Celphos (aluminum phosphide) poisoning is the most common cause of poisoning in India. The mechanism of action, acute and chronic effect on human body, its symptoms and signs, and the line of treatment are well documented and research is still going on to find a suitable antidote. "Spontaneous ignition" is a rare but interesting finding in case of aluminum phosphide poisoning. We present the autopsy findings in this case report along with the probable factors that led to occurrence of such finding.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to provide an overview of the psychological autopsy (PA) research method, including its methodology, uses, limitations, and ethical considerations. Materials and Methods: The study conducted a PA investigation on 35 cases of suicide. Information was collected from multiple sources and reliable informants, including family members, friends, medical and mental health professionals, and other relevant individuals. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to analyze the collected information. Results: The results indicated that several factors were associated with suicide, including mental health problems, life stressors, interpersonal conflicts, substance abuse, and history of previous suicide attempts. The findings have important implications for suicide prevention strategies, emphasizing the significance of addressing mental health issues and providing social support. Conclusion: The PA is a valuable research method for investigating and understanding suicide. Despite challenges such as recall biases and methodological limitations, it provides insights into the psychological factors associated with suicide and informs suicide prevention strategies. However, conducting psychological autopsies requires careful consideration of ethical issues. Further research is needed to replicate and extend the findings of this study

Precise reasons for severe manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 remain unanswered, and efforts have been focused on respiratory system management. Demonstration of unequivocal presence of SARS-CoV-2 in vital body organs by cadaver autopsy was the only way to prove multi-organ involvement. Hence, the primary objective of the study was to determine presence of the SARS-CoV-2 in various organs of patients succumbing to SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 246 samples from different organs of 21 patients who died due to severe COVID-19 illness were investigated by qRT-PCR, and SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 181 (73.57%) samples and highest positivity of SARS-CoV-2 being (expectedly) found in nasopharynx (90.4%) followed by bilateral lungs (87.30%), peritoneal fluid (80%), pancreas (72.72%), bilateral kidneys (68.42%), liver (65%) and even in brain (47.2%). The deceased patients were categorized to three subgroups based upon the extent of organs in which SARS-CoV-2 was detected by qRT-PCR (high intensity ≥80%, intermediate intensity = 65–80% and low intensity ≤65% organs involvement). It was conclusively established that SARS-CoV-2 has the property of invasion beyond lungs and even crosses the blood–brain barrier, resulting in multi-system disease; this is probably the reason behind cytokine storm, though it is not clear whether organ damage is due to direct injury caused by the virus or result of inflammatory assault. Significant inverse correlation was found between the Ct value of lung samples and number of organs involved, implying that higher viral load in lungs is directly proportionate to involvement of extrapulmonary organs and patients with higher viral load in respiratory secretions should be monitored more closely for any warning signs and the treatment strategies should also address involvement of other organs for better outcome, because lungs, though the primary site of infection, are not the only organ system responsible for pathogenesis of systemic illness.

In India, up until December 2021, Covishield and Covaxin vaccines against COVID-19 were being used for mass vaccination programs. In view of the urgency of fighting the ongoing pandemic, many vaccines have been granted emergency use approval while phase 2/3 clinical trials were still underway. Even for vaccines that have completed phase 3 trials, safety data may not be comprehensive. This retrospective observational study was conducted at a designated Regional Training Centre for Pharmacovigilance cum Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Centre (AMC) under the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India. The data sources were stimulated spontaneous reports of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) due to the COVID-19 vaccines from 10 January to 31 December 2021. A total of 51,010 COVID vaccine doses were administered during the study period. There were 330 AEFI reported (AEFI rate: 0.65%). Six AEFI were serious events among which three were Adverse Events of Special Interest. The majority of the AEFI were systemic, reported after the first dose, and with an onset between 1 and 24 h after vaccination. On comparing Covishield and Covaxin, there were no statistically significant differences in the AEFI reported with either vaccine in terms of gender, seriousness, lag period, duration, recovery, causality, treatment received for AEFI, presence of co-morbidity, or history of COVID-19 infection. Overall, the rates of AEFI was uncommon, and serious AEFI were rare with both Covishield and Covaxin, with a higher rate after the first dose. Whether immunological tolerance or allayed anxiety was responsible for the lower AEFI risk with the second dose remains to be investigated.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has besieged mankind because of its novelty, causing a global health crisis. The autopsy-based studies provide a crucial role in understanding the pathophysiology and the behavior of the disease. But there is a paucity of such studies in the world especially so from developing nations. Conducting a complete autopsy on infectious bodies like COVID-19 requires conducive infrastructural setup and protocols suited to the needs, and precautions are to be taken meticulously. Methods: A complete pathological autopsy was conducted on a known case of a COVID-19-hospitalized patient, who died in our institution, with the aim to look for histopathological changes in each organ and to compare these findings with clinical findings such as duration of hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, comorbidities, biochemical parameters, and the result of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the tissues. The complete autopsy was performed after obtaining consent from the family, and the study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. Histopathological examination (HPE) and RT-PCR were conducted on the tissue collected during autopsy. Clinical and biomedical data were collected and correlated. Result: The written informed consent from the family could be obtained in only 15.3% of cases, which was a limiting factor. The post-mortem interval ranged from 3.5 to 19.5 hours. The gross findings revealed pathologic features of viral infection as well as existing comorbidities in all the organs. The development of protocols and new innovations to limit the spread of infection, taking into consideration the limited facilities, which are described in this article, resulted in the successful completion of all the autopsies with a good sample collection, and nobody in the autopsy team was tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Conclusions: The experience gained from these 21 COVID-19 autopsies helps to outline the basic or minimal requirements for conducting autopsies in highly infectious cases even in not-so-ideal conditions and also provides guidelines to be used while conducting such autopsies, especially in developing countries.