Centre was created to allow the rapid banking of metastatic tumors from end-of-life patients to enhance our understanding of tumor development. Research tissue sampling is done on consented patients as soon as possible after death, but may be delayed for 24 hours or more. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of time between patient death and tissue processing on RNA integrity. Design: RNA integrity number (RIN) scores were determined for primary tumors, metastatic lesions and normal uninvolved tissues from patients consenting to the Tissue Procurement Program. The time between patient death and tissue processing was recorded. RIN scores were determined on snap frozen tissue using a bioanalyzer (Agilent) and reported on a scale of 1-10, with 10 indicating fully intact RNA, 5 indicating partially degraded RNA, and 3 indicating fully degraded RNA. Results: RIN scores of the primary tumor, a liver metastasis and normal kidney from a patient with lung cancer sampled 5 hours post mortem were 5.6, 7.6 and 4.8 respectively. Tumor tissues collected from a second patient with lung cancer sampled 18 hours postmortem had RIN scores of 6.6 (primary) and 6.9 (liver metastasis). Normal kidney had a reading of N/A (completely degraded). RNA quality differed between tissue sites in one patient with pancreatic cancer, with RIN scores that ranged from 8.6 (peritoneum metastasis) to N/A (hepatic lymph node metastasis). A RIN analysis has since become routine QC for all patients in our rapid autopsy program (3-5 new patients per week). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that RNA integrity of metastatic tumors can be maintained more than 18 hours after death, whereas normal tissues may be more sensitive to RNA degradation post mortem. Results also indicate that some tissue sites within the body preserve RNA quality better than others. Analysis of RNA from metastatic lesions of patients participating in the Tissue Procurement Program may provide valuable insights into tumor evolution and resistance to treatment. Background: January 2014 was a hallmark in autopsy registry in Portugal. A national electronic online-only death certificate platform was established. This led to the creation and implementation of a national standardized protocol, which could be used internationally, for reporting the clinical autopsy. In October 2014, this protocol was integrated in the electronic platform. Design: A national core panel of pathology residents, under the supervision of the Portuguese College of Pathologists, gathered to develop a reference database for adult clinical autopsy reporting. This online platform was aimed to be a user-friendly scheme, easy to fill, structured as a conventional autopsy report and divided by organ systems; it is pre-loaded with a minimal "normal" default data and a selectable pathology field, loaded with the most common pathological findings; however it always offers a free-text option, whenever necessary or as an alternative. In the end, the data is submitted to the death certificate re...

One potential barrier facing sexual assault survivors is that prejudicial attitudes and perceptions of victim appearance can influence the amount of blame, sympathy, and help that they receive from others. Using Weiner's (1980) attribution-affect-action theory as a guide, the present study investigated the relation between observer attitudinal characteristics (rape myth acceptance [RMA] and antifat attitudes [AFA]), victim weight, and specific judgments regarding a hypothetical sexual assault case. Female undergraduate participants (N=173) were presented with a sexual assault scenario and asked to complete a series of self-report questionnaires. Consistent with past research, attributions of victim fault were positively associated with adherence to rape myths and were higher toward thin victims than overweight victims. Further, the relation between the rater attitudinal variables and sentencing recommendations was found to be dependent on victim weight. When the victim was presented as thin, neither RMA nor AFA emerged as a predictor of sentencing recommendations. In contrast, both RMA and AFA were positively related to sentencing recommendations when the victim was presented as overweight. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

The present study explored the influence of survivor weight and participant gender, rape myth acceptance, and antifat attitudes on perceptions of sexual assault. Using an online survey tool, a community sample of 413 adult Canadian residents reviewed a hypothetical sexual assault scenario and completed a series of evaluations and attitudinal questionnaires. Generalized linear model analyses revealed that participants were more likely to hold the survivor responsible, excuse the perpetrator's actions, and respond more negatively toward the survivor and more positively toward the perpetrator when the survivor was depicted as thin versus overweight. Interactions were found between rape myth acceptance and survivor weight, gender and survivor weight, and gender and antifat attitudes, for certain dependent variables. In addition, men and those with higher levels of rape myth acceptance and antifat attitudes were found to make more negative evaluations of the survivor and more positive evaluations of the perpetrator. Recommendations for future research and interventions are discussed.

Recent media coverage of the rape chant at Saint Mary’s University, the misogynist Facebook posts at Dalhousie’s dental school, and the suspension of the University of Ottawa’s hockey team have brought the topic of campus sexual assault under intense public scrutiny and the media accounts point to a widespread systemic rape culture on Canadian campuses. The objective of this paper is to examine the existing structure of campus sexual assault services at Canadian universities and colleges in order to highlight best practices and barriers to their success. The study’s data collection entailed an environmental scan of existing programs and campus-community collaborations across Canada, and a half-day symposium in which stakeholders reviewed the scan’s results and developed recommendations. The study’s findings indicate that most campus sexual assault and women’s centres rely on volunteers and collaboration with off-campus organizations in order to maintain a breadth of services for sexual assault survivors. Funding challenges were found to impose significant limitations to the functionality of the centres. The paper closes with recommendations for improvements, including public education programming and dedicated services provided by professionals with specialized training and experience. 

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