Asphyxia Homicides in Finland, 1983–2012

Finland has one of the highest homicide rates in Western Europe, and almost every tenth homicide is caused by asphyxiation. Reliable statistics, a strict legislation, and an exceptionally high medico‐legal autopsy rate formed a base for a nationwide analysis of asphyxia homicides (n = 383) during 30 years. The cases were identified through multiple records, and all the forensic pathology case files were studied in detail. In more than one out of five cases, there were indications of staging, and the homicide was revealed first at autopsy in close to one in ten cases. The vast majority of the homicides took place in private locations and involved persons known to each other. Every third victim was an intimate partner, and every tenth a child. Almost half of the victims died from manual strangulation, one in three from ligature strangulation. Smothering, choking, neck compression with a firm object, and thoracic compression were more rare methods. Drownings were excluded from this study material. Of all the victims, 7% had no observable external injuries. Petechiae were recorded in approximately in 61%, laryngohyoid fractures in 47%, and vocal cord hemorrhages in 16% of the cases. Every tenth female victim had genital injuries. Toxicological analyses were performed in close to all of the cases, and almost three out of four victims tested positive for blood alcohol. The various aspects of the demographics and autopsy findings covered in this study contribute reliable and accurate data to further strengthen the spectrum of observable medico‐legal characteristics of asphyxia homicides.</p

Microbial Communities of Cladonia Lichens and Their Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Potentially Encoding Natural Products

Lichens have been widely used in traditional medicine, especially by indigenous communities worldwide. However, their slow growth and difficulties in the isolation of lichen symbionts and associated microbes have hindered the pharmaceutical utilisation of lichen-produced compounds. Advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques now permit detailed investigations of the complex microbial communities formed by fungi, green algae, cyanobacteria, and other bacteria within the lichen thalli. Here, we used amplicon sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, and in silico metabolomics together with compound extractions to study reindeer lichens collected from Southern Finland. Our aim was to evaluate the potential of Cladonia species as sources of novel natural products. We compared the predicted biosynthetic pathways of lichen compounds from isolated genome-sequenced lichen fungi and our environmental samples. Potential biosynthetic genes could then be further used to produce secondary metabolites in more tractable hosts. Furthermore, we detected multiple compounds by metabolite analyses, which revealed connections between the identified biosynthetic gene clusters and their products. Taken together, our results contribute to metagenomic data studies from complex lichen-symbiotic communities and provide valuable new information for use in further biochemical and pharmacological studies

Microbial Communities of Cladonia Lichens and Their Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Potentially Encoding Natural Products

Lichens have been widely used in traditional medicine, especially by indigenous communities worldwide. However, their slow growth and difficulties in the isolation of lichen symbionts and associated microbes have hindered the pharmaceutical utilisation of lichen-produced compounds. Advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques now permit detailed investigations of the complex microbial communities formed by fungi, green algae, cyanobacteria, and other bacteria within the lichen thalli. Here, we used amplicon sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, and in silico metabolomics together with compound extractions to study reindeer lichens collected from Southern Finland. Our aim was to evaluate the potential of Cladonia species as sources of novel natural products. We compared the predicted biosynthetic pathways of lichen compounds from isolated genome-sequenced lichen fungi and our environmental samples. Potential biosynthetic genes could then be further used to produce secondary metabolites in more tractable hosts. Furthermore, we detected multiple compounds by metabolite analyses, which revealed connections between the identified biosynthetic gene clusters and their products. Taken together, our results contribute to metagenomic data studies from complex lichen-symbiotic communities and provide valuable new information for use in further biochemical and pharmacological studies

Height and nigral neuron density in Parkinson's disease

Background: The dopaminergic system modulates growth hormone secretion and previous results have suggested a link between short stature and an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD).Methods: In 36 Lewy body spectrum disease (LBD) cases (PD = 22) and 19 controls, nigral TH-positive neuron densities were measured postmortem from midbrain sections and corrected with the Abercrombie method. Body measurements were collected from autopsies or patient records. Our aim was to investigate the possible relationship between height and the density of neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc).Results: SNc neuron density (n/mm2) had an inverse association with height, (R2 = 0.317, p Conclusions: Individual adult height may be connected to nigral neuron numbers in patients with LBDs, including PD.</p

Vainajien kylmäsäilytystilat ja vainajakuljetukset

Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö (STM) esitti marraskuussa 2018 Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitokselle (THL) pyynnön (STM/4659/2018) tarvittaessa yhteistyössä Etelä-Suomen aluehallintoviraston kanssa selvittää vainajien kylmäsäilytystilojen riittävyyttä erityisesti pääkaupunkiseudulla ja tarvittaessa ohjata toimijoita huolehtimaan kylmäsäilytystilojen riittävyydestä sekä siitä, että hautauksesta huolehtivilla on mahdollisuus saada selkeä tieto siitä, mihin vainajan ruumis voidaan kuljettaa säilytystä varten. THL vastaa kuolemansyyn selvittämisen ohjauksesta ja valvonnasta, ja aluehallintoviraston (AVI) tehtäviin kuuluvat vainajan käsittelyn ja hautaamisen valvonta terveydensuojelun näkökulmasta. Ohjaustyön tueksi THL kartoitti vuosina 2019 ja 2020 tehdyin kansallisin kyselyin vainajan käsittelyyn ja säilyttämiseen osallistuvilta toimijoilta kylmäsäilytystilojen ylläpitoa, säilytyspaikkojen riittävyyttä, vainajan käsittelyä ja tietojen kirjaamista sekä näihin liittyviä kehittämistarpeita. Selvitystyön perusteella ehdotetaan erityisesti kasvavilla kaupunkialueilla kylmäsäilytystilojen vainajapaikkojen määrän suunnitelmallista lisäämistä paremmin vastaamaan säilytystarvetta, vainajan tietojen kirjaamiseen ja käsittelyyn soveltuvien sähköisten tietojärjestelmien laajempaa käyttöönottoa sekä vainajanluovutustapojen yhtenäistämistä. Lisäksi suositellaan vainajien kuljettamiseen ja säilyttämiseen liittyvien prosessien kuvaamista ja vastuista sopimista sekä alueellisen yhteistyön lisäämistä

Height and nigral neuron density in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract Background The dopaminergic system modulates growth hormone secretion and previous results have suggested a link between short stature and an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods In 36 Lewy body spectrum disease (LBD) cases (PD = 22) and 19 controls, nigral TH-positive neuron densities were measured postmortem from midbrain sections and corrected with the Abercrombie method. Body measurements were collected from autopsies or patient records. Our aim was to investigate the possible relationship between height and the density of neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Results SNc neuron density (n/mm2) had an inverse association with height, (R2 = 0.317, p < 0.0001) in patients. The association was not explained by weight, age, sex, brain weight, medication, or disease motor severity. The association was also separately observed in patients with PD (n = 22), but not in subjects who died without diagnosed neurological diseases. Conclusions Individual adult height may be connected to nigral neuron numbers in patients with LBDs, including PD