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In the practice of forensic pathology, fat embolism is one of the common causes of death, which can be divided into two categories: traumatic and non-traumatic. Non-traumatic fat embolism refers to the blockage of small blood vessels by fat droplets in the circulatory blood flow caused by non-traumatic factors such as underlying diseases, stress, poisoning and lipid metabolism disorders. At present, it is believed that the production of non-traumatic fat embolism is related to the disturbance of lipid metabolism, C-reactive protein-related cascade reaction, the agglutination of chylomicron and very low-density lipoprotein. The forensic identification of the cause of death of non-traumatic fat embolism is mainly based on the case, systematic autopsy, HE staining and fat staining, but it is often missed or misdiagnosed by forensic examiners because of its unknown risk factors, hidden onset, the difficulty of HE staining observation and irregular implementation of fat staining. In view of the lack of attention to non-traumatic fat embolism in forensic identification, this paper reviews the concepts, pathophysiological mechanism, research progress, existing problems and countermeasures of non-traumatic fat embolism, providing reference for forensic scholars.

BACKGROUND Sudden death from ischemic heart disease while driving is an important cause of traffic accidents. This study discusses causes of traffic accidents in relation to risk factors for acute myocardial infarction such as hypertension and overwork and provides references for the early prevention and regulation of drivers' health conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data on 21 cases of sudden death by ischemic heart disease while driving from January 2015 to December 2019 were collected. Age, symptoms, and cardiac pathological changes of patients were summarized by systematic anatomical and medical history data. RESULTS Patients were 21 men with an average age of 47±7.27 years (most aged 40 to 60 years), and the average weight of their hearts was 439.45±76.3 g. Twelve patients had a history of hypertension, 8 had previous myocardial infarction, and 4 had fatty liver. All had at least 1 severe narrowing of a major coronary artery. Twelve patients died within a short period; 9 died more than 12 h after myocardial infarction onset. Ten patients had worked more than 80 h of overtime per month, 4 patients, more than 45 h, and 7 patients, less than 45 h. CONCLUSIONS Regular physical examination and information about ischemic heart disease should be emphasized for men aged 40 to 60 years who drive frequently, especially for those with hypertension, overwork, or previous myocardial infarction. Incorporating objective evaluation criteria for the severity of ischemic heart disease and overwork into health condition-related driving regulations is needed.