The State of Dialect Speech Perception in the Younger Generation of the Miyako Islands

Hitotsubashi UniversityHitotsubashi UniversityHitotsubashi UniversityFirst Published: August 1, 2012 (in Japanese

Fatal accidental asphyxia

Accidental death from postural or positional asphyxia can occur when an individual’s body compromises their respiration. The diagnosis of positional asphyxia is usually based on circumstantial evidence supported by the absence of other significant underlying causes of death. A female in her twenties was found dead in the so-called bridge position on a chair with wheels. Her jacket had rolled under one of the chair’s wheels. She was 159 cm in height and weighed 28.8 kg. Her body mass index was 11.4 (she was severely emaciated), and her muscles, including the rectus abdominis muscle, were thin. Her head, face, and neck were markedly congested. Her lungs, especially the upper lobes, were also congested. A small quantity of left cardiac blood was detected, which was slightly coagulated. The right cardiac blood was liquid (21 ml), and the right ventricle was slightly enlarged. It was suggested that the circulation from the lungs to the heart had been restricted. Toxicological tests detected psychoactive agents in the deceased’s blood and urine. The concentration of one of them, tofisopam, was slightly higher than normal. It was suggested that the effects of tofisopam and the deceased’s poor physical condition had impaired her motility, trapping her in an abnormal body position, ‘the reverse jack-knife position’. Therefore, her manner of death was considered to be accidental positional asphyxia. We should be aware that chairs with wheels can occasionally cause such accidents

Postmortem Diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa : An Endocrinological and Immunohistochemical Approach

A female in her 30s was found dead after a fire. She was severely emaciated and had been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN) about 5 years ago, but had not been treated recently. Therefore, we investigated not only her cause of death but also her condition of AN. Some of her organs weighed less than normal although no clear lesions were observed. In the pituitary gland, the number of follicle-stimulating hormone-immunopositive cells was markedly decreased although a normal number of thyroid-stimulating hormone-positive cells were detected. A histological examination of the ovary suggested that she had been suffering from amenorrhea. The thyroid gland was atrophic, and marked variations in follicle size were observed. Because we could not obtain enough volume of her blood for endocrinological examinations, we tried to investigate her endocrinological condition by immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemical staining detected decreased triiodothyronine immunoreactivity and normal thyroxine immunoreactivity. The adrenal glands were also atrophic. Based on these findings, it was considered that she had been suffering from AN at the time of her death. The autopsy and other findings revealed that she had died of burning with carbon monoxide intoxication

The application of immunohistochemical findings in the diagnosis in methamphetamine-related death : two forensic autopsy cases

Forensic autopsy cases detecting methamphetamine (MA) are usually diagnosed according to its toxicological concentration. It has been reported that the lethal blood concentration of MA is 4.48 μg/ml (3.0μmol/dl). We autopsied two MA-detected cadavers, and immunohistochemical staining was performed on the skeletal muscle with an anti-myoglobin antibody, and on the kidney with an anti-the 70 kDa heat shock protein(HSP70) antibody. One case showed a high rectal temperature (40℃). The toxicological examination revealed 0.75μg/ml of MA in the blood, and 16.8 μg/ml in the urine. Myoglobin was negative and HSP70 was positive in the kidney immunohistochemically. From the toxicological and immunohistochemical findings, it was considered that the subject died of hyperthermia and acidosis caused by muscular hyperactivity. In another case, the autopsy revealed highly congested lungs, with dark-red bloody fluid and foam in the trachea and bronchus. MA (17.0 μg/ml) was detected in the blood. HSP70 was negative and myoglobin was positive immunohistochemically. It was thought that the subject died of acute MA intoxication based on the high MA concentration, although rhabdomyolysis was suspected. It is suggested that myoglobin and HSP70 immunostaining are useful to diagnose MA poisoning

Sudden cardiac death during first-time jogging

With increased interest in fitness and health care, jogging has become more popular as an exercise to promote health. However, sudden cardiac death during sports or exercise has also been reported. Some apparently healthy elderly individuals take up sports for both recreation and health improvement based only on completion of a questionnaire, without undergoing medical evaluation. We report the case of a 66-year-old Japanese man who suddenly died of acute ischemic heart disease during first-time jogging. He collapsed an hour after starting. A trainer promptly started cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An automated external defibrillator (AED) was applied, and defibrillation was attempted once by bystanders. However, he remained in cardiopulmonary arrest until he reached the emergency department, where he was pronounced dead. The autopsy found concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricular wall without fibrosis or degeneration, atherosclerotic changes in the coronary arteries, and severe lung congestion. We diagnosed death from acute myocardial ischemia. We suspect that many healthy elderly individuals have provoked a heart attack by prematurely attempting moderate or vigorous exercise, as in this case. The elderly require comprehensive medical assessment before exercise can be started. Moreover, this case shows that an AED is not always helpful

バルプロサン ナトリウム ジョホウザイ ノ タイリョウ フクヨウ ニヨル ジサツ ノ 1ボウケンレイ

A young woman with epilepsy was found dead on her bed. She sent e-mail to her lover to intent to suicide １７ hours before being found dead. On the bed side, empty PTP sheets of ２０２ sustained released preparation tablets containing ２００ mg sodium valproate were left. Many tablets and its capsules were found in stomach and intestine by autopsy. The blood concentration of sodium valproate was １２６３ μg／ml, therefore we diagnosed that she died of sodium valproate intoxication. This case is first autopsy case of sodium valproate intoxication reported in Japan. And we also discuss about sustained released preparation tablets

Research Report on Miyako Ryukyuan : General Study for Research and Conservation of Endangered Dialects in Japan

National Institute for Japanese Language and LinguisticsFrench National Centre for Scientific ResearchKyoto UniversityHiroshima UniversityUniversity of the RyukyusHokusei Gakuen UniversityHitotsubashi UniversityHitotsubashi UniversityHitotsubashi UniversityFirst Published: August 1, 2012 (in Japanese

Thermal Control System to Easily Cool the GAPS Balloon-borne Instrument on the Ground

This study developed a novel thermal control system to cool detectors of the General AntiParticle Spectrometer (GAPS) before its flights. GAPS is a balloon-borne cosmic-ray observation experiment. In its payload, GAPS contains over 1000 silicon detectors that must be cooled below -40^{\circ}\mbox{C}. All detectors are thermally coupled to a unique heat-pipe system (HPS) that transfers heat from the detectors to a radiator. The radiator is designed to be cooled below -50^{\circ}\mbox{C} during the flight by exposure to space. The pre-flight state of the detectors is checked on the ground at 1 atm and ambient room temperature, but the radiator cannot be similarly cooled. The authors have developed a ground cooling system (GCS) to chill the detectors for ground testing. The GCS consists of a cold plate, a chiller, and insulating foam. The cold plate is designed to be attached to the radiator and cooled by a coolant pumped by the chiller. The payload configuration, including the HPS, can be the same as that of the flight. The GCS design was validated by thermal tests using a scale model. The GCS design is simple and provides a practical guideline, including a simple estimation of appropriate thermal insulation thickness, which can be easily adapted to other applications.Comment: 8 pages, 14 figures, 3 table

An autopsy case of adrenal insufficiency 20 years after Hypophysectomy:Relation between stress and cause of death

A 63-years-oldman was found dead with the body soaking in water lying face up on a riverbank. Autopsy and diatom examination demonstrated that the cause of death was drowning. He had undergone hypophysectomy 20 years earlier. Autopsy, pathological and endocrinological findings demonstrated secondary and chronic hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, and adrenal in sufficiency. The cadaver had fallen into the river, and received numerous wounds such　as abrasions and subcutaneous hemorrhage. Moreover, it was suspected that he had developed hypothermia before death. Cortisol in the blood and 17-OHCSin urine were within the reference range. We suspect that the adrenocortical hormone was secreted into the blood as a result of various stresses due to wounds and hypothermia. However, it was suspected that sufficient hormone might not be secreted due to chronic adrenal insufficiency. This insufficient cortisol causes the decrease in the stress resistance, and might influence his cause of death. Moreover, as hypothyroidism decreases thermogenesis, he might have fallen into hypothermia easily. In addition, because both adrenocortical insufficiency and hypothyroidism caused the hypoglycemia, he might have fallen into the loss of consciousness. Therefore, it was considered that he had died by drowning, in relation to the adrenocortical insufficiency and panhypopituitarism