Main lines of research:
Septuary: BSL3 type septic room where judicial autopsies and diagnostic findings are performed.
Forensic pathology: study of the case history of the Septuary, especially feminicide, complex and geriatric sucides, autopsy protocols, Parma cards for the survey.
Histology: histological study on biological tissues of autopsy cases received at the Institute of Forensic Medicine. In particular, the following are performed: diatom research as a method for diagnosis of drowning, immunohistochemistry for the study of injury chronology, acute myocardial infarction and brain contusions.
Forensic toxicology: the laboratory performs toxicological analysis on seized substances, biological fluids, parenchyma and hair from cadavers (both diagnostic findings and judicial autopsies). Common narcotics, psychotropic and date-rape drugs, as well as new synthetic substances of abuse and their metabolites are searched. The research is oriented on the validation of new methods for the determination of new synthetic substances entering the market, case histories belonging to the sectorium, e.g., the detection of alcohol and substances of abuse in traffic fatalities. Collaborations are also carried out with the Parma SERDP. The laboratory participates annually in the inter-laboratory circuit for alcohol determination, organized by the Laboratory of Clinical and Forensic Toxicology (formerly LIAFT). It has obtained ISO9001 certification.
Forensic anthropology: analysis of bone remains from forensic, archaeological and historical context (e.g. exhumation and study of the bone remains of Alessandro Farnese and Maria d'Aviz, in the context of a historical investigation into their possible causes of death), forensic facial reconstruction, artificial aging of photos of missing persons, study of the masks of the anatomist Lorenzo Tenchini with their facial reconstruction.
Techniques in use:
Istopathology: histomorphological and histochemical staining.
Forensic Toxicology: chromatographic analysis by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In collaboration with industrial toxicology, analyses by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) are performed.
Keywords: Histopathology - Toxicology - Pathology - Anthropology - Forensic - Drugs
