Pub Date : 2024-06-25DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112122
Juan A. Sanchis-Gimeno , Javier Iglesias-Bexiga , Marisol E. Schwab , Gema López-García , Eloy Ariza , Alejando Calpe , Miguel Mezquida , Shahed Nalla , Ilker Ercan
Spain suffered a Civil War between 1936 and 1939 that ended with the victory of the National Forces led by General Franco. Once the Spanish Civil War ended, 2238 subjects were executed and buried in several mass graves in the Cemetery of Paterna, one of Spain's largest mass grave sites. Efforts to locate and identify all the victims of the mass graves of the Paterna cemetery are ongoing, but the actual data of the percentage of DNA identifications remains uncertain. Following this, we conducted a meta-research study including 15 mass graves and 933 subjects to determine the DNA identification rates in the mass graves of the Paterna cemetery. We found that the total proportion of identified subjects in the mass graves was 15.9 % (95 % CI: 10.0–22.9). Moreover, we found that the model between the identification success rate (ISR) and the number of relatives that donated DNA (NRTDD) in the mass graves of the cemetery of Paterna was ISR = NRTDD−0.424. Results obtained about the proportion of identified subjects and the model between the ISR and the NRTDD imply the need for a scientific reflection between all the research groups involved in the identification tasks to modify deficiencies and update identification protocols to obtain better future results.
西班牙在 1936 年至 1939 年期间经历了一场内战,最终以佛朗哥将军领导的国民军的胜利而告终。西班牙内战一结束,就有 2238 人被处决,并被埋葬在西班牙最大的万人坑之一--帕泰纳公墓的几个万人坑里。目前正在努力寻找和鉴定帕泰纳公墓万人坑中的所有受害者,但 DNA 鉴定比例的实际数据仍不确定。因此,我们进行了一项元研究,包括 15 座乱葬坑和 933 名受试者,以确定帕特纳公墓乱葬坑的 DNA 鉴定率。我们发现,乱葬坑中被鉴定者的总比例为 15.9 %(95 % CI:10.0-22.9)。此外,我们还发现,在帕特纳公墓的乱葬坑中,鉴定成功率(ISR)与捐赠 DNA 的亲属数量(NRTDD)之间的模型为 ISR = NRTDD-0.424。关于已识别对象的比例以及ISR与NRTDD之间的模型的研究结果表明,所有参与识别任务的研究小组都需要进行科学反思,以修改不足之处并更新识别协议,从而在未来取得更好的结果。
{"title":"Identification success rates in the post-Spanish Civil War mass graves located in the cemetery of Paterna, Spain: Meta-research on 15 mass graves with 933 subjects","authors":"Juan A. Sanchis-Gimeno , Javier Iglesias-Bexiga , Marisol E. Schwab , Gema López-García , Eloy Ariza , Alejando Calpe , Miguel Mezquida , Shahed Nalla , Ilker Ercan","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112122","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112122","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Spain suffered a Civil War between 1936 and 1939 that ended with the victory of the National Forces led by General Franco. Once the Spanish Civil War ended, 2238 subjects were executed and buried in several mass graves in the Cemetery of Paterna, one of Spain's largest mass grave sites. Efforts to locate and identify all the victims of the mass graves of the Paterna cemetery are ongoing, but the actual data of the percentage of DNA identifications remains uncertain. Following this, we conducted a meta-research study including 15 mass graves and 933 subjects to determine the DNA identification rates in the mass graves of the Paterna cemetery. We found that the total proportion of identified subjects in the mass graves was 15.9 % (95 % CI: 10.0–22.9). Moreover, we found that the model between the identification success rate (ISR) and the number of relatives that donated DNA (NRTDD) in the mass graves of the cemetery of Paterna was ISR = NRTDD<sup>−0.424</sup>. Results obtained about the proportion of identified subjects and the model between the ISR and the NRTDD imply the need for a scientific reflection between all the research groups involved in the identification tasks to modify deficiencies and update identification protocols to obtain better future results.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073824002032/pdfft?md5=c4eace2cd07fd3fb05b3779a934da57b&pid=1-s2.0-S0379073824002032-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141467353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-25DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112123
Alan Bazalha Lopes, Manoel Jorge Nobre
Brazil is one of the most unequal democracies in the world. Although the number of homeless individuals in our country has increased due to the reproduction of people living in extreme poverty, little has been discussed about their welfare and rights. In the present study, we provide analysis with a theoretical-methodological approach directed at homeless people living in the wealthy neoliberal middle-sized southeast city of São Paulo, Brazil’s richest state. Data was acquired from police reports with prior permission from the Civil Police of São Paulo and the São Paulo Interior Judiciary Police Department. Our results illustrate that the homelessness phenomenon in Franca appears to be comparable to that of other large urban cities, where Blacks, a minority of the population, make up the bulk of homeless individuals. It also denies that homeless activity increases criminality, emphasizes the difference between Blacks and Whites drug users’ criminal behavior, with Whites being more active in theft and robbery and Blacks in trafficking, and extends the idea that drug use by homeless people is stress-related and hence an indicator of a health condition.
{"title":"Drugs, crime, and racial disparities in the homeless population gathered from a sample of police reports: Evidence from Brazil","authors":"Alan Bazalha Lopes, Manoel Jorge Nobre","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112123","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112123","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Brazil is one of the most unequal democracies in the world. Although the number of homeless individuals in our country has increased due to the reproduction of people living in extreme poverty, little has been discussed about their welfare and rights. In the present study, we provide analysis with a theoretical-methodological approach directed at homeless people living in the wealthy neoliberal middle-sized southeast city of São Paulo, Brazil’s richest state. Data was acquired from police reports with prior permission from the Civil Police of São Paulo and the São Paulo Interior Judiciary Police Department. Our results illustrate that the homelessness phenomenon in Franca appears to be comparable to that of other large urban cities, where Blacks, a minority of the population, make up the bulk of homeless individuals. It also denies that homeless activity increases criminality, emphasizes the difference between Blacks and Whites drug users’ criminal behavior, with Whites being more active in theft and robbery and Blacks in trafficking, and extends the idea that drug use by homeless people is stress-related and hence an indicator of a health condition.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141579379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-24DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112120
Michael Taylor, Carol Mayne, Leigh Coutts, Ashlea Kinnane, Isabelle Avent, Kaymann Cho, Mark Tahtouh, Paul Roffey
Franz Kafka had beautiful eyes. So striking, that many of the famous author’s friends and peers commented on them – but quite variously (‘dark’, ‘brown’, ‘grey’ & ‘blue’). Eye colour as perceived by an observer is subjective, being influenced by physiological, environmental, and even sociocultural factors. In a policing context, this does not mean that trait information such as eye colour is not valuable (far from it), but that it must be managed carefully. The Australian Federal Police has recently implemented a forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP, aka. physical trait prediction or PTP) capability, utilising massively parallel sequencing DNA technology to predict an individual’s eye colour, biogeographical ancestry and sex from a crime scene sample. This information alone is not itself ‘intelligence’, but can be used to generate intelligence through holistic analyses undertaken within a transdisciplinary, all-source forensic intelligence (FORINT) framework. FORINT outputs posit abductive propositions typically at the activity/offence level, to provide insight and influence decision making. However, the use of predicted traits requires that they are compared to something; all Australian police databases include fields for physical traits, but no uniform standard is applied across all agencies. Moreover, collection is inconsistent and no automated systems are in place to capture such data systematically. Consider the ‘Kafka problem’: his peers gave multiply divergent descriptions of his eyes. If a Biology unit had predicted the eye colour of an ‘unidentified author’ using DNA – how would Kafka be confidently nominated as the contributor? We posit three maxims for law enforcement: (1) To expand the operational utility of forensic science in line with police demands, forensic science should operationalise FDP (e.g. operationally to rank a list of persons of interest, focus lines of enquiry in serious & organised crime, or assist with human remains identification). (2) Such advanced biological techniques are best delivered through an all-source FORINT framework, to maximise opportunities and minimise risk. (3) One cannot pursue techno-scientific advancements in isolation; it is also necessary to influence the operational posture for their implementation. In this paper we explore these issues and provide recommendations relating to (a) police practices, (b) image capture systems, and (c) research opportunities. Phenotypic trait prediction has great potential and can be operationalised effectively through a rigorous FORINT framework. However, there is (continual) work to be done to enhance the operational capabilities that are complementary to – but necessary for – effective forensic science contribution to investigations.
弗朗茨-卡夫卡有一双美丽的眼睛。卡夫卡的眼睛如此迷人,以至于这位著名作家的许多朋友和同行都对他的眼睛做出了不同的评价("深色"、"棕色"、"灰色 "和 "蓝色")。观察者眼中的眼睛颜色是主观的,受到生理、环境甚至社会文化因素的影响。在警务工作中,这并不意味着眼睛颜色等特征信息没有价值(远非如此),而是必须谨慎管理。澳大利亚联邦警察局最近启用了法医 DNA 表型分析(FDP,又称物理特征预测或 PTP)功能,利用大规模并行 DNA 测序技术,从犯罪现场样本中预测一个人的眼睛颜色、生物地理祖先和性别。这些信息本身并不是 "情报",但可以通过在跨学科、全来源法证情报(FORINT)框架内进行的整体分析生成情报。法证情报的产出通常在活动/犯罪层面提出归纳性命题,以提供洞察力并影响决策。然而,使用预测特征需要将其与某些东西进行比较;澳大利亚警方的所有数据库都包含身体特征字段,但没有统一的标准适用于所有机构。此外,收集工作并不一致,也没有自动化系统来系统地采集此类数据。考虑一下 "卡夫卡问题":他的同龄人对他的眼睛给出了多种不同的描述。如果生物学部门利用 DNA 预测了一位 "身份不明作者 "的眼睛颜色--卡夫卡怎么会被自信地提名为撰稿人呢?我们提出了三条执法格言:(1) 为了扩大法医学的实用性,以满足警方的需求,法医学应将 FDP 付诸实施(例如,在实际操作中对感兴趣者的名单进行排序,对严重 & 案、有组织犯罪进行重点调查,或协助进行遗骸鉴定)。(2) 这种先进的生物技术最好通过所有来源的情报信息框架提供,以最大限度地增 加机会和降低风险。(3) 我们不能孤立地追求科技进步,还必须影响实施这些技术的行动态势。在本文中,我们将探讨这些问题,并就以下方面提出建议:(a) 警务实践;(b) 图像捕捉系统;(c) 研究机会。表型特征预测具有巨大潜力,可通过严格的 FORINT 框架进行有效操作。然而,还需要(继续)努力提高业务能力,这些能力是法医学对调查的有效贡献的补充,但也是必要的。
{"title":"Kafka’s beautiful eyes: Forensic intelligence utilisation of phenotypic information","authors":"Michael Taylor, Carol Mayne, Leigh Coutts, Ashlea Kinnane, Isabelle Avent, Kaymann Cho, Mark Tahtouh, Paul Roffey","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112120","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Franz Kafka had beautiful eyes. So striking, that many of the famous author’s friends and peers commented on them – but quite variously (‘dark’, ‘brown’, ‘grey’ & ‘blue’). Eye colour as perceived by an observer is subjective, being influenced by physiological, environmental, and even sociocultural factors. In a policing context, this does not mean that trait information such as eye colour is not valuable (far from it), but that it must be managed carefully. The Australian Federal Police has recently implemented a forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP, aka. physical trait prediction or PTP) capability, utilising massively parallel sequencing DNA technology to predict an individual’s eye colour, biogeographical ancestry and sex from a crime scene sample. This information alone is not itself ‘intelligence’, but can be used to generate intelligence through holistic analyses undertaken within a transdisciplinary, all-source forensic intelligence (FORINT) framework. FORINT outputs posit abductive propositions typically at the activity/offence level, to provide insight and influence decision making. However, the use of predicted traits requires that they are compared to something; all Australian police databases include fields for physical traits, but no uniform standard is applied across all agencies. Moreover, collection is inconsistent and no automated systems are in place to capture such data systematically. Consider the ‘Kafka problem’: his peers gave multiply divergent descriptions of his eyes. If a Biology unit had predicted the eye colour of an ‘unidentified author’ using DNA – how would Kafka be confidently nominated as the contributor? We posit three maxims for law enforcement: (1) To expand the operational utility of forensic science in line with police demands, forensic science should operationalise FDP (e.g. operationally to rank a list of persons of interest, focus lines of enquiry in serious & organised crime, or assist with human remains identification). (2) Such advanced biological techniques are best delivered through an all-source FORINT framework, to maximise opportunities and minimise risk. (3) One cannot pursue techno-scientific advancements in isolation; it is also necessary to influence the operational posture for their implementation. In this paper we explore these issues and provide recommendations relating to (a) police practices, (b) image capture systems, and (c) research opportunities. Phenotypic trait prediction has great potential and can be operationalised effectively through a rigorous FORINT framework. However, there is (continual) work to be done to enhance the operational capabilities that are complementary to – but necessary for – effective forensic science contribution to investigations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141595434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Body fluid detection is an important component in the toolbox of forensic scientists, with saliva playing a particularly critical role in forensic evidence. Given that each body fluid possesses a distinct microbiome, the identification of body fluid based on specific representatives of the microbiota presents an appealing approach for forensic applications. In this study, we have developed a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based method for the precise identification of saliva, focusing on three bacteria highly associated with saliva but not with other tested body fluids -Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Streptococcus salivarius. The inclusion of these three bacterial species enhances the accuracy of detection and reinforces validation. Notably, specific identification of saliva was achievable even at low concentrations where Phadebas, a commonly used method for saliva detection, proved ineffective. Importantly, bacteria-based saliva detection utilizes DNA generated for small tandem repeats (STR) profiling, facilitating seamless integration into forensic laboratories and optimizing DNA sample utilization. This study collectively proposes an effective bacterial DNA-based approach for saliva identification, demonstrating promising potential for forensic applications.
体液检测是法医科学家工具箱中的重要组成部分,其中唾液在法医证据中的作用尤为关键。鉴于每种体液都具有独特的微生物群,根据微生物群的特定代表对体液进行鉴定是一种具有吸引力的法医应用方法。在这项研究中,我们开发了一种基于实时聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR)的方法来精确鉴定唾液,重点是与唾液高度相关的三种细菌,但与其他测试体液无关--牙龈卟啉单胞菌、核酸镰刀菌和唾液链球菌。这三种细菌的加入提高了检测的准确性并加强了验证。值得注意的是,即使在唾液检测常用方法 Phadebas 无效的低浓度条件下,也能对唾液进行特异性鉴定。重要的是,基于细菌的唾液检测利用了小串联重复序列(STR)图谱生成的 DNA,有利于无缝集成到法医实验室,并优化 DNA 样本的利用。本研究共同提出了一种有效的基于细菌 DNA 的唾液鉴定方法,为法医应用展示了巨大的潜力。
{"title":"Identification of oral bacteria as a new forensic tool for saliva detection","authors":"Gili Betser-Cohen , Lina Mayuoni-Kirsehenbaum , Khaled Zubeidat , Yael Horev , Luba Eli Berchoer , Adiel Cohen , Doron Aframian , Merav Amiel , Avi-Hai Hovav","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112112","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112112","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Body fluid detection is an important component in the toolbox of forensic scientists, with saliva playing a particularly critical role in forensic evidence. Given that each body fluid possesses a distinct microbiome, the identification of body fluid based on specific representatives of the microbiota presents an appealing approach for forensic applications. In this study, we have developed a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based method for the precise identification of saliva, focusing on three bacteria highly associated with saliva but not with other tested body fluids -<em>Porphyromonas gingivalis</em>, <em>Fusobacterium nucleatum</em>, and <em>Streptococcus salivarius</em>. The inclusion of these three bacterial species enhances the accuracy of detection and reinforces validation. Notably, specific identification of saliva was achievable even at low concentrations where Phadebas, a commonly used method for saliva detection, proved ineffective. Importantly, bacteria-based saliva detection utilizes DNA generated for small tandem repeats (STR) profiling, facilitating seamless integration into forensic laboratories and optimizing DNA sample utilization. This study collectively proposes an effective bacterial DNA-based approach for saliva identification, demonstrating promising potential for forensic applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141450221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-21DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112115
Nicolas Hulscher, Paul E Alexander, Richard Amerling, Heather Gessling, Roger Hodkinson, William Makis, Harvey A Risch, Mark Trozzi, Peter A McCullough
This Article-in-Press has been withdrawn at the request of the Editors-in-Chief. Members of the scientific community raised concerns about this Article-in-Press following its posting online. The concerns encompassed. • Inappropriate citation of references. • Inappropriate design of methodology. • Errors, misrepresentation, and lack of factual support for the conclusions. • Failure to recognise and cite disconfirming evidence. The concerns were shared with the authors, who prepared a response and submitted a revised manuscript for consideration by the journal. In consideration of the extent of the concerns raised and the responses from the authors, the journal sent the revised manuscript to two independent peer-reviewers. The peer-reviewers concluded that the revised manuscript did not sufficiently address the concerns raised by the community and that it was not suitable for publication in the journal. The authors disagree with this withdrawal and dispute the grounds for it. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal.
{"title":"Withdrawn: A systematic review of autopsy findings in deaths after COVID-19 vaccination.","authors":"Nicolas Hulscher, Paul E Alexander, Richard Amerling, Heather Gessling, Roger Hodkinson, William Makis, Harvey A Risch, Mark Trozzi, Peter A McCullough","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112115","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This Article-in-Press has been withdrawn at the request of the Editors-in-Chief. Members of the scientific community raised concerns about this Article-in-Press following its posting online. The concerns encompassed. • Inappropriate citation of references. • Inappropriate design of methodology. • Errors, misrepresentation, and lack of factual support for the conclusions. • Failure to recognise and cite disconfirming evidence. The concerns were shared with the authors, who prepared a response and submitted a revised manuscript for consideration by the journal. In consideration of the extent of the concerns raised and the responses from the authors, the journal sent the revised manuscript to two independent peer-reviewers. The peer-reviewers concluded that the revised manuscript did not sufficiently address the concerns raised by the community and that it was not suitable for publication in the journal. The authors disagree with this withdrawal and dispute the grounds for it. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal.</p>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141906377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-20DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112119
I.M. van Damme , A.W.C. Hulsbergen , S. Allers , K.D.B. Bezemer , J.V. Miller , A.C. van Asten
The natural occurrence of 16 inorganic ions relevant to forensic explosives investigations on human hands was studied to support the evaluation of activity-level propositions when such traces are found on the hands or in the fingerprints of a suspect. A total of 594 hand swab extracts from 297 participants throughout Europe and the United States of America were analyzed using Ion Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry. The data provides a reference framework for future covert investigations and forensic casework. The results indicate that thiocyanate, chlorate, nitrite, lithium, strontium, and barium are rarely detected on the hands of individuals who have had no direct contact with explosives (P<0.03) and in quantities below 6 µg. Perchlorate contamination sporadically occurs without deliberately handling perchlorates (P=0.03), albeit at low levels (<12 µg). It also seems that the presence of perchlorate on hands is generally related to professions that involve explosives. Detecting substantial amounts of any of these rare ions on a suspect’s hands would require a specific explanation. Because legitimate activities exist that can also result in elevated levels of ions of interest on hands, the context surrounding their presence has to be carefully assessed for each individual case.
{"title":"A study into the natural occurrence of inorganic ions relevant to forensic explosives investigations on human hands","authors":"I.M. van Damme , A.W.C. Hulsbergen , S. Allers , K.D.B. Bezemer , J.V. Miller , A.C. van Asten","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112119","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112119","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The natural occurrence of 16 inorganic ions relevant to forensic explosives investigations on human hands was studied to support the evaluation of activity-level propositions when such traces are found on the hands or in the fingerprints of a suspect. A total of 594 hand swab extracts from 297 participants throughout Europe and the United States of America were analyzed using Ion Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry. The data provides a reference framework for future covert investigations and forensic casework. The results indicate that thiocyanate, chlorate, nitrite, lithium, strontium, and barium are rarely detected on the hands of individuals who have had no direct contact with explosives (P<0.03) and in quantities below 6 µg. Perchlorate contamination sporadically occurs without deliberately handling perchlorates (P=0.03), albeit at low levels (<12 µg). It also seems that the presence of perchlorate on hands is generally related to professions that involve explosives. Detecting substantial amounts of any of these rare ions on a suspect’s hands would require a specific explanation. Because legitimate activities exist that can also result in elevated levels of ions of interest on hands, the context surrounding their presence has to be carefully assessed for each individual case.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073824002007/pdfft?md5=ca041a5c0c105e1ffe8191836ec79057&pid=1-s2.0-S0379073824002007-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141450220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-19DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112114
J.L. Silván-Cárdenas, Ana J. Alegre-Mondragón, C. Silva-Arias
We present an assessment of several geospatial layers proposed as models for detecting clandestine graves in Mexico. The analyses were based on adapting the classical ROC curves to geospatial data (gROC) using the fraction of the predicted area instead of the false positive rate. Grave locations were obtained for ten Mexican states that represent the most conflicting regions in Mexico, and 30 layers were computed to represent geospatial models for grave detection. The gROC analysis confirmed that the travel time from urban streets to grave locations was the most critical variable for detecting graves, followed by nighttime light brightness and population density, whereas, contrary to the rationale, a previously proposed visibility index is less correlated with grave locations. We were also able to deduce which variables are most relevant in each state and to determine optimal thresholds for the selected variables.
{"title":"Assessing geospatial models to explain the occurrence of clandestine graves in Mexico","authors":"J.L. Silván-Cárdenas, Ana J. Alegre-Mondragón, C. Silva-Arias","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112114","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112114","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We present an assessment of several geospatial layers proposed as models for detecting clandestine graves in Mexico. The analyses were based on adapting the classical ROC curves to geospatial data (gROC) using the fraction of the predicted area instead of the false positive rate. Grave locations were obtained for ten Mexican states that represent the most conflicting regions in Mexico, and 30 layers were computed to represent geospatial models for grave detection. The gROC analysis confirmed that the travel time from urban streets to grave locations was the most critical variable for detecting graves, followed by nighttime light brightness and population density, whereas, contrary to the rationale, a previously proposed visibility index is less correlated with grave locations. We were also able to deduce which variables are most relevant in each state and to determine optimal thresholds for the selected variables.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141467352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Risperidone (Ris) is a second-generation antipsychotic that belongs to the chemical class of benzisoxazole derivatives. 9-Hydroxy (9OH-) Ris is well known among the six reported metabolites of Ris and had been examined using not only blood but also other matrices, but the other five metabolites reported such as benzisoxazole ring-cleaved Ris (c-Ris) and c-9OH-Ris had been detected only in blood, urine and feces. In the present work, large peaks of c-Ris and c-9OH-Ris were detected in the liver, kidney, cerebrum, blood, pericardial fluid, bile and urine obtained from two cadavers. There is a potential that c-Ris and c-9OH-Ris will be good markers to prove Ris consumption in forensic toxicology cases. For example, the peak ratios of c-Ris against the parent Ris in the kidney and blood were as high as 3.9 and 3.6 in cadaver 1; and 7.0 and 7.9 in cadaver 2, respectively. In addition to the previously reported six metabolites, five new metabolites such as dehydrogenated-Ris, 7-keto-Ris and three benzisoxazole ring-cleaved metabolites were disclosed in the present work, and the pathways for the totally eleven metabolites detected in human solid tissues and body fluids have also been proposed, because such pathways were neither reported nor discussed previously.
{"title":"Detection of new metabolites of risperidone in the solid tissues and body fluids obtained from two cadavers by high resolution tandem mass spectrometry","authors":"Kayoko Minakata , Hideki Nozawa , Itaru Yamagishi , Kenta Yuyama , Masako Suzuki , Takuya Kitamoto , Minako Kondo , Osamu Suzuki , Koutaro Hasegawa","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112117","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Risperidone (Ris) is a second-generation antipsychotic that belongs to the chemical class of benzisoxazole derivatives. 9-Hydroxy (9OH-) Ris is well known among the six reported metabolites of Ris and had been examined using not only blood but also other matrices, but the other five metabolites reported such as benzisoxazole ring-cleaved Ris (c-Ris) and c-9OH-Ris had been detected only in blood, urine and feces. In the present work, large peaks of c-Ris and c-9OH-Ris were detected in the liver, kidney, cerebrum, blood, pericardial fluid, bile and urine obtained from two cadavers. There is a potential that c-Ris and c-9OH-Ris will be good markers to prove Ris consumption in forensic toxicology cases. For example, the peak ratios of c-Ris against the parent Ris in the kidney and blood were as high as 3.9 and 3.6 in cadaver 1; and 7.0 and 7.9 in cadaver 2, respectively. In addition to the previously reported six metabolites, five new metabolites such as dehydrogenated-Ris, 7-keto-Ris and three benzisoxazole ring-cleaved metabolites were disclosed in the present work, and the pathways for the totally eleven metabolites detected in human solid tissues and body fluids have also been proposed, because such pathways were neither reported nor discussed previously.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141439078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS) poses a significant challenge to clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories. N,N-dimethylpentylone, a novel synthetic cathinone, has emerged as a public health concern. The aims of this study are to describe the clinical presentation of N,N-dimethylpentylone poisoning, to describe detection methods, and to deduce its metabolic pathways.
Methods
Clinical data was collected and reviewed retrospectively from patients with confirmed N,N-dimethylpentylone exposure. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to identify N,N-dimethylpentylone and its metabolites in urine samples. The metabolic pathway was characterised by comparison of the detected substances with reference standards.
Results
Eight cases were included in the case series. Seven different metabolites of N,N-dimethylpentylone were identified in in vivo patient urine samples, where the two major metabolic pathways were proposed to be opening of the 5-membered ring and reduction of carboxide. All patients presented with neuropsychiatric and/or cardiovascular symptoms. Co-ingestion with other substances was reported in all cases. One patient requiring intensive care was described in detail. All patients eventually recovered. The analytical method allowed the simultaneous identification of N,N-dimethylpentylone, pentylone and bisdesmethyl-N,N-dimethylpentylone, as well as other drugs of abuse in patient samples.
Conclusion
N,N-dimethylpentylone appears to be less potent than its metabolite pentylone. Co-ingestion with other drugs of abuse is common. Poisoning cases have neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular manifestations. An updated and comprehensive laboratory method is needed for its detection.
{"title":"N,N-dimethylpentylone poisoning: Clinical manifestations, analytical detection, and metabolic characterization","authors":"H.S. Leung , Magdalene H.Y. Tang , H.F. Tong , Y.K. Chong","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112116","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>The proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS) poses a significant challenge to clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories. <em>N,N</em>-dimethylpentylone, a novel synthetic cathinone, has emerged as a public health concern. The aims of this study are to describe the clinical presentation of <em>N,N</em>-dimethylpentylone poisoning, to describe detection methods, and to deduce its metabolic pathways.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Clinical data was collected and reviewed retrospectively from patients with confirmed <em>N,N</em>-dimethylpentylone exposure. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to identify <em>N,N</em>-dimethylpentylone and its metabolites in urine samples. The metabolic pathway was characterised by comparison of the detected substances with reference standards.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Eight cases were included in the case series. Seven different metabolites of <em>N,N</em>-dimethylpentylone were identified in <em>in vivo</em> patient urine samples, where the two major metabolic pathways were proposed to be opening of the 5-membered ring and reduction of carboxide. All patients presented with neuropsychiatric and/or cardiovascular symptoms. Co-ingestion with other substances was reported in all cases. One patient requiring intensive care was described in detail. All patients eventually recovered. The analytical method allowed the simultaneous identification of <em>N,N</em>-dimethylpentylone, pentylone and bisdesmethyl-<em>N,N</em>-dimethylpentylone, as well as other drugs of abuse in patient samples.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p><em>N,N</em>-dimethylpentylone appears to be less potent than its metabolite pentylone. Co-ingestion with other drugs of abuse is common. Poisoning cases have neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular manifestations. An updated and comprehensive laboratory method is needed for its detection.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141434306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-18DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112113
Mengyuan Song , Yuxiang Zhou , Chenxi Zhao , Feng Song , Yiping Hou
Human Y chromosome reflects the evolutionary process of males. Male lineage tracing by Y chromosome is of great use in evolutionary, forensic, and anthropological studies. Identifying the male lineage based on the specific distribution of Y haplogroups narrows down the investigation scope, which has been used in forensic scenarios. However, existing software aids in familial searching using Y-STRs (Y-chromosome short tandem repeats) to predict Y-SNP (Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphism) haplogroups, they often lack resolution. In this study, we developed YHP (Y Haplogroup Predictor), a novel software offering high-resolution haplogroup inference without requiring extensive Y-SNP sequencing. Leveraging existing datasets (219 haplogroups, 4064 samples in total), YHP predicts haplogroups with 0.923 accuracy under the highest haplogroup resolution, employing a random forest algorithm. YHP, available on Github (https://github.com/cissy123/YHP-Y-Haplogroup-Predictor-), facilitates high-resolution haplogroup prediction, haplotype mismatch analysis, and haplotype similarity comparison. Notably, it demonstrates efficacy in East Asian populations, benefiting from training data from eight distinct East Asian ethnic populations. Moreover, it enables seamless integration of additional training sets, extending its utility to diverse populations.
人类 Y 染色体反映了男性的进化过程。通过 Y 染色体追踪男性世系在进化、法医和人类学研究中具有重要作用。根据 Y 单倍群的具体分布情况确定男性世系可缩小调查范围,这已被用于法医研究。然而,现有软件在利用 Y-STR(Y 染色体短串联重复序列)预测 Y-SNP(Y 染色体单核苷酸多态性)单倍群进行家族搜索时,往往缺乏分辨率。在这项研究中,我们开发了 YHP(Y Haplogroup Predictor),这是一款无需大量 Y-SNP 测序就能提供高分辨率单倍群推断的新型软件。利用现有数据集(219 个单倍群,共 4064 个样本),YHP 采用随机森林算法,在最高单倍群分辨率下预测单倍群的准确率为 0.923。YHP 可在 Github (https://github.com/cissy123/YHP-Y-Haplogroup-Predictor-) 上下载,它有助于高分辨率单倍群预测、单倍型错配分析和单倍型相似性比较。值得注意的是,它在东亚人群中显示出功效,从八个不同的东亚种族人群的训练数据中获益匪浅。此外,它还能无缝集成更多的训练集,将其用途扩展到不同的人群。
{"title":"YHP: Y-chromosome Haplogroup Predictor for predicting male lineages based on Y-STRs","authors":"Mengyuan Song , Yuxiang Zhou , Chenxi Zhao , Feng Song , Yiping Hou","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Human Y chromosome reflects the evolutionary process of males. Male lineage tracing by Y chromosome is of great use in evolutionary, forensic, and anthropological studies. Identifying the male lineage based on the specific distribution of Y haplogroups narrows down the investigation scope, which has been used in forensic scenarios. However, existing software aids in familial searching using Y-STRs (Y-chromosome short tandem repeats) to predict Y-SNP (Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphism) haplogroups, they often lack resolution. In this study, we developed YHP (Y Haplogroup Predictor), a novel software offering high-resolution haplogroup inference without requiring extensive Y-SNP sequencing. Leveraging existing datasets (219 haplogroups, 4064 samples in total), YHP predicts haplogroups with 0.923 accuracy under the highest haplogroup resolution, employing a random forest algorithm. YHP, available on Github (<span>https://github.com/cissy123/YHP-Y-Haplogroup-Predictor</span><svg><path></path></svg>-), facilitates high-resolution haplogroup prediction, haplotype mismatch analysis, and haplotype similarity comparison. Notably, it demonstrates efficacy in East Asian populations, benefiting from training data from eight distinct East Asian ethnic populations. Moreover, it enables seamless integration of additional training sets, extending its utility to diverse populations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141467354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}