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A growing body of evidence suggests that the post-mortem interval exerts a strong effect on the metabolome, independently of the biological matrix or the cause of death. A sound and shared approach in standardization is mandatory.

The forensics literature on the relationship between ocular changes and the postmortem interval (PMI) has traditionally focused on time-related variations in concentrations of metabolites and elements within the eye. However, structural changes within the eye over time deserve the same attention because there is significant evidence of their importance in determining the time since death. Therefore, we reviewed publications that provided substantial evidence on this issue. In light of our inclusion and exclusion criteria, 26 papers were eligible for review. On the basis of the ocular parameters considered, we grouped the reviewed evidence into eight thematic areas: corneal opacities, corneal thickness, drug-induced pupil diameter variations, retinal changes, segmentation of retinal vessels, intraocular pressure reduction, globe temperature and crystalline alterations. The most important and common limitations of the reviewed studies were small study populations (many were monocentric studies), absence of robust statistical methodology, use of mathematical models valid only in ideal conditions and validation only for short PMIs. Although many phenomena cannot be used to reliably estimate PMI, there is rigorous evidence suggesting that promising factors, including corneal thickness, require methodological innovations for application to forensics practice but could be used in the near future to reliably estimate the time since death., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A fatal suicidal intoxication with unusual drugs is reported. A 56-year-old man was found dead in his house; near by the corpse several empty drugs boxes were found. An autopsy was performed and the biological fluids were submitted to a full toxicological work-up. The analytical results supported the hypothesis of a death due to the acute baclofen (4-amino-3-(p-chlorophenyl)butyric acid) and dipyrone (sodium [N-(1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenylpyrazolin-4-yl)-N-methylamino] methanesulfonate) intoxication.

In the last decades, the scientific literature addressing neonatal encephalopathy has grown in a logarithmic way and malpractice claims in obstetrics and neonatology have become a major threat to the health service. At the moment, scientific evidence are insufficient to clearly identify in each single case whether the hypoxic insult has developed in the course of labor or in the first few hours after the birth or, otherwise, whether the damage has to recognize a remote and long-lasting cause acting during pregnancy. Several authors feel that this scientific uncertainty leads to a higher percentage of civil suit decisions prone to recognizing a guilty medical behavior, and they wish a more in-depth analysis of all these cases to clearly identify all the data either in favor or in contrary to the assumption of the existence of a causal correlation between neonatal encephalopathy and medical misbehavior. This article will focus on the medico-legal approach to a hypoxic-ischemic event in the perinatal period, addressing the relevant data to be collected in order to establish the medical and juridical cause of the neonatal damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]