Aim Unclaimed homeless corpses in forensic settings constitute a big global problem. Unclaimed bodies for medico-legal autopsy have also shown an increased trend in the last few years in India. This study was done to identify the circumstances and establish a comparative pattern of death between male and female corpses based on autopsy findings. Study design Retrospective observational analytical study. Method and findings Autopsy and circumstantial-based findings of 5,542 unclaimed homeless corpses were reviewed comparatively between males and females brought to mortuaries between Jan 2004 to Dec 2013 in Lucknow, a major metropolitan city and tertiary care centre of India. Lucknow Province has a population that roughly equals that of the nation of Georgia or the US state of Louisiana. A total of 39,872 autopsy cases were registered mean time, out of which 5,542 (13.9 %) were unclaimed corpse. The majority of cases belonged to males (3,950, 71.3 %) as compared to females (1,592, 28.7 %). Most homeless unclaimed bodies in the case of the male group were in the age group of 40-49 years (23.3 %; p<0.001), while in the case of the female group it was 20-29 years (21.80 %; p<0.001). The least-affected age group in males was 0-9 years (4.8 %; p<0.001), while in the case of female it was 40-49 years (6.9 %; p<0.001). The most common cause of natural death in both males and females was chronic lung disease. Railway and road traffic accidents accounted for 15.5 % (p<0.001) deaths in males, whereas in females they accounted for only 8.7 % (p < 0.001). Violent sexual activity was present in 18.7 % (p<0.001) cases and associated with homicidal death in females. Asphyxial death was present in 10.9 % cases within the male group and was 10.6 % (p<0.001) of the cases within the female group. Cases of poisoning within the male group were 8.1 %, whereas it was 12.3 % (p < 0.001) within the female group. Poisoning was the main mode of suicide in females, while in the case of males our study reports it was asphyxial death. The majority of the cases were reported during the summer, while in the month of February the least amount of cases were reported. Conclusions This is the largest autopsy-based study of unclaimed homeless corpse from India which tries to identify the circumstances of death and to establish a comparative pattern based on factors associated with the deaths of the males and females. The age groups of 40-59 (43.6 % within gender) in males and 10-29 age groups (40.3 % within gender) in females were the most affected victims. Age, gender, weather conditions and socio-economic status played an important role.

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Femicide and violence against women is a critical medico legal issue in our intellectual world since the time mortal. Strangulation is most dreaded form violence. So, we designed this retrospective observational analytical study to review the prevalence and other related factors in strangulation death of female victims.We included female corpses, brought between Jan 2007 to Dec 2016 at mortuary of King George Medical University, Lucknow, a tertiary care center of India.During this time period a total 1318 (2.95% of total autopsy) cases of asphyxia death were recorded against women. Autopsy and circumstantial-based findings of 1318 female corpses were reviewed to identify these N=245 (0.55% of total autopsy) female corpses of strangulation death. Roughly more than 50% cases belong to below 30 years of age while most common age group involved is 21-30 years. In 49 cases (77.55% cases were belonging to 0 to 30 years of age group), women were sexually assaulted before strangulating to death. Out of total 245 strangulation death, 47 (19.18%) female corpses were unidentified. A total of 29 cases are strangled by their intimate partner as a result of domestic violence A total of 64% female corpses were belonging to urban areas. Strangulations by hand (palmer, elbow etc) were the most common method followed by material like clothes and rope, used by accused to strangulate female victims. Fractures occurred in only 17.96 % of victims. This is an autopsy-based study, categorizing strangulation death of female on several parameters; showing younger age group is most commonly victimized.

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This study was an attempt to delineate the effect of allethrin based mosquito coil exposure on male fertility of wistar albino rats. This also includes two months of discontinuation of exposure to know whether there is any reversibility of changes. We also studied the role of an antioxidant (Vitamin C) in ameliorating the effect caused by the coil.The animals in our study were randomized into four groups: group I served as control rats; group II, III and IV received mosquito coil smoke 8 hours a day, 7 days a week for 12 week. Group IV rats co-administered oral supplementation of Vit. C (20 mg/kg body weight) once in a day for the same time period while group III animals were further kept for 8 weeks without any exposure to demonstrate withdrawal effect. Mean testicular weight was maximum in Group IV(1.83±0.30 gm) followed by group I(1.56±0.19gms), group III(1.22±0.42 gms) and group II(0.64±0.09 gm). Mean sperm count ranged from 83.75±9.61 units in Group II to 100.0±16.68 units in Group III, 130.7±14.14 units in Group IV and 157.7±7.92 units (Group I). Mean % abnormal sperm morphology was maximum in Group II (36.95±7.87%) followed by Group III (30.66±9.59%), Group IV (11.97±2.74%) and Group I (5.37±1.28%). Statistically, this difference was significant (p<0.001). This study demonstrates different types of abnormal sperm morphology. This study has its own merit that it also depicts the possible improvement after discontinuation of exposure and vitamin C supplementation.