Forensic science international最新文献

Autoerotic asphyxial deaths are a rare but recurring phenomenon, the most common modality of which involves neck compression. Autoerotic neck compression can involve any compression to the neck during individual sexual activity performed to heighten arousal. This retrospective study examines 72 such deaths occurring in Australia between 2000 and 2022. The study aims to provide detailed medico-legal interpretation of such deaths and recommendations for investigation within Australian contexts, and globally. Demographic analysis reveals a predominance of Caucasian males under 50 years of age, with diverse employment and health status. Pathological examination uncovers a spectrum of injuries, from superficial abrasions to rare skeletal and cartilaginous injuries, providing insights into the mechanics and characteristics of these fatalities. Contextual examination highlights sexual paraphernalia, evidence of genital stimulation, and isolation are consistent features in most autoerotic deaths within the sample. There was a wide variety of tool usage (ropes, belts, etc.), and geo-temporal features associated with autoerotic neck compression. The study provides comprehensive examination of the circumstances and characteristics of autoerotic neck compression which may assist in differentiation between suicidal and homicidal neck compression deaths such as hanging or ligature strangulation respectively. This study is an Australian first and is the first study of autoerotic asphyxial deaths to focus solely on deaths with a neck compression component. The study incorporates new variables and suggests ways these should be considered in future death investigations. The authors argue for delineation and subcategorization of autoerotic neck compression from other autoerotic asphyxial death due to their distinct injury characteristics and mechanism of injury.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a form of gender-based violence (GBV) that may lead to adverse consequences on the physical and psychological health of survivors. Patients living with FGM have unique health needs, which have to be addressed from the perspective of human rights and sexual and reproductive health. The aim of this study was to understand the characteristics of the pool of users of two services targeting this population in Turin, given the significance this may have due to the high migratory flows from countries were FGM is performed. A retrospective review of medical records of patients who accessed FGM-C related care in two healthcare facilities in Turin was performed. The most represented type of FGM was IIb. All patients were of African origin. Many presented psychological sequelae, while a smaller group presented uro-gynaecological symptoms. A high number of survivors were subjected to other forms of GBV during their lifetime. These findings highlight the need for an integrated and multidisciplinary service for the management of survivors of FGM.

Microchimerism (MC) refers to the presence of small amounts of foreign cells or DNA in the tissues or circulation of an individual. It generally occurs through mother-fetus interaction, twin pregnancies, and intergenerational transmission. MC is influenced by genetic and environmental factors such as toxic conditions, immunological suppression, and various diseases (influenza, COVID-19, etc.). Progenitor cells transferred from the fetus to the mother through fetal MC are known to differentiate into neurons in the maternal brain. Although the relationship between these cells and the brain is not fully understood, it is thought that they may play a role in the emergence of some mental illnesses. The long-term presence of microchimeric cells in the body by differentiating into various cell types such as the brain, heart, bone, liver, and lung can lead to the presence of two or more DNA sets in an individual. This can lead to confusion in forensic identification and sex determination processes. This review aims to provide a comprehensive review of the definition, transmission pathways, detection duration in the human body, associated diseases, analytical detection techniques, and the importance of MC in forensic sciences. In this context, it is aimed to draw attention to the potential dangers of MC and contribute to the justice system. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the need for scientific research on this topic by creating a starting point for future research in the field of MC.

Scavenging occurs whenever a body is accessible to animals which depredate post-mortem, leading to tissue modification and consumption. In forensic investigations, the consequences of indoor scavenging are associated with the capacity of dogs to destroy or scatter body parts, creating post-mortem artefacts that pose challenges for forensic pathologists and veterinarians in determining the cause and dynamics of death and the time of death estimation. The purpose of this study is to provide a literature review on the forensic implications of indoor domestic dog scavenging, in order to discuss victim and dog characteristics, injury patterns, and identification methods. The literature search was performed using PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science from January 1950 to March 2024. Eligible studies have investigated issues of interest (forensic veterinary medicine, forensic pathology, forensic genetics). A total of 38 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review and they were organized and discussed by issue of interest (Victim risk factors, assessment of canine behavioral and physical conditions, anatomical distribution of post-mortem injuries, assessment of ante-mortem injuries and setting, identification of scavenging dog). The findings of this systematic review underscore the importance of paying particular attention to the condition of the individuals involved, especially isolated elderly individuals, as well as to the results of physical examinations and autopsies. These may provide crucial information regarding the distribution and vitality of lesions. Additionally, the potential benefits of a multidisciplinary approach are emphasized, based on close cooperation between veterinarians, crime scene personnel, medicolegal experts, and prosecutors.

Background: Data on the prevalence of physical injury in men who experience sexual assault are under-represented in the literature; the aim of this study is to inform this knowledge gap. It is vital that forensic examiners have access to up-to-date information regarding the prevalence of genito-anal and extra-genital injury, specific to their examination method (i.e. with or without proctoscopy), as well as any associations with injury in order to provide optimal responsive care and accurate testimony in the context of written and oral evidence.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study analysing the attendances of all males who attended the Dublin Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) for a forensic examination between 1/1/2017 and 31/12/2023.

Results: During the study period there were 2495 attendances. Of these, 199 (8.0 %) were male, with 68.8 % (n = 137/199) undergoing a forensic examination. Within this cohort, genito-anal injury was identified in 19.7 % (n = 27/137). Anal injury was present in 14.6 % (n = 20/137) and genital injury was present in 5.8 % (n = 8/137). For those who disclosed completed anal penetration (either penile-anal, digital-anal penetration or object-anal penetration) and who underwent proctoscopic examination (n = 53) the injury rate was 24.5 % (n = 13/53). Extra-genital injuries were present in 40.1 % (n = 55/137). Those who had a genito-anal injury were significantly more likely to have been the victim of a multiple perpetrator assault (OR2.72 CI1.05-6.97 p = 0.03). Those who had extra-genital injuries were significantly more likely to have attended within 24 hours of the incident (OR2.89 CI1.03-4.22 p = 0.03). No other incident detail was found to have an association with the presence of genito-anal or extra-genital injury.

Conclusions: Genital injuries and/or anal injuries were absent in a large proportion of men after sexual assault. Extra-genital injuries were found in a higher proportion of men. It is anticipated that these findings will better inform society, the police and also assist forensic examiners in providing accurate and informed prevalence rates for medico-legal evidence in the criminal justice system. These findings also underscore the importance of comprehensive medical examinations and timely medical intervention for assault victims, highlighting the need for targeted support and care strategies.

Disturbances in cardiac rhythm affect a significant fraction of the population; they can have an ample range of repercussions on one person's quality of life, from negligible to lethal. As an implication, arrhythmias concern many private, commercial and public-passenger-vehicle driving licence holders. In their practice, medical professionals can be asked to assess an arrhythmia patient's fitness to drive effectively. Due to the subject's complexity (requiring an extent of multidisciplinary competencies), the current guidances' heterogeneity and the possible ethical conflicts, the decision-making process becomes challenging and of particular concern to the doctor. To offer an applicable decision support system to doctors of various backgrounds to implement in their practice when asked to assess for fitness to drive in a patient with a suspected disease, a formulated diagnosis or subjected to therapy for cardiac rhythm disturbances, we started gathering the issues concerning the fitness assessment of drivers (or candidates) who present with any condition, symptom or treatment possibly or knowingly caused by cardiac rhythm disturbances. Subsequently, we reviewed the English-based literature, including various countries' published medical standards. Then, the overview was revised by local medical experts in clinical arrhythmology, electrophysiology and traffic medicine to reach a consensus statement at a local level. The result is an easily consultable operational protocol that lists conditions, symptoms or treatments caused or possibly caused by cardiac rhythm disturbances; the certifications required for the assessment of the driver (or candidate); the orientation about the fitness or unfitness to drive under the enlisted medical conditions (distinguishing between private and professional drivers); and the recommended time limits to revise the case. A particular focus is applied to patients subject to the remote monitoring system of an implantable cardiac device, as this innovative approach constitutes a solid and efficient instrument for an accurate evaluation of the patient's cardiovascular situation. Despite some limitations, mainly concerning the lack of information at the moment of the evaluation or the infrequency of the medical condition, this proposal offers a ready-to-use solution for doctors who are asked to give their professional (clinical or medico-legal) opinion about the fitness to drive of patients with an arrhythmia problem. As an advantage, the constant cooperation among professionals from different backgrounds, like electrophysiologists and traffic medicine experts, allows a more individual, less predetermined evaluation of the specific case.

Forensic science bodies their respective regions and form the foundation for best practice. Until recently, no officially registered body existed that represented all forensic science practitioners across Africa. The African Forensic Sciences Academy (AFSA) was founded in December 2022 for this reason to serve African forensic science practitioners. This article details the progress of AFSA to date, highlights its core values and mission, and outlines the way forward for this newly established Academy.

Recent conceptual and empirical developments in decomposition research have highlighted the intricate dynamics within necrobiome communities and the roles of various decay drivers. Yet the interactions between these factors and their regulatory mechanisms remain relatively unexplored. A comprehensive understanding of this facet of decomposition science is important, given its broad applicability across ecological and forensic disciplines, and current lack of research which investigates the inter-dependencies between two critical components of the necrobiome (the microbiome and insect activity), and the consequences of this interdependency on mass loss and total body score. Here we investigated the relationships among these key aspects of the decay process. We experimentally manipulated these variables by physically excluding insects and chemically perturbing the external microbiome of piglet (Sus scrofa) carcasses and quantified the effects on mass loss and total body score, as well as insect pre-appearance interval and colonisation. We found that piglets in the insect excluded and microbially perturbed treatment groups exhibited a significant delay in reaching 50 + % of mass loss compared with control piglets with insect access and intact microbiome. However, only remains with insects excluded displayed a significantly slower rate of total mass loss throughout the majority of the experiment and remained a significantly higher mass at the endpoint of 11,000 accumulative degree hours. Additionally, all insect excluded and microbially perturbed treatment groups displayed significantly lower total body scores compared to control piglets at corresponding time points. We also observed a significant delay in insect pre-appearance interval and colonisation for piglets with perturbed microbiomes compared to control piglets. Our findings demonstrate the significance of interacting components of the necrobiome, and the power of manipulative experiments in revealing causal relationships between biota and decomposition rates. These considerations are paramount for developing accurate post-mortem interval estimations and a comprehensive understanding of ecological processes during decomposition.

Forensic age estimation of stain donors through DNA methylation has been intensively studied in recent years. To date, there are many published age estimation tools which are based on technologies including pyrosequencing, minisequencing, or MPS. With the implementation of such tools into routine forensic casework in many laboratories worldwide, there is a need for thorough evaluation and performance comparison. In this study, we tested published age estimation tools that are based on either minisequencing or MPS on four body fluids (blood, saliva, buccal cells and semen). All samples were analyzed with both technologies and the age estimates were compared. Biological replicates were taken from ten (blood, saliva, buccal cells) or 12 individuals (semen) to assess the reproducibility of each tool. Our study demonstrates high accuracy in estimating chronological age for various body fluids using both technologies, except for semen. The mean absolute errors (MAEs) ranged from three to five years for blood, saliva and buccal cells, while semen exhibited a higher MAE of seven to eight years. Despite the overall good performance for blood, saliva, and buccal cells, significant discrepancies were observed for some individuals both between the two technologies or when compared to their chronological age. Conclusively, we demonstrated that forensic age estimation tools based on two different technologies are similarly accurate for blood, saliva and buccal cells, while the semen tools need some adjustments before implementation into forensic casework. Our results could be helpful in the decision-making process for laboratories seeking to newly establish an age estimation workflow.

The recent case of Lucy Letby in the UK shows that exposing a serial killer in healthcare is challenging. Statistical evidence has been used in the courts, but the overturning of the life sentence of a Dutch nurse in 2008 due to inadequate data analysis suggests the need for objective statistical approaches. In our case, a nurse was convicted after injecting an infant with insulin following a dispute at a family party and killing a patient with insulin in an institute for disabled persons. The nurse had previously worked in a geriatric unit for seven months, during which 29 deaths occurred, some with suspicious features. We applied statistical methods developed for the evaluation of diagnostic tests to analyze the nurse's possible involvement in these deaths. We searched for discrepancies in the death certificates and performed medico-legal autopsies on exhumed deceased patients. During the 7 months, 69 nurses and practical nurses at the geriatric ward completed 27,324 shifts. Of the deaths, 16/29 (55 %) occurred during night shifts. The convicted nurse had worked a clearly higher number of night shifts, in particular, than others. She was among the highest 10 % whose work shifts coincided with the deaths in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios. Of the deaths, 11/29 (38 %) occurred during or immediately after her shift. Unexplained suspicious blood glucose fluctuations or hypoglycemia-mimicking comas unrelated to known illnesses were reported in 6 (55 %) of the 11 deaths, and in one of these cases, the incident was supported by autopsy findings. Statistical methods for diagnostic accuracy may allow the targeting of the investigation when searching for a possible serial killer in a hospital. However, a statistical approach does not allow an unambiguous determination of a perpetrator nor does it replace a thorough examination of the circumstances and cause of death when investigating a small number of suspicious deaths among patients with serious illnesses and high mortality.