Search

Fostering the specialists of forensic pathology has become a worldwide problem. In Japan, factors such as government budget cuts, the introduction of initial postgraduate clinical training system, as well as national policy on increasing autopsy rates, may deter young graduates from entering this specialty. The aim of this study was to look for clues to promote the training of young forensic pathologists. We selected and interviewed five forensic pathologists, with each interview lasting approximately 60 minutes, and picked up common views among them. The interviews topic, based on a prior survey, was: "What do you believe forensic pathologists require to promote the training of their successors." We selected common views on the three themes listed below; 1) standardization of minimum requirements to be independent forensic pathologists, 2) balancing forensic pathologists' time among autopsy practice, research, and education, and 3) preparing positions for younger forensic pathologists. These opinions were the same as those of previous studies conducted overseas and must be discussed at academic conferences in the future, where both junior and senior forensic pathologists participate.

The shortage of future forensic pathologists is a serious problem both in Japan and overseas. In Japan, however, factors such as government budget cuts and increasing the autopsy rates, make the condition even worse. In an attempt to improve this situation, we implemented a questionnaire survey to investigate the particular features necessary when selecting a career in forensic medicine. As a preliminary study, we sent the questionnaire along with an anonymous answer sheet to all forensic pathologists with a degree in medicine M.D., who were affiliated with universities in Hokkaido and the Tohoku district of Japan as of August 2011. Thirteen physicians in nine universities (response rate 77.8%) returned the answer sheet. Characteristics of participants are listed below: years of experience, board specialty and number of years as board certified specialists, percentage of work effort spent on autopsy practice, the time when they decided to work as a forensic pathologist, the time when to best recommend forensic pathologist as a career, and crucial factors in choosing the specialty of forensic medicine. As a result of this research, we've revealed the importance of undergraduate medical education or the effect on the role models. Furthermore, we've also extracted miscellaneous comments, such as standardization of minimum requirements. In our study, we' ve found some clues to increase future candidates in the field forensic medicine. However, we must collect further samples for our questionnaire survey to validate the study, and, as a future project, we must also address this problem at the congress of forensic medicine.

To assess validity of age estimation from the degree of atherosclerosis of abdominal aorta, we quantitatively evaluated the atherosclerotic parameters (surface involvement of atherosclerotic lesions, atherosclerotic index, and aortic width at renal arteries and common iliac bifurcation, which was measured by using digital photographs at autopsy), and collected individual factors (age, sex, body height, body weight and heart weight, and body surface, body mass index and cardiomegaly index) in autopsied 103 bodies (62 males, 41 females) during 2 years. We statistically examined their data by multiple regression analysis to determine the effects of the individual factors on the proceeding parameters of atherosclerosis, and obtained correlation coefficient, regression equation, and standard error of estimate between the atherosclerotic parameters and age. Among the factors, only age was influential on all the atherosclerotic parameters, of which the surface involvement (SI%) and the aortic width at common iliac bifurcation (Wb cm) were acceptable as the parameters for age estimation, and useful in a wide age range, according to the results of the standard errors of estimate. We also recognized predicting formulae for age (Y) by multiple regression analysis; Y = 0.52SI + 9.53Wb - 4.41 in males and Y = 0.34SI + 18.47Wb - 23.32 in females.

It is difficult to diagnose cardiac-related death only by external examination. However, in the areas where no medical examiner system is established, the diagnosis is made mostly from the findings by external examination. Clinically, cardiac troponin T (cTnT) rapid assay kits are used for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease. The kits have started being applied to forensic medicine and used for the diagnosis of cardiac-related death without exact evidence. In this study, we collected postmortem blood samples from 110 forensic autopsy cases and evaluated the utility of the kits in the field of forensic medicine. Blood samples collected from the left and the right parts of the hearts showed extremely high positive rates (95.1% each), and peripheral blood samples also showed very high positive rates (71.2%), although cardiac-related deaths were only 7 cases of all 110 cases. Because cTnT concentration of postmortem blood samples is affected by non-cardiac-related natural death, postmortem changes, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the results from using the kits are not reliable in determining the cause of death. We conclude that the kits cannot be applied in forensic medicine.

We observed whether or not there were eggs, larvae, pupae, and empty pupal shells of flies on cadavers found outdoors in Sapporo, the northern district of Japan (43 degrees N). The temperature has an influence on the oviposition of flies. The average season in which flies lay eggs is from the middle of April to the beginning of November, although there is a little lag year by year. As flies overwinter generally as larvae, we can estimate postmortem interval of a cadaver found in spring on the basis of the size and the mortality of the larvae. If the length of larvae is 1 cm or longer, and many of them are dead, and if there are no empty pupal shells, the time of death of a cadaver found outdoors in spring is between the middle of September and the beginning of November in the previous year.