Journal of forensic and legal medicine最新文献

{"title":"Re: “A systematic review about the evolving role of artificial intelligence in various fields of forensic medicine.”","authors":"M. Vijayasimha , M. Srikanth","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103076","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103076","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103076"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145914310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unraveling isotonitazene: Insights into chemistry, pharmacology, and analytical techniques in forensic toxicology","authors":"Richard Cherehani Kashindye ,&nbsp;Divya Yadav ,&nbsp;Rakesh Yadav","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103069","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103069","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Isotonitazene, a highly potent synthetic opioid, has become a major public health issue due to its potency, and it can lead to fatal overdoses, even at low concentrations. A total of 80 people who died from isotonitazene have been reported. Its rapid rise in popularity has presented unique challenges for forensic toxicology laboratories tasked with identifying and quantifying it in biological and non-biological samples due to its low dose, its analogues, lack of reference standard, and matrix effects. As a result, forensic laboratories are continually working to develop and refine analytical techniques. Therefore, a referenced compilation of previously published analytical techniques on isotonitazene for sample preparation, detection, and quantification would be useful.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>PubMed and Scopus databases were searched using keywords related to isotonitazene and new synthetic opioids. English-language articles published between November 2019 and April 2025 were included, along with reports from international organizations like the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), and World Health Organization (WHO).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Isotonitazene is characterized and described in terms of synthesis, physical and chemical properties, available forms, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, medical use, toxic effects, production, distribution, and trafficking. This article also outlines sample preparation and analytical techniques for identifying and quantifying isotonitazene in both biological and non-biological samples. Lastly, the treatment of synthetic opioid overdoses is discussed.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This review offers forensic scientists, public health authorities, law enforcement, and toxicologists up-to-date data on detecting and quantifying isotonitazene in various biological and non-biological matrices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103069"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145907401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review of blunt impact injuries to the human head caused by non-lethal kinetic projectiles","authors":"Jiakai Wu ,&nbsp;Song Wang ,&nbsp;Zhaohui Zhang ,&nbsp;Bin Chen ,&nbsp;Jiaming Song","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103074","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103074","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In practical applications, blunt ballistic injuries caused by non-lethal kinetic projectiles striking the head may result in severe bodily harm or even death. To elucidate the injury mechanisms of non-lethal kinetic projectile impacts on the head and develop scientifically sound criteria for assessing head injuries, this paper reviews the literature concerning injury types, mechanisms, and criteria related to kinetic projectile blunt impacts to the human head. It enumerates head injury types, analyses mechanisms of cranial bone injury and intracranial injury, subsequently, it summarises acceleration criteria, peak force criteria, bluntness criteria, and viscosity criteria for kinetic projectile blunt impacts to the head. It also examines the evaluation basis and advantages/disadvantages of these four injury criteria. By dissecting the shortcomings of existing research, this study proposes recommendations for future investigations. It aims to provide insights for subsequent research into head injury mechanisms and injury criteria, as well as offer guidance for the design improvements and performance optimisation of non-lethal kinetic projectiles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103074"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145919312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining the role of cyanide poisoning in the autopsies of closed-space fire deaths in Istanbul (Türkiye)","authors":"Mustafa Okudan ,&nbsp;Doruktan Tufekci ,&nbsp;Fatma Ofluoglu ,&nbsp;Mahmut Asirdizer","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103071","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103071","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Most deaths in closed-space fires occur due to inhalation of carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and other gases in the environment.</div></div><div><h3>Material and methods</h3><div>This study retrospectively examined 42 forensic autopsy reports and the associated crime scene reports of individuals who died in indoor fires. The autopsies were performed at the Morgue Department of the Forensic Medicine Institute in 2022 and 2023.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Cyanide analysis was not conducted in 33.3 % of the 42 cases, and cyanide was detected in only 10.7 % of the 28 cases in which blood cyanide analysis was requested. All cases had positive carboxyhemoglobin levels, although 76.2 % of cases had HbCO values more than 10 %. More than half of the deaths occurred at the scene, primarily in the victims' homes. All cases had burns on their bodies, ranging from second degree to carbonization degree, and soot contamination in the upper and lower respiratory tracts was determined in 77.7 %. The toxicological analysis of blood from victims who received medical treatment, either in ambulances or hospitals, showed no evidence of antidote administration.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The findings of this study highlight the importance of collecting blood samples from the bodies of those who have died at the fire scene, administering cyanide antidotes to survivors via immediate intravenous injection after smoke exposure, and testing survivors for metabolites due to the short half-life of cyanide. For the prevention of cyanide poisoning exposure, and implementation of the administrative actions and training that medical professionals in Türkiye should undertake to assist victims who survive smoke exposure, a brief review is also provided of the legal requirements that must be followed in the construction and interior design of buildings where people congregate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103071"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145914283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sex estimation from human calvarial bone photographs with deep learning approach","authors":"Sefa Sonmez ,&nbsp;Omer Faruk Nasip ,&nbsp;Ahmet Depreli ,&nbsp;Merve Nur Ozgen ,&nbsp;Berna Dogan ,&nbsp;Sadik Bugrahan Simsek ,&nbsp;Caner Beskoc","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103070","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2026.103070","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In forensic anthropology, skeletal structures play an important role in sex identification. The cranium and pelvis bones provide a higher accuracy rate in identification in terms of sexual dimorphism. The calvaria, which is a part of the cranium, is an important structure in terms of sex identification because it shows sex-related differences in shape, structure, and size. This study aims to estimate sex with deep learning (DL) models based on calvaria photographs. In the study, calvaria photographs of autopsied cases over the age of 18 were analyzed. We analyzed 210 photographs of the inner (endocranial) surface (105 male, 105 female) and 310 photographs of the outer (ectocranial) surface (155 male, 155 female). Calvaria photographs were trained and tested with Support Vector Machine (SVM) and K-Nearest Neighbor (K-NN) algorithms using attributes obtained with the ResNet50 DL model. As a result, the highest success rate for sex estimation from endocranial photographs was 96.43% with Fine K-NN, while the most successful model for estimation from ectocranial photographs was Cubic SVM with 96.77% accuracy. Successful results were obtained in the sex estimation study performed with DL models directly from calvaria photographs without morphometric measurements. Future studies are needed to improve the performance of DL models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103070"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902086","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crossing Borders: A look at migrant deaths in the Caribbean","authors":"Ken Obenson","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.103042","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.103042","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103042"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145851757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advances in wound ballistic research: Computed tomography analysis of projectile effects in simulants","authors":"Dominic Gascho","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.103061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.103061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wound ballistics, a key area within forensic medicine, focuses on the interaction between projectiles and biological tissue. Central to this is the analysis of temporary and permanent wound cavities created during projectile penetration. The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the application of computed tomography (CT) in the analysis of ballistic wound cavities in tissue simulants. It highlights the advantages of CT over traditional destructive methods, focusing on its accuracy, reproducibility, and ability to deliver detailed three-dimensional insights into projectile-tissue simulant interactions. Simulants like ordnance gelatin and glycerin soap are commonly used for research, offering distinct advantages in representing soft tissue properties. CT has emerged as a powerful, non-destructive tool for visualizing and quantifying wound cavities, crack lengths, and projectile fragmentation within these simulants. This imaging modality provides high-resolution, three-dimensional datasets, enabling precise measurement of penetration depth, cavity volume, and energy transferred to the medium along the projectile path. Multi-planar reformations and volume rendering techniques facilitate detailed visualization, while segmentation software allows accurate cavity volume calculations. CT also enables spatial mapping of metallic fragments and fracture morphology in synthetic bone models or injuries in embedded biological organs. Compared to traditional destructive methods, CT offers superior precision, digital archiving capabilities, and detailed internal visualization, making it an increasingly indispensable tool in wound ballistic research and forensic investigations. Over the past two decades, numerous studies have validated CT-based ballistic analysis across a wide range of scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103061"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145928457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sudden death due to ventriculoperitoneal shunt dysfunction: A case report","authors":"Varun Modgil ,&nbsp;Yogender S. Bansal ,&nbsp;Nirmal Nagar","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.103060","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.103060","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is a surgical procedure done for hydrocephalus, usually during childhood. Unfortunately, in some cases shunt failure occurs either due to obstruction or disconnection. In rare cases, sudden death can happen due to cerebral edema caused by shunt failure.</div></div><div><h3>Case presentation</h3><div>We report a rare case of 32-year-old Indian male, who died suddenly. An autopsy revealed obstruction of the left VP shunt, and disconnection of the right VP shunt device just near the burr hole. Both shunt procedures were done in his childhood for obstructive hydrocephalus. Death was attributed to acute diffuse cerebral edema with brain herniation.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>VP shunt failure can arise from tissue overgrowth, fibrosis, or mechanical disconnection, all of which may impair CSF drainage and increase intracranial pressure. Severe unilateral hypoplasia of the transverse and sigmoid venous sinuses is a very rare congenital anomaly that can cause hydrocephalus in early childhood. Careful postmortem examination of the shunt system, including patency, positioning, and connection integrity, is essential in such cases to establish the cause of death.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This case illustrates the fatal potential of VP shunt failure. Regular monitoring and long-term follow-up in patients with VP shunts are critical. A thorough forensic autopsy is essential to confirm shunt failure, establish the precise cause of death, and provide valuable insights to prevent similar fatal outcomes in clinical practice. The findings of this case also serve as a useful reference for forensic pathologists when diagnosing rare deaths associated with VP shunt failure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103060"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145852420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review of the advances in insect evidence analysis for estimating postmortem interval and detecting drug toxicity","authors":"Ebrahim Abbasi","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.103059","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.103059","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Forensic entomology plays a pivotal role in criminal investigations, particularly in postmortem interval (PMI) estimation, entomotoxicology, and molecular forensic applications. However, its reliability is influenced by environmental variability, toxicological factors, and the need for standardized forensic methodologies.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and methods</h3><div>This review systematically analyzes PMI estimation techniques, entomotoxicological applications, and molecular forensic advancements, drawing on case studies and recent scientific literature. Special emphasis is placed on toxicant-induced insect developmental alterations, forensic molecular techniques, and the legal admissibility of entomological evidence.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Findings indicate that necrophagous insects follow predictable succession patterns, yet environmental fluctuations and toxicological exposures can alter their developmental timelines. PMI estimation and entomotoxicology are two critical domains within forensic entomology, but their relationship is not always clearly defined. PMI estimation focuses on determining the time since death by examining insect succession patterns and developmental stages. Entomotoxicology, on the other hand, examines the impact of toxic substances on insect development, offering insights into drug or poison exposure in the deceased. While these domains are distinct, they intersect in cases where toxicants affect insect physiology, potentially altering development rates and influencing PMI estimates. Forensic entomologists must consider both the environmental and toxicological context of insect colonization when estimating PMI. Understanding how drugs or poisons accumulate in insects can refine PMI estimations by providing additional evidence regarding the conditions under which insect development occurs.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Despite forensic entomology's increasing applicability, challenges persist regarding PMI estimation accuracy, entomotoxicological variability, and judicial acceptance of entomological evidence. Integrating machine learning models, multi-omic forensic analyses, and cross-disciplinary collaborations is crucial for advancing forensic entomology's scientific and legal credibility. Furthermore, this review clarifies critical distinctions between postmortem interval (PMI), minimum PMI (minPMI), time of colonization (TOC), and period of insect activity (PIA), enhancing interpretive accuracy in forensic entomology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103059"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145882952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Key findings in forensic pathology assessment of deaths following conducted energy weapon exposure – an overview","authors":"Gabriele Napoletano ,&nbsp;Biancamaria Treves ,&nbsp;Alessandro Ghamlouch ,&nbsp;Fabio del Duca ,&nbsp;Maura Racciatti ,&nbsp;Gaia De Angelis ,&nbsp;Paola Frati ,&nbsp;Aniello Maiese","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.103058","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.103058","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs) or Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs) are devices supplied to police and military forces worldwide, developed as a less-lethal option to disarm and immobilize individuals in dangerous situations. Their use in countries where they have been extensively adopted has reduced mortality during arrests by two-thirds and emergency medical interventions related to police actions by 80 %. Although adverse effects and complications from CEW application are very rare considering their widespread use, ocular, cranioencephalic, cutaneous, and pulmonary injuries have been reported. Fatal cases mainly involved traumatic brain injury and severe burns caused by the ignition of explosive substances. While negative effects on cardiac electrical activity appear theoretically possible, they can only be substantiated by following specific investigative steps. A literature review conducted between 2010 and 2025 highlights the key aspects for a forensic assessment. It discusses the critical findings on which forensic experts should focus to ensure comprehensive collection of all evidence necessary for reconstructing the mechanism of death. Circumstantial data and injury dynamics would benefit from the use of police body cameras as well as electrocardiographic tracings from Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) available to law enforcement. Medical personnel should carefully document the location and penetration depth of the probes, especially in very thin individuals, and when penetration occurs between intercostal spaces or near the pericardium. Furthermore, autopsy, histological, toxicological, and genetic investigations should be undertaken to exclude other pathologies that may account for sudden death. In the forensic field, it may be useful to shed more light on CEW-related fatalities and cases of sudden death in young individuals. Although the latter may involve anatomically slender subjects, they may also present undiagnosed genetic or psychiatric conditions or have used novel psychoactive substances not yet identified.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103058"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145836754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}