation, whose goal is to increase the global awareness on the risk of intravenous access and on patients’ safety, developed the project of a consensus on intravenous filtration. A panel of experts in different aspects of intravenous infusion was chosen to express the current state of knowledge about filtration and to indicate the direction of future research in this field. The present document reports the final conclusions of the panel.


2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 397-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Antonio Garbino ◽  
Wilson Marques Jr ◽  
Jaison Antonio Barreto ◽  
Carlos Otto Heise ◽  
Marcia Maria Jardim Rodrigues ◽  
...  

The authors proposed a systematic review on the current concepts of primary neural leprosy by consulting the following online databases: MEDLINE, Lilacs/SciELO, and Embase. Selected studies were classified based on the degree of recommendation and levels of scientific evidence according to the “Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine”. The following aspects were reviewed: cutaneous clinical and laboratorial investigations, i.e. skin clinical exam, smears, and biopsy, and Mitsuda's reaction; neurological investigation (anamnesis, electromyography and nerve biopsy); serological investigation and molecular testing, i.e. serological testing for the detection of the phenolic glycolipid 1 (PGL-I) and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR); and treatment (classification criteria for the definition of specific treatment, steroid treatment, and cure criteria).


Toxic Shock ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 48-76
Author(s):  
Sharra L. Vostral

How a set of symptoms was stabilized into a defined illness with correlative healthcare practices required a great degree of consensus. This chapter traces how medical professionals, including family physicians, pediatricians, nephrologists, and specialized epidemiologists at the state and national levels, encountered ill girls and women, and collaborated through their networks to create a definition of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) and identify emerging cases. It took careful epidemiology to link TSS with tampon use, in part due to the assumption that tampons were inert. Scientific evidence associating TSS with tampons was all the more crucial in order to create a convincing case that it was a threat to public health, and that women should be warned of their use. Challenges by corporations and corporate-sponsored scientists to the epidemiological data questioned the legitimacy and the conclusion that tampons were associated with TSS.


Author(s):  
Metin Başoğlu

In the light of the US Senate Intelligence Committee Report on the Central Intelligence Agency’s detention and interrogation program confirming the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” to induce “learned helplessness” in detainees, this chapter reviews the scientific basis for the US definition of torture and its interpretation in the “Torture Memos.” These memoranda clearly indicate that “enhanced interrogation techniques” are designed for use in combination with specific intent to induce learned helplessness. Abundant research evidence shows that learned helplessness is mental harm that is severe enough to qualify as torture even by US standards. Although the US definition of torture seems to create potential loopholes for impunity, it suffers from certain logical inconsistencies, scientifically unfounded assumptions, and perhaps even “loopholes” that may well render legal cover for use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” difficult, if not impossible—at least not possible in a way that can be justified by logical reasoning or scientific evidence.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (Supplement_K) ◽  
pp. K4-K8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gérald Simonneau ◽  
Marius M Hoeper

Abstract At the 6th World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension (PH), it was proposed that the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) threshold used to define PH should be lowered from ≥25 mmHg to >20 mmHg. The rationale for this change is that the ≥25 mmHg threshold is arbitrary, whereas the revised threshold is based on scientific evidence. For the definition of all forms of pre-capillary PH, the inclusion of a pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) ≥3 Wood Units was also proposed, placing greater emphasis on an elevated PVR to identify pulmonary vascular disease. Here, we discuss the possible impact of the revised definition of PH on future clinical management. This change may facilitate earlier PH detection, particularly in at-risk patient groups that are already undergoing screening programmes, e.g. those with systemic sclerosis or mutations associated with PH. As an mPAP above the upper limit of normal (>20 mmHg) but <25 mmHg is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality compared with a normal mPAP, early identification of patients in this group is important to enable close monitoring and timely treatment initiation once clinically indicated. Treatments currently approved for PH are not necessarily suitable for patients with an mPAP 21–24 mmHg, as the management of this group has not been widely examined. The revised definition may facilitate inclusion of these patients in prospective trials, allowing the evaluation of appropriate management strategies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 1019-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cetin Volkan Oztekin ◽  
Ecem Kaya-Sezginer ◽  
Didem Yilmaz-Oral ◽  
Serap Gur

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS), as a cluster of metabolic derangements which are major risk factors for vascular disease is one of the most important threats to public health. Although the epidemiological and limited amount of basic science and clinical evidence link MetS to several male urogenital disorders, a holistic approach aiming to define common mechanistic pathways and new possible therapeutic targets are lacking. Objective: The current review has focused on providing scientific evidence on the role of MetS and its components on male urogenital disorders and the definition of new therapeutic targets. Method: In this review, current clinical and basic science literature were assessed examining the role of MetS in etiology and pathogenesis of male urogenital disorders and performed through PubMed from 2000 to May 2017. Results and Conclusion: MetS shows an important association with common male urogenital disorders such as benign prostatic enlargement, lower urinary tract symptoms, erectile dysfunction, infertility and renal disease. MetS affects male urogenital system mainly through endocrine and vascular mechanisms. Obesity, hypogonadism, obesity-induced androgen deficiency, hyperinsulinemia and inflammation are the mechanisms commonly involved and may act as potential targets for MetS-male urogenital system interrelations. Future studies are needed to evaluate the therapeutic approaches for intervention in MetS-male urogenital disease relations.


Author(s):  
Manuel Blum ◽  
Lenore Blum

The quest to understand consciousness, once the purview of philosophers and theologians, is now actively pursued by scientists of many stripes. This paper studies consciousness from the perspective of theoretical computer science. It formalizes the Global Workspace Theory (GWT) originated by the cognitive neuroscientist Bernard Baars and further developed by him, Stanislas Dehaene, and others. Our major contribution lies in the precise formal definition of a Conscious Turing Machine (CTM), also called a Conscious AI. We define the CTM in the spirit of Alan Turing’s simple yet powerful definition of a computer, the Turing Machine (TM). We are not looking for a complex model of the brain nor of cognition but for a simple model of (the admittedly complex concept of) consciousness. After formally defining CTM, we give a formal definition of consciousness in CTM. We later suggest why the CTM has the feeling of consciousness. The reasonableness of the definitions and explanations can be judged by how well they agree with commonly accepted intuitive concepts of human consciousness, the range of related concepts that the model explains easily and naturally, and the extent of its agreement with scientific evidence.


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