Cranio-facial trauma diagnosis using paleo-proteotyping of a blood sample from Robespierre (1794).

Tradition has it that the politician Robespierre, a famous tribune of the French Revolution, was lying, wounded in the face by a bullet from a firearm, on an 18th century desk, and left a trace of blood there, before being guillotined the next day (1794). This piece of furniture is now kept in the National Archives (Paris, France). A paleo-proteomic study was carried out on several brown stains on the leather of the desk, which confirmed the human blood nature of the sample, but also identified the protein signature of different craniofacial organs.

Metabolomic analysis of 18th-19th pipes from the kingdom of Dahomey (actual Benin) indicates smoking of caffeine-bearing plants.

Increasingly, molecular chemistry and pharmacology are complementing classical studies in the field of archaeology. In this case, we present the results of the chemical study of pipe residues found in the context of an archaeological mission (AROMA mission: Archaeology of the Exercise of Royal and Magico-Religious Power) in the royal palaces of Abomey (Benin), dating from the 17th-19th century. The search for many products was carried out (mainly tobacco, cannabis) but surprisingly only highlighted the presence of caffeine residues.

[Fetal monitoring: Current limitations and new approaches based on analysis of the fetal autonomic nervous system].

Objective: Currently, fetal monitoring during labor is based on visual analysis of the fetal heart rate (FHR). This test is imperfect, with high intra- and inter-observer variability and a moderate to poor prediction of the occurrence of neonatal acidosis or anoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. In situations where there is an intermediate risk of acidosis, it is possible to use second-line tests such as blood scalp sampling (with pH or lactate measurement) or ST segment analysis of the fetal ECG.

Testing Usability of a Medical Device Using Virtual Reality.

Before commercialization of a medical device, it is important to evaluate its usability. Traditional methods such as user testing to evaluate usability of medical device encountered difficulties to put participants in simulation conditions that are sufficiently realistic to be representative of real life. Virtual reality can be used to immerse participants in a high-fidelity simulation at a lower cost, but is not widely used today.

Is tetrodotoxin intoxication the cause of "zombi voice" in Haiti?

Objective: Zombification, a magical and religious process in Haiti, has been scientifically studied and remains relevant. Originating from the convergence of African, Caribbean, and Christian rites, it involves a comatose trance, transforming individuals into living dead through Voodoo practices. Haitian zombies consistently exhibit a preserved expression marked by a nasal voice, a result of nasalization-using nasal cavities as resonators during phonation.

Pregnancy in Times of War: What Are the Fallouts? A Review.

Background: The beginning of the conflict in Ukraine has reminded Europeans of the many and diverse consequences of armed conflicts. Indeed, the ever more sophisticated conflicts have led to the diffusion of numerous chemicals whose consequences spread even after the end of the war. We present through this paper a review of the consequences of pregnancies from the major conflicts that took place since the end of World War II.

Metaproteomic analysis of King Ghezo tomb wall (Abomey, Benin) confirms 19th century voodoo sacrifices.

The palace of King Ghezo in Abomey, capital of the ancient kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Benin), houses two sacred huts which are specific funerary structures. It is claimed that the binder in their walls is made of human blood. In the study presented here, we conceived an original strategy to analyze the proteins present on minute amounts of the cladding sampled from the inner facade of the cenotaph wall and establish their origin.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of King Henri IV's paranasal sinuses and mastoid cells.

Purpose: The preserved head of King Henri IV of France (life 1553-1610, reign 1589-1610) has survived to the present day thanks to high-quality embalming and favorable conservation conditions. The aim of this study was to examine Henry IV's upper resonant cavities and mastoids using an original and innovative forensic three-dimensional segmentation method.

Methods: The paranasal sinuses and mastoid cells of King Henri IV of France were studied by cross-referencing available biographical information with clinical and flexible endoscopic examination and computed tomography (CT-scan) imaging.

Scurvy complicated with Capnocytophaga sputigena sepsis as a possible cause of death of king Saint-Louis of France (1270 AD).

The cause of death of Saint-Louis is not known, but recent findings indicated that he presented scurvy and inflammatory jaw disease, which has been associated with infection by oral commensals. Here, we have the exceptional opportunity to analyze the relics of the viscera of King Saint-Louis. A 4.

Forensic description of impalement and associated torture lesions by Napoleon troops (Egypt, 1800).

Impalement bone traumas are very rarely described in the medical literature. We here present the first case of such a diagnosis carried out on a skeleton. The patient is Soleyman el-Halaby, executed in June 1800, who was the 24-year-old murderer of the Napoleonic general Kléber.

Deep Paleoproteotyping and Microtomography Revealed No Heart Defect nor Traces of Embalming in the Cardiac Relics of Blessed Pauline Jaricot.

Scientific examination of the heart of Blessed Pauline Jaricot-a French missionary figure-was carried out in 2022. As tandem mass spectrometry proteotyping has proven to be valuable to obtain the broad taxonomic repertoire of a given sample without any a priori information, we aimed at exploring the conditions of preservation of the relics and possible conditions of death. Metaproteomics and high-resolution microtomography imaging approaches were combined.