Assessing violent mechanical asphyxia in forensic pathology: State-of-the-art and unanswered questions.

Mechanical asphyxiation has been a common method used to commit homicide, including femicide, throughout history. A recent report by the United Nations has shed light on the issue of misidentification and concealment of gender-related killings, which makes it difficult to effectively fight against it. Forensic pathologists are frequently asked to examine cases involving suspected asphyxia to determine whether other persons have been involved.

Challenges and future trends of forensic toxicology to keep a cut above the rest.

Forensic toxicology faces several challenges in research and daily practice, including new drugs and futuristic technologies requiring innovative testing methods and continuous education and training of professionals. One of the most pressing issues in recent years is the emergence of novel psychoactive substances, often created by modifying the chemical structure of existing drugs to produce compounds with similar effects that are not yet regulated and lack standardized references. To overcome this challenge, forensic toxicologists have employed a range of analytical methods, including qualitative and quantitative analysis using highly sensitive technologies such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which are the most reliable and accurate methods for detecting drugs in biological samples.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins and genomic sequences in human brainstem nuclei.

Neurological manifestations are common in COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Despite reports of SARS-CoV-2 detection in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid of COVID-19 patients, it is still unclear whether the virus can infect the central nervous system, and which neuropathological alterations can be ascribed to viral tropism, rather than immune-mediated mechanisms. Here, we assess neuropathological alterations in 24 COVID-19 patients and 18 matched controls who died due to pneumonia/respiratory failure.

Reference centers for tissue and body donations: Compulsory requirements in Italy.

Recent Italian legislation (Law No. 10/2020) establishes the legal, ethical and technical requirements governing how individuals can donate their bodies or tissues post-mortem for study, training, and scientific research purposes. A ministerial working group has recently approved some of the law's implementing rules relating to technical issues.

Development of Two-Layer Hybrid Scaffolds Based on Oxidized Polyvinyl Alcohol and Bioactivated Chitosan Sponges for Tissue Engineering Purposes.

Oxidized polyvinyl alcohol (OxPVA) is a new polymer for the fabrication of nerve conduits (NCs). Looking for OxPVA device optimization and coupling it with a natural sheath may boost bioactivity. Thus, OxPVA/chitosan sponges (ChS) as hybrid scaffolds were investigated to predict in the vivo behaviour of two-layered NCs.

Clinical Anatomy and Medical Malpractice-A Narrative Review with Methodological Implications.

Anatomical issues are intrinsically included in medico-legal methodology, however, higher awareness would be needed about the relevance of anatomy in addressing medico-legal questions in clinical/surgical contexts. has been defined as "the practical application of Clinical Anatomy to the ascertainment and evaluation of medico-legal problems". The so-called (normal anatomy, anatomical variations, or anatomical modifications due to development, aging, para-physiological conditions, diseases, or surgery) may acquire specific relevance in medico-legal ascertainment and evaluation of cases of supposed medical malpractice.

Gender differences in driving under the influence of psychoactive drugs: Evidence mapping of real case studies and meta-analysis.

Background: Very few studies have examined predictors of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) as a function of gender. This oversight is relevant, because analyzing gender differences prevents generalization of results observed in men, who still currently account for the majority of drivers worldwide, to women. The aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of DUI of drugs in men and women reported in real case studies published in the last two decades, and to assess gender differences in risky DUI behaviour.

Inter- and Intra-Rater Reliability of Ultrasound Measurements of Superficial and Deep Fasciae Thickness in Upper Limb.

Ultrasound (US) imaging is increasingly the most used tool to measure the thickness of superficial and deep fasciae, but there are still some doubts about its reliability in this type of measurement. The current study sets out to assess the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of US measurements of superficial and deep fasciae thicknesses in the arm and forearm. The study involved two raters: the first (R1) is an expert in skeletal-muscle US imaging and, in particular, the US assessment of fasciae; the second (R2) is a radiologist resident with 1 year's experience in skeletal-muscle US imaging.

Infrapatellar Fat Pad-Synovial Membrane Anatomo-Fuctional Unit: Microscopic Basis for Piezo1/2 Mechanosensors Involvement in Osteoarthritis Pain.

The Infrapatellar Fat Pad (IFP) is a fibro-adipose tissue of the knee recently reconsidered as part of a single anatomo-functional unit (AFU) together with the synovial membrane (SM). Several evidence support the role of this unit in the mechanisms that trigger and perpetuate the onset and progression of osteoarthritis (OA) disease. Additionally, the contribution of IFP-SM AFU in OA-associated pain has also been supposed, but this assumption still needs to be fully elucidated.

Preclinical Development of Bioengineered Allografts Derived from Decellularized Human Diaphragm.

Volumetric muscle loss (VML) is the traumatic/surgical loss of skeletal muscle, causing aesthetic damage and functional impairment. Suboptimal current surgical treatments are driving research towards the development of optimised regenerative therapies. The grafting of bioengineered scaffolds derived from decellularized skeletal muscle may be a valid option to promote structural and functional healing.

Anatomical societies find new ways to come together in a post-Covid world.

The world has been turned upside down by a global health emergency caused by the Covid-19. Given the high contagiousness of the virus and the need to contain its spread, social distancing rules, self-isolation policies, and geographical lockdowns have been enforced globally. Over the pandemic emergency the majority of the planned in-person meetings and congresses of national and international anatomical societies have been postponed or canceled.

Forensic Implications of Anatomical Education and Surgical Training With Cadavers.

Anatomical education and surgical training with cadavers are usually considered an appropriate method of teaching, above all for all surgeons at various levels. Indeed, in such a way they put into practice and exercise a procedure before performing it live, reducing the learning curve in a safe environment and the risks for the patients. Really, up to now it is not clear if the nonuse of the cadavers for anatomical education and surgical training can have also forensic implications.

The Italian law on body donation: A position paper of the Italian College of Anatomists.

In Italy, recent legislation (Law No. 10/2020) has tuned regulations concerning the donation of one's postmortem body and tissues for study, training, and scientific research purposes. This study discusses several specific issues to optimise the applicability and effectiveness of such an important, novel regulatory setting.

Age-Dependent Remodeling in Infrapatellar Fat Pad Adipocytes and Extracellular Matrix: A Comparative Study.

The infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) is actively involved in knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, a proper description of which developmental modifications occur in the IFP along with age and in absence of joint pathological conditions, is required to adequately describe its actual contribution in OA pathophysiology. Here, two IFP sources were compared: (a) IFP from healthy young patients undergoing anterior-cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction for ACL rupture ( = 24); (b) IFP from elderly cadaver donors ( = 23).

Video-nystagmographic evidence in more than 700 consecutive cases of road traffic whiplash injury.

Purpose: Whiplash injury is a frequent traumatic lesion occurring mainly in road accidents, which may also cause dizziness severe enough to impact everyday life. Vestibular examination is routinely performed on these patients, although the role of the neuro-otologist is still not clearly defined. The main endpoint of this study was to describe the videonystagmography (VNG) evidence in a large cohort of patients who underwent road traffic whiplash injury.

Anatomical basis of erector spinae plane block: a dissection and histotopographic pilot study.

Purpose: Erector spinae plane (ESP) block is an interfascial blockade used in different clinical scenarios. This study investigated the ventral extent of dye diffusion in ESP block.

Methods: The ultrasound-guided ESP block was bilaterally performed with an injection at the T5 vertebral level (21-Gauge, 50 mm needle), using diluted black tissue marking dye (20 mL; 1:4 ratio with standard saline solution) instead of local anesthetic on two fresh-frozen corpses within the body donation program of the University of Padova.

Application of aquatic decomposition scores for the determination of the Post Mortem Submersion Interval on human bodies recovered from the Northern Adriatic Sea.

Purpose: The decomposition process of human bodies in marine environment is not well understood, and it is influenced by external variables related to the geographical area where the body is submerged. We report the application of two decomposition scores, the Heaton's score and the van Daalen's score, on a casuistry of human bodies recovered from the Northern Adriatic Sea. The aims of this study are to verify whether the marine environment of a Mediterranean climate area may affect the applicability of both scores and to develop a prediction model that can be applied on bodies recovered in salt water.

Human corpse model for video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy simulation and training.

Objectives: Minimally invasive surgery simulation is an integral part of surgical education and skills acquisition. Our goal was to present a new video-assisted thoracic surgery simulation model based on the human corpse as an alternative to animal models.

Methods: Selective cannulation of the cadaver heart was used to fill the pulmonary vessels with a gel to improve the visibility and tactile feedback of the vessels and to simulate any bleeding complications.