| 1. |
- Nilsson, Thomas, 1954, et al.
(author)
-
The precarious practice of forensic psychiatric risk assessments
- 2009
-
In: International Journal of Law and Psychiatry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-2527. ; 32:6, s. 400-407
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The development of forensic psychiatric risk assessments is discussed from a clinical point of view using the example of Sweden. A central task in forensic psychiatry has traditionally been to identify dangerous, mentally disordered subjects considered to be prone to commit violent acts. Over time, “dangerousness” has been reworded into “risk”. Nevertheless, such assessments have generally been based on the psychiatric factors characterising the individual patient, while group interaction, situational factors, or social and cultural circumstances, such as the availability of alcohol and drugs, have been largely overlooked. That risk assessments have a focused on people with a diagnosis of “mental disorder” and been used as grounds for coercive measures and integrity violations has somehow been accepted as a matter of course in the public and political debate. Even the basic question whether offenders with a mental disorder are really more prone to criminal recidivism than other offenders seems to have been treated light-handedly and dealt with merely by epidemiological comparisons between groups of persons with broad ranges of psychosocial vulnerability and the general population. Legal texts, instructions and guidelines from the authorities in charge are often vague and general, while actors in the judicial system seem to put their trust in psychiatric opinions. The exchange of professional opinions, general public expectations, and judicial decision processes poses a huge risk for misunderstandings based on divergent expectations and uses of terminology.
|
|
| 2. |
- Eriksson, Anders
(author)
-
Asfyksi - kvaelning
- 2008. - 2
-
In: Retsmedicin. - Köbenhavn : Foreningen af Danske Laegestuderendes Forlag Aktieselskab. - 9788777494994 ; , s. 131-147
-
Book chapter (pop. science, debate, etc.)
|
|
| 3. |
- Johansson, Lars, 1961-, et al.
(author)
-
Teenage suicide cluster formation and contagion : implications for primary care
- 2006
-
In: BMC Family Practice. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2296. ; 17:7, s. 32-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: We have previously studied unintentional as well as intentional injury deaths among teenagers living in the four northernmost counties, forming approximately 55% of Sweden with 908,000 inhabitants in 1991. During this work, we found what we suspected to be a suicide cluster among teenagers and we also suspected contagion since there were links between these cases. In this present study, we investigate the occurrence of suicide clustering among teenagers, analyze cluster definitions, and suggest preventive measures. METHODS: A retrospective study of teenager suicides autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Umea, Sweden, during 1981 through 2000. Police reports, autopsy protocols, and medical records were studied in all cases, and the police officers that conducted the investigation at the scene were interviewed in all cluster cases. Parents of the suicide victims of the first cluster were also interviewed. Two aggregations of teenager suicides were detected and evaluated as possible suicide clusters using the US Centers for Disease Control definition of a suicide cluster. RESULTS: Two clusters including six teenagers were confirmed, and contagion was established within each cluster. CONCLUSION: The general practitioner is identified as a key person in the aftermath of a teenage suicide since the general practitioner often meet the family, friends of the deceased, and other acquaintances early in the process after a suicide. This makes the general practitioner suitable to initiate contacts with others involved in the well-being of the young, in order to prevent suicide cluster formation and para-suicidal activities.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Tillmar, Andreas, et al.
(author)
-
Analysis of linkage and linkage disequilibrium for eight X-STR markers.
- 2008
-
In: Forensic science international. Genetics. - : Elsevier. - 1878-0326 .- 1872-4973. ; 3:1, s. 37-41
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (X-STR) have proven to be informative and useful in complex relationship testing. The main feature of X-STR markers, compared to autosomal forensic markers, is that all loci are located on the same chromosome. Thus, linkage and linkage disequilibrium may occur. The aim of this work was to study population genetic parameters of eight X-STR markers, located in four linkage groups. We present haplotype frequencies, based on 718 Swedish males, for the four linkage groups included in the Argus X-8 kit. Forensic efficiency parameters have been calculated as well as the allelic association between the tested markers for detection of linkage disequilibrium. To study the occurrences of recombination between the loci, both Swedish and Somali families were typed. A mathematical model for the estimation of recombination frequencies is presented and applied on the family samples. Our study showed that the tested markers all have highly informative forensic values and that there is a significant degree of linkage disequilibrium between the STR markers within the four linkage groups. Furthermore, based on the tested families, we also demonstrated that two of the linkage groups are partially linked. A consequence of these findings is that both linkage and linkage disequilibrium should be accounted for when producing likelihood ratios in relationship testing with X-STR markers.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Bendroth, Peter, et al.
(author)
-
Comparison of ethyl glucuronide in hair with phosphatidylethanol in whole blood as post-mortem markers of alcohol abuse
- 2008
-
In: Forensic Science International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0379-0738 .- 1872-6283. ; 176:1, s. 76-81
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a direct metabolite of ethanol and has been used as a marker of alcohol abuse in both urine and hair. This study investigated the value of EtG testing in post-mortem hair for diagnostic improvement of alcohol abuse in forensic medicine. Material from 70 consecutive medico-legal autopsies was collected in accordance with the recommendations on ethics by the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine. A method for determination of EtG in hair samples was developed using ultra performance liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-MS/MS; LOQ, 2.5 pg/mg). The result of the EtG analysis was compared with the findings of phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in femoral whole blood, as measured by high performance liquid chromatography with an evaporative light-scattering detector (HPLC–ELSD; LOQ, 0.22 μmol/l). Evaluation of liver histology and anamnestic evidence of alcohol abuse of the deceased were taken in consideration for the interpretation. Measurable levels of EtG were present in 49 of the 70 autopsy cases whereas PEth was present in 36. Thirty-nine cases had EtG levels above the cutoff limit (≥30 pg/mg) compared with 29 for PEth (≥0.7 μmol/l). Fifteen cases had EtG as exclusive indicator for alcohol abuse compared with four cases for PEth. These findings suggest that measurements of EtG in hair may provide improved diagnostic information on alcohol abuse, due to a long retrospective time-window for detection and stability of EtG in hair in the decaying cadaver. However, an EtG level below the cutoff does not completely exclude previous alcohol abuse.
|
|
| 8. |
- Björnstig, Ulf, et al.
(author)
-
Passenger car collision fatalities - with special emphasis on collisions with heavy vehicles
- 2008
-
In: Accident Analysis and Prevention. - : Elsevier. - 0001-4575 .- 1879-2057. ; 40:1, s. 158-166
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Between 1995 and 2004, 293 passenger car occupants died in collisions with other vehicles in northern Sweden (annual incidence: 3.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, 6.9 per 100,000 cars, or 4.8 per 109 km driven); half of these deaths involved heavy vehicles. The annual number of passenger car occupant death per 100,000 cars in var-truck/bus collisions has remained unchanged since the 1980s, , but in car-car collisions it has decreased to one third of its former level. As crash objects, trucks and buses killed five times as many car occupants per truck/bus kilometer driven as did cars.The collisions were characterized by crashes in the oncoming vehicle´s lane, under icy, snowy, or wet conditions; crashes into heavy vehicles generally occurred in daylight, on workdays, in winter, and on 90 and 70 km/h two-lane roads. Head and chest injuries accouted for most of the fatal injuries. multiple fatal injuries and critical and deadly head injuries characterized the deaths in collisions with heavy vehicles.An indication of suicide was present in 4% of the deaths; for thos who crashed into trucks, this percentage was doubled. Among the driver victims, 4% had blood alcohol levels above the legal limit of 0.2 g/L.Frontal collision risks might be reduced by a mid-barrier, by building less injurious fronts on trucks and buses, by efficient skid prevention, and by use of flexible speed limits varying with road and light conditions.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
|
|
