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Since the beginning of March 2020, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been the cause of millions of deaths worldwide. The need to better define the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 19 (Covid-19) as well as to provide the correct statistical records concerning deaths related to this virus, inevitably involves the role of forensic pathology and routine autopsy practice. Currently, some data on macroscopic and microscopic features in autopsies performed in suspected Covid-19 cases are reported in the literature. The persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in cadavers has not yet been elucidated and only a few reports have emphasized the importance of evaluating the Virus RNA in post-mortem tissues. In this preliminary study, we observed that SARS-CoV-2 survives in multiple cadaver tissues many days after death despite some extreme conditions of post-mortem body preservation. The results of this on-going analysis could help improve the safety of working practices for pathologists as well as understanding the possible interaction between microbiological agents and the cadaver tissue's supravital reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being an infrequent crime, parental homicide has been associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in adult perpetrators and a history of child abuse and family violence in adolescent perpetrators. Among severe psychiatric disorders there is initial evidence that delusional misidentification might also play a role in parricide. Parricides are often committed with undue violence and may result in overkill. The authors present the case of an adult male affected by schizoaffective disorder and Capgras syndrome who committed patricide. Forensic pathologists classify such cases as overkill by multiple fatal means comprising stabbing, blunt trauma and choking. Accurate crime scene investigations coupled with psychiatric examinations of perpetrator allow reconstruction of the murder stages. This overkill case is discussed in the context of a broad review of the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blunt renal artery injury (BRAI) is a rare finding with incidence ranging from 0.05% to 0.08% among blunt abdominal trauma patients. BRAI occurs in 1% to 4% of patients with renal injury, and the most common cause is motor vehicle accidents. An unusual case of BRAI in a 47-year-old man at work is reported. The victim accidentally fell from a scaffold (approximately 3 m in height). He was transported to the hospital where he was intubated, but he died after 30 min despite the cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Surveillance cameras showed the man falling from the scaffold, but his impact with the ground was not captured. At autopsy, except for an oval bruise on the left hypochondrium, no external injury was found. The same mark was noticed on the shirt worn by the victim. Bilateral ribs fractures were found. The abdominal cavity was filled with 2 l of fresh blood and clots as a consequence of a complete transection of the left renal artery. Investigation of the workplace revealed a partial footprint on the external side of the scaffold, matching shoes worn by the victim. On the ground, a metallic pedestrian gate with a 1 m high post was found placed just below the scaffold. It was concluded that the man hit the gate's post as intermediate impact after the fall, which caused the oval bruise, ribs fractures, and the rupture of the left renal artery without injury of the internal organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lethal injuries due to large animal attack are uncommon in routine forensic practice in Europe. Specifically, few incidents are reported concerning tiger/lion attacks that usually involve captive circus or zoo animals. We present the case of a 61-year old animal tamer who was mauled to death by four tigers while he was training them for a circus performance. Careful investigation of the circumstances surrounding the fatality revealed that the tamer had most likely been struck with a tiger paw and then mauled by additional tigers resulting in serious and fatal injuries. Although a full medico-legal autopsy was not authorized, total body CT scan coupled with post-mortem external examination allowed a reconstruction of events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Krokodil” is a home-made opioid drug obtained by synthesizing desomorphine from codeine and combining it with other low-cost additives. Initially introduced in the former Soviet countries, it was then imported to Western Europe as a heroin substitute. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an Italian case of lethal krokodil abuse, that occurred in a 39-year-old man, who died suddenly after transportation to the Emergency Department (ED) for hyperthermia associated with sweating, dyspnoea and tachycardia. Post-mortem examination revealed extensive necrotic ulcerative lesions on the forearms, and autopsy showed a hypertrophic heart with ample endocardial vegetation on the aortic valve and patency of the foramen ovale. Histopathological examination of the heart showed ulcero-vegetative lesions of the aortic valve with an abscess on the annulus and extension to the periaortic adipose tissue, as well as diffuse myocardial interstitial inflammatory neutrophilic infiltrates. Toxicological analysis demonstrated a desomorphine metabolite in urine. On the basis of all these findings the cause of death was ruled to be congestive heart failure caused by endocarditis and myocarditis, correlated with chronic abuse of krokodil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents two case studies of autoerotic deaths in middle-aged males. Particular focus is given to the cause of death, which is usually through oxygen depletion resulting from autoerotic asphyxia caused by actions such as self-strangulation, hanging and use of gas or volatile chemicals, the equipment used by both victims and the forensic findings. Photographs from both cases are included.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among young people and is a matter of concern for forensic pathologists. Many authors have tried to estimate a person’s survival time (ST) after TBI using different approaches.The present study aimed to present an innovative workflow to estimate the ST after TBI by observing the inflammatory reaction of the dura mater (DM).The authors collected DM samples from 36 cadavers (20 with TBI and 16 with no history or signs of TBI). Each sample was labelled via immunohistochemistry with three different primary antibodies, CD15, CD68, and CD3, yielding 108 slides in total. The slides were digitalized and analysed using QuPath software.The DM is involved in the inflammatory response after TBI. CD15 immunoreactivity allowed us to distinguish between subjects who died immediately after TBI and those with an ST of minutes or hours. CD3 immunoreactivity can be used to differentiate subjects with an ST of days from those with other STs. Moreover, the DM samples showed an acceptable diagnostic yield even in samples with signs of putrefaction.Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among young people and is a matter of concern for forensic pathologists. Many authors have tried to estimate a person’s survival time (ST) after TBI using different approaches.The present study aimed to present an innovative workflow to estimate the ST after TBI by observing the inflammatory reaction of the dura mater (DM).The authors collected DM samples from 36 cadavers (20 with TBI and 16 with no history or signs of TBI). Each sample was labelled via immunohistochemistry with three different primary antibodies, CD15, CD68, and CD3, yielding 108 slides in total. The slides were digitalized and analysed using QuPath software.The DM is involved in the inflammatory response after TBI. CD15 immunoreactivity allowed us to distinguish between subjects who died immediately after TBI and those with an ST of minutes or hours. CD3 immunoreactivity can be used to differentiate subjects with an ST of days from those with other STs. Moreover, the DM samples showed an acceptable diagnostic yield even in samples with signs of putrefaction.Methods: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among young people and is a matter of concern for forensic pathologists. Many authors have tried to estimate a person’s survival time (ST) after TBI using different approaches.The present study aimed to present an innovative workflow to estimate the ST after TBI by observing the inflammatory reaction of the dura mater (DM).The authors collected DM samples from 36 cadavers (20 with TBI and 16 with no history or signs of TBI). Each sample was labelled via immunohistochemistry with three different primary antibodies, CD15, CD68, and CD3, yielding 108 slides in total. The slides were digitalized and analysed using QuPath software.The DM is involved in the inflammatory response after TBI. CD15 immunoreactivity allowed us to distinguish between subjects who died immediately after TBI and those with an ST of minutes or hours. CD3 immunoreactivity can be used to differentiate subjects with an ST of days from those with other STs. Moreover, the DM samples showed an acceptable diagnostic yield even in samples with signs of putrefaction.Results: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among young people and is a matter of concern for forensic pathologists. Many authors have tried to estimate a person’s survival time (ST) after TBI using different approaches.The present study aimed to present an innovative workflow to estimate the ST after TBI by observing the inflammatory reaction of the dura mater (DM).The authors collected DM samples from 36 cadavers (20 with TBI and 16 with no history or signs of TBI). Each sample was labelled via immunohistochemistry with three different primary antibodies, CD15, CD68, and CD3, yielding 108 slides in total. The slides were digitalized and analysed using QuPath software.The DM is involved in the inflammatory response after TBI. CD15 immunoreactivity allowed us to distinguish between subjects who died immediately after TBI and those with an ST of minutes or hours. CD3 immunoreactivity can be used to differentiate subjects with an ST of days from those with other STs. Moreover, the DM samples showed an acceptable diagnostic yield even in samples with signs of putrefaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]