Tandem bullet injury : an unusual variant of an unusual injury

A 41-year old male sustained a fatal gunshot wound during a house robbery. Police enquiries and scene investigation revealed that a single shot had been fired and that one spent 9 mm cartridge case was retrieved from the scene.http://link.springer.com/journal/12024hb201

Deaths from bee stings : a report of three cases from Pretoria, South Africa

In South Africa bee stings are most commonly caused by either Apis mellifera capensis or A. mellifera scutellata, indigenous species which are notoriously aggressive when compared to European honey bees. According to Statistics South Africa, 109 deaths were documented for the period 2001–2011 as having been caused by hornets, wasps, and bees (ICD10—X26). This appears to be a small number but, as was reported in Australia, these statistics might be inaccurate due to either over- or underreporting of cases. We report 3 cases of fatalities due to bee stings, including one with postmortem features of diffuse intravascular coagulopathy. A brief overview of the venom of the honey bee, reactions following a bee sting and possible mechanisms of death are presented. Confirming the diagnosis in these cases may be very problematic for the forensic pathologist, as in many cases minimal history is available and both external and internal examination could fail to reveal any specific signs of bee sting or other obvious morphologic abnormalities. Thus, there is a need for reliable confirmatory or supportive diagnostic tests.http://link.springer.com/journal/120242017-03-30hb201

The prevalence of HIV in Pretoria’s Medico-Legal Laboratory cases, RSA, in 2009

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of Human Immunodefi ciency Virus (HIV) amongst decedents admitted to the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory (MLL). The study was designed as a cross sectional study. It is not standard procedure for the pathologist to do a HIV test at autopsy. Post mortem (PM) blood samples were obtained from all bodies admitted to the Pretoria MLL during one month in 2009. Analysis of the blood samples was performed using standardised laboratory procedures. Two hundred and thirty-eight PM blood samples were collected. In 43 cases (17%), the test results were invalid. Of the 195 valid test samples, 51 (26.2%) were HIV-positive. The prevalence of HIV in this study was 15% higher than that reported in a similar study done 10 years previously.The National Health Laboratory Service for sample testing and the University of Pretoria, Department of Forensic Medicine.http://www.occhealth.co.zaam201

Drowning in Pretoria, South Africa : a 10-year review

Drowning is classified as the 3rd leading cause of accidental deaths worldwide and is deemed to be a preventable cause of death. Bodies retrieved from a water medium pose several challenges to the forensic pathologist with the diagnosis of drowning being primarily one of exclusion. The aim of this study was to do a retrospective descriptive case audit of bodies retrieved from water and immersion related deaths, which were investigated at the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory (PMLL) over a 10 year period (January 2002 through December 2011). A total of 346 cases were identified for inclusion into this study. In 6% (20) of these cases, the death was not related to drowning; in 14% (48) no clear cause of death could be ascertained and in 278 cases (80%) the cause of death was considered to have been due to drowning. Infants (under 1 year, of age) constituted 41 (15%) of the cases; toddlers (aged 1e2 years) comprised 52 (19%) cases; children (aged 2e13 years) 49 (18%) cases; adolescents (aged 13e18 years) comprised 10 (3%) cases; adults (above 18, years) made up 126 (45%) of the cases. The majority of the drownings, occurred in swimming pools [125 cases (38%)]. In infants 23 (56%) of, drownings occurred in swimming pools followed by buckets [7 cases (17%)]. Sixty-nine per cent of toddler drownings (36 cases) occurred in swimming, pools. In the adult population, 40 (32%) of cases occurred in pools and 35 cases (28%) in rivers. Positive blood alcohol results were recorded in 48, (42%) out of 113 cases where the test was requested, 40 (35%) of these, cases higher than 0.05 g per 100 ml. This study suggests that many drowning deaths in Pretoria may be preventable by introducing greater public awareness of the risks and instituting relatively simple, protective measures.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jflm2017-01-31hb201

A simple mathematical model for Ebola in Africa

We deal with the following question: Can the consumption of contaminated bush meat, the funeral practices and the environmental contamination explain the recurrence and persistence of Ebola virus disease outbreaks in Africa? We develop an SIR-type model which, incorporates both the direct and indirect transmissions in such a manner that there is a provision of Ebola viruses. We prove that the full model has one (endemic) equilibrium which is locally asymptotically stable whereas, it is globally asymptotically stable in the absence of the Ebola virus shedding in the environment. For the sub-model without the provision of Ebola viruses, the disease dies out or stabilizes globally at an endemic equilibrium. At the endemic level, the number of infectious is larger for the full model than for the sub-model without provision of Ebola viruses. We design a nonstandard finite difference scheme, which preserves the dynamics of the model. Numerical simulations are provided.The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI chair) in Mathematical Models and Methods in Bioengineering and Biosciences.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjbd20hj2021Forensic MedicineMathematics and Applied Mathematic

Waveguide Tm:Lu2O3 ceramic laser fabricated by ultrafast laser inscription

Summary form only given. Ultrafast laser inscription (ULI) allows the fabrication of compact, highly-efficient and robust laser sources over a broad range of crystalline, ceramic and glass gain media. For instance, subsurface waveguides can be formed by the stress induced refractive index modification effect which takes place between two parallel modified regions referred to as “Type II” guiding [1]. Previously, a family of laser hosts known as sesquioxides, namely Lu2O3, Sc2O3 and LuScO3, have been shown to demonstrate efficient, high-power and tunable laser operation around the 2 μm region in both continuous-wave and pulsed regimes when doped with Tm3+ [2, 3]. Combining the Tm3+-doped sesquioxide material properties with the ULI waveguide laser geometry provides a means to produce compact, low-threshold and efficient laser sources near 2 μm with the potential for high pulse repetition rate ultrafast operation. Here we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of a ceramic Tm:Lu2O3 waveguide laser source fabricated by ULI.Postprin

Waveguide Tm:Lu2O3 ceramic laser fabricated by ultrafast laser inscription

Summary form only given. Ultrafast laser inscription (ULI) allows the fabrication of compact, highly-efficient and robust laser sources over a broad range of crystalline, ceramic and glass gain media. For instance, subsurface waveguides can be formed by the stress induced refractive index modification effect which takes place between two parallel modified regions referred to as “Type II” guiding [1]. Previously, a family of laser hosts known as sesquioxides, namely Lu2O3, Sc2O3 and LuScO3, have been shown to demonstrate efficient, high-power and tunable laser operation around the 2 μm region in both continuous-wave and pulsed regimes when doped with Tm3+ [2, 3]. Combining the Tm3+-doped sesquioxide material properties with the ULI waveguide laser geometry provides a means to produce compact, low-threshold and efficient laser sources near 2 μm with the potential for high pulse repetition rate ultrafast operation. Here we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of a ceramic Tm:Lu2O3 waveguide laser source fabricated by ULI.Postprin

Re-defining the extent of malaria transmission in South Africa : implications for chemoprophylaxis

BACKGROUND. Malaria case numbers reported in South Africa have reduced considerably over the last decade, necessitating a revision of the national risk map to guide malaria prevention, including the use of chemoprophylaxis. OBJECTIVES. To update the national malaria risk map based on recent case data and to consider the implications of the new transmission profile for guiding prophylaxis. METHODS. The geographical distribution of confirmed malaria cases detected both passively and actively over the last six malaria seasons was used to redefine the geographical distribution and intensity of malaria transmission in the country. RESULTS. The national risk map was revised to reflect zones of transmission reduced both in their extent and their intensity. Most notably, the area of risk has been reduced in the north-western parts of Limpopo Province and is limited to the extreme northern reaches of KwaZulu- Natal Province. Areas previously considered to be of high risk are now regarded to be of moderate risk. CONCLUSION. Chemoprophylaxis is now only recommended from September to May in the north-eastern areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces. The recommended options for chemoprophylaxis have not changed from mefloquine, doxycycline or atovaquone-proguanil.http://www.samj.org.zaam2013ay201

Understanding and managing patchy data in the UK museum sector

It is well accepted that the museum sector has a longstanding problem with data collection and management. This article begins by exploring problems with gaining access to data, poor archiving and coverage, and the absence of data. We then explain how the Mapping Museums research team set out to remedy the lack of longitudinal data on the UK museum sector in the period between 1960 and 2020. Initially we collated and supplemented existing information on UK museums but it was impossible to fill some gaps or resolve some inconsistencies in the data. Here we discuss how we designed a database that was sensitive to the patchiness of the material, and that could model uncertain and absent data in computational terms. To close, we briefly comment on how our data enables research on museum history and on how the problems with data collection in the sector might be remedied in the longer term

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from five sites associated with smokin