The wounding potential of assault rifles: analysis of the dimensions of entrance and exit wounds and comparison with conventional handguns. A multicentric study.

The appearance of a gunshot wound (GSW) is greatly influenced by the velocity of the projectile, where high-velocity projectiles (HVPs) are defined as ballistic agents reaching a muzzle velocity of > 600 m/s fired from assault rifles. The aim of the study is to present and explain the differences in the dimensions of entrance and exit wounds between the most used handguns and assault rifles and to propose a predictor of HVP, i.e., the ratio of exit and entrance wounds (EX/ENR). The surface area of entrance and exit GSWs and the EX/ENR were calculated. 66 perforating GSWs produced by NATO FMJ 7.62 × 52 mm and 5.56 × 42 mm fired from assault rifles were assigned to the HVP, while 64 lesions produced by conventional projectiles fired from revolvers and semi-automatic pistols were assigned to the low-velocity projectile (LVP) group. The dimensions of the exit wounds of the HVP group were significantly higher when compared to the LVP group (95% CI 0.9886-2.423, p < 0.05). The HVP group showed significantly higher values for the EX/ENR when compared to the LVP group (95% CI 2.617-7.173, p < 0.05). The evaluation of the EX/ENR can be considered an adequate tool to assess the type of weapon involved and to roughly estimate the associated wounding mechanisms, which can guide both the physician in the management and treatment of the patients affected by GSW, and the forensic pathologist in crime investigation.

Evidence of D-shaped wounds in the intrasomatic bullet path: two case reports.

The final appearance of gunshot wounds is influenced by both the projectile's behavior from the muzzle to the terminal target and by the intrinsic characteristics of the anatomical compartments where the lesion(s) occur. The D-shaped morphology is an uncommon yet well-known finding in the forensic literature and has been described when the surface of impact with the skin is represented by the bullet's lateral projection. Two cases where D-shaped gunshot wounds were observed are hereby presented: in both cases, interaction with multiple intermediate targets (case 1) and a human intermediate target (case 2) had been documented and confirmed by the forensic examination. Despite the different dynamics of production, this peculiar morphology was described throughout most of the intrasomatic bullet path in both the victims. The discovery of D-shaped gunshot wounds can guide the forensic pathologist in the ballistic reconstruction of the event by supporting the hypothesis of an interaction with an intermediate target that has led to deviation from the initial trajectory and destabilization of the bullet associated with loss of kinetic energy.

Rust stains' response to environmental stresses: An experimental study on porcine skin.

Rust stains are rare marks typically caused by prolonged contact between skin and the iron components of the firearm. This study was aimed at showing how cutaneous iron deposits respond to physical and chemical changes that usually affect the integrity of biological tissues. Four samples of porcine skin were placed in contact with an iron plate. They were exposed to different stress conditions: carbonization, water immersion, sunlight exposure and burial. All the skin sections were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and Perls Prussian Blue (PPB). The response to the different treatments was consistent among the skin sections, as none of the rust stains were significantly altered by the applied stresses. All the samples showed focal iron deposition in the examined sections, which appeared as blue-colored spots in a rose-to-red background. Rust mark formation is an "all or nothing" phenomenon leading to the appearance of a sign that is relatively fixed and cannot be easily modified by the most common environmental conditions. This feature suggests the permanence of rust stains both from a macroscopic and a microscopic point of view, using Perls Prussian Blue staining after the exposure of the skin samples to various environmental stresses within precise time intervals.

What about cerebral venous sinus thrombosis? A series of three autopsy cases.

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is an uncommon cerebrovascular disorder that gained massive media attention in 2021, when an association between COVID-19 and its vaccines was found in several reported cases, raising the suspicion of a causative relation that is still debated. Three cases of CVST unrelated to COVID-19 are reported in this article to highlight the difficulty in the early recognition and management of this condition, as it occurs in a variety of diseases with different clinical and pathological manifestations. When the diagnosis cannot be achieved in the clinical setting, the role of the pathologist becomes essential in the determination of the cause of death and in the identification of the etiology of CVST. During the autopsy, coordination between the physician and the forensic pathologist is crucial to correlate the clinical presentation with the pathological picture.