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Primary sellar melanocytic tumors are exceptional lesions presenting most often as a tumor syndrome and/or anterior pituitary insufficiency mimicking a non-secreting pituitary macroadenoma. The management of these tumors consists of surgical removal of the tumor. However, surgery is often incomplete and stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy is frequently indicated.

Characteristics of sharp bone trauma can be extremely useful to determine the origin of cut marks and to provide information regarding the context of death. Using human ribs and clavicle bones, this study analyzes the characteristics of bone kerfs made by different bladed implements, thanks to epifluorescence macroscopy. This technique, which is a nondestructive tool that uses autofluorescence of bones, documents bone damage precisely with high resolution. Both qualitative and quantitative criteria are analyzed. Our results identify unique class characteristics on bone lesions, allowing modeling kerf depending on the weapon, regardless of the type of bone that is wounded. Moreover, we demonstrate for the first time microscopic criteria of directionality, using fluorescence excitation. Orientation of cracks, flakes, and lateral pushing back especially helps in determining the tip and the end of the lesion, leading to the position of the aggressor. Kerf wall characteristics and striation location are also very useful. Epifluorescence macroscopy could be a new tool of choice in anthropology through cut mark analysis in establishing how the blade was used and providing details about the blow.

Characterization of sharp-force trauma on human bones can be extremely useful in providing information regarding the nature and context of death. Nevertheless, in the identification of weapons used to cause sharp-force trauma and analysis of bone wounds, challenging tasks still remain. Current analysis attempting to dissect bone wound characteristics varied quite a lot and mixed different criteria, thus leading sometimes to conflicting results. In this context, the aim of our study is to clarify qualitative aspects of cut marks induced by sharp weapons on human bones. For that purpose, we analyzed bone samples via an original approach based on bone autofluorescence with an epifluorescence macroscope and compared it to previous existing methods. In this study, we used bone sections from human clavicles on which three different kinds of lesions were manually implemented, using different weapons. The bone wounds were analyzed by three different methodologies, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and micro-computed tomography, and were compared with epifluorescence macroscopy. We paid attention more significantly to the aspect of walls and floor of the kerf, so as to conclude on the nature and distinguish between weapons used. Among all technologies used in this study, the most precise and efficient methods were epifluorescence macroscopy and SEM. Nonetheless, epifluorescence macroscopy is faster, cheaper, and more accessible than SEM. More significantly, this technique, which has the potential to accurately document the nature of the damage, is nondestructive, and could thus be highly useful in forensic science as anthropology.

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A 17-month-old male infant died at home. The infant's right arm was immobilized because of a humeral fracture 1 month earlier. The circumstances of death appeared unclear to the police investigators and a medicolegal autopsy was carried out. External examination revealed diffuse ecchymoses of varying color. Postmortem imaging was performed prior to autopsy (X-rays, multislice computed tomography [MSCT], and focused brain magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]). These investigations revealed four rib fractures of varying ages, one of which was posterior. Cerebral and pericerebral traumatic lesions were also diagnosed: bilateral subdural hematomas, intraventricular, meningeal, and interpedoncular hemorrhages. In the abdomen, fresh blood was visible within the anterior abdominal wall and the mesenteric root. Autopsy and microscopic study confirmed these lesions. This case report illustrates the valuable assistance rendered by MSCT and MRI to diagnose abuse when a child has died in unclear circumstances.

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