Increasing age induces fusion in the hyoid bone. The present study was conducted to assess the usefulness of fusion in the hyoid bone in age estimation. A total of 130 excised hyoid bones from dead bodies belonging to the age group of 4-70 years were studied. The mean age of unilateral and bilateral fusion in males was 39.39 and 41.77 years, respectively. The mean age of unilateral and bilateral fusion in females was 37.5 and 45 years, respectively. Fusion was not seen in ages below 20 years. Non-fusion has been found even after the age of 60 years. Although there was significant association between fusion in the hyoid bone and advancing age, it cannot be considered a good indicator for estimating age. With a high degree of variation in the age of fusion, the hyoid bone needs to be studied along with other determinants for estimating age. Fusion in the hyoid bone is not related to the sex of the victim and there is no tendency towards early fusion on the left side compared with the right side. If the victim of pressure on the neck is aged over 38 years, the clinicians and forensic experts should expect fractured hyoids. If a fractured hyoid bone is not found even in the elderly, pressure on the neck cannot be ruled out.

This study did not show any statistically significant improvement in ulcer healing rates after the use of topically applied rhPDGF.

No abstract

Sudden or unexpected deaths can occur from violence, poisoning, as well as from natural causes. In spite of gastrointestinal diseases being one of the important causes for sudden natural death, only limited studies have been conducted into the pattern of sudden deaths due to gastrointestinal causes. As a result, a 10-year (January 2001 to December 2010) retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine, M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore, South India. Data were collected from the post-mortem register maintained in the department and the relevant reports were reviewed. Descriptive statistics for qualitative type of data was summarized using frequency and percentage. A total of 7520 deaths were reported. This included a total of 291 sudden natural deaths, out of which 62 cases (21.3%) were due to gastrointestinal causes. Maximum number of cases (nine cases - 15.6%) occurred in the year 2009. Of the 62 cases, 87% were males and 13% were females. The age of the deceased ranged from seven to 78 years and maximum numbers of cases were in the age group of 30-39 years (25.8%). Out of 28 cases (45.1%) of cirrhosis, 19 died due to variceal bleeding and the rest due to hepatic failure. Perforations resulted in death in 29% of cases due to peritonitis.

This study was conducted at the M. S. Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore, between October 2007 and September 2009 to analyse the age and sex distribution of unnatural deaths in children, patterns and manner of death. Detailed information regarding the circumstances of death was sought from the relatives, friends and police. The scene of occurrence was visited, and photographs of the scene of occurrence were examined in relevant cases. Unnatural deaths in children constituted 6.62% of the total autopsies conducted. The majority of childhood deaths were in the age group of 15-18 years of both sexes constituting 46.88%. Males constituted 55.22% of cases. Suicide accounted for 40.63% of the cases. Most children committed suicide by hanging (82.05%). The main reason was academic failure and some of the cases were accidental (48.96%). Road traffic accidents accounted for 26.04% of the cases, where most children were pedestrians (56%). Drowning accounted for 15.63% of the cases. Most of the children drowned while playing near ponds (83.33%). Homicide accounted for 9.36% of the cases - either killed by their mother as part of a pedicide-suicide event or by the father, and in two cases the children were sexually abused before being killed.