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IntroductionThe concealment of the body following a homicide undermines different moments of the forensic and medico-legal investigations. The aim of the present study is to provide an overview of the literature and the forensic casuistry of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Padova for analyzing and discussing diverse methodological approaches for the forensic pathologist dealing with covered-up homicides.Material and methodsA literature review, updated until September 2019, was performed, and a literature pool of forensic cases was built. In-house cases were included by conducting a retrospective analysis of the forensic caseworks of Padova of the last 20 years. Data regarding epidemiology, methodology of assessment, methods of concealment, and answers to medico-legal issues were extracted for both data sets.Results and discussionSeventy-eight papers were included in the literature review (78.2% being case reports or case series, 17% retrospective studies, and 6% experimental studies or reviews). Literature and in-house data sets consisted of 145 and 13 cases, respectively. Death scene investigation, radiology, toxicology, and additional analyses were performed in 20–54% of literature and 62–77% of in-house cases. Cover-up by multiple methods prevailed. Death was caused by head trauma in about 40% of cases (both data sets), strangulation in 21% of literature, and 7% of in-house cases, and was undetermined in 17% of literature and 7% of in-house cases.ConclusionsThe methodology of ascertainment should be case-specific and based on a multidisciplinary and multimodal evaluation of all data, including those gained through novel radiological and/or analytical techniques.

Background/Objectives: Epigenetics refers to heritable modifications in gene expression that do not involve changes to the DNA sequence. Among these, DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs play a key role in regulating gene activity and are influenced by environmental factors, including exposure to psychoactive substances. In recent years, it has been hypothesized that such alterations may serve as molecular markers with forensic relevance. This systematic review aims to evaluate whether current evidence supports the use of drug-induced epigenetic changes as potential toxicological fingerprints in human subjects. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, including articles published on PubMed between 1 January, 2010, and 31 December, 2025. Only studies conducted on human samples and published in English were considered; animal studies and articles lacking epigenetic data were excluded. Results: Forty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. The most commonly investigated substances (alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, cannabis, and opioids) were found to induce specific and, in some cases, persistent epigenetic changes. These include alterations in CpG methylation in promoter regions, variations in miRNA expression, and modulation of epigenetic enzymes. Such changes were observed in brain tissue, blood cells, and semen, with evidence of persistence even after drug cessation. Conclusions: Current evidence confirms that psychoactive substance use is associated with specific epigenetic modifications. However, forensic application remains limited due to confounding factors such as age, co-exposures, and post-mortem interval. Further standardized research is necessary to validate their use as forensic biomarkers.

This article was published online with an error. Given names and family names of the authors were interchanged. The correct author names are presented above. The original article has been corrected.

Orf virus (ORFV) belongs to the genus Parapoxvirus (Poxviridae family). It is the causative agent of contagious ecthyma (CE) that is an economically detrimental disease affecting small ruminants globally. Contagious ecthyma outbreaks are usually reported in intensive breeding of sheep and goats but they have also been reported in wildlife species. Notably, ORFV can infect humans, leading to a zoonotic disease. This study aims to elucidate the global evolutionary history of ORFV genomes in sheep and goats, including the first genomes from Central America in the analyses. In comparison to the last study on ORFV whole genomes, the database now includes 11 more sheep and goat genomes, representing an increase of 42%. The analysis of such a broader database made it possible to obtain a fine molecular dating of the coalescent time for ORFV S and G genomes, further highlighting the genetic structuring between sheep and goat genomes and corroborating their emergence in the latter half of 20th century.

Terminally differentiated (TD) cells permanently exit the mitotic cycle while acquiring specialized characteristics. Although TD cells can be forced to reenter the cell cycle by different means, they cannot be made to stably proliferate, as attempts to induce their replication constantly result in cell death or indefinite growth arrest. There is currently no biological explanation for this failure. Here we show that TD mouse myotubes, reactivated by depletion of the p21 and p27 cell cycle inhibitors, are unable to complete DNA replication and sustain heavy DNA damage, which triggers apoptosis or results in mitotic catastrophe. In striking contrast, quiescent, non-TD fibroblasts and myoblasts, reactivated in the same way, fully replicate their DNA, do not suffer DNA damage, and proliferate even in the absence of growth factors. Similar results are obtained when myotubes and fibroblasts are reactivated by forced expression of E1A or cyclin D1 and cdk4. We conclude that the inability of myotubes to complete DNA replication must be ascribed to peculiar features inherent in their TD state, rather than to the reactivation method. On reviewing the literature concerning reactivation of other TD cell types, we propose that similar mechanisms underlie the general inability of all kinds of TD cells to proliferate in response to otherwise mitogenic stimuli. These results define an unexpected basis for the well known incompetence of mammalian postmitotic cells to proliferate. Furthermore, this trait might contribute to explain the inability of these cells to play a role in tissue repair, unlike their counterparts in extensively regenerating species.

Concern has arisen about hypersensitivity reactions in patients with allergic reactions to drugs containing polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polysorbate 80 (PS80), excipients of currently available anti-SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines. However, the actual utility of PEG and PS80 skin allergy testing is currently still debated. We retrospectively analyzed all cases of patients on whom we performed allergometric skin tests for PEG and PS80 in the context of a pre-vaccination screening (for patients with multiple hypersensitivity reactions to drugs for which these excipients were among the suspected agents) or following suspected hypersensitivity reactions to anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. A total of 134 tests were performed for PEG and PS80, eight of which produced uninterpretable results (due to dermographism or non-specific reactions). Of the remaining 126 cases (85 pre-vaccinal and 41 post-vaccine reactions), 16 (12.7%) were positive for PEG and/or PS80. Stratifying by clinical indication, there were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of positive tests between patients evaluated in the context of the pre-vaccination screening and those evaluated after a vaccine reaction (10.6% vs. 17.1%, respectively, p = 0.306). Allergometric skin tests for PEG and PS80 in our case series resulted positive in an unexpectedly high proportion of patients, suggesting that testing for allergy to these two excipients should not be ignored in case of reasonable clinical suspicion.

The anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination has probably been the most effective tool for preventing the infection and negative outcomes of the COVID-19 disease, and therefore for interrupting the pandemic state. The first licensed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine was BNT162b2, an mRNA vaccine that has been widely used since the earliest stages of the global vaccination campaign. Since the beginning of the vaccination campaign, some cases of suspected allergic reactions to BNT162b2 have been described. Epidemiological data, however, have provided reassuring results of an extremely low prevalence of these hypersensitivity reactions to anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. In this article, we describe the results of a survey carried out through the use of a questionnaire, administered to all the health personnel of our university hospital after the first two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine, which investigated the development of adverse reactions after a vaccination. We analyzed the responses of 3112 subjects subjected to the first dose of the vaccine; among these, 1.8% developed symptoms compatible with allergic reactions and 0.9% with clinical manifestations of possible anaphylaxis. Only 10.3% of the subjects who had allergic reactions after the first injection experienced similar reactions after the second dose and none of them experienced anaphylaxis. In conclusion, the anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is rarely associated with severe allergic reactions and the second dose of vaccine is safe for this group of patients.

Introduction: A COVID-19 outbreak occurred at the end of October 2021 among pilgrims returning from Medjugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Methodology: Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2, epidemiological data, and phylogenetic analysis were used to reconstruct outbreak dynamics. Results: The results suggest that only in one case, associated with the SARS-CoV-2 sub-lineage AY.9.2, it is possible to trace back the place of contagion to Medjugorje, while the other cases were likely to be acquired in the country of origin. Conclusions: The combined use of phylogenetic data derived from WGS, and epidemiological data allowed us to study epidemic dynamics and to formulate a possible hypothesis on the place of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. The identification of different sub-lineages of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant also suggested that different chains of transmission contributed to the outbreak.