Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology

Leiomyoma are most common benign tumors of the uterus, mostly situated in the body of the uterus. Rarely, they arise from extrauterine sites with broad ligament leiomyoma being uncommon.1 A 49-year-old female, multipara presented in outpatient department with complaints of lower abdominal pain and abdominal distension. Abdominal examination revealed a firm mass arising from the pelvis corresponding to 18 week size. On per vaginal examination, huge mass was palpable occupying whole abdomen; uterus was not felt separately. CECT abdomen and pelvis revealed lesion arising from right adnexa and occupying pelvic region most likely suggestive of neoplastic etiology of ovary? USG was suggestive of an abdominopelvic neoplastic lesion arising from right adnexa. Total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was done. The specimen was sent for histopathological examination. Histopathological examination revealed broad ligament leiomyoma. This case is being reported for its rare incidence, diagnostic dilemma with ovarian malignancy and surgical challenge.

Ascaris Lumbricoides or common round worm is the most common of human helminths and is distributed worldwide. Infection is more prevalent in the low socioeconomic areas locations with poor hygienic habits like lack of regular hand washing and proper disposal of human excretions. Ascariasis causes both intestinal and extra intestinal problems but very rarely leads to death. Most patients infected with Ascaris have a chronic disease course and remain asymptomatic for years or present with only mild symptoms.We report a case of an adolescent boy who was admitted with abdominal pain and passed away next day. The autopsy was conducted and it was found that boy died due to intestinal obstruction due to the ascaris infestation. The authors aim to highlight the risk of mortality due to ascaris infestation. The susceptible population should be educated and screened so as to prevent any further complications and avoidable fatality. The authors also aid to increase the awareness amongst autopsy surgeons about the presence of this hidden pathological fnding in sudden undiagnosed death.

In all Medico-legal cases and sudden suspicious deaths, an Autopsy is done to establish the cause of death. An Autopsy examination is compulsory in all cases of homicides to fx the probable cause of death, time since death, nature of injuries, and the probable weapon used. Sometimes, problems may arise when there is a conflict between the Doctor’s opinion and the eyewitness testimony. In such cases, there arises the question of whether the court will admit the doctors’ evidence or the eye witness testimony. In the present case series, we have examined fve cases of homicide with the court verdict and found that in some cases the verdict was delivered based on the post-mortem report and in some casesit was based on both the post-mortem report and the eyewitness testimony. In a few cases, it was based only on the eyewitness testimony. In cases of where there was a conflict of opinion, the testimony of eyewitnesses was considered superior.

Microbial forensics is a feld that uses scientifc methods to analyze the evidence of bioterrorism, bio crimes, hoaxes, or the unintentional release of a biological agent or microbial toxin to determine who is to blame. It is now possible to characterize microorganisms for various human forensic applications, including human identifcation, body fluid characterization, postmortem interval estimation, and bio crimes involving the tracking of infectious agents. Big applause to technological advancements, remarkably massively parallel sequencing and bioinformatics. The oral microbiome contains microbiota markers that vary between individuals, emphasizing the possibility that it is highly individualized and perhaps even particular to each person. As a result, the oral microbial evidence found at crime scenes may lead to new information. This comprehensive review will discuss the state of the art of using the oral microbiome as a signature to conclude in the forensics sector.

Background: Sella turcica is an important saddle shaped structure that houses the pituitary gland. Any deviation in the development of the pituitary gland may affect the size and shape of the sella turcica as well. So, the morphology of the sella turcica gains special importance in certain clinical conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the shape, linear dimensions and volume of sella turcica in healthy adults using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Material and Methods: This retrospective study involved CBCT images of 108 healthy adults. The sagittal, axial, and coronal slices of CBCT images were used to evaluate the shape, volume and linear dimensions. Results: The overall linear dimensions of sella turcica were length 8.59 ±1.49 mm, depth 7.27 ±1.16 mm, diameter 10.24 ±1.75 mm and volume 1499.69 ± 395.5 mm3 respectively. The length of sella turcica was higher in males than females which was statistically significant (p = 0.015) while the depth, diameter and volume reported non-significant results. The most frequent shape of sella turcica was normal and the least frequent was sella turcica bridging. The Pearson correlation co-efficient was statistically significant for the length vs diameter and volume alongwith diameter vs volume in both genders (p < 0.01). The depth was statistically correlated with length, diameter and volume in males (p <0.01). Conclusion: The sella turcica shape and dimensions can be used in forensic and medicolegal purposes. So, a thorough of knowledge about this important structure is necessary

Background: Stature estimation from body measurements is an important part of forensic and medico-legal cases especially in victim identification, where mutilated and amputated body parts are encountered at the crime scene. Hand and foot dimensions are the important features in context of stature estimation. The present study was conducted to find out the correlation of length and breadth of hand and foot in the stature of the North Indians. Methods: Anthropometric data from 413 males and 413 females were collected. Simple and multiple linear regression methods were used for estimation of stature from hand length, hand breadth, foot length and foot breadth measurements. Results: Statistically significant results (p <0.001) are obtained with each measurement when the derived model is tested for stature estimation. Hand length in both sexes showed highest correlation with the stature whereas foot breadth showed the lowest. Multiple regression models showed low standard error of estimate (SEE). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that, from a forensic stand point, measurements of the hands and feet may be employed to estimate the stature of North Indian populations.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in men and women worldwide. Atherosclerosisis the most important cause of cardiovascular disease. Based on the severity, atherosclerosis can be graded histopathologycally from Type I to Type VI. Cardiac autopsy is the main diagnostic tool to study various histopathological changes in autopsy heart specimens. Objectives: To study the histopathological spectrum and determine the occurrence of atherosclerosis in coronary arteries in autopsy heart specimens. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective record based study on autopsy heart specimens received at the department of pathology from January 2020 to December 2021. Gross and histopathological findings were recorded from autopsy register. The histopathological spectrum of atherosclerosis and its occurrence were studied and analyzed. Results: A total of 141 heart specimens were considered for the study out of which 131 cases (92.9%) showed coronary atherosclerosis ranging from Type I to Type VI lesions. Age of the deceased ranged from one month to ninety two years. One hundred four cases (79.38%) were males and twenty seven cases (20.62%) were females. Fifty four cases (41.2%) belonged to the age group of 41-60 years. Type III–VI lesions were considered significant. 70.87% of right coronary arteries, 76.8% of left circumflex arteries and 76.9% of left anterior descending arteries showed significant atherosclerosis. Left anterior descending artery was found to be the most commonly involved by atherosclerosis (79.4%). Conclusion: Examination of coronary arteries in autopsy heart specimens plays an important role in determining the cause of cardiovascular diseases and gives an idea about the frequency at which atherosclerosis is encountered among the general population.

Any device of any kind that is built or modiöed to discharge a projectile of any kind using the force of an explosive or other types of energy is considered to be a örearm. The three basic components of a örearm are the breech, barrel, and stock. The öring pin and hammer are part of the breech. The öring is initiated when the hammer strikes the öring pin, which then forcefully impacts the percussion cap at the base of the cartridge containing the primary explosive substance. During this procedure, the öring pin leaves distinct markings on the percussion cap that help determine if the purported handgun can be positively or unfalsiöably identified during test öring. These markings, however, can occasionally be purposefully damaged or removed in order to lead the investigation officer or ballistic expert astray. Firing pin markings won’t be useful for identiöcation in these circumstances. The conceptual work in the current study involves using micro laser printing to engrave the serial number of örearms on the öring pin’s surface as well as precise markings at the öring pin’s tip. These carefully etched markings will make it easier to identify factory made weapons in shooting incident instances. However, the main goal of this effort was to increase the signiöcance of öring pin marks for the identiöcation and linkage of the öred cartridge case and örearm. Although there are other ways for identiöcation, such as breech marks, extractor marks, chamber marks, etc.

Background: Death in custody is often associated with allegations of physical abuse by the police or jail authorities. Questions are always raised about violation of fundamental rights of a prisoner. Aims: To study different epidemiological and medico legal aspects of custodial deaths. Material and Methods: This is a five year retrospective study based on medicolegal records of custodial deaths. Results: All the cases were male. As per manner of death 86.5% of cases were natural deaths while 13.5% of cases died due to unnatural causes. Age group of these cases were between 19 to 90 years. Maximum number of cases (29.8%) is between 51-60 years. Majority of deaths occurred in the hospital accounting for 97.29% of cases except one hanging death which occurred in police station. Majority of cases (91.9%) were in jail custody. In this study most common cause of death is chronic kidney disease which is found in 21.6% of cases. With respect to conviction status, 78.4% of cases were under trial prisoners while rest 21.6% were convicted. Conclusion: Majority of deaths occurred due to natural causes. Proper care should be taken to reduce morbidity and mortality of prisoners. Key message: Prior health checkup and timely medical treatment is needed to prevent custodial deaths. Maintenance of proper hygiene and steps to reduce overcrowding of jails should be done to curb the morbidity and mortality.