Genetic analysis of suicide: a sample study in Tuscany (Central Italy)

Many studies have examined the genetic contribution to suicide. However, data on suicide in the Italian population are scarce. We therefore aimed to address this gap by investigating a cohort of 111 Italians for whom a verdict of suicide had been declared in court in Florence, Italy between 2007 and 2017. This cohort included 86 men and 25 women. DNA samples were obtained from tissues or blood, and 22 genes from multiple neurobiological pathways previously shown to be associated with the pathogenesis of suicide were analysed. Next-generation sequencing was used to compare these gene sequences with those from a large, normal population. In this study, we identified 19 gene variants that were present at significantly lower frequencies in our Italian cohort than in the general population. In addition, four missense mutations were identified in four different genes: Monoamine Oxidase A (MAOA), 5-Hydroxytryptamine Receptor 2 A (HTR2A), Sodium Voltage-Gated Channel Alpha Subunit 8 (SCN8A), and Nitric Oxide Synthase 3 (NOS3). Our study identified several potential genetic links with suicide in a cohort of Italians and supports a relationship between specific genetic variants and suicidal behaviour in this population.     

Unexpected patterns in Y-STR analyses and implications for profile identification

Y-STR analysis is widely used in many fields, such as paternity testing, genealogy studies and in male/female mixtures. In many rape cases, Y-STRs are also useful for the determination of contributors’ number. Here we described a father/son pair with double peaks at DYS439 and DYS635 loci. This case should focus the attention on forensic interpretation of Y-haplotype profiles, because multiple alleles at various loci do not forcibly indicate that the sample originates from a mixture.We also report a case of two half-brothers with null allele at DYS448.Since DYS439 and DYS635 loci are located in the AZFa region and DYS448 locus in the AZFc region, we performed a molecular genetics study of these regions to evaluate a possible correlation between Y-STR profiles and Y chromosome deletions involved in infertility.     

False‐Positive Results with Amylase Testing of Citrus Fruits

In a case of robbery in which the criminals passed through the garden adorned with calamondin trees (Citrus madurensis), the investigators found in the grass six calamondin fruits, some undamaged, while others apparently bitten. The fruits were collected and sent to the laboratory for DNA analysis to verify the presence of saliva and robbers' DNA profile. A specific immunochromatographic strip test for saliva confirmed the presence of human salivary α‐amylase, but similar positive results were also observed for intact calamondin and other citrus fruits. Further analysis with a specific automated amylase test confirmed the absence of amylase activity. DNA quantification and typing using a specific forensic kit revealed no human DNA presence in any fruits. This case report demonstrates for the first time the occurrence of false positives when human saliva is sought on citrus fruits.     

Genetic STRs variation in a large population from Tuscany (Italy)

Allele frequencies for 17 STRs, together with some parameters of forensic interest, were estimated in a sample of 835 unrelated individuals born in Tuscany, an Italian region. These data were compared with Italian, Chinese, Kosovo Albanian, Romanian and Tunisian populations, strongly represented in this area. No significant differences in single loci were detected, except for Chinese in comparison with all the other populations.     

University Third mission in Italy: organization,faculty attitude and academic specialization

In the last decades Third mission of Universities (encompassing Technology and Knowledge Transfer) has come abreast of the two traditional tasks of Universities. Organization of Universities and attitude of researchers in this field still needs to undergo research. The present work provides experimental evidence of the differences existing in such terms between a specialized technological University and a generalist “Humboldtian” one (with particular regards to its scientific departments). The experimental study is performed on two Italian Universities with similar formal structure and external environment, but with different specialization and research/teaching subjects. Two databases—one agent-based, the second institutional-based—are exploited in order to highlight characters. Results show different organization and attitudes. This may be due either to different organization of internal competencies and responsibilities, or to a different historical path of external relations. Results might prove relevant for the organization of Third mission activities with particular regard to Technology Transfer.     

Analysis of 13 tetrameric short tandem repeat loci in a population of Tuscany (Central Italy) performed by means of an automated infrared sequencer

Allele frequencies for the 13 STRs of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) core were obtained from a sample of 188 unrelated individuals living in the area of Florence, Prato and Pistoia (Tuscany, Central Italy).     

A charred body inside a burning car with a garden hose connected to the exhaust pipe: Post-mortem self-immolation,a complex or a complicated suicide after the ingestion of alcohol? The importance of an interdisciplinary approach

The analysis of charred bodies represents a serious challenge for forensic pathologists, and an interdisciplinary approach is often the only way to determine the cause and manner of death. We present an unusual case in which the charred body of a 61-year-old man was found inside his burning vehicle. In order to determine cause and manner of death, an interdisciplinary team was employed, with experts in forensic pathology, forensic radiology, toxicology and fire investigations. Post-mortem computed tomography, autopsy and toxicology ruled out the presence of trauma injury and detected signs of vital exposure to fire and blood alcohol levels. On the other hand, according to fire investigations, the fire started inside the car and partially burned fragments of a garden hose were found along the right side of the car. A suicide could therefore be hypothesized, with the man having attempted to poison himself with the car's exhaust fumes and having set the car on fire. The death was consistent with a complicated suicide in which the victim, in a state of reduced capability, accidentally set his car on fire and was unable to escape. The hypothesis of a complex suicide, with the car having been set deliberately on fire, could not, however, be ruled out.     

Current trends in nanotechnology research across worldwide geo-economic players

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current temporal and spatial trajectories in nanotechnology research in order to display the worldwide patterns of scientific domains across main geo-economic players. Current trends of nanotechnology have been growing in chemistry and medicine because of technological applications of new nanomaterials mainly in Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology. In addition, the results show that the laboratories of Europe and North America have intensive scientific collaborations with foreign scholars in nanotechnology studies. This paper can provide vital findings to support new research and innovation policies in order to foster the development of these driving converging technologies for future patterns of economic growth.     

Shaping the future of UN peace operations: is there a doctrine in the house?

In the face of an unprecedented surge in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping activity over the past three years—with now almost 100,000 military, police and civilian personnel deployed on four continents in 18 operations—there is a need for the UN to develop a comprehensive doctrine that better defines what modern UN peacekeeping has become and that covers the full range of civilian peacebuilding activities that are now a standard feature of Security Council mandates. This paper serves as a primer and proposes an agenda for debate on such a doctrine. It summarises evolutions in thinking and practice over the past 15 years. It also highlights key conceptual challenges and political fault lines to be reconciled in order for a new comprehensive doctrine to enjoy broad support of the UN's 192 Member States, while still providing relevant guidance to thousands of personnel on the front-lines of the effort to help rebuild war-torn states.