Dear Colleagues,

Major technological advances have made diagnostics much more accurate, particularly in light of genetic and proteomic developments. Despite laboratory development, the clinical autopsies and diagnoses of the cause of death remain a multidisciplinary approach requiring the use of technology and scientific knowledge with irreplaceable human input. Currently, the decisive genetic causality in many cardiovascular, neoplastic, and metabolic diseases is known. Naturally occurring cardiac deaths share complex features such as incomplete penetrance and molecularly variable expressivity; moreover, upon macro/microscopic evaluation, they are not easy to diagnose as they sometimes present nonspecific pictures. Multiple abnormalities in genes related to both potassium and cardiac sodium channels are involved in many cases of sudden cardiac death. Proteomic studies are therefore likely to provide new insights into the cellular mechanisms involved in organ dysfunction and may also provide new diagnostics for many diseases and for sudden cardiac death. The proteomic investigations of diseases have identified candidate proteins altered with pathologic states, therefore complementing the traditional biochemical observations of the past. Advanced laboratory techniques can be utilized to develop molecular diagnostic tools that calibrate technology selections against diagnostic hypotheses, and specific ancillary methods to support and confirm diagnosis can be utilized. With this in mind, this Special Issue aims to promote a debate on the contribution of genetic, epigenetic, and technological methods through the sharing of the current development status of molecular diagnostic tools. We encourage the establishment of Hospital Mortality Review Committees for a systematic proactive approach to the continuous improvement of the safety of care and the quality of care. The outlined survey includes methodologies extended to further centers with the aim of placing greater weight on the results obtained by ensuring their influence in health policy planning. In this Special Issue on “New Breakthroughs in Molecular Diagnostic Tools for Human Diseases”, we invite front-line researchers, pathologists, and investigators to submit original research and review articles regarding topics that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• molecular pathology;
• molecular diagnostics;
• genetics;
• epigenetics;
• proteomics;
• immunohistochemistry;
• thrombo-embolic disease;
• sudden cardiac death;
• the molecular pathology of traumatic injuries;
• hypoxic–ischemic brain damage;
• the experimental models of injury and diseases;
• the targeted therapy of injuries and diseases;
• drug abuse;
• histological diagnosis;
• the epigenetics of organs injuries;
• miRNA and the prognosis of diseases;
• novel approaches and proofs of principle in therapy.

Prof. Dr. Vittorio Fineschi
Dr. Aniello Maiese
Guest Editors

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• molecular pathology
• molecular diagnostics
• genetics
• epigenetics
• proteomics
• immunohistochemistry
• thrombo-embolic disease
• sudden cardiac death
• molecular pathology of traumatic injuries
• hypoxic–ischemic brain damage
• experimental models of injury and diseases
• targeted therapy of injuries and diseases
• drug abuse
• histological diagnosis
• epigenetics of organs injuries
• miRNA and prognosis of diseases
• novel approaches and proofs of principle in therapy