October 2017 - Page 13 of 22 - searchfortruth.info

Psychiatric Characteristics of Homicide Defendants

November 21, 2018October 13, 2017 by admin

Abstract

Objective The authors examined the rate of mental disorders in an unselected sample of homicide defendants in a U.S. jurisdiction, seeking to identify psychiatric factors associated with offense characteristics and court outcomes.

Method Defendants charged with homicide in a U.S. urban county between 2001 and 2005 received a psychiatric evaluation after arrest. Demographic, historical, and psychiatric variables as well as offense characteristics and legal outcomes were described. Bivariate analyses examined differences by age group and by race, and logistic models examined predictors of multiple victims, firearm use, guilty plea, and guilty verdict.

Results Fifty-eight percent of the sample had at least one axis I or II diagnosis, most often a substance use disorder (47%). Axis I or II diagnoses were more common (78%) among defendants over age 40. Although 37% of the sample had prior psychiatric treatment, only 8%...

Sexual (Lust) Homicide Definitional Constructs, Dynamics, and Investigative Considerations

February 21, 2019October 13, 2017 by admin

Abstract

This chapter discusses the historical definitional origins of sexual homicide (lust murder), the dynamics of sexual homicide injury, offense definition constructs and their limitations, and key presumptions of injuries associated with sexual homicide offense models. The chapter concludes by arguing for the clarification of concepts, characterizations, linkages, and research into the offense dynamics and offender motivations of sexual (lust) homicides.

INTRODUCTION

Violent interactions in which people are engaged are based on experiences and expectations of reality. For that reason, an understanding of violence and its extremes must consider the offender’s construct of reality. As Skrapec noted, “behavior is the product of one’s own sense of reality regardless of the degree to which that reality matches the objective facts of that person’s life” (1, p. 51–52). The mental representations of an offender’s realities are acted upon and acted out, and they may be presumed to be detectable and specifiable in the...

On the Plausibility of Adaptations for Homicide

February 20, 2019October 13, 2017 by admin

1 Introduction

1. People kill other people in every known culture around the world. The question is why. This chapter presents our theory of Evolved Homicide Adaptations, and contrasts this theory with two competing conceptions of why people kill: The Byproduct Hypothesis and the Evolved Goal Hypothesis. Prior to presenting these competing views of homicide, we discuss the concept of “innateness” from an evolutionary perspective in relation to our conception of evolved homicide adaptations.

2. The Concept of Innateness from the perspective of Evolutionary Psychology The term “innateness” is used to refer to a multitude of different phenomena (see Elman, Johnson, & Bates, 1996). Our conceptualization of innateness falls in line with the standard definition of the innateness of adaptation. It is clear that selection has acted on genes that pattern human ontogeny. These genes provide the blueprint for the development of adaptations. Like the blueprints to a house,...

Religious Affiliations and Homicide: Historical Results from the Rural South

November 21, 2018October 13, 2017 by admin

Abstract

Durkheim had argued that Protestantism decreased homicidal tendencies while Catholicism tended to increase it. However, other writers have maintained that fundamental Protestantism may increase the tendency toward homicide. This study examines the question by relating religious affiliation data by race obtained from a 1916 Census Department study to homicidal rates in the rural South for 1920, and finds that both Protestant and Catholic affiliations for whites are related to less homicide, while for blacks religious affiliation is unrelated to the homicide rate. For the case of the South, these results tend to refute Durkheim's position that Catholicism increases the tendency toward homicide.

Multiple Homicide Offenders Arbitrary Cut-Off Points and Selection Bias

November 21, 2018October 13, 2017 by admin

On Christmas Eve in 2008, an unemployed aerospace engineer dressed as Santa Claus entered his ex-wife’s parents’ home in Covina, California and proceeded to shoot indiscriminately at the 25 or so partygoers inside. He then planned to light the house on fire using a homemade blowtorch, but an unexpected explosion foiled his detailed plans and ultimately quashed his plot to escape. The house, now engulfed in flames, burned to the ground and hid the gruesome fates of those inside. Nine people, including the man’s ex-wife and her parents, died as a result of the gunfire and/or fire. The badly burned offender retreated to his brother’s house some 30 miles away and decided the odds were against him ending his own life with a single gunshot to the head.According to police, Bruce Pardo had no prior criminal record or history of violence. To those who knew... nicest guy” who “always had a smile.”

Acute Opioid Withdrawal Precipitated by Blood Transfusion in a 21-Year-Old Male

February 21, 2019October 13, 2017 by admin

To the Editor:

Cancer patients can be among the most challenging groups in which to maintain pain control. At our institution, many cancer patients are managed with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) opioids, sometimes on an outpatient basis. These patients frequently undergo multiple surgeries as well as courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and, as a result, often require multiple blood product transfusions. According to the American Association of Blood Banks standard,1 blood transfusions should not be co-administered with any intravenous drugs or fluids apart from 0.9% sodium chloride. For many cancer patients, it is difficult or impractical to establish additional intravenous access solely for blood product administration, and therefore, the practice at our institution has been to disconnect any current intravenous infusion for the duration of blood product transfusion. Here, we describe a case of severe opioid withdrawal after disconnection of intravenous hydromorphone PCA and initiation of a blood transfusion....

A History On The Use Of Blood Transfusions In Cycling

November 21, 2018October 13, 2017 by admin

The recent revelations by the Dutch newspaper De Volksrant concerning the PDM team's doping regime at the 1988 Tour de France raise more questions than they answer, particularly with regard to the use of blood transfusions in 1980s cycling. Here we consider what is known about the use of transfusions in general and some of the questions these latest PDM revelations raise in relation to the history of blood doping in cycling.

Part I

What is known about the use of blood transfusions in sport, particularly in cycling? Most people will be able to tell you that the Finnish middle-distance runner Lasse Virén is said to have made use of transfusions when winning at the Munich and Montreal Olympics in 1972 and 1976. Most people will also be able to tell you that Francesco Moser broke Eddy Merckx's Hour Record in 1984 with the help of blood transfusions....

Medicolegal Assessment Of Blood Transfusion Errors–an Interdisciplinary Challenge.

November 21, 2018October 13, 2017 by admin

Abstract

Given a current total incidence of erroneously administered blood transfusions of 1:12,000-1:36,000 (AB0 incompatible 1:38,000), the percentage of lethal outcomes ranges between 2 and 5%; i.e. the sole fact of an erroneous transfusion does not mandatorily result in a causal connection with lethal outcome, which can give rise to problems in the medicolegal assessment. We report on the conception and results of a novel interdisciplinary approach to assess the lethal significance of blood transfusion errors. Besides autopsy, histological investigation and immunohistochemical detection of AB0 incompatible foreign red blood cells in autopsy specimens, transfusion medicine investigations offer the opportunity to assess several immunohaematologic features. We assessed the immunohaematologic gel card ("microcolumn") technique for suitability in the forensic assessment of an AB0 incompatible transfusion incident in a septic patient, who had had no history of previous blood transfusions, with lethal outcome. After such an erroneous transfusion had been simulated in vitro, pre-transfusion...

Affective Neuroscience Of Pleasure: Reward In Humans And Animals

November 21, 2018October 13, 2017 by admin

Abstract

Introduction Pleasure and reward are generated by brain circuits that are largely shared between humans and other animals.

Discussion Here, we survey some fundamental topics regarding pleasure mechanisms and explicitly compare humans and animals.

Conclusion Topics surveyed include liking, wanting, and learning components of reward; brain coding versus brain causing of reward; subjective pleasure versus objective hedonic reactions; roles of orbitofrontal cortex and related cortex regions; subcortical hedonic hotspots for pleasure generation; reappraisals of dopamine and pleasure-electrode controversies; and the relation of pleasure to happiness.

Introduction Affective neuroscience has emerged as an exciting discipline in recent years (Berridge 2003a; Damasio 2004; Davidson et al. 2003; Davidson and Sutton 1995; Feldman Barrett and Wager 2006; Kringelbach 2005, 2008; LeDoux and Phelps 2000; Leknes and Tracey 2008; Panksepp 1991; 1998; Rolls 2005). Many important insights have been gained into brain mechanisms of affect, motivation, and emotion through studies of both animals and humans....

Please Don’t Say Anything: Partner Notification and the Patient-Physician Relationship

November 21, 2018October 13, 2017 by admin

Commentary by Ronald Epstein, MD, James C. Thomas, PhD, MPH, and Gregory W. Rutecki, MD

On Dr. Singh's recommendation, one of her patients, Mr. Henry Roland, consented to be tested for HIV and had a positive test result, which he feared but suspected. Mr. Roland has a longtime girlfriend, Lisa, whom he sometimes mentions to Dr. Singh. When talking to Mr. Roland about his positive test result, Dr. Singh brought up the topic of notifying Mr. Roland's past and present partners so they could be tested themselves. Mr. Roland refused to agree to tell Lisa, or even allow Dr. Singh to notify the health department so they could call her to suggest that she be tested.

"If she's positive, she'll know it was me. Please don't say anything or she'll know I gave it to her."

Mr. Roland told Dr. Singh that he intended to continue having sexual relations with Lisa,...

y-Hydroxybutyrate Concentrations in Pre- and Postmortem Blood and Urine

November 21, 2018October 13, 2017 by admin

To the Editor:

With γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) becoming popular as a drug of abuse in the US and elsewhere (1), we are receiving increasing requests for the analytical determination of GHB in blood or urine in criminal investigations, especially in sexual assault cases. In a recent report of a fatal poisoning with GHB, the victim had a postmortem blood GHB concentration of 27 mg/L (2), and another three GHB-related fatalities were reported with postmortem blood GHB concentrations of 52–121 mg/L (3).

As a part of a validation study before instituting a GC-MS method described by others (4), we tested for GHB presence in a series of forensic specimens submitted routinely to us by law enforcement agencies and medical examiner offices in cases not known to be GHB-related. No GHB was detected (detection limit, 1 mg/L) in the blood or urine of living persons or in postmortem urine, but very substantial concentrations,...

The Plethysmograph: A Review of Recent Literature James G. Barker and Robert J. Howell

November 21, 2018October 13, 2017 by admin

The penile plethysmograph is an individually applied physiological test, that measures the flow of blood to and from the genital area. Over the past 20 years the plethysmograph has evolved into a sophisticated computerized instrument capable of measuring slight changes in the circumference of the penis. Despite the sophistication of the current equipment technology, a question remains whether the information emitted is a valid and reliable means of assessing sexual preference. Much research has accompanied the evolution of the seismography. Generally, the plethysmograph is recognized as the best objective measure of male sexual arousal because blood flow into the penis is the only measure of sexual arousal that doesn't seem to be influenced by other factors. The objectiveability to measure penile arousal has helped the plethysmograph evolve into one of the important tests in the assessment and treatment of male sex offenders.

Ideally,

Acute Lung Injury Following Blood Transfusion: Expanding the Definition

November 21, 2018October 12, 2017 by admin

Abstract and Introduction

Abstract

Objective: Acute lung injury (ALI) is a well known complication following the transfusion of blood products and is commonly referred to as transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). The objectives of this review are to summarize current knowledge of TRALI with an emphasis on issues pertinent to the intensivist and to define the newly recognized Delayed TRALI syndrome.

Data synthesis: The classic TRALI syndrome is an uncommon condition characterized by the abrupt onset of respiratory failure within hours of the transfusion of a blood product. It is usually caused by anti-leukocyte antibodies, resolves rapidly, and has a low mortality. A single unit of packed cells or blood component product is usually implicated in initiating this syndrome. It has, however, recently been recognized that the transfusion of blood products in critically ill or injured patients increases the risk (odds ratio 2.13; 95% confidence interval 1.75-2.52)...

Sexual Homicide A Motivational Model

November 21, 2018October 12, 2017 by admin

Abstract

Reports findings from an exploratory study of the background characteristics of 36 male sexual murderers, their behaviors and experiences in connection with their developmental stages, and the central role of sadistic fantasy and critical cognitive structures that support the act of sexual murder. All Ss were born in the 1940s and 1950s; 33 were White, and 80% were of average to superior intelligence. A 5-phase motivational model is presented: (1) ineffective social environment, (2) formative events, (3) critical personal traits and cognitive mapping process, (4) action toward others and self, and (5) feedback filter. Clinical implications are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)...

Drug-Related Deaths With Evidence Of Intracorporeal Drug Concealment At Autopsy: Five Case Reports.

November 21, 2018October 12, 2017 by admin

Abstract

Intracorporeal concealment of illicit drugs is a rare observation at coronial autopsy examinations. The article reports 5 cases of accidental drug overdoses at the Westmead Coronial Morgue, Sydney New South Wales, over a 6-year period with evidence of intracorporeal drug concealment known as body packing or body stuffing. Three different forms of anatomic concealment of drugs are illustrated, Case 2 involving therapeutic medication in the form of glass ampoules for parenteral injection not previously reported. Three deaths were the result of acute toxicity due to polydrug abuse rather than as a consequence of the body packing behavior and rupture of the drug packaging, with the intracorporeal drug concealments an adjunct finding at the autopsy examinations. The cause of death in Case 3 was the direct result of acute cocaine intoxication due to rupture of drug packages in the rectum and mucosal absorption. The article details forensic sociological aspects of drug concealment...

Shootings: What EMS Providers Need to Know

November 21, 2018October 12, 2017 by admin

Firearm-related injuries continue to be a significant public health problem, accounting for almost 20% of injury-related deaths in the United States.

From January 1993 to December 1998, an estimated 115,000 firearm-related injuries occurred annually in the U.S. Males were seven times more likely to die or be treated in emergency departments for gunshot wounds than females. In 2006 more than 30,000 persons died from firearm injuries in the United States.

Gunshot wounds to the head are the most lethal of all firearm injuries. It is estimated they have a fatality rate greater than 90%. Those to the myocardium have fatality rates reaching 80%. Intra-abdominal injuries from gunshot wounds tend to involve the small bowel (50%), colon (40%), liver (30%) and abdominal vascular structures (25%).

PENETRATING MOI

Gunshot wounds involve the transfer of energy to a target. The damage that occurs is directly related to the amount of energy exchanged between the penetrating...