Post mortem computed tomography meets radiomics: a case series on fractal analysis of post mortem changes in the brain

Estimating the post-mortem interval is a fundamental, albeit challenging task in forensic sciences. To this aim, forensic practitioners need to assess post-mortem changes through a plethora of different methods, most of which are inherently qualitative, thus providing broad time intervals rather than precise determinations. This challenging problem is further complicated by the influence of environmental factors, which modify the temporal dynamics of post-mortem changes, sometimes in a rather unpredictable fashion. In this context, the search for quantitative and objective descriptors of post-mortem changes is highly demanded. In this study, we used computed tomography (CT) to assess the post-mortem anatomical modifications occurring in the time interval 0–4 days after death in the brain of four corpses. Our results show that fractal analysis of CT brain slices provides a set of quantitative descriptors able to map post-mortem changes over time throughout the whole brain. Although incapable of producing a direct estimation of the PMI, these descriptors could be used in combination with other more established methods to improve the accuracy and reliability of PMI determination

Estimation of the time of death by measuring the variation of lateral cerebral ventricle volume and cerebrospinal fluid radiodensity using postmortem computed tomography

Using postmortem CT (PMCT), changes in the volume of the lateral cerebral ventricles (LCVs) and modifications of the radiodensity of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been examined to identify a possible relationship between these changes and the time of death. Subsequent periodical CT scans termed “sequential scans” for ten corpses at known time of death were obtained, and a 3D segmentation of the entire LCV was carried out to measure its volume and radiodensity over time from ~ 5.5- h up to 273-h postmortem. A linear decrease of the LCV volume for all the cases was observed in the investigated time range, together with an overall logarithmic increase of radiodensity. Although a larger sampling should be performed to improve the result reliability, our finding suggests that the postmortem variation of CSF radiodensity can be a potentially useful tool in determining postmortem interval, a finding that is worthy of further investigation

Effect of no-tillage and conventional tillage systems on durum wheat yield, grain quality and soil moisture content in southern Italy

No-tillage (NT) is becoming increasingly attractive to farmers because it clearly reduces production costs relative to conventional tillage (CT). However, many producers in southern Italy are reluctant to adopt this practice because NT can have contrasting consequences on grain yield depending on weather conditions. The effect of NT and CT on continuous durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) under rainfed Mediterranean conditions was studied, over a 3-year period (2000–2002) at two locations (Foggia and Vasto) in southern Italy. Yield, grain quality [thousand kernel weight (TKW), test weight (TW) and protein content (PC)] and soil water content were assessed. Higher yield was obtained with NT than CT in the first 2 years at Foggia. In contrast, mean yield and quality parameters at Vasto were similar for the two treatments, except in the third year in which CT produced more than NT (4.6 Mg ha1 versus 2.9 Mg ha1 ). At Foggia, TW and TKW were higher in NT than CT in all years. Highest PC was obtained under CT (19.6% and 15.5% for CT versus 14.7% and 11.4% for NT, respectively, in the growing season 2000–2001 and 2001–2002) indicating that grain was shriveled with low starch accumulation. At Foggia, where this study was part of a long-term experiment started in 1995, a strong correlation was observed between yield and rainfall during the wheat growing season. The coefficient of determination (R2 ) values for CT and NT were 0.69* and 0.31 ns, respectively, and the regression straight line crossed around 300 mm of rainfall. These results indicate that NT was superior below this rainfall value, whereas more rainfall enhanced yield in CT. We conclude that NT performed better at Foggia with limited rainfall during the durum wheat growing season. The superior effect of NT in comparison to CT, was due to lower water evaporation from soil combined with enhanced soil water availability

The detection of influenza A and B viruses in clinical specimens using a quartz crystal microbalance

Current methods for the accurate diagnosis of influenza based on culture of the virus or PCR are highly sensitive and specific but require specialised laboratory facilities and highly trained personnel and, in the case of viral culture, can take up to 14 days to obtain a definitive result. In this study, a quartz crystal microbalance-based immunosensor (QCM) has been developed and its potential evaluated for the rapid and sensitive detection of both influenza A and B viruses in laboratory-cultured preparations and clinical samples. The effective limit for detection by QCM for stock preparations of both A/PR/8/34 and B/Lee/40 viruses was 1 x 10(4) pfu/mL, associated with observed frequency shifts of 30 (+/-5) and 37 (+/-6.5) Hz, respectively. Conjugation of 13 nm gold nanoparticles to the detecting antibody improved the mass sensitivity of the immunosensor, resulting in a 10-fold increase in sensitivity and a detection limit of 1 x 10(3) pfu/mL for both preparations, with resulting frequency shifts of 102 (+/-11) and 115 (+/-5) Hz, respectively. Detection of virus in nasal washes with this technique was achieved by overnight passage in MDCK cultures prior to analysis. A comparison of results obtained from 67 clinical samples using existing RT-PCR, shell vial, cell culture and ELISA methods showed that QCM techniques were comparable in sensitivity and specificity to cell culture method