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Biomedical subjects

E Liebhardt

Publications and source records attributed to E Liebhardt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Rib fractures in children--resuscitation or child abuse?

The autopsy reports of 233 babies and children aged between 5 days and 7 years, including 190 cases of non-traumatic and 43 cases of traumatic death, were reviewed. In 94 out of 190 cases of death due to natural causes, attempted resuscitation (closed-chest massage) was performed and only in 2 cases could fractures of the ribs localized on both sides in the midclavicular line be observed. In 15 of the 43 cases of death due to traumatic events, fractures mainly of the posterior ends of the ribs occurred. These observations support the published findings of other authors which indicate that fractures of ventral parts of the thorax can occur during resuscitation. Fractures localized in particular in dorsal parts of the chest wall of infants without metabolic bone diseases, however, must be interpreted as a strong indication of physical child abuse. It was observed that relevant injuries due to resuscitation are caused much more frequently or almost exclusively by physicians than by non-medical persons. This finding refutes any possible claims that rib fractures were caused by inexpert resuscitation in a panic-like reaction.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed1991

National characteristics of dental treatment in disaster victim identification.

In this age of mass tourism it is necessary to identify repeatedly a great number of casualties. In otherwise hopeless cases of identification dental alloys can be broken down by energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis and an scanning electron microscope to furnish valuable clues as to the country of their origin.

Dental Alloys↗
PubMed1991

[Breath alcohol in relation to blood alcohol: problem with deviant values].

We report 23 cases of considerable differences of the results of breath alcohol analyses and the corresponding blood alcohol analyses observed by seven Institutes of Forensic Medicine in Germany and Austria. The usefulness of breath alcohol analysis on forensic casework at the courts will have to be evaluated on the bases of the possibility of such grave deviations.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1990

[DNA analysis of HLA class II and III genes in sudden infant death (SIDS)].

In 39 cases of SID we studied the polymorphism of HLA-class II genes DRB and DQB and HLA-class III genes C4 (C4A and C4B, genes encoding the fourth complement component) and 21-hydroxylase (21OH-A and 21OH-B, genes encoding the enzyme 21-hydroxylase of the cortisol pathway) by DNA analysis. This study was performed in cooperation with the Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Munich. Compared to healthy controls the percentage of C4B gene deletions, C4B gene duplications (C4B "short") and 21OH-A gene deletions is increased in SIDS. The deviations are statistically not significant. The analysis of the HLA-DR alleles revealed a significant decrease of HLA-DR2 in SIDS compared to controls (p = 0.0016, pc = 0.016). The results of this study indicate a possible role of C4B/21OH-A gene defects as a risk factor in a subgroup of SID cases. This hypothesis has to be confirmed by studying further cases.

Chromosome Aberrations↗
PubMed1990

[Myoglobin concentrations of cadaver blood in fatal electric injuries].

In cases of death due to electrical current frequently autopsies do not reveal makroscopic findings. Recent reports indicated, that an increased concentration of myoglobin in blood sampled from the heart and femoral vein as a sign of membraneous alteration related to electrical current passing the human body is applicable to prove death from electricity, as far as other factors extremely influencing myoglobin concentration can be excluded. Determination of myoglobin by radioimmunoassay performed on 5 cases of death caused by electrical current, 3 cases of sudden death due to heart disease and several other causes of death did not verify any correlation between myoglobin concentration and causes of death.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Species identification by fragmented DNA].

The species of raw meat as well as heat-processed meat can be determined by DNA dot-blot hybridization-techniques. We investigated on artificially degraded DNA whether various DNA qualities could influence the validity of the experiment results. We demonstrated that degraded DNA could also react according to the species. The shorter the DNA fragments, the discreter was the reaction when high molecular weight DNA was used as a probe. This effect is not observed with degraded DNA as a probe.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

[Intra-individual changes in potassium in the cerebrospinal fluid after death].

In cases of sudden death with known postmortem interval multiple determinations of potassium concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid at defined intervals were done. The values of intraindividual potassium levels were compared to a regression-line obtained in a former investigation from 76 determinations of 76 different bodies. Estimation of postmortem interval by extrapolation of potassium levels to zero time of change is not reliable.

Humans↗
PubMed1989

[Differentiation of food composition in the digestive tract].

Plant DNA was isolated from the contents of the stomach and hybridized with DNA isolates from the contents of different parts of the bowels. By this procedure we pursued the passage of the chyme. The possible predictions of this investigation concerning the shortest interval between the last meal and death will be discussed.

DNA Probes↗
PubMed1989

[Species identification in traces using molecular biology methods].

The species of a biological sample (blood, hairs) was determined by hybridization of its DNA with specific control DNA using either the former or the latter as probe. The labelling of the probes occurred with radioactive nucleotides by random priming or by the non-radioactive sulfonation of cytosine residues. Species identification by means of DNA hybridization is practicable even after denaturing the sample by heat or after treatment with H2O2. In case of a human sample, the sex of the donor can be determined, too.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

[Sex determination at the DNA level. Are inter-individual differences in male sex specific quotients to be expected?].

A determination of sex was performed for 23 male individuals using sex-specific DNA-probe (Y) (pJA 1143) and total human DNA as DNA-probes (A). The DNA-probes were P32 marked. Applying dot-blot-hybridisation black spots are obtained, the intensity of which may be quantified by a densimeter. The ratio (A/Y) of the intensity of the spots related to total human DNA (A) and to the sex-specific DNA-probe (Y) was calculated. DNA-dilutions of one male individual were prepared in order to determine the ratio (A/Y) for different DNA-concentrations. It was evident that the deviations for the sex-specific quotients of the DNA-dilutions amounts so large-scaled as compared to the quotients of the 23 male individuals, that the method of dot-blot-hybridisation appears not to be applicable to detect an individual component of a particular spot.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1989

[Classification of blood stains inside a car using molecular genetic methods].

Sex-determination of a 1-year old blood-stain was realited by Dot-blot-Hybridisierung. The bloodstains were inside of a car. It was not clear, if the origin is female or male. By using total human DNA-probe (A) and a sex-specific DNA-probe (Y), (pJA 1143), labeled with P32, as soon as the calculation of the sex-specific quotient (A/Y) you could show, the bloodstains must be descended from a man.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1988

Recognition of low-level alcohol intoxication from speech signal.

Eleven male subjects were required to read a text in both sober and alcohol intoxicated conditions. By means of statistical signal analysis, frequency distributions of fundamental frequency (F0), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), ratio of first- to second-formant frequencies (F1/F2), variation speed of the frequencies F0, F1, F2, and the long-term average spectrum (LTAS) were determined. The distributions were examined for their suitability in discriminating between sober and intoxicated conditions. The SNR and F0 distributions as well as the LTAS discriminated with an error rate less than 5%. Combination of SNR and F0 profiles enabled correct discrimination in all cases. The parameter F1/F2 describing the articulation varied strongly among individuals. It was modified only with high levels of blood alcohol. Frequency variation speeds were not altered by intoxication. Speaker recognition by means of LTAS was interpreted as a perturbation of laryngeal movement control, where long-term voice effort was found to produce similar effects to alcohol intoxication. On the basis of the present results and various other factors (ambiguity of the sources of the acoustic effects, expense of the procedure), application of acoustic analysis in forensic medicine for recognition of low-level alcohol intoxication is considered inexpedient.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗