International journal of legal medicine
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Case report on a suicide with a gas pistol loaded with 8 mm blank cartridges. A 58-year-old male shot himself in the right temple and then in the back of the neck. ⋯ The soft tissues were injured solely by the pressure of the exploding powder. Death was due to an air/gas embolism in the right ventricle of the heart.
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The case of a suicide attempt of a depressed male using a circular saw is reported and discussed. There was a hesitation injury that is seldom described in this type of power tool suicide. A deviation in the position of the superior sagittal sinus allowed the life of the victim to be saved by a neurosurgical operation.
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The yaw angle in flight of high velocity bullets has been discussed for a number of years, due to its contribution to the tumbling of the bullet in the target. Since few unclassified reports of contemporary bullets are available, we investigated the yaw angles of the bullets used in the M16A2, G3, AK-47 and AK-74 rifles by the shadowgraph technique. ⋯ Bullets from some modern small calibre high velocity rifles such as the M16A2 and the AK-74 can have quite large yaw angles in their initial flight. The results, which confirm the opinion of contemporary writers, should settle the controversy in this area of wound ballistics.
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In a case of suicide in a depressive 19-year-old man with considerable ingestion of new leaves, resorption of yew ingredients could be demonstrated. The main substance could be identified as 3,5-dimethoxyphenol, the aglycone of taxicatine, which is a typical ingredient of yew leaves. 3,5-dimethoxyphenol was demonstrated in harvested yew leaves, stomach content and cardiac blood of the victim. ⋯ The components detected by TLC have not yet been identified. The results demonstrate that 3,5-dimethoxyphenol can be used as a marker in cases of intoxication by yew ingredients.
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Drug addicts who had died in Copenhagen City and County in 1981 and 1989 were analysed for methadone. In 1981, 94 cases were analysed of which 16% were found positive for methadone, and in 1989, 70 cases were analysed of which 37% were positive. Methadone alone was found to be the cause of death in 50% more cases in 1989 than in 1981. ⋯ Alcohol was found in only about 30% of the methadone-positive cases. The median whole blood concentrations of methadone found in addicts where methadone was the cause of death was 0.3 mg/kg where no alcohol was present and 0.2 mg/kg where alcohol was present. In living persons using methadone, the median was 0.1 mg methadone/kg whole blood with or without alcohol present.