ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: During a wider study in progress at the Turin University with the cooperation of the Departments of Anatomy, Pharmacology and Forensic Medicine, and of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, anti-HCV antibodies were determined in the blood of drug-addicts submitted to judicial autopsy. METHODS: This investigation was carried out on blood samples taken at postmortem from 793 subjects submitted to judicial autopsy in Piedmont from 1977 to 1996. This is a retrospective investigation and these cases represented 93.9% of the total autopsies, and 98.6% of them came from Turin and province. RESULTS: The percentage of subjects for whom the search for anti-HCV antibodies proved positive was 75.8% (74.5% among males, and 86.5% among females). These data remained relatively unchanged through the years, with a range 64.3% to 85.3%. They are close to those recorded in the international literature with regard to living subjects admitted to public health institutions for the prevention and treatment of drug addiction. CONCLUSIONS: As the positivity related to age, lower values were found among the 15-20-year olds as compared to the older ones: 57.1% among the former, and 85.5% among the latter. This difference may be due to a longer period of drug addiction among subjects deceased at an older age, with a more prolonged risk of infection.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis C Antibodies/analysis , Heroin Dependence/immunology , Adult , Cadaver , Female , Humans , Italy , Male , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
The results are reported of experimental research into the hypophyseal endorphins in 42 drug addicts killed by heroin overdose. All samples were found to contain endorphins in widely varied amounts: 21-239 ng/g, mean 81.8 +/- 45.8 ng/g.
Subject(s)
Heroin Dependence/metabolism , Heroin/poisoning , Pituitary Gland/chemistry , beta-Endorphin/analysis , Adolescent , Adult , Drug Overdose , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
The paper reports the results obtained from the use of a CEIA PD 140 S metal detector to search for bullets during the course of medicolegal tests. The instrument was found to be of value in identifying their presence up to a distance of 5-7.5 cm from the sensitive detection area.
Subject(s)
Foreign Bodies/diagnosis , Forensic Medicine/instrumentation , Wounds, Gunshot/pathology , Autopsy , Equipment Design , Humans , Metals , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Anti-HTLV-I antibody presence in drug addicts dead in 1987-1988 in Turin, was evaluated. Comparing the prevalence of HTLV-I infection with that of HIV and HBV infections, a different way and/or rate of spread of HTLV-I infection is suggested.
Subject(s)
HTLV-I Infections/epidemiology , Substance-Related Disorders/complications , Female , HIV Infections/complications , HIV Infections/epidemiology , HTLV-I Infections/complications , Hepatitis B/complications , Hepatitis B/epidemiology , Humans , Italy/epidemiology , MaleABSTRACT
Anti-HIV antibodies were detected in postmortem blood and vitreous humor samples from 60 drug addicts died in 1988 and medicolegally autopsied at the University Institute of Forensic Science of Turin. Fifteen subjects were positive both in blood and in vitreous samples confirming the possibility to detect anti-HIV antibodies in vitreous humor in the screening of high-risk population.
Subject(s)
Autopsy/methods , HIV Antibodies/analysis , Vitreous Body/immunology , Blood/immunology , HumansABSTRACT
Serological markers of HIV and HBV infections were studied in 90 drug addicts who died in 1988 and were medicolegally autopsied at the Institute of Forensic Sciences, University of Turin. Nineteen (21.1%) displayed evidence of HIV infection, demonstrated by the presence of anti-HIV antibodies; fifty-nine (65.5%) HBV infection, demonstrated by the presence of anti-HBc antibodies and/or HBsAg; nine (10%) had HBsAg, indicating potential infectiousness for HBV infection.
