Prognostic value of body mass index in the diagnosis of sudden cardiac death

Objective: to determine the value of the body mass index (BMI) in cardiovascular patients for the sudden cardiac death (SCD) prediction. Materials and methods: we analyzed the medical archives of: 1) the Federal Research Clinical Center for Specialized Types of Healthcare and Medical Technologies, the Federal Biomedical Agency of Russia (comparison group I). The study included young athletes (N=603) without cardiovascular pathology, as well as those with cardiovascular diseases diagnosed in a medical examination; 2) Thanatological Department of the Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination (comparison group II). The sample (N=30) is represented by coronary heart disease (CHD) associated SCD cases; 3) the cardiac surgery Department of the Hospital of Emergency Medical Service (comparison group III). The sample (N=81) is represented by acute coronary syndrome (ACS) cases; 4) the cardiac surgery Department of the Clinic of Rostov State Medical University (comparison group IV). The sample (N=95) is represented by CHD patients who were on routine treatment. We calculated BMI in each comparison group. Results: in comparison group I, the BMI was 22.10±1.67 kg/m2, in group II-18.7±0.45 kg/m2, in group III – 28.01±0.58 kg/m2, in group IV – 28.66±0.47 kg/m2. The calculated value of χ2 both for all groups and for their pairwise comparison was statistically significant (p<0.01), which suggests that there is a close association of obesity with an increased risk of CHD. Conclusions: the relationship between BMI and the presence of cardiovascular pathology in I comparison group (athletes) was not established. For groups II – IV, BMI is in a statistically significant association with cardiovascular pathology

Age–Related Changes of the Sella Turcica Morphometry in Adults Older Than 20-25 Years

Age determination of unknown dead bodies in forensic personal identification is a complicated process which involves the application of numerous methods and techniques. Skeletal remains are less exposed to influences of environmental factors. In order to enhance the accuracy of forensic age estimation additional properties of bones correlating with age are required to be revealed. Material and Methods: Dimensional examination of the sella turcica was carried out on cadavers with the cranium opened by a circular vibrating saw. The sample consisted of a total of 90 Russian subjects, ranging in age from two months and 87 years. Results: The tendency of dimensional variations throughout life was detected. There were no observed gender differences in the morphometry of the sella turcica. The shared use of the sella turcica depth and length values revealed the possibility to categorize an examined sample in a certain age period. Conclusions: Based on the results of existing methods of age determination, the morphometry of the sella turcica can be an additional characteristic, amplifying the received values, and accordingly, increasing the accuracy of forensic biological age diagnosis

Analysis of carpal bones on MR images for age estimation: first results of a new forensic approach

Current multifactorial age estimation methods are based on radiography, however, in the forensic field there is growing interest in using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). With regard to the carpal region, MRI provides more information for defining the individual ossification nuclei and the cartilage surrounding single bones. During the phase of bone growth, the progressive reduction of the cartilage layer is accompanied by the development of a cartilage-bone interface. The aim of our study was to create a new model for age estimation, based on the ratio between the area occupied by the nucleus of ossification (NO) and the surface of growth (SG) of each carpal bone, the latter derived by adding NO to the area of cartilage-bone interface. We analyzed 57 MRI scans of Italian subjects aged between 12 and 20 years, without growth diseases, endocrine disorders or osteodystrophy. Measurements of NO and SG areas were extracted using ImageJ software, and the ratio between the NO and SG of each bone (NOSG) was calculated. A multiple linear regression model was used to estimate the individual\u2019s age as a function of the variables: gender and wrist bone measurements. The results showed that the best model was obtained with 6 predictors (nvmax = 6): Gender, and the NOSG of the Trapezoid, Trapezium, Scaphoid, Pisiform, and Capitate. The median of the residuals (observed age minus predicted age) was !0.025 years, with an IQR of 0.19 years. Thus a new forensic approach to age assessment using MRI is introduced in this paper, which gives the preliminary results