Female Child and Adolescent Sexual Abuse Cases Reported at the Geneva University Hospitals Between 2006 and 2014: A Retrospective Study.

Study Objective: To provide an objective quantification of the demographic characteristics and clinical findings related to female child and adolescent sexual abuse cases reported at the Geneva University Hospitals.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Obstetrics and gynecology emergency unit.

Factors Influencing the Filing of Complaints, Their Investigation, and Subsequent Legal Judgment in Cases of Sexual Assault.

In Geneva, examination of victims of sexual assault is performed by a gynecologist and a medical examiner. 48% of the victims file a complaint and we wanted to investigate the factors leading to file a complaint, those leading the Prosecutor to go to trial, and those influencing a conviction. Between 2006 and 2012, 676 victims of sexual assault were investigated (averaged age 26 year, mean 22).

Death by anaphylactic shock in an institution: an accident or negligence?

This is a description of a man, institutionalised for learning difficulties, known to have an allergy to seafood. After eating a pie, the patient quickly developed dyspnoea and vomiting. The staff at the institution administered epinephrine and called the emergency services.

Upregulation of IRAS/nischarin (I-imidazoline receptor), a regulatory protein of μ-opioid receptor trafficking, in postmortem prefrontal cortex of long-term opiate and mixed opiate/cocaine abusers.

Imidazoline receptor antisera-selected (IRAS)/nischarin, a putative I-imidazoline receptor, has recently been shown to regulate μ-opioid receptor (OR) trafficking and resensitisation. To study a possible involvement of this μ-OR regulator in opiate dependence, the present study assessed by Western blot analysis the contents of IRAS/nischarin and μ-OR in total homogenates and subcellular preparations of postmortem human prefrontal cortex (PFC/BA9) of long-term opiate and mixed opiate/cocaine abusers as well as of matched healthy control subjects. In the PFC/BA9 of long-term opiate/cocaine abusers (all subjects together) IRAS/nischarin content was increased (+67%, p < 0.

Up-regulated 14-3-3β and 14-3-3ζ proteins in prefrontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia: effect of psychotropic treatment.

14-3-3 is a family of conserved regulatory proteins that bind to a multitude of functionally diverse signalling proteins. Various genetic studies and gene expression and proteomic analyses have involved 14-3-3 proteins in schizophrenia (SZ). On the other hand, studies about the status of these proteins in major depressive disorder (MD) are still missing.

BDNF promoter I methylation correlates between post-mortem human peripheral and brain tissues.

Several psychiatric disorders have been associated with CpG methylation changes in CG rich promoters of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mainly by extracting DNA from peripheral blood cells. Whether changes in peripheral DNA methylation can be used as a proxy for brain-specific alterations remains an open question. In this study we aimed to compare DNA methylation levels in BDNF promoter regions in human blood cells, muscle and brain regions using bisulfite-pyrosequencing.

Fatality in a wine vat.

Intoxication with carbon dioxide (CO2), a nonexplosive, colorless, and odorless gas does not cause any clinical symptoms or signs, with the occasional exception of sudation. Carbon dioxide is principally used in the food industry (70% of CO2 production), in particular to preserve foods and to carbonate beverages. Most fatalities resulting from CO2 intoxication are accidental and occur either in closed spaces or when dry ice is used in the food industry.

[Sexual assaults in Geneva between 2006 and 2010].

In Geneva, all sexual assault victims are examined both by a gynaecologist and a forensic pathologist with special training in clinical forensic medicine. Between 2006 and 2010, 473 victims were examined following such an assault. Over the years, the number of sexual assaults rose steadily.

Differential regulation of RGS proteins in the prefrontal cortex of short- and long-term human opiate abusers.

Opiate addiction is characterized by drug tolerance and dependence which involve adaptive changes in μ-opioid receptors (MORs) signaling. Regulators of G-protein signaling RGS9, RGS4 and RGS10 proteins negatively regulate G(αi/o) protein activity modulating MOR function. An important role of RGS proteins in drug addiction has been described but the status of RGS proteins in human brain of opiate addicts remains unknown.

Protein levels of β-catenin and activation state of glycogen synthase kinase-3β in major depression. A study with postmortem prefrontal cortex.

Background: The Wnt/GSK3β signaling pathway was implicated in mood disorders. Beta-catenin is a protein targeted by this signaling axis. We aimed to examine whether there is an abnormality in this signaling axis in major depression.

Characterization of regulators of G-protein signaling RGS4 and RGS10 proteins in the postmortem human brain.

Regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins are a large family of proteins that accelerate GTPase rate of the Gα subunits and therefore, negatively regulate G-protein signaling. Expression of RGS4 and RGS10 proteins was characterized in human prefrontal cortex attending to methodological (subcellular localization, antibody specificity and sensitivity, postmortem delay (PMD) and storage conditions of the samples) and demographic issues (age and gender of the subjects). Anti-RGS4 (N-16) antibody revealed a unique and specific band of 38 kDa that was highly enriched in the plasma membrane.

Agonal sequences in eight filmed hangings: analysis of respiratory and movement responses to asphyxia by hanging.

It has been proposed that filmed hangings may hold the key to a better understanding of human asphyxia, and The Working Group on Human Asphyxia was formed to systematically review and compare these video recordings. This study analyzed eight filmed hangings. Considering time 0 to represent the onset of the final hanging, rapid loss of consciousness was observed (at 8-18 sec), closely followed by convulsions (at 10-19 sec).

Parental substance abuse and accidental death in children.

In this report, the authors present two cases of accidental death in children of addicted parents. In the first case, the child was left unattended at home while the mother went out to buy cocaine. She was arrested and detained with no mention of the unsupervised child.

Immunodensity and mRNA expression of A2A adenosine, D2 dopamine, and CB1 cannabinoid receptors in postmortem frontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia: effect of antipsychotic treatment.

Rationale: Dopamine D2 receptors are the main target of antipsychotic drugs. In the brain, D2 receptors coexpress with adenosine A2A and CB1 cannabinoid receptors, leading to functional interactions.

Objectives: The protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) contents of A2A, D2, and CB1 receptors were quantified in postmortem prefrontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia.

[Post-mortem partial skeletization of the face and neck by an Appenzell mountain dog].

An 81-year-old man died unexpectedly from a cardiac cause. His wife, who lived in the same house and suffered from Alzheimer's disease, did not realize his death. When the body was found at the foot of the stairs 2-3 days afterwards, extensive soft tissue defects with notched wound edges, but no signs of vitality, were observed on the head and neck.

Ignition of a human body by a modest external source: a case report.

A case of sustained combustion of a human body that occurred in 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland, is presented. The body of a man was discovered at home and found to have been almost completely incinerated between the knees and the mid-chest, with less damage to the head, arms, lower legs and feet. His dog was also found dead just behind the house door.