Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Bratzke

Publications and source records attributed to H Bratzke.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

[Remarkable findings in the criminal dismemberment of a corpse].

The objects of examination were two legs and two arms that were recovered at different times from waters traveled on by motor ships. The right leg was exarticulated at the hip joint, as was the right arm at the shoulder joint. Identification was complicated since both thumbs were exarticulated at the basal joints; the fingers II to V, respectively, were partially amputated. Identity (57-year-old vocational school teacher) could be established nevertheless by a number of anatomic findings (such as Dupuytren's contracture, coxitis, hallux rigidus), the blood group "O" was tatooed on the inner side of the left upper arm. The results of the laboratory examinations were only of limited use due to advanced decomposition (beginning formation of adipocere). Special attention should be given to the fact that on the same part of the corpse there were signs of defensive corpse dismemberment and injuries from a ship's propeller as well. Under no circumstances can an examination of the bones, after thorough maceration, be dispensed with; X-ray examinations are also imperative in cases of this nature.

Amputation, Traumatic↗
PubMed1982

[Radiographic investigation during medico-legal autopsies (author's transl)].

During the last 13 years (1968-1980), 427 radiographic examinations were carried out during the course of medico-legal autopsies at the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Free University of Berlin. Important problems were the demonstration of retained foreign bodies resulting from shooting, stabbing or blunt trauma, bone injuries, identification, and the question of life in neonates. An historical survey is given and 12 cases with special forensic problems are illustrated and discussed, and further means of investigation are described.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

[Experimental neurotraumatology--rotation (author's transl)].

Experimental simulations of motion of the brain at impact were carried out. Rotational accelerations from 2,000 up to 8,000 rad/s2 with durations of 8 to 32 ms were applied to preparations of human skull and brain. The tests were filmed with a high-speed camera with up to 3,000 frames/s. Due to inertia there were relative motion and displacement of the upper part of the brain relative to the skull-cap. Marked displacements (maximum: 2cm) were observed on atrophied brains. Test results are discussed and compared with other investigations.

Acceleration↗
PubMed1980

[Cardiac contusion after traffic accident? (author's transl)].

A 62-year-old driver died 5 h after a slight traffic accident under the clinical diagnosis of "contusion cordis" in spite of an emergency thoracotomy. The post-mortem examination revealed no evidence of traumatic impact; death was attributed rather to stenosing coronary sclerosis with extensive coronary lesions and detachment of the parietal thrombuses. A causal connection in law could not be presumed; from the insurance point of view the role played by the accident, particularly in regard to the emotional excitement, was estimated at about 30%.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1979

[Traumatic rupture of the aorta after a jump from the 3-meter-board (author's transl)].

Report on a protracted rupture of the aorta in an unusual place (on the diphragmatic fissure and over the junction of the renal arteries). A 13 years old boy who jumped from the 3-meter-board landed flat on his back in the water. A complete rupture with haemorrhaging in the left thoracic cavity and the para-aortal tissue developed 20 h after the accident under clinical observation with non-specific symptoms. Judging by the biomechanical development, the rupture can best be explained as the result of horizontal deceleration. Pathological changes in the aorta wall could not be identified.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

[The relevance of spontaneous ruptures of the aorta in forensic medicine (author's transl)].

Report on 42 cases of "spontaneous rupture of the aorta" (0.4% of the examined autopsies in the case of 9817 court-ordered post mortem examinations, or 1.4% of the deaths by "natural causes"). The ratio of sexes male to female was 2:1. The cause of changes in blood vessels were arteriosclerosis (53.6%) and medionecrosis (31.7%). In 57.1% of cases, ruptures were in the ascending part, in 11.9% in the arch, in 7.1% in the thoracic descending part and in 21.4% in the abdominal descending part. With the exception of 3 cases with incomplete rupture and death due to circulation failure, the commonest causes of death were pericardial tamponade or hemorrhage into the thoracic or abdominal cavity. In 6 cases (1 X arteriosclerosis, 5 X medionecrosis) the question had to be examined as to whether external influences were only an initiating factor or whether they constituted a legally relevant cause for the rupture and subsequent death. In 4 cases such a relationship was ruled out after examination of the circumstances and autopsy findings. In 2 cases (cases 3 and 4) the role of an external influence could not be ruled out for the moment. The penal and insurance problems are discussed in depth on the basis of the literature.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Application of the novel immunoassay TRIAGE to a rapid detection of antemortem drug abuse.

The applicability of the immunoassay TRIAGE (E. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) as a simple and rapid assay for antemortem drug abuse was tested on 100 urine samples from forensic autopsies. The samples were also analyzed by fluorescence polarization immunoassay and by chromatographic methods. The confirmation rate of the TRIAGE results by chromatographic analysis was 92% for benzodiazepines, 95% for cannabinoids, 96% for cocaine, 100% for opiates and barbiturates, and 82% for amphetamines. Because the urine samples were taken from corpses, the latter finding can be explained by false-positive amphetamine results due to cross-reactivity of the antibodies used in current immunoassay technologies with phenylalkylamines, which are generated in postmortem decomposition processes. In fact, tyramine, a typical product of putrefaction, was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in 11 samples of false-positive amphetamine determinations. TRIAGE produces positive amphetamine results for samples containing tyramine in concentrations of more than 5 mg/L. The detection limit of the TRIAGE assay for 7-aminoflunitrazepam, the major urinary metabolite of flunitrazepam, is within the range of 0.5-1 mg/L.

Chromatography, Thin Layer↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Death caused by "attack dog" bites. A contribution to current discussion].

Two cases of fatal dog-bite incidents caused by males of the "American Staffordshire terrier" breed currently known as "fighting dogs" are reported. Both happened in elderly women, one of them handicapped. Reconstruction of the accidents revealed some peculiar characteristics of these dogs, namely the ability to attack undesirably and forcefully as well as the enormous grip of their jaws. Considerable public attention has been drawn to some breeds which seem to predominate in dog-bite statistics and are summarized as "pit bulls". For the animal behaviourist it is not justifiable to condemn only the dog and blame it solely for damage inflicted. Scientific casework has to encompass the situational background of any case and the animal's holder because there is often a close association between the character of the dog and its human counterpart. Implications of such incidents for public safety policy and forensic science are to be discussed.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Practice of forensic entomology. Part 1: Insect collection at the site of discovery of the corpse].

The life cycle of a fly illustrates that the late immature stages of necrophagous insects frequently leave the body, and are therefore not found on the corpse itself. Taking into account these stages (i.e. pupae) while investigating a death scene is very important. Two case histories demonstrate the effects of not taking that fact into consideration when determining the post-mortem interval. Since there is no standardized method in Germany for collecting insects at a death scene, an entomological collection kit with a short instruction is introduced.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Death in homes for the aged/nursing homes from the legal medicine viewpoint].

Following the death of 16 inhabitants of a nursing home within a period of 2 weeks, the prosecution ordered legal autopsies in all of the cases, which had not yet been buried or cremated, suspecting a neglect of nursing or active euthanasia respectively. Two out of a total of ten cases revealed drug overdoses which could have explained death. However, due to concurring causes of death, the evidence could not be furnished with adequate security. In the present case, the examinations helped--already in a preliminary stage of the investigations--to prevent the authorities from more expensive proceedings as well as the respective nursing home from being unjustly suspected of having committed a criminal offense.

Aged↗