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Background: Even in this modern era of advanced knowledge in medical science, still the human skeleton holds its medicolegal importance in forensic anthropology as before. The forensic pathologists still face the dilemma to identify and opine whether the skeletal remains are of human or not along with estimation of the relatively correct age, sex, and height of the specimen available. Innumerable scientific literature is not unavailable in forensic anthropometry for the identification of human skeletons. The examination of the human skeleton is an integral part to serve medico-legal purpose. The pivotal step of forensic investigation usually starts with the sexual differentiation of the adult human bone. The whole skeleton helps to identify the sex of bone (male/female) with almost 100% accuracy. This current pilot study is an attempt of finding morphometric relationship between sex and predefined transverse linear measurements of adult sternum. Materials And Methods: Following the approval of the institutional ethical committee, the research was carried out on 64 adult human sternums that were selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: In the current study, the study population comprises 38 (59.4%) males and 26 (40.6%) females, selected through the complete enumeration method. Among total 64 cases of the present study 28(43.8%) cases are from 18-39 years age group and 22 (34.4%) cases are from 40-59years age group 14(21.9%) cases are from 60-90years. Predefined transverse linear parameters i.e. Manubrium Width and Mesothermal Width_ both found to be greater in Male sex. Independent t -test also suggested that the sex-wise differences also found to be statistically significant (<0.001) Conclusion: Transitioning from a morphological approach to a morphometric analysis for sex determination based on the sternum is expected to minimize subjective variability, allowing for subsequent refinement and enhancement through more detailed methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homicidal deaths are a significant public health problem and affect every society around the world. The incidence of homicide has seen a worldwide upsurge with varying trends across geographical locations. Detailed information on the characteristics of victims of homicide from the Cooch Behar region is limited. This article explores recent trends of homicide in the Cooch Behar region. The study was conducted between June 2019 to May 2020 at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Cooch Behar Government Medical College and Hospital, Cooch Behar. 1133 autopsies were conducted over the time-period with 70 homicidal deaths. Most of the victims were males (70%) with a male to female ratio of 2.33:1. 34.3% of victims were between the ages of 21 – 30 years. Most of the victims were laborers (18.6%) while Hinduism was the most common religion (65.7%). 06:00 pm to 12:00 midnight was the time when the majority of the incidents took place and 68.5% of victims were brought dead. Injuries by hard blunt weapons and sharp cutting weapons were responsible for maximum deaths, constituting 21 (30%) and 15 (21.4%) cases respectively. Multiple regions of the body were involved in 35.7% cases followed by head and face region with 34.3% cases. This study is significant as it aims to identify the profile of risk factors of victims of homicide and suggest new lines of research that would help to reduce the number of homicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lockdowns and quarantines were set up in various countries around the world to combat the Corona virus pandemic. The pandemic has its mental health consequences which have been aggravated by the lockdown measures. The resulting psychological distress and depression has ultimately led to suicides. This study explores the trends of suicide in the month of the lockdown and compared it with those to the prior months. The study was conducted between 25th January 2020 to 24th April 2020 and March 25th 2019 to April 24th 2019 at Cooch Behar Government Medical College and Hospital, Cooch Behar. 52.1% cases of suicide were recorded in the month of lockdown which increased from 34.1% in February 2020 and 43.1% in March 2020. Most cases of suicide in the period of lockdown were in the second and third decade of life with a male predominance. For the period of lockdown, housewives, businessmen and labourers were found out to be the vulnerable population. A social and public health response in addition to a mental health response is crucial to prevent suicidal behaviour in lockdown period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]