Biomedical subjects

E Ambach

Publications and source records attributed to E Ambach.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1989

[Skin damage caused by fatal benzene fume inhalation].

Two young men tried to stop a leaking patrol pipe of a private car in a workshop pit. One of them died from petrol-vapour-poisoning. Toxicological analyses by means of headspace gas chromatography permitted the identification of gasoline vapour. The other victim lost consciousness for a few hours and survived. By investigation of both victims alterations of skin were observed and interpreted as combustions with burns and blisters. Therefore the law-enforcement agency supposed an explosion or deflagration of gasoline vapour. In reality the experts on burnings could not gain any indication of an explosion and we proved the skin alterations to be a dermatotoxic effect of petrol.

Burns, Chemical↗

PubMed1989

[Fatalities in Alpine skiing--autopsy results and forensic medicine conclusions].

135 corpses of persons died during alpine skiing were dissected between 1978 to 1987 on the Institute for Forensic Medicine, University of Innsbruck. 83% are masculine sex. 74 percent died as a consequence of an accident. 26 percent died a natural death. The causes of death and of the accidents which could partly be reconstructed are discussed. It is pointed out, that the forensic autopsy not least in demanded in connection with assurance questions.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

[Fatal accidents of motorcycle riders. Comparison of the craniocervical injury picture before and following introduction of the legally sanctioned protective helmet rule].

From 1982 to 1987 79 bodies of motorcycle riders have been dissected. Accident investigations by police proved, that 33 of them used protective helmets in the moment of accident, 40 of the victims were unhelmeted. In case of 6 accidents police investigations could not assign victims to one of those groups definitely. Our study demonstrates the change in injury patterns of the craniocervical region before and after introduction of liability for using protective helmets. We could determine, that the establishment of this law resulted in a significant recession of serious skull and brain injuries. On the other side we found a coincidental increase regarding injuries of craniocervical location, but mostly without fatal consequence.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

HLA-DQ alpha genotype and allele frequencies in an Austrian population.

The HLA-DQ alpha system is used to an increasing degree in forensic serology, for stain investigations, and paternity cases. Therefore samples which were taken from 85 unrelated persons living in Austria were examined. DNA was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification followed by hybridization to allele-specific oligonucleotide probes in a reversed dot-blot technique after extraction with phenol/chloroform. HLA-DQ alpha allele frequencies of German, Finnish, Dutch, British, Italian, Caucasian/USA and of Austrian populations were compared. Six common HLA-DQ alpha alleles are detectable. These alleles determine 21 possible genotypes. In our study 20 genotypes were obtained; the genotype 3/3 was not observed. The HLA-DQ alpha typing system using PCR-amplified DNA is a simple and rapid method for typing very small amounts of DNA and very old and/or degraded DNA. Therefore it is a helpful method in forensic casework.

Alleles↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Unusual wound morphology after textile penetration by the automatic rifle (StG) 58. A case report].

Technical characteristics of the used fire-arm and ammunition, the firing range and the shot through garments of the victim are essential factors, that exercise an influence on the appearance of gunshot injuries. An exemplary case-report shall emphasize the importance of these factors. It deals with a suicidal double-shot fired from an automatic rifle by a young soldier. The wounds were localized in the left chest region and the adjacent skin was blackened by soot in a remarkable geometrical pattern, although an ammunition with a smokeless charge has been used. By means of comparative shots we have good reasons to suppose this phenomenon to be caused by rests of gun powder and pressure of the explosion gas leaved in the barrel after the first shot. The second projectile pushed out this explosion gas to the skin that had been uncovered in a star-shaped way by the first shot.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Asphyxia protracted after shaking trauma].

A case of "shaken baby syndrome" (SBS) is reported. A 3 1/2 months old female baby has been found by his mother death in bed. The circumstances predicted a case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), but the father, a disc-jockey, who had to look for the baby, had left a notice: "Gitti--i didn't want it, I don't know what had happened, I'm sorry!". The corpse of the baby had no external signs of violence. At the medicolegal examination we found small subarachnoidal and subdural hemorrhage from ruptured bridge veins and signs of prolonged asphyxia. Few hours later the father could be arrested. He told that he had shaken the baby, because she didn't stop crying. The infant lost conscious and he layed him down to the bed with his face below. Then he looked TV for at least a few minutes. After insufficient reanimation he had left the house. The court found the man to be guilty of fatal infant child abuse and convicted him to detention of 8 months. The main signs of SBS are discussed (subarachnoidal and subdural hemorrhage, intraretinal and periretinal hemorrhages, brain edema). Especially in the german speaking Europe many medical examiners are not familiar with this form of infant child abuse.

Child Abuse↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Fatal injuries caused by glass fragments. Case reports and autopsy findings].

The authors report three cases of fatal domestic accidents by falling through glass doors. Multiple cuts and stabwounds in one of these cases primarily suggested a crime of violence. In contrast the bodies of the two other perished persons showed only unsignificant injuries. Causes of death were aerous embolism (1 case) and mechanical bleeding to death (2 cases). The common morphological signs of these glass injuries are exemplified and preventive measures are discussed.

Accidental Falls↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Fatalities in west Austrian prisons].

The purpose of this study is to review 23 causes of death that have occurred in Western-Austrian prisons from 1974 to 1989. The majority of them (11 cases) were due to suicides. Among 9 cases of natural death there was a 25 years old man, who died of an unknown purulent meningoencephalitis. Two drunken prisoners had not been supervised and therefore died of alcohol poisoning. In one case the police jail physician did not recognize an epidural hematoma.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Unusual circumstances in the discovery of a cadaver. Autopsy and results of findings].

The uncommon case of a 19 year old man is reported, whose corpse has been found lying in the middle of a road nearby an overpass. The investigators suspected a capital crime because of some strange findings--such as crossed legs, a stub of a cigarette between the fingers of the right hand and suspect head-injuries. The further forensic and criminalistic investigations proved, that the young man tumbled down the bridge head over heals and died of brain-injuries.

Accidental Falls↗