1,721,018 research outputs found
Suicide or Homicide? A Case of Self-Inflicted Triple Gunshot Wound by Double-Barrel Shotgun
No full textDifferential diagnosis between suicide and homicide by firearms is still a major challenge in forensic practice, especially when multiple gunshot wounds are present. A case of self-inflicted triple wound by double-barrel shotgun is presented. A 73-year-old White male patient was found dead in a wooden area. According to investigations, he had disappeared from home the day before. The corpse was covered with clothing in a prone position on a gravel road, a short distance from a car with driver-side-door open and keys in the ignition. Next to the body, a 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun was found, with 3 fired cartridges and 1 unused in the left front pocket of the trousers. No signs of struggle were present. Two penetrating wounds in the upper torso were detected by postmortem computer tomography. Autopsy showed 2 near-contact entrance wounds in the pectoral region bilaterally, each associated with exit wounds in the omni lateral hip. Only organs of "delayed incapacitation" were injured. Death was determined to be a suicide. This uncommon case of self-inflicted triple wound by shotgun highlights the importance to integrate proper analysis of the scene with autopsy findings in order to avoid misinterpretation of a suicidal death as a homicide
An unusual mechanism of bladder fluid absorption with fatal fluid overload in “predisposed” patient
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Sudden cardiac death in elderly: The post-mortem examination of senile myocardium and myocardial infarction
No full textCardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death globally. From a pathological perspective, the causes of
sudden cardiac death (SCD) are different in young individuals compared with older ones where chronic degenerative diseases predominate. Most patients with heart disease are elderly, but aging is not synonymous of disease. Many people live past the age of 65 up to 90 and over without evidence of cardiac diseases and in many
autopsies of elderly individuals, no specific lesions can be discovered that provide a clear cause of cardiac death.
Where age-related changes are observed and no other cardiovascular findings can be related to an arrhythmic or
mechanical mechanism of SCD or to myocardial infarction (MI), the senile myocardial degeneration is an inappropriate diagnosis although it is a common expression used by public health physicians and pathologists as cause
of death. Age-associated changes in senile myocardium predispose to pathophysiological disease mechanisms
and they can be a substantial substrate causing SCD even after acute emotional or physical stress as triggers
of myocardial ischemia or arrhythmia. However, distinguishing the age-related physiological processes from the
associated pathological changes and their role in a case of SCD is not always possible, since a heart failure (HF)
can be the final cardiovascular aging pathway especially in elderly victims. Furthermore, unnatural deaths can be
erroneously reported as natural deaths, leaving accidents or homicides undetected. The differentiation between
sudden death and fatal elderly abuse is a difficult and critical diagnostic decision that needs a careful post-mortem investigation also in SCDs. To the best of our knowledge, there is no protocol for distinguishing SCD from
elderly abuse fatalities. A specific protocol for sudden deaths also in elderly (similar to those already available for
infant and child) could enhance the public and professional awareness on elder abuse fatalities as well as on the
underlying mechanisms of cardiac deaths. In cases of sudden, unexpected deaths in healthy elderly, it is strongly
suggested an accurate post-mortem investigation including a complete examination of clinical signs and medical
history, toxicological and/or chemical laboratory tests, circumstantial data related also to the scene-of-the event
Insects found on a human cadaver in central Italy including the blowfly Calliphora loewi (Diptera, Calliphoridae), a new species of forensic interest
No full textIn the case of unidentified bodies the estimation of the period since death or of the season of death plays an important role to focus the attention on a reduced number of people among the ones reported missing. Forensic entomology can be one of the most important methods for these estimations, as occurred in this case. Flies are typically the first insects to colonize a dead body. The case reported here concerns the colonisation by insects of a male body in advanced decay found during the winter in Central Italy. This case is of particular interest as few data are available on the entomological evidence in the cold season. In particular, in this case we recovered Calliphora loewi (Calliphoridae), a species never collected before on dead bodies in Southern Europe. Larvae of the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (Stratiomyidae), pupae and larvae belonging to genus Hydrothea (Muscidae), and Necrobia rufipes (Cleridae) specimens were also collected. The estimated PMI enabled identification of the cadaver, confirmed by DNA analysis
Intrafamily traumatic experiences in childhood and cyberbullying victimization on adolescent people in italy: Data from a multicentric study performed by self-report questionnaire
No full textThe study is based on a wider international research, International Self-Report Delinquency Study-3, aimed at studying the relationship between early intrafamily traumatic experiences and cyberbullying victimization. The data have been collected by a questionnaire ISRD-3 administered to an Italian sample of 3.508 students from 7th to 9th grade. Results show a statistically significant relationship between traumatic intrafamiliar experiences such as a serious illness of one of the parents, episodes of violence suffered and assisted, separation or divorce of the parents, and being victimized in adolescence of cyber bullying
Sudden cardiac death in elderly: the post-mortem examination of senile myocardium and myocardial infarction.
Full text linkCardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death globally. From a pathological perspective, the causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD) are different in young individuals compared with older ones where chronic degenerative diseases predominate. Most patients with heart disease are elderly, but aging is not synonymous of disease. Many people live past the age of 65 up to 90 and over without evidence of cardiac diseases and in many autopsies of elderly individuals, no specific lesions can be discovered that provide a clear cause of cardiac death. Where age-related changes are observed and no other cardiovascular findings can be related to an arrhythmic or mechanical mechanism of SCD or to myocardial infarction (MI), the senile myocardial degeneration could be a quite acceptable cause of death. Age-associated changes in senile myocardium predispose to pathophysiological disease mechanisms and they can be a substantial substrate causing SCD even after acute emotional or physical stress as triggers of myocardial ischemia or arrhythmia. However, distinguishing the age-related physiological processes from the associated pathological changes and their role in a case of SCD is not always possible, since a heart failure (HF) can be the final cardiovascular aging pathway especially in elderly victims. Furthermore, unnatural deaths can be erroneously reported as natural deaths, leaving accidents or homicides undetected. The differentiation between sudden death and fatal elderly abuse is a difficult and critical diagnostic decision that needs a careful post-mortem investigation. To the best of our knowledge, there is no protocol for distinguishing SCD from elderly abuse fatalities. A specific protocol for sudden deaths also in elderly (similar to those already available for infant and child) could enhance the public and professional awareness on elder abuse fatalities as well as on the underlying mechanisms of cardiac deaths. In cases of sudden, unexpected deaths in healthy elderly, it is strongly suggested an accurate post-mortem investigation including a complete examination of clinical signs and medical history, toxicological and/or chemical laboratory tests, circumstantial data related also to the scene-of-the event
Assessment of Cervical Skeletal Trauma: The Synergistic Contribution of Forensic and Clinical Medicine to a Case of Corpse Concealment
Full text linkFatal neck injuries represent a major challenge in forensic pathology because the anatomical complexity and high variability of neck structures make it often extremely difficult to differentiate true pathological findings from artifacts at autopsy. This topic becomes even more relevant when the forensic pathologist is required to make a pathophysiological evaluation of bone fractures in the absence of soft tissue to support the diagnosis. We report a case of unidentified, stone-covered, skeletonized human remains found within a pit below an abandoned building with bony lesions of the cervical spine and ribs, including a full-thickness fracture of the right lateral mass of the atlas (C1). After a careful study of the fractures was carried out by screening forensic literature and anthropological studies, clinical neurosurgical expertise was called upon to provide a reliable explanation. A rapid and violent twisting of the neck in the opposite direction from the fracture site by an attacker who pinned the victim’s torso is the scenario that most likely occurred in our case. This case report shows that the diagnosis of cervical spine injuries in skeletal remains should be the result of a multidisciplinary approach that integrates forensic, anthropological, and clinical expertise
HOW SHOULD LIVING ENTOMOLOGICAL SAMPLES BE STORED?
No full textSampling and storing insect evidence alive is an important task in forensic entomology as it can impact survival and growth rates. To investigate the effect of cooling and storing of insect evidence before its arrival in the laboratory, samples of all three larval stages of the blow fly species Lucilia sericata and Calliphora vicina were analysed. A first group was stored at room temperature and a second one in a refrigerator (~5°C) for 16h, all without air, supply of food and sawdust. Afterwards they were kept at 6-8°C in a Styrofoam box for 8h, simulating a transport situation. Mortality rate (MR) was calculated and 25% of the surviving larvae were killed and measured to check for interim growth. The remaining alive specimens were reared at 25 °C until adult’s eclosion for estimating a possible storage impact on survival during later development. The results were then compared with a control which was not temporary stored and chilled but left feeding in boxes with air-permeable lid on food substrate at 25°C. A 24h temporary storage stopped the larval growth in comparison with the control especially in early larval stages in both species. A high MR of up to100% for third instar (L3) larvae stored both at room temperature and in a cold environment without air supply was found. Oxygen supply can reduce significantly the MR at least for L3 larvae of L. sericata. Findings provide scientific evidence for the recommendation to store larval samples at cold temperatures with both oxygen and food supply. The high MR for samples of the last larval stage clearly shows the need for a fast delivery after sampling and a more sophisticated storage procedure like e.g. air supply. Storing live samples at room temperature without air access should be avoided
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