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.

Postmortem biochemistry in suspected starvation-induced ketoacidosis.

Significantly increased blood ketone body levels can be occasionally observed in the forensic setting in situations other than exposure to cold, diabetic or alcoholic ketoacidosis. Though infrequent, these cases do occur and deserve thorough evaluation in order to establish appropriate differential diagnoses and quantify the role that hyperketonemia may play in the death process. Starvation ketoacidosis is a rare cause of metabolic acidosis and is a phenomenon that occurs normally during fasting, as the body switches from carbohydrate to lipid energy sources.

Philemon and Baucis deaths: case reports and postmortem biochemistry contribution.

The death of a person as a reaction to the death of another is known as Philemon and Baucis death and may represent a difficult challenge for pathologists, especially due to the decompositional changes that often characterized these situations. In this article, we describe two cases of Philemon and Baucis deaths, the first concerning a married couple and the second concerning a father and son. Postmortem investigations including radiology and biochemistry were performed.

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.

Medical confidentiality and the competent patient.

Confidentiality is both a fundamental principle of medical ethics and a legal obligation. In exceptional situations not covered by legal provisions, doctors may want to waive confidentiality against the wishes of the patient. Swiss law calls for an authority to rule on such cases.

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.

[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.

Thoracic aortic dissection associated with cocaine abuse.

Cardiovascular complications of cocaine abuse include myocardial ischemia and infarction, dysrhythmias, cardiomyopathies and aortic dissection. The case in point pertains to a 26-year-old, Caucasian male, substance abuser who suffered a thoracic aortic dissection following the use of crack cocaine. The autopsy and histological findings showed a connective tissue abnormality including a focal microcystic medial necrosis and a fragmentation of the elastic fibers in the arterial walls.