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Biomedical subjects

B Jacob

Publications and source records attributed to B Jacob.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Suicides by starter's pistols and air guns.

We report the case of a 25-year-old depressed woman who committed suicide with a starter's pistol loaded with CS tear-gas ammunition. The propellant gases of the contact shot entered her chest through the left sixth intercostal space. Exsanguination was caused by perforations of the pericardium and apex of the heart. Autopsy did not reveal any metallic or other foreign bodies that might have originated from the propellant, the cartridge, or any bulletlike material. Her injuries were thus caused by the propellant alone. 0.5 mg L-1 of the CS degradation product cyanide was detected in the cardiac blood. We also report the case of a 54-year-old man, suffering from depressive psychosis, who committed suicide with an air rifle. The lead-pointed Diabolo bullet entered his brain through the right large wing of the sphenoid bone, traversed the right temporal brain pole, damaged the right middle cerebral artery and the right optic tract, and finally lodged in the left central ganglia. There was extensive basal subdural hemorrhage and tamponade of all cerebral ventricles. Death was attributed to cerebral failure. We furthermore list another 26 cases of suicide by rarely used weapons from 1947 to 1989.

Adult↗

Death, after swallowing and aspiration of a high number of foreign bodies, in a schizophrenic woman.

A 46-year-old woman who had had a long-term schizoid psychosis collapsed on the street. Upon admission to the hospital, she was determined to have an acute abdomen. The chest radiograph showed metallic foreign bodies in both main bronchi; foreign bodies in the stomach were not observed clinically. The woman died from repeated cardiac arrest shortly after hospital admission. At the autopsy a screw and a nail were found in both main bronchi. The abdominal cavity contained 2 L of greenish purulent fluid and a massive fibrinoid peritonitis was observed. Two perforations of the stomach, each 1 cm in diameter, were detected. The stomach was completely filled with a mass of metallic foreign bodies, greenish fluid, and a bezoar of a total weight of 1,400 g; 422 distinguishable and mostly metallic foreign bodies were counted. Death was attributed to cardiac arrest in delayed shock after massive purulent peritonitis caused by two gastric perforations combined with obstruction of the airways by aspirated foreign bodies. Cases of massive swallowing of foreign bodies are mainly restricted to mentally handicapped persons, especially schizophrenics, whereas acute impaction of the larynx by large food particles occurs nearly exclusively in heavily intoxicated adults.

Abdomen, Acute↗

[Lysozyme in calves].

Relatively high lysozyme concentrations, depending on age, were recorded from intestinal content, spleen, liver, kidney, lung, lymph nodes, and mucosa of calves. Yet, only minor quantities of lysozyme were found in blood serum or plasma and in granulocytes. Physicochemical characterisation, precipitation, using polyclonal antisera, and crosswise neutralisation of lysis reaction were likely to suggest occurrence of immunological relationship reactions as well as differences between organ lysozymes, on the one hand, and intestinal lysozymes, on the other.

Age Factors↗

Death by bolus impaction of the larynx.

The paper reports on 78 cases of fatal choking observed in the Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Duesseldorf, since 1947. The age median of all victims was 53 years. There were 24 females among the victims. Only in one child a solitary occlusion of the glottis by a collar-button was found. In all other cases bolus material was distributed over more than one region, e.g. larynx, glottis and trachea. In 50 victims single pieces of meat, ham, herring etc. were found. In the remaining 28 cases the bolus material was roughly chewed. More than 80 per cent of cases occurred in restaurants and lodgings, only small numbers in public places, shops and hospitals. With the exception of three children, one patient with a partial horizontal resection of the larynx and some mentally handicapped persons all bolus death victims were heavily drunk (median BAC 2.1 Promille). The possible pathomechanisms were discussed.

Age Factors↗

Multiple suicidal gunshots to the head.

We report two cases of suicide by multiple gunshots to the head. The first victim (of two shots) fired the first shot, which was observed, into his mouth, leading to damage to the left optic nerve and frontal lobe. The man still was able to drive his car home, where he shot himself in his right temple. He died 2 days later. The second victim (of three shots) was a 58-year-old man who was found dead on his bed. Reconstruction of the case disclosed that the first shot had passed through his tongue and slightly damaged the second cervical vertebral body. He then shot himself in his right temple, leading to damage of the temporal lobe. Finally, he shot himself in his left temple, resulting in destruction of the pons. In the first case, an amateurishly modified 8-mm blank revolver firing 6.35-mm- (.25)-caliber ammunition was used; in the second case, a rifle firing 5.6-mm (.22)-caliber ammunition with a reduced charge was used. In both cases, low-energy transfer to brain tissue by the initial bullets was due to low bullet energy or due to the bullets' missing the brain or vital centers.

Adult↗

Fatal accidental enflurane intoxication.

Among reported cases of abuse of volatile anesthetics there is only one of enflurane intoxication. We report another fatal enflurane intoxication. A 21-year-old man found dead seemed to have experimented with enflurane. Three and one-half days after death high amounts of enflurane were detected in blood, brain, and subcutaneous fat. Gas chromatographic quantification revealed the following high enflurane concentrations: blood: 130 mg/l-1, brain: 350 mg/l-1, and subcutaneous fat: 100 mg/l-1. Histologic signs of drug-induced damage were lacking. No suicide intentions became known. It was concluded that the young man died of an accidental intoxication while abusing enflurane.

Adult↗

Direct radioimmunoassay for rat T-kininogen.

Antibodies raised in rabbits against pure rat T-kininogen did not cross-react with Ile-Ser-Bradykinin, bradykinin, nor with kininogens from other mammalian species. They presented a 1 to 15% cross-reaction with pure rat HMW kininogen, depending on the quantity of HMW kininogen. A direct radioimmunoassay for rat T-kininogen in plasma was developed and it enabled 89 fmol of the protein to be detected. A good correspondence was obtained between the direct RIA and the T-kinin generating assay. By the direct assay, it was found that T-kininogen is increased about ten fold in rats subcutaneously injected with turpentine. These data were confirmed by HPLC analysis of the plasma kinins released by trypsin which demonstrated that only T-kinins are increased, bradykinin being unchanged. It was possible according to the results obtained by the direct RIA and HPLC analysis to estimate that in the normal rat, HMW and LMW kininogen represent about 35% and T-kininogen 65%. In the turpentine-treated rat, T-kininogen reached 95%. This RIA will allow the study of the regulation of T-kininogen in the rat and the synthesis of this protein in cells in culture.

Animals↗

[The heptose region of lipopolysaccharides of Pasteurella multocida].

The heptose region of the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Pasteurella multocida consists of the trisaccharide L Hep 1----2 L Hep 1----3 L Hep or L Hep 1----3 L Hep 1----2 L Hep. This trisaccharide and the oligosaccharide consisting of 3 moles heptose and 1 mole glucose were isolated from the LPS of the strain D 33. The data suggest that the LPS biosynthesis of P. multocida is different from that of Salmonella spp.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Fenofibrate and colestipol: effects on serum and lipoprotein lipids and apolipoproteins in familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Effects on serum lipoproteins were studied in ten patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) during consecutive eight-week treatment periods with fenofibrate 0.3 g/day, fenofibrate plus colestipol, 15 g/day, and fenofibrate 0.25 g/day plus colestipol. VLDL, LDL, HDL, HDL2, and HDL3 were isolated by ultracentrifugation and precipitation. Lipids and apolipoproteins A-I and B were determined by enzymatic and immunonephelometric techniques, respectively. Administration of fenofibrate alone resulted in decreases in VLDL and LDL cholesterol (-48% and -18%) and in serum apolipoprotein B (-10%), but in increases in HDL, HDL2, and HDL3 (+25%, +26%, and +24%), and in serum apolipoprotein A-I (+6%). Addition of colestipol produced a further reduction in LDL cholesterol (-31%) and in serum apolipoprotein B (-19%). The effects were maintained with less fenofibrate. In FH, an acceptable therapy combines the favourable effects of sufficient lowering of LDL and of a rise in HDL.

Adult↗

Molecular weight determination of peptides by high-performance gel permeation chromatography.

A method for molecular weight determination of small peptides using Bio-Sil TSK 20 and Bio-Gel TSK 125 columns is described. The TSK 20 column provided a good separation of the standard peptides in the range from 1000-10,000 with an accuracy of less than 5% from the calculated regression line. Two combined TSK 125 columns allowed a reliable molecular weight determination in the range from 800 to 3500.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

On the pyridoxal-5'-phosphate stimulation of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in serum and erythrocytes of patients undergoing chronic haemodialysis and with kidney transplants.

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) determinations in erythrocytes of patients undergoing chronic haemodialysis and with kidney transplants showed that patients receiving vitamin B6 had a smaller relative stimulation rate of AST by pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (P-5-P). In contrast to these results in erythrocytes, the apoAST and apo-alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities in serum were increased in patients as compared with those of healthy persons. The corresponding relative stimulation rates of AST and ALT by P-5-P addition to the reaction mixture were not changed in the haemodialysis patients, but in renal transplant recipients the relative stimulation rate of AST was significantly smaller and that of ALT was greater.

Alanine Transaminase↗

[Characterization of structural elements in lipopolysaccharides of Pasteurella multocida].

In the main fraction of oligosaccharides obtained after the acetic acid hydrolysis of the lipopolysaccharides of the strain PM were identified: terminal bound glucose and L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, 1,2-,1,3,4-, and 1,3,4,6,-linked heptose. The oligosaccharide of the strain 1297 S contains terminal linked galactose, 1,4- or 1,6-linked glucose and 1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine additionally. The molar ratios of these elements show the heterogenicity of the preparations. The determined molecular weights underline the R-character of the LPS. In the by-fractions of the acetic acid hydrolysis the known mannan and another polysaccharide with galactose and glucosamine were identified.

Cell Wall↗

[Morphometric evaluation of osteoclasts in non-decalcified bone sections. Its value in the diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism].

The authors assessed the surface areas of osteocytic lacunae in non-decalcified bone sections using a histomorphometric method involving a device with an adaptable drawing on the microscope and a graduated sheet. In 7 cases of primary hyperparathyroidism proven surgically and in 8 cases of hyperparathyroidism secondary to chronic renal failure, there was significant periosteocytic enlargement in comparison with a group of 7 controls. This method involving non-decalcified bone sections makes it possible to use the same slides as for the quantitative study of bone volumes, and osteoid, osteoclastic and fibrous surface areas. It is thus of great interest in the positive histological diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism.

Bone and Bones↗