61 results on '"Fracasso, Tony"'
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2. From Deutsche Zeitschrift to International Journal of Legal Medicine—100 years of legal medicine through the lens of journal articles: Part 3: Zeitschrift für Rechtsmedizin—Journal of Legal Medicine from 1970 to 1990.
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Schmeling, Andreas, Fracasso, Tony, Pfeiffer, Heidi, and Wirth, Ingo
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FORENSIC medicine , *FORENSIC genetics , *PERIODICAL articles , *FORENSIC psychology , *IDENTIFICATION of the dead , *ELECTRONIC journals , *FORENSIC psychiatry - Abstract
From volume 67 (1970) onwards, the journal appeared under the new bilingual title Zeitschrift für Rechtsmedizin—Journal of Legal Medicine. The editorial board was expanded and internationalised. From 1970 to 1990, 1416 articles were published in 36 volumes. 1036 articles were in German and 380 in English. The authors of 411 articles came from non-German-speaking countries. Compared to the periods under review in the first two parts of our article series, the proportion of papers on forensic genetics increased significantly between 1970 and 1990, with a small increase in publications on the identification of unknown dead bodies. An opposite trend was observed in the articles on forensic psychiatry and psychology, sexual medicine and social medicine. This development reflects a further sharpening of the discipline's profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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3. From Deutsche Zeitschrift to International Journal of Legal Medicine—100 years of legal medicine through the lens of journal articles: Part 2: Deutsche Zeitschrift für die gesamte gerichtliche Medizin from 1948 to 1969.
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Wirth, Ingo, Fracasso, Tony, Pfeiffer, Heidi, and Schmeling, Andreas
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FORENSIC medicine , *PERIODICAL articles , *FORENSIC psychiatry , *BLOOD groups , *FORENSIC genetics , *DNA analysis , *FORENSIC psychology - Abstract
The interruption of the publication of the Deutsche Zeitschrift für die gesamte gerichtliche Medizin due to the war ended with volume 39 for the years 1948/1949. Until volume 66/1969, the journal appeared unchanged under the historical title. The 912 publications contained in the 28 volumes of these two decades cover topics from the main fields of forensic medicine, but also from related and unrelated disciplines. The topic-specific analysis of the publications shows a shift of the research focus in the German institutes since the post-war period. This is most evident in the decline in the number of publications from the fields of scientific and technical criminalistics as well as forensic psychiatry and psychology. An opposite trend with a significant increase in scientific papers was observed in alcohology, forensic genetics and traffic medicine. While the evaluated publications on most topics contain new findings that are still valid today, the use of blood group characteristics for forensic purposes came to an end as a result of the introduction of DNA analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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4. From Deutsche Zeitschrift to International Journal of Legal Medicine—100 years of legal medicine through the lens of journal articles: Part 1: Deutsche Zeitschrift für die gesamte gerichtliche Medizin from 1922 to 1944.
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Wirth, Ingo, Fracasso, Tony, Pfeiffer, Heidi, and Schmeling, Andreas
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FORENSIC medicine , *PERIODICAL articles , *WORLD War II , *ELECTRONIC journals - Abstract
From its launc h in 1922 to the end of the Second World War, the Deutsche Zeitschrift für die gesamte gerichtliche Medizin spanned 38 volumes. The 1762 papers contained in those volumes reflect contemporary interests and include many papers from peripheral fields and non-medico-legal disciplines. Publications concerned with issues outside core legal medicine fields in particular allow two distinct tendencies in the development of German institutes of legal medicine to be discerned. Firstly, there is a focus on the psychological and psychiatric aspects of the discipline. Secondly, there is tendency towards a scientific-criminalistic outlook. The fatal consequences of the Nazi seizure of power in 1933 did not spare the sciences. For legal medicine, a discipline with close links to the state, it is unsurprising that fundamental changes to the political system had a significant impact on subject matter. Leaving aside articles notable principally for their ideological content, our analysis of the 38 volumes shows that the papers examined contain new insights into many subjects, some of which are still valid today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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5. Fatal Ogilvie's syndrome after hip surgery and review of the literature.
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Aguiar, Diego, Fracasso, Tony, and Lardi, Christelle
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HIP surgery , *AUTOPSY , *LITERATURE reviews , *SYNDROMES , *PATHOLOGICAL physiology - Abstract
Ogilvie's syndrome refers to a massive dilation of the colon without mechanical obstruction. Although this syndrome is well-known in the clinical literature and may sometimes be encountered as a complication of abdominal, pelvic, or hip surgery, it has only been reported sporadically in the forensic literature. We present the case of a forensic autopsy carried out on a patient whose death was related to cecal necrosis with acute peritonitis due to Ogilvie's syndrome following hip surgery. This diagnosis was based on clinical data, post-mortem imagery, autopsy findings, histological analysis, post-mortem chemistry, and microbiological analysis. A review of the literature and possible physiopathology of this disease are performed, while focusing on medico-legal perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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6. Awareness of forensic anthropology in Switzerland: a survey among forensic practitioners, police, and prosecutors.
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Siebke, Inga, Abegg, Claudine, Fracasso, Tony, Moghaddam, Negahnaz, and Obertová, Zuzana
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FORENSIC anthropology , *LEGAL professions , *FORENSIC pathologists , *FORENSIC sciences , *AWARENESS , *FORENSIC nursing - Abstract
Forensic anthropology (FA) as a specialized discipline has been practised in multi-lingual Switzerland for over a decade. A variety of expertise regarding osteological assessments as well as facial image comparison (FIC) is provided by different centres. Nevertheless, information is lacking about the awareness of FA and its benefits for forensic investigations among forensic stakeholders. Therefore, a survey was sent to Swiss anthropologists (AN) and related professions (police officers, prosecutors, and forensic pathologists) to assess three main aspects: (1) the experience of working (biological/forensic) anthropologists within FA; (2) how FA is perceived by other professions within the legal system; and (3) identify gaps (if any) in understanding of FA with the aim to suggest avenues for improvement if necessary. The results show that awareness of FA varies by occupation and cantonal regions. In areas where close collaborations between forensic anthropologists (FAs) and other stakeholders have been formally established, be it with focus on osteological analyses or FIC, the awareness of FA competencies was superior to areas where this was not the case. An overwhelming majority of forensic actors expressed interest in continuing education related to the role of FA. These findings indicate that facilitation of communication and collaboration leads to improvement in the awareness of the competencies of FAs and their contribution to forensic investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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7. Selected Abstracts from the 25th Congress of the International Academy of Legal Medicine.
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Fracasso, Tony
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FORENSIC medicine , *CONFERENCES & conventions , *FORENSIC pathology , *SHAKEN baby syndrome , *COVID-19 pandemic , *FORENSIC anthropology - Abstract
At the end of 2020, together with the IALM Presidium, we decided to convert the Congress in Geneva in an online event only. Graph Virtual Edition June 1 SP st sp to 4 SP th sp , 2021 Publication of this supplement was funded by the 25th Congress of the International Academy of Legal Medicine. To do this, we could count on the active support of the Forensic team of the International Committee of the Red Cross, of the Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe, of numerous colleagues and friends that accepted our invitation to organise the workshops and symposia of this congress. [Extracted from the article]
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- 2021
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8. Molecular tissue changes in early myocardial ischemia: from pathophysiology to the identification of new diagnostic markers.
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Aljakna, Aleksandra, Fracasso, Tony, and Sabatasso, Sara
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CORONARY disease , *FORENSIC pathology , *FORENSIC pathologists , *MYOCARDIAL infarction , *DIAGNOSIS - Abstract
Diagnosing early myocardial ischemia (the initial 4 to 6 h after interruption of blood flow to part of the myocardium) remains a challenge for clinical and forensic pathologists. Several immunohistochemical markers have been proposed for improving postmortem detection of early myocardial ischemia; however, no single marker appears to be both sufficiently specific as well as sensitive. This review summarizes the diverse categories of molecular tissue markers that have been investigated in human autopsy samples with acute myocardial infarction as well as in the well-established and widely used in vivo animal model of early myocardial ischemia (permanent ligation of the coronary artery). Recently identified markers appearing during the initial 2 h of myocardial ischemia are highlighted. Among them, only six were tested for specificity (C5b-9, hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha, vascular endothelial growth factor, heart fatty acid binding protein, connexin 43, and JunB). Despite the discovery of several potentially promising markers (in terms of early expression and specificity), many of them remain to be tested and validated for application in routine diagnostics in clinical and forensic pathology. In particular, research investigating the postmortem stability of these markers is required before any might be implemented into routine diagnostics. Establishing a standardized panel of immunohistochemical markers may be more useful for improving sensitivity and specificity than searching for a single marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2018
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9. Editorial.
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Wirth, Ingo, Fracasso, Tony, Pfeiffer, Heidi, and Schmeling, Andreas
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FORENSIC medicine - Published
- 2022
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10. Immunohistochemical expression of fibronectin and C5b-9 in the myocardium in cases of fatal ethanol intoxication.
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Fracasso, Tony, Pfeiffer, Heidi, Köhler, Helga, Wieseler, Sonja, Hansen, Simon David, Jentgens, Lena, Sauerland, Cristina, and Schmeling, Andreas
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IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY , *FIBRONECTINS , *HEART diseases , *MYOCARDIUM , *ALCOHOLISM - Abstract
Data from the literature indicate that the pulmonary pressure rises in cases of ethanol intake. We have recently proposed a method for the detection of prevalent right ventricular damage in cases of fatal pulmonary thromboembolism and pulmonary fat embolism. In the present study, we compared the expression of the antibodies against fibronectin and C5b-9 in 19 cases of lethal alcohol intoxications (study group: 5 females, 14 males, mean age 46 years, mean blood ethanol concentration 3.5‰, min. 2.11‰, max. 5.31‰) to a group of 26 cases of fatal pulmonary thromboembolism (PE; group 2: 16 females, 10 males, mean age 56 years). Moreover, a group of 15 cases of hanging (group 3: 5 females, 10 males, mean age 50 years) as well as a group of 18 cases of myocardial infarction (group 4: 5 females, 13 males, mean age 61 years) were investigated as examples of typical cardiac damage due to global hypoxia during agony and ischemic damage, respectively. The results of this study show that fresh cardiac damage can be detected at both ventricles in cases of fatal ethanol intoxication with the antibody against fibronectin. The damage is prevalently localised at the right ventricle (RV), as already observed in cases of acute pulmonary hypertension determining right heart failure. The degree of damage at the RV in cases of ethanol intoxications is lower than the one observed in cases of fatal PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2011
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11. Immunohistochemical expression of fibronectin and C5b-9 in the myocardium in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.
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Fracasso, Tony, Pfeiffer, Heidi, Michaud, Katarzyna, Köhler, Helga, Sauerland, Cristina, and Schmeling, Andreas
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FIBRONECTINS , *MYOCARDIUM , *CARBON monoxide , *POISONING , *HEART ventricles - Abstract
Even if there is clinical evidence that carbon monoxide poisoning determines cardiac damage, the literature on the cardiac pathomorphology in such cases is scarce. We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of two known markers of fresh cardiac damage, fibronectin and the terminal complement complex C5b-9, in both cardiac ventricles in 26 cases of CO intoxication (study group, 15 ♀, 11 ♂, mean age 47 years, mean COHb level 65.9%, min. 51%, max. 85%) compared to a group of 23 cases of hanging ( n = 23, 4♀, 19♂, mean age 42 years) as well as to 25 cases of myocardial infarction ( n = 25, 13♀, 12♂, mean age 64 years). Fresh cardiac damage was detected with the antibody fibronectin in cases of CO poisoning and was prevalently localised at the right ventricle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2011
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12. Petechial bleedings in sudden infant death.
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Fracasso, Tony, Vennemann, Mechtild, Klöcker, Mirjam, Bajanowski, Thomas, Brinkmann, Bernd, and Pfeiffer, Heidi
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SUDDEN infant death syndrome , *HEMORRHAGE , *DISEASE prevalence , *ASPHYXIA , *CAUSES of death , *AUTOPSY - Abstract
The autopsy reports of 484 cases of deceased infants (201 females, 283 males) were analysed retrospectively for the existence of external and internal petechial bleedings (PET). The cases were divided into five groups on the basis of the cause of death (sudden infant death syndrome, sepsis, airway infections, asphyxia and trauma). Internal PET (pleural, pericardial, epicardial, thymic and peritoneal) were observed in each group with a lower prevalence in cases of trauma. The highest prevalence of external (cutaneous and conjunctival) PET was detected in cases of asphyxia (38% and 31%, respectively). However, even if with low prevalence, such bleedings were detected in every group. Factors like sex, age, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and its duration did not influence the presence of PET. The detection of external PET at autopsy is a suspicious finding that suggests asphyxia. Because of the possible natural origin of these bleedings, the medicolegal investigation has to be as complete as possible and has to include histology as mandatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2011
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13. Delayed asphyxia due to inhalation injury.
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Fracasso, Tony and Schmeling, Andreas
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TOXICOLOGY of poisonous gases , *HISTOLOGY , *ASPHYXIA , *CAUSES of death , *AUTOPSY , *FORENSIC pathology - Abstract
We report the case of a 53-year-old man who was found dead in his apartment 2 days after a little fire during which he had suffered from second to third degree burns at 2% of the body surface, also involving the skin around the mouth and the nose. At autopsy, severe acute emphysema and mucopurulent obstructive laryngotracheobronchitis were observed. The histology showed desquamative loss of the respiratory epithelium up to the middle bronchi; the bronchial lumen was filled with clumps of mucopurulent secretions mixed with necrotic epithelial cells. The cause of death was a delayed asphyxia due to inhalation injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2011
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14. Retrograde Venous Cerebral Air Embolism from Disconnected Central Venous Catheter: An Experimental Model.
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Fracasso, Tony, Karger, Bernd, Schmidt, Peter F., Reinbold, Wolf D., and Pfeiffer, Heidi
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VASCULAR catheters , *EMBOLISMS , *JUGULAR vein , *FLUIDS , *GASES - Abstract
There are few reported cases of death attributed to retrograde cerebral air embolism from central venous catheter. The pathophysiological mechanism and the necessary conditions are not fully understood, also because of missing experimental data. We performed experimental simulation while working on a possible case of retrograde cerebral air embolism. A hermetic system consisting of two containers connected to each other and to an electric pump by means of rubber hoses was built. In this system, a fluid (water and blood) could continuously flow under conditions similar to those of the common jugular vein. The part of the system representing the jugular vein could be freely positioned at angles between 0 and 90°. A central venous catheter was inserted into this part. After disconnection, the behavior of the air bubbles entering the hose through the tip of the catheter was evaluated at different positions. At angles between 0 and 45°, the air bubbles followed the fluid flow. At angles >45°, the air bubbles showed the tendency to flow upstream; this phenomenon was more evident the more vertically the hose was located. We were able to demonstrate that a retrograde air embolism can be caused by a disconnected catheter and is even more likely if the neck is in a vertical position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2011
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15. Morphological identification of right ventricular failure in cases of fatal pulmonary thromboembolism.
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Fracasso, Tony, Pfeiffer, Heidi, Sauerland, Cristina, and Schmeling, Andreas
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HEART failure , *RIGHT heart ventricle , *MYOCARDIAL infarction , *THROMBOEMBOLISM , *PULMONARY hypertension , *IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY , *PULMONARY heart disease - Abstract
Pulmonary thromboembolism is a life-threatening event potentially determining right ventricular failure. Even if the pathophysiology of this phenomenon has been widely investigated, no morphological demonstration of right ventricular ischemic damage determining right ventricular failure in cases of fatal pulmonary embolism has been reported till now. We performed an immunohistochemical investigation with the markers fibronectin and C5b-9 in 26 cases of fatal pulmonary thromboembolism (16 ♀, 10 ♂, mean age 56.4 years), as well as in 25 cases of myocardial infarction (16♀, 9♂, mean age 60.8 years) and 20 cases of hanging (3♀, 17♂, mean age 40.8 years). In each case, at least one tissue slide from both cardiac ventricles (free wall of the right ventricle, anterior and/or posterior wall of the left ventricle) was prepared. The reactions were semiquantitatively classified and the groups compared. In the study group, the occurrence of ischemic changes at the right ventricle was significantly higher than in cases of myocardial infarction and global hypoxia due to hanging. The determining aspect of the immunohistochemical examination is the identification of the prevalent ischemic lesion at the right ventricle compared to the left one. This may indicate the primary involvement of the right ventricle thus demonstrating a right ventricular failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2011
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16. Immunohistochemical identification of prevalent right ventricular ischemia causing right heart failure in cases of pulmonary fat embolism.
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Fracasso, Tony, Karger, Bernd, Pfeiffer, Heidi, Sauerland, Cristina, and Schmeling, Andreas
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IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY , *HEART failure , *ISCHEMIA , *EMBOLISMS , *FIBRONECTINS - Abstract
Pulmonary fat embolism is a life-threatening event that may result to potentially determining right ventricular failure. Even if the pathophysiology of this phenomenon has been widely investigated, no immunohistochemical demonstration of right ventricular failure following pulmonary fat embolism has been reported till now. We performed an immunohistochemical investigation with the markers fibronectin and C5b-9 in 21 cases of polytrauma with bone fractures (study group-nine females and 12 males; mean age 64.6 years) compared to a control group of 21 forensic cases with various causes of death (nine females and 12 males; mean age 68.6 years). In each case at least one tissue slide from both cardiac ventricles (free wall of the right ventricle, anterior and/or posterior wall of the left ventricle) was available. The reactions were semi-quantitatively classified, and the two groups were compared. In the study group, the occurrence of ischemic changes at the right ventricle was significantly higher than in controls. The determining aspect, however, seems to be the prevalent ischemic lesion at the right ventricle compared to the left one. This may indicate the primary involvement of the right ventricle, thus, demonstrating a right ventricular failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2010
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17. Amniotic fluid aspiration in cases of SIDS.
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Fracasso, Tony, Karger, Bernd, Vennemann, Mechtild, Bajanowski, Thomas, Golla-Schindler, Ute Maria, and Pfeiffer, Heidi
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AMNIOTIC liquid , *SUDDEN infant death syndrome , *EOSIN , *IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY , *INFANT death - Abstract
The scope of this study was to evaluate the incidence and the eventual consequences of amniotic fluid aspiration (AFA) in cases of sudden infant death. Cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS; n = 113: 39 females, 74 males; mean age 4.6 months) were compared to a control group of 39 cases of explained death (14 females, 25 males; mean age 5.6 months). In each case, sections of the lung stained with hematoxylin and eosin and with the immunohistochemical reaction 34BE12 specific for cytokeratins were available. The microscope slides were observed at ×200 magnification and semi-quantitatively classified into four categories(−, +, ++, and +++). In both groups, rests of amniotic fluid could be observed up to the fourth month of life. The comparison between the two groups did not show any significant difference. In the SIDS group, immunohistochemical reactions with the antibodies CD68, MRP8, MRP14, 27E10, 25F9, CD3, CD20Cy, and CD45R0 were available for the lungs. Twelve cases with AFA were compared to a group of SIDS cases without AFA with similar age and pathological distribution to evaluate whether the presence of amniotic remnants induced inflammatory changes in the lungs. No differences emerged. This study shows that AFA is not a rare event. Even moderate to severe AFA does not necessary cause death. A correlation between AFA and SIDS could not be shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2010
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18. Ultrasound-accelerated formalin fixation improves the preservation of nucleic acids extraction in histological sections.
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Fracasso, Tony, Heinrich, Marielle, Hohoff, Carsten, Brinkmann, Bernd, and Pfeiffer, Heidi
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FORMALDEHYDE , *NUCLEIC acids , *AUTOPSY , *DNA , *RNA - Abstract
The aim of the present study was to examine an ultrasound-accelerated fixation technique that reduces the exposure time of the tissue to formaldehyde with respect to the analysis of nucleic acids. We extracted and analysed DNA and RNA from three series of autopsy specimens from five routine cases. Two series were shortly fixed in 4% buffered formalin (15 and 30 min, respectively) whilst being irradiated with high-frequency, high-intensity ultrasound. The last series (control) was routinely fixed in 4% buffered formalin for 24–48 h without irradiation. Although sufficient amounts of DNA of good quality could be extracted and amplified from all three series, the peak heights obtained from conventional fixation were smaller and allele dropout occurred more often, especially for the longer amplicons. RNA yield depended on the fixation procedure, i.e. the shortest fixation time led to the highest RNA yield and quality. No differences were observed with regard to the quality of the histological slides both with conventional and immunohistochemical staining methods. Keeping in mind the increasing need for molecular diagnosis, this fixation technique can be useful to ensure stable quality of nucleic acids in archived autopsy specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2009
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19. Correction to: Abstracts.
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Fracasso, Tony
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FORENSIC toxicology , *FORENSIC medicine , *HIP joint , *HUMAN evolution , *GEOMETRIC approach - Published
- 2021
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20. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on unassisted suicide and assisted suicide rates in French-speaking Switzerland: Differences by gender.
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Sarah, Kursner, Studer, Joseph, Fracasso, Tony, Weber, Gerrit, and Michaud, Laurent
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ASSISTED suicide , *SUICIDE statistics , *COVID-19 pandemic - Published
- 2024
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21. Pathology of the right ventricle: A comparison between traumatic brain injury, afterload mismatch and cerebral hypoxia
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Fracasso, Tony, Meyer, Philippe, Hullin, Roger, Sauerland, Cristina, and Schmeling, Andreas
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- 2013
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22. Death Caused by Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (Lyell Syndrome).
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Ventura, Francesco, Fracasso, Tony, Leoncini, Andrea, Gentile, Raffaella, and De Stefano, Francesco
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CAUSES of death , *TOXIC epidermal necrolysis , *IDIOSYNCRATIC drug reactions , *IATROGENIC diseases , *BURNS & scalds , *FORENSIC sciences - Abstract
Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is characterized by fever, scalded appearance of the skin, and epidermolysis associated to blister formation and exfoliation, and it is caused by hypersensitivity reaction to a drug. The authors report two cases of death as a result of TEN; both referred to old aged women treated with a polytherapy including allopurinol. Both patients displayed erythematous skin lesions similar to scald burns and epidermolysis at the face, chest, and abdomen and died shortly after hospitalization. Autopsy findings and histological examinations revealed epidermal necrolysis and confirmed the clinical diagnosis. A strict time-correlation between allopurinol administration and symptoms was evidenced. Because of its iatrogenic origin, TEN often arises suspicions of medical liability; however, because of its unpredictable nature, the occurrence of this syndrome cannot be ascribed to the medical staff whose main task is the rapid diagnosis and the correct management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2010
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23. Unassisted smothering in a pillow.
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Schmeling, Andreas, Fracasso, Tony, Pragst, Fritz, Tsokos, Michael, and Wirth, Ingo
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PARANOID schizophrenia , *AUTOPSY , *ASPHYXIA , *ANTIPSYCHOTIC agents , *BRUISES - Abstract
We report the case of a 33-year-old man admitted to a psychiatric hospital because of paranoid schizophrenia. The man was found dead lying in his bed with the face pressed against a pillow and with elevated buttocks. The autopsy did not reveal a cause of death. The histological findings displayed the signs of the haemorrhagic–dysoric syndrome with acute emphysema; these findings are pathognomonic of obstructive asphyxia. The adverse effects of the neuroleptics demonstrated by the toxicological findings may have accelerated the loss of consciousness and facilitated the unusual position of the body. On the basis of the clinical history, the autopsy findings, the histological features and the toxicological results, asphyxia due to smothering was diagnosed as the cause of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2009
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24. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Unassisted Suicide and Assisted Suicide Rates in French-Speaking Switzerland: Differences by Gender.
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Kursner, Sarah, Studer, Joseph, Fracasso, Tony, Weber, Gerrit, and Michaud, Laurent
- Abstract
Aims : Most studies on the impact of COVID-19 have shown a decrease or no change in unassisted suicide rates, but effects on assisted suicide have not been studied. We aimed to estimate the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and both types of suicide.Methods : Between 2017 and 2021, 1280 assisted suicides and 535 unassisted suicides were recorded in three Swiss cantons. We conducted descriptive and time series analyses on monthly suicide rates, categorized by gender.Results : Among women, a decrease in assisted suicide rates was found during the acute phases of the pandemic. Among men, assisted suicide rates increased gradually from the onset of the pandemic. Regarding unassisted suicide rates, no significant change was observed in women, while in men, there was a decrease, which was larger at the end than at the onset.Conclusions : COVID-19 had contrasting effects on assisted and unassisted men and women suicide rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2024
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25. Age assessment in unaccompanied minors: assessing uniformity of protocols across Europe.
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Cummaudo, Marco, Obertova, Zuzana, Lynnerup, Niels, Petaros, Anja, de Boer, Hans, Baccino, Eric, Steyn, Maryna, Cunha, Eugenia, Ross, Ann, Adalian, Pascal, Kranioti, Elena, Fracasso, Tony, Ferreira, Maria Teresa, Lefèvre, Philippe, Tambuzzi, Stefano, Peckitt, Robin, Campobasso, Carlo Pietro, Ekizoglu, Oguzhan, De Angelis, Danilo, and Cattaneo, Cristina
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CHILDREN of immigrants , *MINORS , *FORENSIC anthropology , *CHILD welfare , *UNIFORMITY - Abstract
Age assessment of migrants is crucial, particularly for unaccompanied foreign minors, a population facing legal, social, and humanitarian challenges. Despite existing guidelines, there is no unified protocol in Europe for age assessment. The Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) conducted a comprehensive questionnaire to understand age estimation practices in Europe. The questionnaire had sections focusing on the professional background of respondents, annual assessment numbers, requesting parties and reasons, types of examinations conducted (e.g., physical, radiological), followed protocols, age estimation methods, and questions on how age estimates are reported. The questionnaire's findings reveal extensive engagement of the forensic community in age assessment in the living, emphasizing multidisciplinary approaches. However, there seems to be an incomplete appreciation of AGFAD guidelines. Commonalities exist in examination methodologies and imaging tests. However, discrepancies emerged among respondents regarding sexual maturity assessment and reporting assessment results. Given the increasing importance of age assessment, especially for migrant child protection, the study stresses the need for a unified protocol across European countries. This can only be achieved if EU Member States wholeheartedly embrace the fundamental principles outlined in EU Directives and conduct medical age assessments aligned with recognized standards such as the AGFAD guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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26. Tympanal bone fracture in forensic practice.
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Evain, France, Lovblad, Karl-Olof, and Fracasso, Tony
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BONE fractures , *CONDUCTIVE hearing loss , *MANDIBLE , *INJURY complications , *BLUNT trauma - Abstract
A tympanal bone fracture is an uncommon complication of head trauma and is mostly associated with a mandibular or petrous bone fracture. Upon reviewing the medicolegal literature, we could not find any publications on this topic. Tympanal bone fracture may lead to chronic complications (including external auditory canal stenosis and conductive hearing loss), with an important impact in both the medical and judiciary fields (e.g., chronic disabilities with loss of income). We decided to investigate the prevalence and mechanisms of tympanal bone fractures by means of a retrospective observational study on living victims who underwent head computed tomography after blunt head trauma and clinical forensic investigation at our center. We selected 159 cases of living victims with blunt head trauma (following an assault, traffic accident, or work accident) between January 2016 and December 2020. Re-examination of head imaging revealed 12 cases of tympanal bone fracture. Seven individuals showed cranial fractures involving the petrous bone (on the same side as the tympanal bone fracture). Three individuals had a temporomandibular fracture after a fall with chin impact. Only two victims exhibited an isolated tympanal bone fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2021
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27. Immunohistochemical renal expression of aquaporin 2, arginine-vasopressin, vasopressin receptor 2, and renin in saltwater drowning and freshwater drowning.
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Barranco, Rosario, Ventura, Francesco, and Fracasso, Tony
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AQUAPORINS , *RENIN , *DROWNING , *FORENSIC medicine , *VASOPRESSIN , *SALINE waters , *DIFFERENTIAL diagnosis - Abstract
The diagnosis of drowning is considered one of the most difficult in forensic medicine. Due to the paucity of signs, it is a classical diagnosis by exclusion. For this reason, specific immunohistochemical markers would be useful. Far too little has been done to analyze in-depth the differences between SWD and FWD. We focused on the renal immunohistochemical expression of aquaporin 2, AVP, V2R, and renin in cases of drowning. This study has two purposes: (1) to better understand the differences between saltwater drowning (SWD) and freshwater drowning (FWD), which may indicate different pathophysiology and (2) to eventually identify markers useful for the diagnosis of drowning. We retrospectively investigated 10 cases of SWD gathered from the Institute of Legal Medicine in Genoa (Italy), and 10 cases of FWD from the University Center of Legal Medicine in Geneva (Switzerland). As a control group, we investigated 10 cases of death by gunshot to the head. A strong expression of AQP2 and AVP was significantly (p < 0.05) more evident in cases of SWD than in FWD and control cases. Regarding the V2R, no statistically significant differences were found between the studied groups. The renin tubular expression was particularly intense (p < 0.05) both in SWD and in FWD compared controls. According to our results, AQP2 and AVP represent potential useful markers for the differential diagnosis between SWD and other causes of death, including FWD. Renin may be a useful marker in the diagnosis of drowning but it does not allow for differentiation between FWD and SWD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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28. Technical note: EnVision™ FLEX improves the detectability of depletions of myoglobin and troponin T in forensic cases of myocardial ischemia/infarction.
- Author
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Sabatasso, Sara, Pomponio, Catia, and Fracasso, Tony
- Subjects
- *
IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY , *MYOGLOBIN , *TROPONIN , *MYOCARDIAL infarction , *FORENSIC pathology - Abstract
Immunohistochemistry is a well-established technique used in many research laboratories as well as in clinical diagnostics. The method allows to visualize the expression of proteins in biological tissues, as well as to evaluate this expression semi-quantitatively. For diagnosis, an optimal staining, based on a straightforward protocol, is crucial. In many sudden cardiac death cases, immunohistochemistry is the only tool enabling the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia/infarction, thus the diagnosis of the cause of death. Improvements in immunoreactions are actually possible thanks to optimized detection systems. The recently introduced detection system EnVision Flex™ by Dako allows to dramatically improve (in terms of intensity of the signal and practically absence of background) the visualization of antigens in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections. We tested this method for the detection of myoglobin and troponin T in human postmortem cases of myocardial infarction, as the results obtained by using the « classical » ABC (avidin-biotin complex) method have proven to be sub-optimal, thus rendering any interpretation very difficult, if not impossible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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29. Early markers for myocardial ischemia and sudden cardiac death.
- Author
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Sabatasso, Sara, Mangin, Patrice, Fracasso, Tony, Moretti, Milena, Docquier, Mylène, and Djonov, Valentin
- Subjects
- *
CORONARY disease , *CORONARY arteries , *HEART blood-vessels , *CORONARY circulation , *IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY - Abstract
The post-mortem diagnosis of acute myocardial ischemia remains a challenge for both clinical and forensic pathologists. We performed an experimental study (ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery in rats) in order to identify early markers of myocardial ischemia, to further apply to forensic and clinical pathology in cases of sudden cardiac death. Using immunohistochemistry, Western blots, and gene expression analyses, we investigated a number of markers, selected among those which are currently used in emergency departments to diagnose myocardial infarction and those which are under investigation in basic research and autopsy pathology studies on cardiovascular diseases. The study was performed on 44 adult male Lewis rats, assigned to three experimental groups: control, sham-operated, and operated. The durations of ischemia ranged between 5 min and 24 h. The investigated markers were troponins I and T, myoglobin, fibronectin, C5b-9, connexin 43 (dephosphorylated), JunB, cytochrome c, and TUNEL staining. The earliest expressions (≤30 min) were observed for connexin 43, JunB, and cytochrome c, followed by fibronectin (≤1 h), myoglobin (≤1 h), troponins I and T (≤1 h), TUNEL (≤1 h), and C5b-9 (≤2 h). By this investigation, we identified a panel of true early markers of myocardial ischemia and delineated their temporal evolution in expression by employing new technologies for gene expression analysis, in addition to traditional and routine methods (such as histology and immunohistochemistry). Moreover, for the first time in the autopsy pathology field, we identified, by immunohistochemistry, two very early markers of myocardial ischemia: dephosphorylated connexin 43 and JunB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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30. Acute pulmonary emphysema in death by hanging: a morphometric digital study.
- Author
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Castiglioni, Claudia, Baumann, Pia, and Fracasso, Tony
- Subjects
- *
THANATOLOGY , *MORPHOMETRICS , *BRONCHOALVEOLAR lavage , *OBSTRUCTIVE lung diseases , *LUNG diseases - Abstract
Acute pulmonary emphysema (APE) has been described in cases of mechanical asphyxia such as ligature or manual strangulation but not in cases of hanging. In this study, we wanted to verify by morphometric digital analysis of lung tissue whether APE occurs in death by hanging. We investigated 16 cases of hanging (eight complete, eight incomplete), 10 cases of freshwater drowning (positive control group), and 10 cases of acute external bleeding (negative control group). Tissue sections were obtained from each pulmonary lobe. For each slide, five fields were randomly selected. The area of every alveolar space was measured by image analysis software. The mean alveolar area (MAA) was calculated for each group. In incomplete hanging, MAA was significantly higher than that observed in complete hanging and similar to the one observed in freshwater drowning. APE in cases of incomplete hanging can be considered as a sign of vitality. The high number of conditions that can cause alveolar distension (that were excluded in this study) limits the applicability of this vital sign in the routine forensic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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31. Commentary on: Kremer C, Racette S, Dionne CA, Sauvageau A. Discrimination of falls and blows in blunt head trauma: systematic study of the hat brim rule in relation to skull fractures. J Forensic Sci 2008 May; 53(3):716-9.
- Author
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Fracasso, Tony, Schmidt, Sven, and Schmeling, Andreas
- Subjects
- *
LETTERS to the editor , *HEAD injuries , *ACCIDENTAL falls - Abstract
A letter to the editor is presented in response to the articles such as the systematic study on discrimination of falls and blows in blunt head trauma by C. Kremer and colleagues in the 2008 issue, "Discrimination of falls and blows in blunt head trauma: assessment of predictability through combined criteria," by C. Kremer and A. Sauvageau in the 2009 issue, and "Discrimination of falls and blows in blunt head trauma: a multi-criteria approach," by P. Guyomarc'h and colleagues in the 2010 issue.
- Published
- 2011
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32. Sex estimation from coxal bones using deep learning in a population balanced by sex and age.
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Epain, Marie, Valette, Sébastien, Zou, Kaifeng, Faisan, Sylvain, Heitz, Fabrice, Croisille, Pierre, Fracasso, Tony, and Fanton, Laurent
- Abstract
In the field of forensic anthropology, researchers aim to identify anonymous human remains and determine the cause and circumstances of death from skeletonized human remains. Sex determination is a fundamental step of this procedure because it influences the estimation of other traits, such as age and stature. Pelvic bones are especially dimorphic, and are thus the most useful bones for sex identification. Sex estimation methods are usually based on morphologic traits, measurements, or landmarks on the bones. However, these methods are time-consuming and can be subject to inter- or intra-observer bias. Sex determination can be done using dry bones or CT scans. Recently, artificial neural networks (ANN) have attracted attention in forensic anthropology. Here we tested a fully automated and data-driven machine learning method for sex estimation using CT-scan reconstructions of coxal bones. We studied 580 CT scans of living individuals. Sex was predicted by two networks trained on an independent sample: a disentangled variational auto-encoder (DVAE) alone, and the same DVAE associated with another classifier (Crecon). The DVAE alone exhibited an accuracy of 97.9%, and the DVAE + Crecon showed an accuracy of 99.8%. Sensibility and precision were also high for both sexes. These results are better than those reported from previous studies. These data-driven algorithms are easy to implement, since the pre-processing step is also entirely automatic. Fully automated methods save time, as it only takes a few minutes to pre-process the images and predict sex, and does not require strong experience in forensic anthropology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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33. Fatal diving: could it be an immersion pulmonary edema? Case report.
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Evain, France, Louge, Pierre, Pignel, Rodrigue, Fracasso, Tony, and Rouyer, Frédéric
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- *
PULMONARY edema , *FORENSIC pathology , *AUTOPSY , *HYPERBARIC oxygenation , *DIVING , *FORENSIC sciences , *COMPUTED tomography , *AMNIOTIC fluid embolism - Abstract
Immersion pulmonary edema is a rare, underrecognized, and potentially lethal pathology developing during scuba diving and other immersion-related activities (swimming or apnoea). Physiopathology is complex and not fully understood, but its mechanisms involve an alteration of the alveolo-capillary barrier caused by transcapillary pressure elevation during immersion, leading to an accumulation of fluid and blood in the alveolar space. Diagnosis remains a challenge for clinicians and forensic practionner. The symptoms begin during ascent, with cough, frothy sputum, and hemoptysis. Auscultation reveals signs of pulmonary edema. Pulmonary CT scan, which is the radiological exam of choice, shows ground glass opacities and interlobular thickening, eventually demonstrating a patterned distribution, likely in the anterior segments of both lungs. Apart from the support of vital functions, there is no specific treatment and hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not systematically recommended. We present a case of fatal IPE occurring in a recreational diver who unfortunately died shortly after his last dive. Diagnosis was made after complete forensic investigations including post-mortem-computed tomography, complete forensic autopsy, histological examination, and toxicological analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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34. Apparent versus true gene expression changes of three hypoxia-related genes in autopsy derived tissue and the importance of normalisation.
- Author
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Huth, Antje, Vennemann, Benedikt, Fracasso, Tony, Lutz-Bonengel, Sabine, and Vennemann, Marielle
- Subjects
- *
GENE expression , *HYPOXEMIA , *AUTOPSY , *MESSENGER RNA , *POLYMERASE chain reaction - Abstract
The aim of our work was to show how a chosen normal-isation strategy can affect the outcome of quantitative gene expression studies. As an example, we analysed the expression of three genes known to be upregulated under hypoxic conditions: HIF1A, VEGF and SLC2A1 ( GLUT1). Raw RT-qPCR data were normalised using two different strategies: a straightforward normalisation against a single reference gene, GAPDH, using the 2 algorithm and a more complex normalisation against a normalisation factor calculated from the quantitative raw data from four previously validated reference genes. We found that the two different normalisation strategies revealed contradicting results: normalising against a validated set of reference genes revealed an upregulation of the three genes of interest in three post-mortem tissue samples (cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle and brain) under hypoxic conditions. Interestingly, we found a statistically significant difference in the relative transcript abundance of VEGF in cardiac muscle between donors who died of asphyxia versus donors who died from cardiac death. Normalisation against GAPDH alone revealed no upregulation but, in some instances, a downregulation of the genes of interest. To further analyse this discrepancy, the stability of all reference genes used were reassessed and the very low expression stability of GAPDH was found to originate from the co-regulation of this gene under hypoxic conditions. We concluded that GAPDH is not a suitable reference gene for the quantitative analysis of gene expression in hypoxia and that validation of reference genes is a crucial step for generating biologically meaningful data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
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35. Cytokines and sudden infant death.
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Vennemann, Mechtild, Loddenkötter, Brigitte, Fracasso, Tony, Mitchell, Edwin, Debertin, Annette, Larsch, Klaus, Sperhake, Jan, Brinkmann, Bernd, Sauerland, Cristina, Lindemann, Monika, and Bajanowski, Thomas
- Subjects
- *
SUDDEN infant death syndrome , *CYTOKINES , *CEREBROSPINAL fluid , *SERUM , *RADIOGRAPHY - Abstract
Background: It has been hypothesised that inflammatory reactions could play an important role in the pathway(s) leading to sudden and unexpected death in infancy. On a molecular level, these reactions are regulated by various cytokines. Methods: To characterise the role of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNFα more precisely, the concentrations of these cytokines were determined quantitatively using specific ELISA techniques in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 119 cases of sudden infant death. The infants were grouped into four categories (SIDS, SIDS with infection, natural death due to infection and unnatural death). Results: A good correlation was found between CSF and serum for IL-6 (Spearman correlation coefficients (SCC), 0.73) and also for TNFα (SCC, 0.57), although the CSF concentrations were lower than that from the serum. There were no significant differences between the categories of death for any of the serum or CSF cytokines. Compared with normal values, increased serum concentrations of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNFα were found in 70%, 69% and 38% of the cases respectively, indicating possible agonal or post-mortem changes of cytokine concentrations. In three cases very high cytokine concentrations were found (mainly for IL-6). This may have contributed to the mechanism of death (cytokine storm) in two of the cases. Conclusions: In a small group of patients, very high cytokine concentrations are a possible explanation for the cause of death ('cytokine storm'). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
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36. Validation of adequate endogenous reference genes for the normalisation of qPCR gene expression data in human post mortem tissue.
- Author
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Koppelkamm, Antje, Vennemann, Benedikt, Fracasso, Tony, Lutz-Bonengel, Sabine, Schmidt, Ulrike, and Heinrich, Marielle
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
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37. Postmortem coronary artery calcium score in cases of myocardial infarction.
- Author
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Michaud, Katarzyna, Magnin, Virginie, Faouzi, Mohamed, Fracasso, Tony, Aguiar, Diego, Dedouit, Fabrice, and Grabherr, Silke
- Subjects
- *
MYOCARDIAL infarction , *CORONARY arteries , *CORONARY artery disease , *COMPUTED tomography , *CAUSES of death , *AUTOPSY - Abstract
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) related to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (ACAD) resulting in myocardial infarction is the most prevalent cause of death in western countries. In clinical practice, coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is considered an independent predictor of coronary events, closely related to atherosclerotic burden and is quantified radiologically by the Agatston score being calculated through computed tomography. Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) allows the visualization and quantification of coronary calcifications before the autopsy. However, it was reported that some patients who died from severe ACAD had a zero CACS in PMCT. In this study, a retrospective evaluation of CACS in adult's myocardial infarction cases related to ACAD, with available CACS and histological slides of coronary arteries, was performed in order to gain a deeper understanding of coronary calcifications and their role in myocardial infarction cases. The CACS was calculated by using the software Smartscore 4.0 after the radiological examination on a 64-row CT unit using a specific cardiac protocol. Thirty-six cases were identified out of 582 autopsies, recorded during a 2-year study period (29 men, 7 women; age 56.3 ± 11.7). CACS was 0–10 in 5 cases (5 men, 44.8 ± 13.7), 11–100 in 8 cases (6 men, 2 women, 53.1 ± 7.7), 101–400 in 13 cases (11 men, 2 women, 57.4 ± 9.6), and > 400 in 10 cases (9 men, 1 woman, 63.1 ± 11.9). Coronary thrombosis was found in 28 cases, histologically identified as plaque erosions in 6 cases and as plaque ruptures in 22 cases. Statistical analyses showed that CACS increases significantly with age (p-value < 0.05) and does not show significant correlation with gender, body weight, body mass index, and heart weight. CACS was significantly higher in plaque ruptures than in plaque erosions (p-value < 0.01). Zero or low CACS on unenhanced PMCT cannot exclude the presence of myocardial infarction related to ACAD. This paradoxical discrepancy between imaging and autopsy findings can be explained considering the histological aspect of fatal coronary plaques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Detecting early myocardial ischemia in rat heart by MALDI imaging mass spectrometry.
- Author
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Aljakna Khan, Aleksandra, Bararpour, Nasim, Gorka, Marie, Joye, Timothée, Morel, Sandrine, Montessuit, Christophe A., Grabherr, Silke, Fracasso, Tony, Augsburger, Marc, Kwak, Brenda R., Thomas, Aurélien, and Sabatasso, Sara
- Subjects
- *
METABOLOMICS , *MYOCARDIUM , *NAD (Coenzyme) , *MYOCARDIAL ischemia - Abstract
Diagnostics of myocardial infarction in human post-mortem hearts can be achieved only if ischemia persisted for at least 6–12 h when certain morphological changes appear in myocardium. The initial 4 h of ischemia is difficult to diagnose due to lack of a standardized method. Developing a panel of molecular tissue markers is a promising approach and can be accelerated by characterization of molecular changes. This study is the first untargeted metabolomic profiling of ischemic myocardium during the initial 4 h directly from tissue section. Ischemic hearts from an ex-vivo Langendorff model were analysed using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI IMS) at 15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, and 4 h. Region-specific molecular changes were identified even in absence of evident histological lesions and were segregated by unsupervised cluster analysis. Significantly differentially expressed features were detected by multivariate analysis starting at 15 min while their number increased with prolonged ischemia. The biggest significant increase at 15 min was observed for m/z 682.1294 (likely corresponding to S-NADHX—a damage product of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)). Based on the previously reported role of NAD+/NADH ratio in regulating localization of the sodium channel (Nav1.5) at the plasma membrane, Nav1.5 was evaluated by immunofluorescence. As expected, a fainter signal was observed at the plasma membrane in the predicted ischemic region starting 30 min of ischemia and the change became the most pronounced by 4 h. Metabolomic changes occur early during ischemia, can assist in identifying markers for post-mortem diagnostics and improve understanding of molecular mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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- View/download PDF
39. Arsenic induces metabolome remodeling in mature human adipocytes.
- Author
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Gasser, Marie, Lenglet, Sébastien, Bararpour, Nasim, Sajic, Tatjana, Vaucher, Julien, Wiskott, Kim, Augsburger, Marc, Fracasso, Tony, Gilardi, Federica, and Thomas, Aurélien
- Subjects
- *
ADIPOGENESIS , *FAT cells , *ADIPOSE tissues , *ARSENIC , *HUMAN stem cells , *MESENCHYMAL stem cells , *TYPE 2 diabetes , *INDUSTRIAL pollution - Abstract
Human lifetime exposure to arsenic through drinking water, food supply or industrial pollution leads to its accumulation in many organs such as liver, kidneys, lungs or pancreas but also adipose tissue. Recently, population-based studies revealed the association between arsenic exposure and the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. To shed light on the molecular bases of such association, we determined the concentration that inhibited 17% of cell viability and investigated the effects of arsenic acute exposure on adipose-derived human mesenchymal stem cells differentiated in vitro into mature adipocytes and treated with sodium arsenite (NaAsO 2 , 10 nM to 10 µM). Untargeted metabolomics and gene expression analyses revealed a strong dose-dependent inhibition of lipogenesis and lipolysis induction, reducing the cellular ability to store lipids. These dysregulations were emphasized by the inhibition of the cellular response to insulin, as shown by the perturbation of several genes and metabolites involved in the mentioned biological pathways. Our study highlighted the activation of an adaptive oxidative stress response with the strong induction of metallothioneins and increased glutathione levels in response to arsenic accumulation that could exacerbate the decreased insulin sensitivity of the adipocytes. Arsenic exposure strongly affected the expression of arsenic transporters, responsible for arsenic influx and efflux, and induced a pro-inflammatory state in adipocytes by enhancing the expression of the inflammatory interleukin 6 (IL6). Collectively, our data showed that an acute exposure to low levels of arsenic concentrations alters key adipocyte functions, highlighting its contribution to the development of insulin resistance and the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders. • As impacts adipocyte functions at low levels of exposure. • As induces insulin resistance and perturbs lipid storage in human adipocytes. • As activates cell defense mechanisms and inflammation in human adipocytes. • As induces an adaptive oxidative stress response in human adipocytes. • As effects in human adipocytes are associated with the inhibition of As transporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Inside the lungs of COVID-19 disease.
- Author
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Aguiar, Diego, Lobrinus, Johannes Alexander, Schibler, Manuel, Fracasso, Tony, and Lardi, Christelle
- Subjects
- *
LUNG diseases , *COVID-19 , *FORENSIC pathology , *PULMONARY fibrosis , *SARS-CoV-2 , *AUTOPSY - Abstract
In the setting of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, only few data regarding lung pathology induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is available, especially without medical intervention interfering with the natural evolution of the disease. We present here the first case of forensic autopsy of a COVID-19 fatality occurring in a young woman, in the community. Diagnosis was made at necropsy and lung histology showed diffuse alveolar damage, edema, and interstitial pneumonia with a geographically heterogeneous pattern, mostly affecting the central part of the lungs. This death related to COVID-19 pathology highlights the heterogeneity and severity of central lung lesions after natural evolution of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Female Child and Adolescent Sexual Abuse Cases Reported at the Geneva University Hospitals Between 2006 and 2014: A Retrospective Study.
- Author
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Rizzo, Annalisa, Ricard, Dominique, La Harpe, Romano, Fracasso, Tony, and Yaron, Michal
- Subjects
- *
CHILD sexual abuse , *TEENAGE girls , *UNIVERSITY hospitals , *AGE groups , *DEMOGRAPHIC characteristics - Abstract
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. Retrospective study. Obstetrics and gynecology emergency unit. Female children (0-12 years old) and adolescents (13-20 years old) seeking primary care after sexual assault. None, observational study. Delay from assault to time of presentation to primary care presentation, type of perpetrators, and the presence gynecological and bodily lesions. Compared with children, a significantly higher proportion of adolescents presented to the hospital within 24 hours (134/289 (46.4%) vs 7/33 (21.2%); P =.006). Perpetrators were family members in 15/36 (41.7%) of children and in only 14/304 (4.6%) of adolescent patients (P <.00001); perpetrators were unfamiliar/nonrelated people in 8/36 (22.2%) of children and in 166/304 (54.6%) of adolescent patients (P <.0003). We did not find a significant difference between the 2 age groups with regard to the presence of gynecological lesions (15/35 (42.9%) of children and 91/298 (30.5%) of adolescent patients). However, we found a significant difference in the proportion of patients with bodily lesions such that 11/36 (30.6%) of children and 175/300 (58.3%) of adolescents (P =.002) were afflicted with bodily lesions. To our knowledge this is the first study to evaluate child and adolescent sexual abuse cases on the basis of real-life data collected in Switzerland. Our results highlight important differences in child and adolescent sexual assault in terms of delay in presentation to primary care, perpetrator's relation to the victim, and presence of bodily lesions. This study confirms that gynecological findings alone are not consistently present in the patients who seek primary care after sexual assault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. Intimomedial mucoid arterial degeneration, a rare arterial disorder of forensic significance.
- Author
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Wiskott, Kim, Genet, Pia, Lobrinus, Johannes A., Fracasso, Tony, and Lardi, Christelle
- Subjects
- *
AUTOPSY , *HYPERTENSION , *AORTIC aneurysms , *ILIAC artery , *AORTA , *DEGENERATION (Pathology) , *RENAL artery - Abstract
The body of a 43-year-old African woman with a history of aortic aneurysm and hypertension was forensically investigated after her sudden death. The cause of death was related to a cardiac tamponade due to a ruptured aneurysm of the ascending aorta. Post-mortem gross examination showed an abnormal whitish discoloration of the intima with fibrous thickening of the aortic wall. Several arteries (left main and circumflex coronaries, carotid, renal and iliac arteries) showed similar features. Upon histological examination, the aortic aneurysm as well as the other arteries sampled showed mucoid degeneration, excess mucopolysaccharides and pools of mucin inside the intima and the media associated with collagen and elastic fiber destruction and loss of smooth muscle cells. This pattern strongly suggested the diagnosis of intimomedial mucoid degeneration (IMMD), a rare arterial disorder consisting of a progressive deposition of mucin into the intima and media, with a strong prevalence in middle-aged black African females with high blood pressure. In addition to the typical features of IMMD, histological examination of the ascending aorta showed a thickening of the adventita with sparse mixed inflammatory infiltrates and fibrosis, suggesting an additional chronic infectious aortitis. No infectious agent was detected. The body of literature on IMMD is reviewed and the origin of death is discussed in this case report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Suicide Notes: Their Utility in Understanding the Motivations Behind Suicide and Preventing Future Ones.
- Author
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Niveau, Gerard, Frioud, Estelle, Aguiar, Diego, Ruch, Patrick, Auckenthaler, Olivia, Baudraz, Justin, and Fracasso, Tony
- Subjects
- *
SUICIDE - Abstract
Among the different research methods on suicide notes, the theoretical conceptual approach allows a particularly thorough understanding of the suicidal act. The present study focuses on 78 suicide notes collected in Geneva, Switzerland, between 2006 and 2014. The socio-demographic and medical data of the writers' notes were collected. The conceptual content of the notes was analyzed by two independent raters using the Leenaars method. The results showed that the concepts that appeared most frequently in the notes were: Inability to adjust, Rejection-aggression, Unbearable pain, and Ego. Very few differences were found in the conceptual content when stratified for age, gender, socio-economic status, or religion. This study confirms and complements the findings of similar studies on the content of suicide notes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. Immunohistochemical expression of P-selectin, SP-A, HSP70, aquaporin 5, and fibronectin in saltwater drowning and freshwater drowning.
- Author
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Barranco, Rosario, Castiglioni, Claudia, Ventura, Francesco, and Fracasso, Tony
- Subjects
- *
FIBRONECTINS , *DROWNING , *FORENSIC medicine , *HEAT shock proteins - Abstract
The diagnosis of drowning is one of the most difficult in forensic medicine. The aim of this study was to analyze pulmonary tissue reactions in death by drowning. In particular, we focused on the immunohistochemical expression of P-selectin, SP-A, HSP70, AQP-5, and fibronectin to investigate our expression in drowning and to understand whether there are differences between saltwater drowning (SWD) and freshwater drowning (FWD), which may indicate a different pathophysiology. We retrospectively investigated 10 cases of SWD (Mediterranean Sea) from the Institute of Legal Medicine of Genoa (Italy), and 10 cases of FWD (Lake of Geneva) from the University Center of Legal Medicine of Geneva (Switzerland). As control group, we examined 10 cases of death by acute external bleeding, characterized by minimal respiratory distress. As compared with controls, in SWD cases, the results showed a decrease of SP-A expression with membrane patterns. Furthermore, we observed a greater SP-A expression with granular pattern in drowning cases without statistically significant difference between SWD and FWD. For the markers AQP-5, HSP70, fibronectin, and P-selectin, no statistically significant differences were found between SWD, FWD, and controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. The Status of Forensic Anthropology in Europe and South Africa: Results of the 2016 FASE Questionnaire on Forensic Anthropology.
- Author
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Obertová, Zuzana, Adalian, Pascal, Baccino, Eric, Cunha, Eugenia, De Boer, Hans H., Fracasso, Tony, Kranioti, Elena, Lefévre, Philippe, Lynnerup, Niels, Petaros, Anja, Ross, Ann, Steyn, Maryna, and Cattaneo, Cristina
- Subjects
- *
FORENSIC anthropology , *GRADUATE education , *ANTHROPOLOGISTS , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *FORENSIC sciences , *SOUTH Africans - Abstract
One of the goals of the Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) is to map the existing education and practice opportunities in the field of forensic anthropology in order to support the development of the discipline and to optimize the training courses provided by the Society. To address this goal, an online questionnaire was sent to European and South African practitioners of forensic anthropology and related disciplines in 2016. The results of the questionnaire showed that the status and roles of forensic anthropologists vary depending on the national legal systems, education, and employment status of the practitioners. Despite the fact that the expertise of forensic anthropologists has been increasingly requested in a variety of investigations and the spectrum of tasks has become broader, including identification of living persons, specialized education in forensic anthropology is still restricted to a few graduate and postgraduate programs in European countries and to annual FASE courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Factors Influencing the Filing of Complaints, Their Investigation, and Subsequent Legal Judgment in Cases of Sexual Assault.
- Author
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La Harpe, Romano, Burkhardt, Sandra, Ricard‐Gauthier, Dominique, Poncet, Antoine, Yaron, Michal, and Fracasso, Tony
- Subjects
- *
SEXUAL assault , *JUDGMENT (Psychology) , *PUBLIC prosecutors , *SEMEN , *JUDGMENT sampling , *GYNECOLOGISTS - Abstract
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). Information on injuries, perpetrators, and circumstances of the assault was collected and analyzed. The attacker being the ex‐spouse or a friend and the presence of semen were factors leading to file a complaint. The assailant being a family member or ex‐spouse and the presence of genital/anal lesions were factors influencing the Prosecutor. The presence of nongenital lesions, the assailant being known by the victim, influenced conviction. This study shows that the medical examiner plays a vital role in the investigation of cases of sexual assault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. A comparative digital morphometric study of lung tissue in saltwater and freshwater drowning.
- Author
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Barranco, Rosario, Castiglioni, Claudia, Ventura, Francesco, and Fracasso, Tony
- Subjects
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MORPHOMETRICS , *SALINE waters , *FRESH water , *PULMONARY emphysema , *IMAGE analysis - Abstract
Acute pulmonary emphysema (APE) is describedin cases of drowning and can be considered as a sign of vitality. In our experience, however, APE is not very evident in cases of saltwater drowning. The present study aims at investigating whether APE is present in both fresh and saltwater drowning by means of digital morphometric analysis of lung tissue. We investigated and compared a group of saltwater drowning and a group of freshwater drowning, while cases of acute external bleeding were investigated as negative control group. Tissue samples from each pulmonary lobe were collected during autopsy and examined by optical microscope. The area of alveolar spaces was calculated by means of image analysis software, recording the mean alveolar area (MAA) for each group. MAA was 24,852 μm2 in the saltwater drowning group, 34,133 μm2 in the freshwater drowning group and 21,871 μm2 in the negative control group. The MAA in freshwater drowning was significantly higher than in saltwater drowning and controls. No statistical differences were observed between saltwater drowning and controls. The results of this study suggest that APE is not a typical sign of death by saltwater drowning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
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48. Multiplex quantitative imaging of human myocardial infarction by mass spectrometry-immunohistochemistry.
- Author
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Aljakna, Aleksandra, Lauer, Estelle, Lenglet, Sébastien, Grabherr, Silke, Fracasso, Tony, Augsburger, Marc, Sabatasso, Sara, and Thomas, Aurélien
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IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE , *FIBRONECTINS , *IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY , *LASER ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry , *SPECTROMETRY - Abstract
Simultaneous assessment of a panel of protein markers is becoming essential in order to enhance biomarker research and improve diagnostics. Specifically, postmortem diagnostics of early myocardial ischemia in sudden cardiac death cases could benefit from a multiplex marker assessment in the same tissue section. Current analytical antibody-based techniques (immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence) limit multiplex analysis usually to not more than three antibodies. In this study, mass spectrometry-immunohistochemistry (MS-IHC) was performed by combining laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) with rare-metal-isotope-tagged antibodies as a technique for multiplex analysis of human postmortem myocardial tissue samples. Tissue sections with myocardial infarction were simultaneously analyzed for seven primary, rare-metal-isotope-tagged antibodies (troponin T, myoglobin, fibronectin, C5b-9, unphosphorylated connexin 43, VEGF-B, and JunB). Comparison between the MS-IHC approach and chromogenic IHC showed similar patterns in ionic and optical images. In addition, absolute quantification was performed by MS-IHC, providing a proportional relationship between the signal intensity and the local marker concentration in tissue sections. These data demonstrated that LA-ICP-MS combined with rare-metal-isotope-tagged antibodies is an efficient strategy for simultaneous testing of multiple markers and allows not only visualization of molecules within the tissue but also quantification of the signal. Such imaging approach has a great potential in both diagnostics and pathology-related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. High-sensitive cardiac troponin hs-TnT levels in sudden deaths related to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.
- Author
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Beausire, Tim, Faouzi, Mohamed, Palmiere, Cristian, Fracasso, Tony, and Michaud, Katarzyna
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TROPONIN , *SUDDEN death , *CORONARY disease , *ATHEROSCLEROSIS , *AUTOPSY , *REGRESSION analysis , *LOGISTIC regression analysis , *RETROSPECTIVE studies , *CASE-control method - Abstract
Introduction: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) related to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most prevalent causes of death in Europe. Postmortem evaluation of IHD remains a challenge because of possible non-specific autopsy finding in some autopsy cases, especially in early myocardial ischemia. High-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-TnT) is used today in clinical practice as the "gold standard" to diagnose the myocardial ischemia, and might also be applied as an ancillary tool for post-mortem evaluation.Purpose: The goal of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of post-mortem serum hs-TnT assay in cases of sudden death related to IHD. We will also investigate the influence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attempts on post-mortem hs-TnT levels.Methods: The hs-TnT values in serum were retrospectively analysed in 85 autopsy data. 52 cases with clinical history and morphological results suggesting cardiac ischemia were included in the study group (mean age 53.5; age range 34-75) and 33 cases in the control group (mean age 40.4; age range 15-69). The group's statistical comparison was performed using logistic regression model.Results: Our study showed a significant non-linear association between hs-TnT serum values and post-mortem diagnosis of sudden deaths related to IHD (p-value 0.005). The shape of the relationship is showing that the probability of death due to IHD increases quickly with a light level of hs-TnT (maximum around 90ng/L) then decreases slightly while remaining at high in values. No significant difference in the hs-TnT serum values was found between the CPR and the non-CPR cases (p-value 0.304).Conclusion: The measurement of hs-TnT serum values might be considered as an ancillary tool for the evaluation of death related to IHD, while taking necessary precautions in the interpretation of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Early markers of myocardial ischemia: from the experimental model to forensic pathology cases of sudden cardiac death.
- Author
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Sabatasso, Sara, Moretti, Milena, Mangin, Patrice, and Fracasso, Tony
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FORENSIC pathology , *CARDIAC output , *CORONARY disease , *CONNEXIN genetics , *TROPONIN - Abstract
The goal of this study was to assess whether early markers of myocardial ischemia, identified in a previous experimental work, can be applied in forensic pathology cases of sudden, ischemic cardiac death. These markers include desphosphorylated connexin 43 (Cx43), JunB, TUNEL assay, myoglobin, and troponin T. Fourteen cases of sudden cardiac death with gross and/or histological signs of myocardial infarction and 14 cases of sudden cardiac death with signs of early ischemia at histology and positive immunoreactions for fibronectin and C5b-9 were investigated. The control group was represented by 15 hanging (global hypoxia) cases. Immunohistochemical reactions were classified into four degrees and compared among groups. Cx43 and JunB were significantly more expressed in hanging than in ischemia/infarction, but they showed a different distribution in the tissue (sub-endocardial in ischemia/infarction, diffuse in hanging) and a different intensity of the signal. TUNEL assay was significantly more expressed in the group of early ischemia than in myocardial infarction. Myoglobin and troponin T did not show any significantly different expression among the three groups. Depletion markers have a limited application in forensic cases, and this is mostly because positive (depleted) areas are difficult to distinguish from artifactually paler areas. Nuclear markers (JunB and TUNEL), on the other hand, require a well-trained eye and a high magnification in order to be distinguished. Cx43, JunB, and TUNEL assays were confirmed to be early, sensitive markers for myocardial ischemia. Nonetheless, they are not specific, as they are expressed in global hypoxia as well, but with a different tissular distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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