Collecting sexual assault history and forensic evidence from adult women in the emergency department: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this retrospective study was to examine the discrepancy between information derived from written medical reports and the results of forensic DNA analyses on swabs collected from the victims in 122 cases of alleged sexual assault treated at the Emergency Department of Padua Hospital. The examination of discrepant results has proved useful to support a broader application of sexual assault management, particularly during the taking of case history. METHODS: The Laboratory of Forensic Genetics of Padua University have processed samples from 122 sexual assault cases over a period of 5 years. RESULTS: Of the 103 cases in which the victim reported a penetration and ejaculation, only 67 (55% of all the samples) correlated with positive feedback match from the laboratory. In 36 cases in which the patient reported penetration with ejaculation, no male DNA was found in the samples collected. Therefore, there was a total of 41 cases in which the patient's report were not supported by laboratory data. In the remaining ten cases, which had an ambiguous history, 3 tested positively for the presence of male DNA. CONCLUSIONS: To avoid discrepancies between the medical reporting and reconstruction of sex crimes, it is crucial to deploy strategies which focus not only on the technical aspects of evidence collection, but also on how the victim's story is recorded; such efforts could lead to better management of sexual assault victims, and to a strengthened legal impact of forensic evidence and of crime reconstruction.

The Importance of Distinguishing Menstrual and Peripheral Blood in Forensic Casework: A Case Report.

This report presents a case of an 18-year-old woman found unconscious by police officers outside a club suspected to be victim of a sexual assault. She was not able to give information about the dynamics of the assault, since she was under the effect of a high amount of alcohol. She affirmed to be virgin.The forensic genetic analyses were performed on vaginal and rectal swabs as well as bloody-like traces present on the slip. DNA and RNA analysis were performed using a multiplex for 15 autosomal short tandem repeat markers and of 19 primers specific for different tissues, respectively.No male DNA was identified on vaginal and rectal swabs and on blood spots on the underwear. Blood, vaginal, and skin markers were scored observed in the samples obtained from slip traces and vaginal swab.The forensic genetic analysis supports the proposition that the victim had a sexual intercourse, in the absence of male biological material, in a case where the victim, altered by high blood alcohol levels, was unable to provide information.

Understanding social oocyte freezing in Italy: a scoping survey on university female students' awareness and attitudes.

In Western countries, a social trend toward delaying childbearing has been observed in women of reproductive age for the last two decades. This delay is due to different factors related to lifestyle, such as the development of a professional career or the absence of the right partner. As a consequence, women who defer childbearing may find themselves affected by age-related infertility when they decide to conceive. Fertility preservation techniques are, therefore, proposed as a solution for these women. Among all possible solutions, social freezing is an alternative strongly discussed from a scientific, social and ethical point of view.A survey among 930 female students at the University of Padova (Italy) investigated their knowledge and attitudes on social egg freezing and their potential intentions regarding this procedure. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the level of awareness of age-related infertility in Italian young women and their attitudes regarding acceptable indications for elective oocyte freezing, their potential personal use, the circumstances in which they would then decide to use cryopreserved eggs, and their attitudes towards cost coverage and oocyte donation.Data collected in this study revealed some important points about young women and their knowledge about social oocyte freezing in Italy as compared to other European countries and the United States.Overall, 34.3% of the students reported having heard about the possibility of oocyte cryopreservation for non-medical reasons and being aware of the meaning of this procedure; only 19.5% were in favour of social egg freezing and 48.4% thought that the cost for this procedure should be borne entirely by the woman herself. Regarding egg donation, the majority of students (64.9%) would not accept donating their eggs to a known woman or couple and 42.5% would instead accept donating to a biobank.Our study shows that young Italian women are significantly less aware of age-related decline in fertility and the possibility of using social egg freezing compared to their similarly situated counterparts in other Western countries.