Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology最新文献

With increasing migratory flows, forensic assessment of physical and psychological abuse plays an essential part for the proper functioning of humanitarian asylum procedures. Among professionals involved with vulnerable migrants, clinical forensic practitioners identify and assess injuries related to physical abuse and correlate them with the victims' narrative. The present study assesses the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the final assessment of scars, analysing its impact on the medico-legal evaluation of asylum seekers who suffered physical abuse. A retrospective study was conducted on all cases of asylum seekers evaluated at the Milan University Institute of Legal Medicine from 2008 to 2020 to investigate in which cases further investigations were needed and the outcome impacts of these investigations. Of the individuals examined, 92 asylum seekers were subjected to further forensic instrumental examinations (80.4%) and specialized medical consultations (33.7%). The most common indication for further investigation was for blunt shape forces in combination with other forces (38%), followed by blunt force injuries alone (34.8%). Radiography was the most widely used instrumental examination indicated to investigate injuries (90%) and the most frequent further consultation was odontological (17.4%). In 62 cases (47.7%) the presence of scars was confirmed by the identification of further skeletal and visceral lesions. The present research highlights the direct impact of a multidisciplinary, specialist approach on forensic consistency findings. This approach facilitated and improved the accuracy of clinical forensic evaluation in these highly sensitive cases, thereby reducing errors when assessing the presence of confounding factors, including those consequent from healing processes.

Middle Eastern and African populations make up a significant portion of the global population and exhibit substantial genetic diversity. However, genetic studies on these populations have been largely underrepresented compared to other populations. This study analysed published Y-STR data for 186 populations and regions, including 14,504 individuals from 52 Middle Eastern and 134 African populations. The highest genetic diversity was found at the DYS458 locus in the Middle East and North Africa, and at the DYS385b locus in other African regions. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis and genetic distance calculations between Middle Eastern and African populations revealed five distinct clusters. The Arabian Peninsula countries formed two small clusters, while most African countries formed two mains centrally located clusters. The most common haplogroups in the Middle Eastern populations were J1a (29.4%), while in the African populations, E1b1a (43.2%) was the most prevalent. This study examined two allelic richness parameters: distinct and private alleles. Central Africa showed the highest levels of distinct alleles, with the Middle East having the third-highest level. The prevalence of private alleles in the Middle East was moderate, lower than South Africa but higher than North Africa. A population Q-matrix graph was constructed, yielding 10 clusters (K = 10) that identified population clusters in the Y-STR data corresponding to specific geographical regions and revealed stronger sub-grouping of countries within each population.

Background: PMCT findings can vary considerably with the postmortem interval (PMI), potentially complicating the assessment of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). Although attenuation changes in antemortem thrombi have been investigated, the postmortem evolution of thrombus imaging characteristics remains insufficiently characterized.

Case presentation: We present the case of a man in his 70s who died of PTE. Serial non-contrast PMCT was performed at 1 h and 96 h postmortem. On the initial scan, the thrombus in the left pulmonary artery measured 45 Hounsfield units (HU), while the adjacent vascular lumen measured 58 HU. On the delayed scan, thrombus attenuation increased to 70 HU, while vascular lumen attenuation decreased to 30 HU. Consequently, the contrast ratio between thrombus and lumen increased from 13% to 40%, thereby enhancing thrombus conspicuity. At autopsy, bilateral pulmonary artery thromboemboli were confirmed.

Discussion: The progressive enhancement in thrombus conspicuity over time may reflect postmortem physiological processes such as plasma separation and hypostasis, contrasting with the attenuation decline typically described in antemortem thrombi. Despite potential variability of CT acquisition parameters, relative attenuation differences may provide more reliable diagnostic information.

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate time-dependent imaging evolution of pulmonary thromboemboli using serial non-contrast PMCT. Recognition of such temporal imaging alterations may enhance the diagnostic utility of PMCT and guide the development of time-sensitive postmortem imaging protocols in forensic radiology.

The aim of our research was to determine the progression of postmortem ocular changes, focusing on the retina and sclera, over a specified time period and to assess whether these changes are influenced by environmental or physiological factors. Twelve Wistar rats were divided into four experimental groups based on postmortem interval (PMI): immediate autopsy (control), 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h. The mechanism of death was asphyxia by hanging. Each eye sample was macroscopically and microscopically monitored for retinal and scleral changes depending on the PMI and eye exposure (open vs. closed). The most pronounced ocular changes were observed at the longest PMI, including complete loss of retinal stratification, degeneration of ganglion cells, and infiltration by mononuclear inflammatory cells. Similar degenerative changes were observed in the scleral epithelium, particularly in open eyes. This experimental model provides a foundational framework for studying postmortem ocular changes, particularly in the retina and sclera, and may enhance the accuracy of PMI estimation in forensic investigations.

Medicolegal forensic entomology relies largely on blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) activity to estimate a minimum postmortem interval (mPMI). The prevailing assumption, that blow flies are inactive at night, leads to the exclusion of nocturnal colonization from mPMI estimates. Artificial light at night (ALAN), however, especially from the increasing use of light emitting diode (LED) streetlights, may alter this innate behavior. Baited traps were deployed at two sites: one natural site that was dark at night (unlit) and one undeveloped but with infrastructure site that was LED-illuminated at night (lit). Samples were collected during daytime and nighttime periods. A total of 1,544 blow flies representing seven species were collected. Only six flies (0.4% of the total) were captured at night, four in unlit and two in lit environments, indicating minimal nighttime activity. These results suggest that, under current conditions, ALAN is unlikely to induce nocturnal blow fly behavior and impact mPMI estimations. Further research across diverse taxa and environments is needed to better understand the effects of ALAN on insects of forensic importance.

Starvation-related deaths are not uncommon worldwide particularly in economically underdeveloped regions. However, the forensic characterization of such cases remains limited due to underdeveloped local forensic systems. Here we presented a case of a neonate who died of starvation after being abandoned in the wild for 14 days, and 9 additional reported cases were identified by a systematic search of PubMed and MEDLINE databases. Based on these findings, the key forensic characteristics were summarized. Significant reductions in body or organ weight were consistently documented across all ten cases; PAS staining of the liver revealed markedly depleted glycogen stores in four cases. Of the four cases involving children under ten years of age, three demonstrated severe thymic atrophy. In our case, we observed pronounced calcification of thymic corpuscles. These findings suggest that thymic pathological changes may play a potential role in the forensic assessment of starvation deaths in children. In the absence of forensic standards for diagnosing starvation deaths, our case report and consolidated review provide valuable reference points for the forensic evaluation of similar incidents.

Anthropometric identification is crucial in legal contexts, where height is a relevant distinguishing characteristic. The estimation of height through plantar impressions is a tool used in forensic podiatric examinations, and it is relevant to be familiar with the most suitable techniques for correlating the length of the footprints with height. This systematic review aims to evaluate forensic identification methods by analysing inked footprint collection and measurement techniques, their correlation with height, and the available scientific evidence. A systematic review of the available literature was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Dialnet. Descriptive observational studies linking the length of plantar impressions of healthy adults of both sexes with their height were included. Seven studies published between 2012 and 2020 were selected. All studies showed statistically significant correlations between height and plantar impression measurements, analyzed using Pearson´s correlation coefficient. The inked footprint method was the most widely used and demonstrated high reliability. Additionally, techniques based on foot contours and pedigraphs also showed strong correlations with height and foot length. However, the scientific evidence on this topic is limited, highlighting the need for further research to optimise these techniques and enhance their validity for forensic applications.