• Journal of forensic and investigative science
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.44-56
• /
• 2006

The reform necessity of medicolegal death investigation system is continuously issued. The problems from the current death investigation system are discussed, specially on the professionalism of the involved personnel such as policemen, doctors, prosecutors. Death investigation exists not only to prosecute the criminals but also primarily to protect the general public's health, safety, and welfare. The reform proposals of death investigation system are followed as below. Statutes require that the prosecutor be notified of certain deaths. All deaths that may reasonably result from anything other than natural disease should be investigated. A death certificate is a legal document which authenticate a death, therefore it is issued by the doctor. The postmortem examination must be rearranged on the university base and performed by the qualified doctors who are trained at least in pathology. The police officer specified in death investigation and forensic identification should be encouraged to keep doing their special work in many ways.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.221-226
• /
• 2014

Drug-resistance and imbalance of apoptotic regulation limit chemotherapy clinical application for the human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. The reactivation of p53 is an attractive therapeutic strategy in cancer with disrupted-p53 function. Nutlin-3, a MDM2 antagonist, has antitumor activity in various cancers. The post-translational modifications of p53 are a hot topic, but there are some controversy ideas about the function of phospho-$Ser^{392}$-p53 protein in cancer cell lines in response to Nutlin-3. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between Nutlin-3 and phospho-$Ser^{392}$-p53 protein expression levels in SMMC-7721 (wild-type TP53) and HuH-7 cells (mutant TP53). We demonstrated that Nutlin-3 induced apoptosis through down-regulation phospho-$Ser^{392}$-p53 in two HCC cells. The result suggests that inhibition of p53 phosphorylation on $Ser^{392}$ presents an alternative for HCC chemotherapy.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.474-481
• /
• 2023

The dental characteristics created by acquired dental treatments can be used as age estimators. This pilot study aimed to analyze the correlation between the number of teeth observed for dental characteristics and chronological age and to develop new non-invasive age estimation models. Dental features on panoramic radiographs (420 radiographs of subjects aged 20-89 years) were classified and coded. The correlation between the number of teeth for each selected code (codes V, X, T, F, P, and L) and age was observed, and multiple regression was performed to analyze the relationship between them. Eleven regression models with various combinations of dental sextants were presented. The model with the data from both sides of the posterior teeth on both jaws showed the best performance (root mean square error of 14.78 years and an adjusted R² of 0.461). The model with all teeth was the second-best. Based on these results, we confirmed statistically significant correlations between certain dental features and chronological age. We also observed that some regression models performed sufficiently well to be used as adjunctive methods in forensic practice. These results provide valuable information for the design and performance of future full-scale studies.

• The Korean Journal of Legal Medicine
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.111-125
• /
• 2018

Statistical analysis was performed on national forensic autopsy data collected in the Republic of Korea, with the exception of Ulsan, during 2017. A total of 8,777 cases were categorized based on the region; information was provided by the Police Agency and the Coast Guard regarding sex, age, manner of death, and cause of death. Analysis of the manner of death revealed that 3,971 cases (45.2%) were unnatural deaths, 3,679 cases (41.9%) were natural deaths, and 1,127 cases (12.8%) were unknown deaths. Among the unnatural deaths, the majority of the cases (1,740 cases, 43.8%) were accidents, 1,316 cases (33.1%) were suicide, 385 cases (9.7%) were homicide, and 530 cases (13.3%) were undetermined deaths. Among the unnatural deaths, the majority of the cases (1,575 cases, 39.7%) were trauma, followed by 793 cases (20.0%) of poisoning and 689 cases (17.4%) of asphyxia. Falling down was the major cause of death by trauma (737 cases, 46.8%). As a result of the classification of asphyxia based on previous study, strangulation was the major cause, with 538 cases (78.1%). Among the natural deaths, heart disease was the major cause (1,790 cases, 48.7%), followed by vascular disease (697 cases, 18.9%).

• The Korean Journal of Legal Medicine
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.172-175
• /
• 2018

Aortic dissection is an uncommon, life-threatening medical emergency that is associated with a high mortality rate, and death from aortic dissection is mainly related to secondary complications, namely cardiac tamponade, severe aortic regurgitation, acute myocardial infarction, and abdominal organ vessel obstruction. Hence, prompt and accurate diagnosis followed by proper treatment is important for patient survival. Herein, we present a rare case of sudden death after aortic dissection with concomitant acute myocardial infarction and cardiac tamponade.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.155-159
• /
• 2023

Studies describing the vascular systems and their variations in Situs inversus totalis (SIT) from a whole-body computed tomographic (CT) angiography perspective are lacking. We report a case of SIT in which postmortem CT angiography (PMCTA) was performed as a part of the forensic death investigation and incidentally detected several vascular variations in it. The PMCTA procedure was performed using the multiphase PMCTA protocol. Almost all major vessels were visualized, indeed in a completely reversed pattern. Contrast mixture flow interruptions were noted in the right coronary arterial branches suggesting possible blockage, upon which autopsy revealed >90% vessel occlusions at several locations. As such the cause of death was due to ischemic heart disease. Anomalous origins of the right internal mammary artery; abnormal left thyrocervical trunk and variations in the drainage of testicular veins were noted. Our findings might be helpful to clinicians and add to the body of literature on SIT.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.12
• /
• pp.4977-4982
• /
• 2014

Background: Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) might be involved in the development of bladder cancer. However, previous studies of any association between CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI polymorphism and bladder cancer risk have yielded conflicting results. In this study, we performed a more precise estimation of the relationship by a meta-analysis based on the currently available evidence from the literature. Method: To assess the effect of CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI polymorphism on bladder cancer susceptibility, a meta-analysis of 6 available studies with 1,510 cases and 1,560 controls were performed through Feb 2014. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of association for CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI polymorphism under different genetic models. Results: When available studies were pooled into the meta-analysis, we found that the C1C2 and C2C2 genotypes of CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI polymorphism significantly decreased bladder cancer risk under different genetic models (heterozygote: OR=0.766, 95%CI=0.613-0.957, $P_{OR}$=0.019; homozygote: OR=0.51, 95%CI=0.303-0.858, $P_{OR}$=0.011; dominant: OR=0.733, 95%CI=0.593-0.905, $P_{OR}$=0.004; recessive: OR=0.565, 95%CI=0.337-0.947, $P_{OR}$=0.030). Subgroup analysis indicated that C2C2 genotype was significantly associated with decreased bladder cancer risk under the homozygote genetic model in Caucasians. There was no evidence of heterogeneity or publication bias. Conclusions: The current meta-analysis suggested that the CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI polymorphism might be associated with bladder cancer susceptibility, especially in Caucasians. Further studies are needed to validate the above conclusion.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.257-268
• /
• 2002

Chronic infection and inflammation have recently been implicated as important etiologic agents of atherosclerosis. Several agents have been suggested as possible candidates including cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex vims type 1 (HSV-1), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Helicobacter pylori. We evaluated the relationship between cytornegalovirus infection and atherosclerosis by in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We examined 23 subjects with atherosclerosis and 10 matched control subjects without atherosclerosis. CMV was detected by in situ hybridization in 60.9% (14/23) of aorta and 42.9% (9/21) of coronary arteries in subjects with atherosclerosis. It was also detected by PCR in 65.2% (15/23) of aorta and 52.4% (11/21) of coronary arteries. CMV was detected on areas showing early or advanced atheromatous changes. Cells morphologically identical to smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and Schwann cells were positively reacted with the CMV probe. However. none of the cells to which the probe hybridized contained inclusion bodies, thus strongly suggesting that the arterial wall may be a site of CMV latency. This result Indicates that CMV may potentially play a direct or indirect role in the pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.24.1-24.9
• /
• 2024

Importance: In veterinary forensic science, accurately determining the postmortem interval (PMI) is crucial for identifying the causes of animal deaths. Autolysis, a significant postmortem process, influences PMI estimation, but its relationship with humidity is not well understood. Objective: This study aimed to improve the accuracy of PMI estimates in veterinary forensic cases by looking into how different humidity levels affect autolysis in different organs of rats. Methods: The study involved 38 male rats, examining histopathological changes in their heart, liver, and pancreas. These organs were subjected to controlled humidity levels (20%, 55%, and 80%) at a constant 22℃. Tissue samples were collected at several intervals (0 h, 12 h, 24 h, 3 days, and 8 days) for comprehensive analysis. Results: Distinct autolytic characteristics in animal organs emerged under varying humidity conditions. The low-humidity environment rapidly activated autolysis more than the high-humidity environment. In addition, it was found that lower humidity caused nuclear pyknosis, cytoplasmic disintegration, and myofiber interruption. The liver, in particular, showed portal triad aggregation and hepatocyte individuation. The pancreas experienced cell fragmentation and an enlarged intracellular space. High humidity also caused the loss of striations in cardiac tissues, and the liver showed vacuolation. Under these conditions, the pancreas changed eosinophilic secretory granules. Conclusions and Relevance: The study successfully established a clear connection between the autolytic process in PMIs and relative humidity. These findings are significant for developing a more accurate and predictable method for PMI estimation in the field of veterinary forensic science.

• The Korean Journal of Legal Medicine
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.164-167
• /
• 2018

Aspergillus infection is the most common cause of death due to fungi in immunocompromised hosts. Aspergillus tracheobronchitis is an uncommon but severe form of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which is limited entirely or mainly to the tracheobronchial tree and can often be life-threatening. We report a case of a 54-year-old man who died from Aspergillus tracheobronchitis without an underlying disease. Autopsy revealed an extensive yellowish plaque adhering to the trachea and bronchial wall. The microscopic examination of the trachea and bronchus revealed septate branching hyphae of Aspergillus.