Palatal Rugae as a Discriminating Factor in Determining Sex: A New Method Applicable in Forensic Odontology?

The purpose of this study is a new method that can help to identify the sex through the study of palatal rugae, comparing sagittal sections of the hard palate using Cartesian coordinates and evaluating the assistance given by digital technology and its applicability in this method. In this study, 57 digital impressions were examined and divided in two groups based on sex. Results: 2223 impression sections were studied and 145 coordinates that were present with a frequency greater than 50% in one or both groups were obtained: 52 discriminating traits (DT) in the male group, 29 discriminating traits in the female group, and 64 common traits (CT).

The medico-legal implications in medical malpractice claims during Covid-19 pandemic: Increase or trend reversal?

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a marked increase in admissions to intensive care units. The critically ill patients' condition from the infection resulted in their deaths. The healthcare facilities have got into trouble because of the pandemic.

Telemedicine during Covid-19 pandemic: Advantage or critical issue?

Telemedicine offers a support to traditional medicine, delivering clinical services when distance is a critical factor. Although this tool does not replace a medical examination, during Covid-19 pandemic, it reduces the spread of infection and avoids the need for a patient's visit. It is useful in the management of chronic disorders or for patients undergoing palliative treatment.

Are there positive lessons for Italy's NHS resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic?

The authors evaluate the importance of prevention measures and health care from their own experience and briefly analyse the factors that may have contributed to the rapid spread of Covid-19 in Italy, and hope this will feed into appropriate and new and improved health policies.

Virtopsy and Living Individuals Evaluation Using Computed Tomography in Forensic Diagnostic Imaging.

The applications of forensic radiology involve both Virtopsy both studies on living people - to demonstrate bone age, search for foreign bodies, such as voluntary injection of drug ovules or surgical sponges accidentally forgotten, to assess gunshot wounds, to evaluate injuries by road accidents, and cases of violence or abuse (both in adults and in children). Computed tomography is the most used imaging tool used in forensic pathology and its indications are mainly focused on cases of unnatural deaths or when a crime is suspected. It is preferred over the standard autopsy in selected cases, such as in putrefied, carbonized or badly damaged bodies; or as a preliminary evaluation in mass disasters.

Role of Imaging in the Assessment of Age Estimation.

Age assessment by skeletal age estimation of unknown individuals is of paramount importance in forensic science, both for assessing imputability (if the author of a crime is old enough to be tried and judged), both in case of unaccompanied minors, or whether refugees and asylum seekers are adults or juveniles, which implies different legal issues and procedures. The aim of this article is to review the age estimation methods used in forensic practice.

Determination of Propofol by GC/MS and Fast GC/MS-TOF in Two Cases of Poisoning.

Two cases of suspected acute and lethal intoxication caused by propofol were delivered by the judicial authority to the Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother-Child Care in Palermo, Sicily. In the first case a female nurse was found in a hotel room, where she lived with her mother; four 10 mg/mL vials and two 20 mg/mL vials of propofol were found near the decedent along with syringes and needles. In the second case a male nurse was found in the operating room of a hospital, along with a used syringe.

Role of virtopsy in the post-mortem diagnosis of drowning.

Purpose: Due to admitted limits of autopsy-based studies in the diagnosis of drowning, virtopsy is considered the new imaging horizon in these post-mortem studies. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of virtopsy performed through computed tomography (CT) in the forensic diagnosis of drowning.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively examined the CT data of four cadavers recovered from sea water and suspected to have died by drowning.

Unexpected variation of the codeine/morphine ratio following fatal heroin overdose.

Postmortem samples from 14 cases of suspected heroin overdose were subjected to a preliminary systematic toxicological analysis in order to highlight the presence of unknown exogenous compounds (e.g., drugs of abuse, alcohol) that may have played a role in the mechanism of death.

Capillary electrophoretic and extraction conditions for the analysis of Catha edulis FORKS active principles.

A capillary electrophoretic method, which allowed the detection and separation of the active principles of Catha edulis, i.e. cathinone, cathine and phenylpropanolamine, was developed.

Development and validation of a reliable method for studying the distribution pattern for opiates metabolites in brain.

Brain distribution pattern of "street" heroin metabolites (morphine and codeine) was investigated in two fatalities due to "acute narcotism". A suitable sample pretreatment prior to solid-phase-extraction was developed to achieve a good recovery of the analytes and to eliminate the interfering species. After derivatization with MSTFA, samples were analyzed by GC/MS.