Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology最新文献

The abundance of human skeletal remains housed in museum collections can promote multidisciplinary expert collaborations and training following forensic protocols and methodologies. These can assist in the reconstruction of part of the history of the ecofacts, add to the cultural heritage and highlight the scientific and social value of museum collections. This study aims to present a typical example. A human skull recovered in the late 1960s / early 1970s in the Po River alluvial plain, in northern Italy, has since been housed in a local ethnographic museum, the Fondazione Museo Ettore Guatelli ( https://www.museoguatelli.it/en/ ). Recently rediscovered, the skull shows several morpho-anatomical alterations suggestive of congenital disease and perimortem trauma, along with peculiar bone staining of taphonomic and diagenetic origin. Despite remarkable limitations, including the skull fragility, an international multidisciplinary research team was able to apply modern protocols of forensic investigations to determine the biological profile, as well as a pathological condition, the cause of death (non-natural), the postmortem interval (PMI) (late Middle Ages) and the postmortem taphonomic history, reincluding the individual into the cultural narrative of the local community.

Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), following an initial chicken pox infection earlier in life, can occasionally reactivate in dorsal nerve root ganglia to cause shingles, classically diagnosed by a vesicular skin eruption/rash in a single dermatome. We report a sudden death of an elderly woman with shingles of the left upper chest and axilla. A post mortem examination identified the cause of death as giant cell myocarditis, and VZV was identified in myocardial tissue. This is the first example in the literature of shingles associated with histologically-proven giant cell myocarditis and fatality in an otherwise immunocompetent patient. This case highlights an unexpected finding only identified using post mortem histology. It also adds to the body of evidence suggesting that VZV could potentially reactivate in both autonomic and sensory ganglia at the same time during episodes of shingles.

Gelsemium alkaloids, such as gelsemine and koumine, are highly toxic compounds that can induce rapid respiratory and cardiovascular failure. Their clinical manifestations-dizziness, ptosis, and sudden collapse-closely resemble those of acute myocardial infarction, presenting diagnostic challenges in forensic practice, especially in distinguishing between poisoning and cardiovascular events. We describe a sudden death in a middle-aged male following a restaurant meal. The decedent developed acute dizziness and eyelid drooping shortly after ingestion and died within hours despite resuscitation. Autopsy revealed pulmonary edema, systemic congestion, and coronary atherosclerosis with ischemic changes, but without acute infarction. Toxicological analyses identified gelsemine and koumine in meal remnants and biological samples, which were confirmed by LC-MS/MS with validated parameters. The concentrations detected were within reported toxic ranges, supporting a fatal exposure. On the balance of evidence, the death was most consistent with poisoning from Gelsemium alkaloids, rather than primary cardiac disease. This case emphasizes the importance of integrating toxicological confirmation with pathological findings to distinguish poisoning from cardiovascular causes in sudden deaths.