Father figure: Study of the age progression process from old pictures and its value in forensic sciences.

The application of age progression to the search for missing persons demonstrates its usefulness in being able to reconstruct the aged face based on the current age of a person who has been missing for many years. Age progression takes into account facial physiognomic elements and their changes over time. Based on these premises, the present study aims to investigate the evolution of somatic features, from childhood to adulthood, of one of the authors' father using photos at different ages of him. Sixteen photos were collected depicting an individual of Italian origin between the age of 1 and 72. The photos were processed in Adobe© Photoshop software to graphically highlight the shape development of individual physiognomic elements. The shape of the face, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and cheeks were analysed in detail using a morphological approach. The ageing processes that occurred in this case were discussed on the basis of the literature. The present study demonstrates the in-depth analysis of the dynamics of facial growth in a single case. Nonetheless, aging is different for each individual, so further studies are necessary to observe facial development on as many subjects as possible.

Oral status of a noble European couple from the 16th century: A morphologic analysis of the teeth of Alessandro Farnese and his wife Maria D'Aviz.

Objective. To report the results of dental morphological analysis performed on the remains of two European nobles (Duke Alessandro Farnese and his wife Maria D'Aviz) who lived in the 16th century, together with hypotheses on their nutrition and oral hygiene habits. Design and results. The remains of Alessandro Farnese (1545-1592) and Princess Maria D'Aviz (1538-1577) were exhumed in Parma, Italy, in the context of an historical investigation into their possible causes of death. The skulls were examined and analysed through direct inspection, high-detailed photographs and radiographs. Ante mortem tooth loss (AMTL), postmortem tooth loss (PMTL), Scott and Smith dental wear indexes and the Kerr periodontal index were used to assess the dental and periodontal status of the couple. Alessandro Farnese suffered from severe dental wear while it was presumed that Maria D'Aviz was affected by periodontal disease and tooth decay. Conclusions. Based on the findings of the present analysis, we hypothesise that Alessandro Farnese's diet was mainly based on hard and unrefined foods, also suggested by limited historical reports. It is likely that Maria D'Aviz's nutrition was based on sugar-enriched foods.

Photogrammetry vs CT Scan: Evaluation of Accuracy of a Low-Cost Three-Dimensional Acquisition Method for Forensic Facial Approximation.

Photogrammetry is a three-dimensional acquisition method potentially applicable to the forensic field. This possibility requires the verification of its accuracy. In this study, 3D volumes of skulls are generated to compare the photogrammetry versus the CT scan. In order to provide eligible material to the photogrammetric software, photographs were captured at a distance of 30 cm from the skull placed on a support 1 m in height and illuminated with diffused laboratory ceiling artificial light. A Nikon Coolpix P7100 camera was used. Photographs capture common elements with the previous and the next photograph so as to allow the photogrammetric software to recognize these common points between photographs and create a 3D puzzle. The Zephyr Lite (3DFlow©) software was employed to register the 3D volume. CT-based skulls are taken as a metric reference. The photogrammetry-based skulls are then enlarged according to the measurements of some landmarks or Zygion and Zygion, the distance between end of nasal and base of nasal pyramid for frontal projection, and minimum breadth of the mandibular ramus for the right lateral projection. The accuracy of the photogrammetry is compared to that of the CT scan by measuring the 3D volumes of the skulls studied. Specific landmarks are used as reference points for the measures in both frontal and lateral views. Bland-Altman graph shows homogeneity. The mean difference (1.28 mm) indicates that the measurements taken on the photogrammetry-based skull tend to slightly overestimate compared with the measurements taken on the CT-based skull.

Determination of synthetic and natural cannabinoids in oral fluid by solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry: A pilot study.

In 2008, several synthetic cannabinoids were detected in herbal smoking blends sold on websites and in the so-called "smart shops". These compounds, as well as new psychoactive substances, flooded the market of illicit drugs and are sold at street level. Development and validation of rapid analytical methods for the detection and quantification of synthetic cannabinoids in biological matrices are essential for the investigation of pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicological properties. In this pilot study, the potential of direct immersion solid-phase microextraction coupled to GC/MS for the determination of synthetic and natural cannabinoids in oral fluid was proved. Validation proved the suitability of the developed method for the determination of the analytes at trace levels in oral fluid: linearity was assessed in the LOQ - 1000 ng/mL range, whereas a good precision was observed with CV below 20%. The method was then applied to more than 100 real oral fluid samples collected from a population of young students, showing a positivity rate of 3.8%.

Hypochlorite accident during wndodontic therapy with nerve damage - A case report.

Endodontic therapy is a routinely practised clinical procedure with few reported complications but, as a bleaching agent, inadvertent spillage of sodium hypochlorite beyond the root canal system may result in extensive soft tissue or nerve damage, and even airway compromise. Although very rare, complications arising from hypochlorite extrusion beyond the root apex are described. NaOCl causes oxidation of protein and lipid membrane and causes necrosis, hemolysis and dermal ulcerations (2-4). Neurological complication are very rare. Paraesthesia and anaesthesia may affect the mental, inferior dental and infra-orbital branches of the trigeminal nerve and normal sensation may take many months to  completely resolve (6, 7). Nerve damage (the buccal branch) was described in 2005 by Witton et al. (8) and patients exhibited a loss of the naso-labial groove and a down turning of the angle of the mouth and the motor function was regained after several months. We present a case in which the extrusion of NaOCl solution during endodontic therapy led to important destructive effects on soft tissues and nerves. The arisen medico legal issues are discussed.