K.R. Nagesh

Stature estimation from the length of the sternum in South Indian males: A preliminary study☆

Estimation of stature is one of the important initial steps during forensic analysis of human skeletal remains. The aim of the present study was to derive a linear regression formula for estimating stature of adult South Indian males from the length of the sternum. The study included 35 male sternums of South Indian origin dissected from cadavers during medico-legal autopsies. The linear regression equation [Stature=117.784 + (3.429 x Sternal length)] was derived to estimate the stature from the length of the sternum. The correlation coefficient was 0.638. The standard error of the estimate was 5.64 cm. This preliminary study concludes that the length of the sternum can be used as a tool for stature estimation in adult South Indian males.

Postmortem diagnosis of acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis

Forensic pathologists can help in the investigation of sudden unexpected deaths in co-operation with the officials responsible for the maintenance of law and order to administer justice. Sudden unexpected deaths form the subject of medicolegal investigation if they occur in apparently healthy individuals, wherein an autopsy would shed light regarding the cause of death. A 4 year retrospective review of autopsy files at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, South India was undertaken for cases of sudden unexpected deaths due to acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis occurring between May 2004 and April 2008. A total of seven cases of acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis diagnosed at autopsy as the cause of sudden unexpected death during the study period are discussed herein.

Acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis – A case of sudden death

Sudden death in young individuals is relatively uncommon and acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis as a cause of sudden and unexpected death is a rare phenomenon. A case of sudden death due to acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis is reported in a young doctor who ignored the radiating pain of acute pancreatitis for gastritis, and resorted to self-medication. The condition was discovered only at autopsy.

Demirjian's method in the estimation of age: A study on human third molars

Aim: The primary aim of the following study is to estimate the chronological age based on the stages of third molar development following the eight stages (A to H) method of Demirjian et al. (along with two modifications-Orhan) and secondary aim is to compare third molar development with sex and age. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 115 orthopantomograms from South Indian subjects with known chronological age and gender. Multiple regression analysis was performed with chronological age as the dependable variable and third molar root development as independent variable. All the statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 11.0 package (IBM ® Corporation). Results: Statistically no significant differences were found in third molar development between males and females. Depending on the available number of wisdom teeth in an individual, R2 varied for males from 0.21 to 0.48 and for females from 0.16 to 0.38. New equations were derived for estimating the chronological age. Conclusion: The chronological age of a South Indian individual between 14 and 22 years may be estimated based on the regression formulae. However, additional studies with a larger study population must be conducted to meet the need for population-based information on third molar development.

Bilateral calcified stylohyoid ligament: an incidental autopsy finding with medicolegal significance.

Eagles syndrome occurs due to elongation of the styloid process or calcification of the stylohyoid ligament, which then may produce a pain sensation due to pressure exerted on various structures in the head and neck region. A case report of calcified stylohyoid ligament found incidentally at autopsy and further confirmed by computed tomography scan and histopathology is herein discussed with associated medicolegal significance.

Apparent partial hanging.

A careful analysis of circumstances and investigations of death scene are required before commenting on the manner of death in a case of hanging. Hanging may result from either complete or incomplete suspension of the body. Two cases of hanging are reported where discrimination in eyewitnesss account and death scene investigation report was evident regarding type of hanging (complete/partial). The use of term apparent partial hanging is proposed in such cases. Body position in hanging is one of the numerous factors that determine the strength of the neck compression by the ligature and thus should be considered in the evaluation of dying process and pathomorphologic feature of hanging. The cases also put a probable explanation to the higher incidence of partial hangings in different studies. We believe that incidence of true partial hangings may be much lower than that reported in the literature.

Male external genitalia injury caused by ‘elephant stampede’

We report an unusual and rare cause of male external genitalia injury, caused by an elephant stampede. The incident occurred when the unfortunate victim was attending a �call of nature� early one morning in the coffee plantation estate adjacent to his residence in Coorg District of Karnataka State, India. The patient sustained injuries to the left chest and left thigh, as well as a degloving scrotal injury on the right side. Language: en

Suicide by combined insulin and glipizide overdose in a non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus physician: a case report.

A case of self-injected insulin intoxication with an oral hypoglycaemic agent glipizide overdose in a type-II/non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) individual, a physician by profession, is presented with a review of the literature. The case demonstrates the need for thorough scene investigation, perusal of clinical details and complete autopsy to certify the death caused by combined insulin and glipizide overdose, and the manner of death. A meticulous search in the English literature reveals that hardly any fatal cases of combined insulin and glipizide overdose have been reported, with almost no cases from India, thus making this case report relevant and unique.

Evaluation of the mastoid triangle for determining sexual dimorphism: A Saudi population based study

Demographic assessment of skeletal remains in forensic investigations includes identification of sex. The present study aimed to develop population-specific, sex-discriminating anthropometric standards for the mastoid triangle of a documented Saudi population using computed tomographic (CT) images of the lateral aspect of the skull. The present study was performed on 206 CT images of a documented Saudi population of known sex and age. The clinical CT images of subjects visiting the Department of Radiology, Dammam Medical Complex, Dammam, Saudi Arabia (KSA) were evaluated to know the validity of the metric assessment of the mastoid triangle for identification of sex in a Saudi population. The distance between asterion to porion (AP), asterion to mastoidale (AM), porion to mastoidale (PM) were measured and the area of the mastoid triangle (AMT) was calculated using these measurements. Discriminant function procedure was used to analyze the data for sexual dimorphism. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that all the 3 sides of the mastoid triangle and AMT were sexually dimorphic in the sampled Saudi population with PM being the best individual parameter in discriminating sex with an accuracy of 69.4%. Whereas, all the parameters combined showed the highest accuracy (71.4%).

The Mangalore Aircrash of 22 May 2010: Practical Problems Related to Identification of the Dead in a Populous Developing Country

It was a sad and emotional moment for the citizens of Mangalore, India when the “Dubai to Mangalore” Air India Express Boeing 737-800 flight IX-812 crashed at the Mangalore International Airport on 22 May 2010, killing 158 people on board. Identification of the victims was difficult as most of the bodies were charred beyond easy recognition. The practical problems faced by the legal authorities in identifying the charred victims in a populous and developing country like India are discussed in this paper.