International Journal of Legal Medicine最新文献

Olze et al. (2010) proposed the use of pulp involution, classified through stages, for dental age estimation by analyzing the lower third molar. However, the absence of this tooth may render the method inapplicable. The aim of this research was to validate the stages of root pulp visibility in the lower second molar for dental age estimation in the Brazilian population. A total of 1,190 orthopantomographs obtained from participants aged between 14.00 and 30.99 years were evaluated. The data were organized and analyzed using Microsoft Excel© (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA) and R Studio (R Foundation, Vienna, Austria) software. The prediction of the age of majority achieved an accuracy of 72%. The probability of a person classified in stage 3 being over 18 years old was 100%; for stage 2, it was 95.26%; for stage 1, 82.88%; and for stage 0, 55.9%. Stage 3 was the only one to present a minimum age above 18 years, while stages 0, 1, and 2 had similar minimum and maximum ages. It is suggested that the stages of pulp involution be used for the assessment of age thresholds rather than for age estimation or the determination of a specific age range. It can be concluded that the stages of root pulp visibility in the lower second molar have the potential to be used for predicting the age of majority in Brazil, especially when used in association with other methods. Further studies are necessary in other countries to assess inter-population differences and the method's applicability across different regions.

Age inference is a key focus of forensic work, and traditional dental age inference methods require individuals to have a complete dental arch. However, congenital or acquired tooth loss may lead to random tooth loss in individuals, resulting in bias in age prediction. To address this issue, we validated and modified Bedek's tooth age inference method (a method for inferring the age of a population with missing teeth) for the first time in the Chinese population of children with complete dentition, congenital tooth loss, and acquired tooth loss, and constructed two new machine learning based tooth age inference methods (unilateral mandible and bilateral mandible tooth age estimation models) in this population. The unilateral mandible model was constructed using the remaining five teeth of the left mandible, excluding the lateral incisor and the second premolar of congenital tooth loss, and the first premolars and first molars of the acquired tooth loss, to estimate chronological age (the two most common types of missing teeth in the Chinese population, respectively). However, the actual types of missing teeth in the population are varied, and the information on the location of missing teeth is often replaced by the developmental morphology of the contralateral teeth. In order to augment the predictive information available to model, we further constructed a bilateral mandible model containing 14 individual mandibular teeth by filling in missing values using datawig. In the male agenesis validation group, the MAE values of the best bilateral, unilateral mandible model, and modified Bedek model were 0.641, 0.715, and 0.920, respectively. In females, the MAE values were 0.763, 0.785, and 0.990, respectively. In the male acquired tooth loss validation group, the MAE values of the three models were 0.793, 0.728, and 1.376, respectively. In females, the MAE values were 0.744, 0.779, and 1.094, respectively. Collectively, these novel odontological age-estimation frameworks provide robust, flexible solutions for forensic casework involving partial dentitions. By accommodating variable patterns of congenital and acquired tooth loss without sacrificing predictive precision, they constitute a critical advancement in the forensic identification of unknown or disputed-age individuals.

In forensic practice, accurately estimating post-mortem interval (PMI) is a crucially significant task, as it can provide key clues for cases in forensic medicine. However, it has also been a major challenge since ancient times. Currently, the traditional methods used in forensic medicine to infer PMI mainly include early post-mortem phenomena, corneal opacity, degree of gastric content digestion, and entomological analysis, but are significantly influenced by environmental factors and individual differences, presenting certain defects in terms of precision and applicability. With the advancement of modern molecular biology techniques, the application of gene expression analysis in the area of forensic medicine has gradually become a research hotspot. Moreover, the integration of machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) can analyze multi-source data to construct prediction models, thereby improving the correctness of PMI inference and expanding its application scenarios. In this review, we elaborate on the research advancements, mainly in molecular biology or forensic molecular genetics of PMI estimation in forensic medicine. By systematically reviewing the latest research findings of molecular biology in PMI estimation and exploring its future directions, this review also endeavors to offer valuable references for forensic practitioners to improve the reliability of PMI inference in practical forensic potential applications in the future.

Microbial communities are critical drivers of mammalian carcass decomposition in natural ecosystems. Many studies have attempted to establish a microbial clock to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI); however, several obstacles remain to be solved. This study examines how age and insect activity influence microbial dynamics and emphasizes the role of 'rupture' in the decay. Notably, microbial diversity exhibited more pronounced shifts in immature cadavers, while insect activity suppressed overall diversity. Conversely, older age and insect colonization promoted the dominance of the Pseudomonadota phylum. We constructed random forest models (MAE: 0.62-0.95 days, R²: 0.976-0.987) for PMI estimation. These findings provide novel insights into refining PMI estimation in forensic contexts. Future research will further investigate the mechanisms behind these changes. Additionally, it will explore how other factors influence the decay, improving the accuracy and applicability of PMI estimation in various contexts.

Background: Fungi are important decomposers aiding in recycling of organic matter. The use of fungi in forensic settings has grown in popularity in the recent years, due to its diverse applications.

Objective: This scoping review seeks to compile the advances in using fungi as evidence and identify current trends in the workflow of fungal applications in forensic science.

Design: Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed databases were used to find relevant literature published during the years of 2005-2025. Eighty-one articles were identified as they fit the eligibility criteria of the review.

Result: Fungi growing on a cadaver can aid in identifying the stage of decomposition and approximate estimation of time since death, while alteration of soil fungal community due to decomposition can help in post-burial interval assessment. Fungal spores are effective as trace evidences to locate primary and secondary crime scenes, using either dust or soil, by integrating DNA metabarcoding and statistical approaches. However, fungi can also alter evidence, such as in hair, body fluids and drugs.

Conclusion: Research has established fungi as one of the most robust pieces of evidence. Research should be conducted on refining the methodologies and considering the various factors which can affect fungal growth.

India's genomic diversity is influenced by regional population dynamics and strong endogamy. The present study explores the genetic structure of the Brahmin population in Gujarat, a culturally and genetically preserved community, using autosomal Short Tandem Repeats (STR). Genomic DNA from the blood samples of 819 healthy individuals (562 males and 257 females) were subjected to autosomal STR typing using the GlobalFiler™ Express PCR Amplification Kit. Capillary electrophoresis-based fragment analysis was performed using the ABI 3500 Genetic Analyser, and proceeded to genotype analysis using GeneMapper ID-X. In total, 74 alleles were assessed with observed heterozygosity (Ho) of 0.80 ± 0.01, expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.79 ± 0.02, and unbiased expected heterozygosity (uHe) of 0.79 ± 0.02. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was followed by most of the markers except D16S539 and D3S1358. Forensic efficiency measures (PIC = 0.63-0.95; PD = 1; PE = 0.99999) confirmed the significance of these markers for genetic and forensic research. Additionally, comparative genomic analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) revealed close genetic affinity between Brahmins of Gujarat and Brahmins from Haryana and Rajasthan. These findings enhance the genetic makeup of the Brahmin population of Gujarat. Additionally, a novel germline-origin Type 2 tri-allelic pattern (8, 9, 11) at the D13S317 locus was identified in a healthy male participant, which was traced to a Type 2(B) tri-allelic variant at the same locus in his biological mother. These findings highlight the need for understanding the tri-allelic pattern for its appropriate interpretation in STR analysis.

Background: Fundus examination is crucial to assess retinal haemorrhages after sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), to rule out fatal abusive head trauma.

Objective: To determine how many SUDI cases in France underwent a fundus examination, and to identify factors associated with its completion.

Method: Children who died from SUDI included in the French SUDI registry were analysed. It was determined whether a fundus examination had been performed and, if so, whether the results showed the presence of retinal haemorrhages. Groups having undergone or not fundus examinations were compared in terms of age at death, gender, perinatal history, need for resuscitation, post-mortem investigations (brain imaging, autopsy), potential prosecutor's intervention, and presence of traumatic injuries. A survey was sent to referral centres to determine whether and how they performed fundus examinations.

Results: Our study included 1,326 cases of SUDI occurring between 2015 and 2022, of which 252 (19%) underwent fundus examinations, with a significant increase from 10 (9.3%) in 2015 to 57 (31.8%) in 2022 (p < 0.001). Significant differences were observed between the groups with and without fundus examination in the number of autopsies (217 [86.8%] vs. 845 [79%]; p = 0.004), and the presence of traumatic injuries (15 [6.4%] vs. 23 [2.3%]; p = 0.003). Retinal haemorrhages were detected in 26 children, and were significantly associated with higher rates of prosecutor's interventions after hospital admission (12 [57.1%] vs. 32 [16.2%]; p < 0.001), cardiac activity resumption (9 [40.9%] vs. 17 [7.9%]; p < 0.001) and traumatic injuries (14 [53.8%] vs. 1 [0.5%]; p < 0.001). Of the 34 centres surveyed, 15 completed the questionnaire, and only 5 reported regularly performing fundus examinations.

Conclusion: A fundus examination is performed in only 19% of SUDI cases in France. Efforts should be made to generalize this examination to avoid missing out fatal abusive head trauma.

Background: Female neonaticide is a widespread issue in India, with the majority of cases going unreported due to a lack of proper evidence. The prime objective of forensic investigation in neonaticide is to provide evidence against the claim of a stillbirth. The neonatal line is an incremental line corresponding to the event of birth that separates the enamel formed before birth from the enamel layer laid after birth. It is found in all developing teeth during birth, including all deciduous teeth and permanent molars. The presence of the neonatal line distinguishes live birth from stillbirth, and it is possible to estimate the exact period of survival of the infant by measuring the amount of postnatal hard tissue.

Objective: To assess the applicability of the neonatal line as evidence of live birth in forensic odontology.

Methodology: The systematic review was registered in PRSOPERO with registration number CRD42023439753. The sources of data included Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed. The studies were evaluated for quality using the QUIN tool, which was specifically designed for analytical cross-sectional studies.

Results: A search across PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and gray literature identified 97 articles on neonatal line. After title review, 50 articles were dismissed for not meeting the review objectives. Abstract screening excluded 26 articles that were reviews or duplicates. Of the 21 articles that proceeded to full-text review, four met the inclusion criteria and were included in the qualitative analysis. A meta-analysis was not possible because of the considerable variability between studies.

Conclusion: The presence of an NL signifies a live birth, and by assessing the extent of postnatal hard tissue development, one can estimate the infant's survival in days, which might indicate neonaticide. Although several skeletal indicators can determine " whether an infant was born alive," these may not always be reliable. Therefore, NL could provide an additional method and act as a supplementary tool for investigations. However, the evidence is not robust enough to support its use in practical forensic odontology applications.

Protocol registration: The study protocol can be accessed in the PROSPERO database, which is the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, with the registration number CRD42023439753.

Body armour designed for use by police officers in England and Wales is currently tested using Roma Plastilina No1 (RP1) as the witness material for the measurement of back face signature (BFS). However, this material has limitations when testing body armour designed for females, as it is not possible to measure the BFS in the breast region due to the way the breast shapes are formed. Therefore, to enable measurement of BFS for females over the breast, an alternative backing material is required to form surrogate breasts and torso which would enable BFS to be measured. A comparison was conducted between RP1, 10% ballistic gelatine and a 30/70% styrene-etylene / butylene-styrene (SEBS) gel, using standardised ballistic test packs and two projectiles: DM11A1B2 9 mm FMJ at velocities 365 ± 10 ms^-1; Remington R357M3 0.357" JSP at velocities 390 ± 10 ms^-1. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference identified in measured BFS among the three backing materials with both projectile types. RP1 had the overall smallest variance in measured BFS for both projectile types, however the limitation in being able to mould to create a breast shape is a major limiting factor. With 10% ballistic gelatine, when testing with the 0.357" projectile, a greater variance in measured BFS was shown compared to the other materials. The SEBS gel was consistent for the 0.357" projectile, but with the 9 mm projectile there was greater variance in results. Both 10% ballistic gelatine and SEBS gel would enable a moulded female test form to be created, however SEBS gel has a much longer shelf life and showed resistance to damage, although neither of these materials could be considered as a biofidelic substitute for breast tissue.

Genetic factors are known to have important roles in sudden unexplained death (SUD) of apparently healthy individuals. Currently, molecular autopsy is considered an effective diagnostic tool in the multidisciplinary management of SUD. Recent studies highlighted the contribution of regulatory variants to complex genetic disorders. Pathogenic variants within the untranslated regions of SUD susceptibility genes were also identified in certain cases. However, the functional validation of pathogenic variants outside of the coding regions remains challenging. As the most direct method, transcriptome analysis could be performed at the same time with molecular autopsy to identify the abnormal expression of SUD susceptibility genes, while the post-mortem degradation of mRNA in myocardial tissues has made it difficult to interpret the transcriptome profiling results. In this study, we performed a retrospective analysis-based prioritization of SUD susceptibility genes based on the distribution of pathogenic genetic variants in previous studies with molecular autopsy findings reported. After gene prioritization, we analyzed the transcriptome data of 432 left ventricle tissues with different sampling time intervals from the Genotype-Tissue Expression database, in order to characterize the degradation pattern of prioritized SUD susceptibility genes. Furthermore, RNA degradation difference between unfrozen and thawed samples was investigated. We demonstrated that with proper segmentation of genes according to their degradation patterns, a partial least squares-discriminant analysis could effectively recognize the expression difference of targeted genes between normal samples and simulated SUD cases. Taken together, our findings presented a strategy for the interpretation of RNA profiling results during the forensic investigation of SUD.