Francesco De Ferrari

Gunshot residue: Further studies on particles of environmental and occupational origin

Abstract The results of studies on particles of environmental and occupational origin conducted at the Reparto Carabinieri Investigazioni Scientifiche, Parma, Italy, are presented. Data were obtained from 175 samples taken from the hands of subjects employed in relevant occupations. Samples were also obtained from automobile interiors, from the hands of motorists after they had worked on the motor, battery and tyres, and from the hands of individuals after they had fired cartridge-operated industrial tools (stud guns), children’s cap guns, and had handled and set off fireworks. Although the study confirms that in the majority of cases, occupational samples cannot be falsely identified as gun shot residue, it also demonstrates that people with automobile-related jobs (i.e. mechanics, automobile electricians, tyre repairmen) can be exposed to particles composed of barium and antimony which, in some cases, may be hard to distinguish from irregular, flattened and flaky-looking gun shot residue. The risk of a “false-positive” result is particularly high when automatic research systems and tape-lift collection are used without further investigation based on particle morphology. We therefore believe that a slight change in the classification would be necessary, as we have tried to demonstrate with the present work. Our research also confirms previous studies indicating that Italian cartridge-operated industrial tools produce barium, lead, and antimony particles that may appear compatible with gunshot residue.

Hair analysis for driving licence in cocaine and heroin users.: An epidemiological study

Diagnosis of drug exposure is strongly supported by analysis of hair samples. In the province of Brescia, Italy, for regranting driving license to drug addicts or occasional abusers, a control programme was adopted including analysis of illicit drugs in two hair segments (0-3 and 3-6 cm) and in urine. From January 1998 to April 1999, upon request of the Local Medical Commission, 697 hair samples were tested in our laboratory. One hundred and eighty subjects resulted positive in hair for one or two of the controlled drug classes (73.3% for cocaine, 10% for opiates, 16.7% for both). Positive subjects were classified by residence, age, sex and license category. Seventy-two subjects were called back after 6-12 months and submitted to a second hair and urine analysis: in 34 cases the result of the first analysis was confirmed (19 negatives, 15 positives for one or both drug classes). Another 37 cases tested positive at the first control and negative at the second, suggesting the hypothesis that a strict control may have a significant deterrent function. The high percentage of negative results at the second control may be explained by the prevalence of cocaine users in the examined population. Our results allow us to conclude that the strict application of control rules lead to a decrease of social risk behaviours.

Population data for 12 Y-chromosome STRs in a sample from Brescia (northern Italy)

Twelve Y-chromosome STRs--DYS19, DYS389-I, DYS389-II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439--were typed in a population sample (n=104) of unrelated males from Brescia (northern Italy). A total of 91 haplotypes were identified by the 12 Y-STR loci. The haplotype diversity (98.68%), discrimination capacity (87.50%) and gene diversity were calculated.

Homicide–suicide in Brescia County (Northern Italy): A retrospective study from 1987 to 2012

From January 1987 to December 2012, 19 homicide-suicide events were registered at the Brescia Institute of Forensic Medicine (Northern Italy), leading to 39 deaths (20 homicide victims and 19 suicide victims). The homicide victims were females in the total of the cases (100%), while perpetrators were exclusively males (100%). Only one event involved foreigners as both victim and perpetrator, all the other cases regarded Italian people. The average age was 37.3 years for the homicide victims and 41.57 years for the offenders. Perpetrators usually used a firearm both for murder (65%) and suicide (84%). In 66% of the cases the homicide-suicide events occurred at home; homicide victims were strictly bound to their perpetrators (husband, boyfriend or ex boyfriend, father) in all the events.

Population data for 15 autosomal STRs loci and 12 Y chromosome STRs loci in a population sample from the Sardinia island (Italy).

One hundred twenty-five unrelated individuals (69 females and 56 males) from Sassari (Northern Sardinia) and Orgosolo (Central Sardinia) were typed for 15 STRs loci. The 56 males were typed for 12 Y chromosome STRs loci too. Frequency distribution is described.

An autopsy study of sudden cardiac death in persons aged 1-40 years in Brescia (Italy).

Introduction Sudden cardiac death (SCD), above all when occurring in young people, remains a major clinical problem. We have analysed the clinical and post mortem findings of patients who were evaluated for SCD. Methods and results We have analysed 54 cases of SCD which occurred in patients aged below 40 years during the period 1993–2012 and were studied at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Brescia. The following variables were considered: sex, age, medical history, autopsy findings with special reference to macroscopic and histological evaluation of the heart and toxicological investigation. In all cases, we also performed the dissection of the cardiac conduction tissue with subsequent serial sampling and careful microscopic evaluation. Most SCD patients were men (76%), with a mean age of 27 years. The results of post mortem investigations have identified the following abnormalities: coronary artery disease (18.5%), arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (11.1%), hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (9.2%), severe valvular heart disease (7.4%) and myocarditis (7.4%). A case of persistence of the inter-atrial communication with cardiomegaly and right and left ventricular hypertrophy was also reported. Examination of the cardiac conduction tissue showed abnormalities in 12 cases (22.2%), in whom the heart was structurally normal at macroscopic examination. Despite all the investigations carried out, any pathogenic substrate that could have justified death was not found in 12 cases (22.2%). Conclusion Our study underlines the value of an accurate routine post mortem investigation that may show an otherwise unsuspected structural heart disease. The serial study of the conduction tissue may provide pathologic substrates that may be responsible for the arrhythmic cause of death. A meaningful percentage of cases (22%) had no evidence of any abnormality. Genetic testing can be indicated in these cases.

Assigning individuals to ethnic groups based on 13 STR loci

Abstract Inferring the ethnic origin of individuals by means of short tandem repeat (STR) profiles has received considerable attention recently. Gene frequency variation among human populations has been extensively documented, and it has been suggested that the differences in allele proportions between ethnic groups could form the basis of an inferential system. We report the use of DNA profiles from 13 STR loci for inferring the ethnic origin of samples of unknown provenance using five populations of immigrants. This preliminary work shows that a population assignment test can be already used in real casework studies.

Ethyl glucuronide in vitreous humor and blood postmortem specimens: analysis by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry and interpreting results of neo-formation of ethanol

INTRODUCTION The determination of ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a stable and sensitive marker that is specific to alcohol intake, finds many applications both in the forensic toxicology and clinical fields. AIM The aim of the study is to examine the possibility of using a cadaveric biological matrix, vitreous humor (VH), to determine EtG as a marker of recent ethanol use. METHODS The blood, taken from the femoral vein, and the VH were obtained from 63 autopsy cases. Analysis of the EtG was performed using an LC/MS/MS system. Analyses of the ethanol and putrefaction biomarkers, such as acetaldehyde and n-propanol, were performed using the HS-GC/FID technique in both the matrices. RESULTS In 17 cases, both ethanol and EtG were absent in both matrices.Nineteen cases presented ethanol in blood from 0.05 to 0.30 g/L, EtG-Blood concentration from 0.02 to 3.27 mg/L, and EtG-VH concentration from 0.01 mg/L to 2.88 mg/L. Thirteen cases presented ethanol in blood > 0.05 g/L but EtG concentration in blood and VH lower than 0.01 mg/L, are part of these 8 samples presented acetic aldehyde and n- propanol in blood or VH, means identification of putrefaction indicators. Fourteen cases presented ethanol in blood > 0.46 and EtG concentration in blood and VH higher than 0.01 mg/L. CONCLUSIONS The determination of EtG in biological material is important in those cases where the intake of ethanol appears doubtful, as it allows us to exclude the possibility of any post-mortem formation of ethanol.

Homicide in Brescia County (Northern Italy): A thirty-year review

This retrospective study analyses post-mortem examination data of 251 homicide victims recorded by the Brescia Institute of Forensic Medicine between the years 1982 and 2012. The following variables were considered: year, month and day of death; gender, age and nationality of the victim; type of injurious mean; cause of death; homicide-suicides events; multiple murders; scene of death; toxicological data. Victims were usually young (30% was in the 21-30 years class) and males (64%). Although the victims were mostly Italians (73%), from 1990s more and more foreign victims appeared, following the migratory flow that affected Brescia County. The offenders frequently used firearms to kill their victims (41%), in particular for multiple murders. Sharp instruments were used mostly by foreigners. The study also emphasized 20 homicide-suicide events, mostly committed between intimates and family members.

Hanging Deaths: A Retrospective Study Regarding 260 Cases.

AbstractHanging is a form of asphyxia caused by external pressure on the upper airways deriving from a band tightened by the gravitational weight of the body. During a 33-year period from 1983 to 2015, there were 260 hanging deaths examined at the Brescia Institute of Forensic Medicine (Northern Italy), which represented approximately 40% of all the asphyxial deaths recorded during this period. Almost all of the cases were represented by suicidal events, 1 case was a homicide event and there also was a case of sexual asphyxia. Eighty-two percent of the victims were men; 18% were women. There was an increasing tendency in the ages between 20 and 60 years, and the highest number of cases was observed in the 41- to 50-year age group (23% of the cases). The most common place chosen by the victim was the home setting followed by isolated outdoor places. The most common ligature material was a rope. The pathological findings were evaluated in all cases.