DE STEFANO F.

More than a century after the death of Cesare Lombroso, who still today is considered the founder of Criminal Anthropology, the debate on the atavisms theory seems far from over. The theories of Lombroso that, in the middle of the nineteenth century, have affected the course of investigations and criminal trials have once again been used to...

The authors analyse the suicidal phenomenon on the basis of the records collected at the Departmental Section of Legal Medicine, University of Genova, in the five-year period 2006-2010. Several variables (gender, age, mode, location and season of suicide) have been compared not only with previous researches performed in the same area but also...

Background and aim: Medical deontology is increasingly important, owing to the interests and rights which the medical profession involves. This paper focuses on the relationships of the Italian Code of Medical Deontology (CMD) with both the ethical and legal dimensions, in order to clarify the role of medical ethics within the medical...

ABSTRACT: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe lung disease characterized by inflammation of the lung parenchyma leading to impaired gas exchange. This condition is often lethal, usually requiring mechanical ventilation and admission to an intensive care unit. We present two fatal cases of hidden pneumonia in young people and...

As the results of genetic testing can provide important information on disease risk, healthcare facilities and professionals are increasingly being asked to provide genetic information of deceased individuals. In such circumstances, the right to confidentiality of the deceased and the right of third parties to access genetic information need to...

The simultaneous discovery of two corpses at the same scene obliges the forensic pathologist to consider many circumstances. First, the hypothesis of homicide/crime has to be investigated. However, when the circumstances, autopsy, histological data and toxicological and biochemical analyses suggest a natural cause of death, Philemon and Baucis...

On February 22nd, 2021, a landslide on the Italian coast caused the collapse of an old cemetery. About 370 coffins tumbled and more than 200 fell into the sea. 333 groups of unidentified human remains were found: 140 decomposed bodies and 193 bags of commingled skeletal remains. The Medical Staff of Legal and Forensic Medicine was involved for...

Mutations in the beta-myosin heavy chain gene (MYH7) cause different muscle disorders. The specific molecular pathobiological processes that cause these different phenotypes remains unexplained. We describe three members of a family with an autosomal dominant mutation in the distal rod of MYH7 [c.5401G> A (p.Glu1801Lys)] displaying a complex...