Spleen is typically injured in blunt abdominal trauma. Spleen injuries make 42% of all blunt abdominal injuries. The aim of this study was to perform a retrospective assessment of the cases of acute and subacute isolated traumatic spleen ruptures.A retrospective study performed on 50 patients, whose cause of death was isolated spleen rupture and bleeding into the abdominal cavity.An acute spleen rupture was diagnosed in 47 cases, whereas the rest 3 cases demonstrated a subacute rupture. In cases of acute spleen rupture, the mean weight of spleen was 309.6 g, whereas in 3 cases of subacute rupture the mean weight of the organ achieved 710 g. The mean weight of spleen in the control group with no spleen rupture was 144.7 g.Recording of the cases of isolated acute and subacute traumatic spleen ruptures and morphological assessment of them are important in forensic pathology science and in clinical practice as well.

Introduction:  Hyperglycemia is a consequence of uncontrolled diabetes and over a long period of time can lead to serious violations of the various systems of the body. In daily clinical practice, glucose level in blood and glycated hemoglobin are major and frequently used worldwide laboratory findings for the diagnosis of glucose metabolism disorders. In forensic medicine, the diagnostic value of post-mortem blood glucose levels is questionable because of its significant and rapid variation after death. Our research was aimed to analyse glucose concentration in blood after death and to estimate its diagnostic value. Methods: Data analysis of the State Forensic Medicine Service (SFMS) of Vilnius region of sudden death cases was performed. 238 autopsy findings were analysed. A retrospective analysis was performed using the R commander program. Results: The analysis included 238 individuals, 161 (67.6%) were men and 77 (32.4%) women. Mean age was 52.28 ± 15.45 yeras. Mean  alcohol level in blood was 2.257 ± 1.482 g/L. Mean post-mortem glucose concentration in blood was 6.716 ± 5.800 mmol/l. The lowest glucose concentration was 0.600 mmol/l and the highest - 33.300 mmol/l. There were no significant glycemia level difference between men and women (p = 0.279). In 6 cases, glucose concentrations were compared before and after death. The difference in blood glucose was insignificant (p = 0.90). There was no strong correlation between ethyl alcohol and glucose concentration (r = 0.037, p = 0.667). There was a weak correlation between age and blood glucose concentration (r = 0.03, p = 0.639). Conclusions: According to SFMS autopsy data, post-mortem glucose levels remain within the normal values. Evaluation of glucose after death remains a valuable diagnostic criterion for sudden death due to hyperglycaemia, when the hyperglycaemic episode is first and fatal to the subject.

A sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is diagnosed in the case of a sudden and unexpected death of an infant during sleep and where an autopsy shows no obvious pathological lesions or injuries. Although literature indicates a wide range of risk factors, there is no single opinion on the specific cause of SIDS. This paper describes a study of 191 infant deaths in which the State Forensic Medicine Service established 29 SIDS cases. Microscopical and histological results of samples taken from sections of the respiratory system reveal serous fluid in the alveoli and change specific to asphyxia in all autopsy cases of infants diagnosed with SIDS. The risk of SIDS is highest in infants aged 1-4 months. Salivary gland secretion increases with the development of infant physiology, and this increase coincides with infant teething. However, in this phase, an infant's swallowing reflex is still to form completely. Findings suggest that the serous fluid found in the alveoli was from the salivary glands, and thus, saliva aspiration may be associated with infant deaths due to SIDS.UDC Classification: 616-008; DOI: http://dx