Revista Espanola de Medicina Legal最新文献

Circumstances under COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown have reduced the number of gender-based violence homicides in 2020, with a total number of 45, the lowest in the historical statistics. Analysis of these circumstances generated by the lockdown and mobility reduction, together the economical negative impact, has produced an increment of 49.6% in the number of calls to 016 (telephone for victims’ assistance), and a reduction of 14.6% in the complaints of violence during the months of lockdown. This situation reflects a higher control of victims and more difficulties to exit from violence, that has decreased the number of homicides to 4 during these months, the lowest within Spanish statistics. These circumstances are compatible with an increment of risk of aggressions and lethality, factor that can be related with the increment of homicides limited to August, when the mobility and socio-labor opportunities were recovered. The study of the social circumstances originated by the pandemic allows to describe three different patterns in the impact on gender-based violence.

Following the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in the world, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, affecting 185 countries. There have been numerous scientific publications presenting epidemiological, clinical, statistical, and microbiological data. The high mortality has implied the need for increasingly accurate data regarding the virus and its behaviour in the environment and, on the other hand, faced health teams with a serious problem in relation to the safe handling of corpses and the risks of transmission that this implies. The objective of this study was to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in corpses sent to the National Judicial Morgue that were not included in the definition of a suspected case submitted by the Argentine Ministry of Health. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were taken from 101 cadavers chosen randomly and based on inclusion criteria for detection of viral RNA using the RT-PCR technique. Of the cadavers included in the study, 16.8%, not classified as suspected cases of COVID-19, were tested for the presence of viral RNA in the samples collected.

Nowadays there are numerous scientific strategies that helping to clarify forensic cases, including time since death. The absence of reliable quantitative methods to estimate the post-mortem interval explains the increase in promising new lines of research for this purpose. After the appearance of the new techniques of massive sequencing and bioinformatics, also arises the study of the necrobiome through a new and little studied area within the forensic sciences, Forensic Microbiology. In this review, a tour of the existing techniques and procedures of cadaveric dating is made, which includes new cutting-edge techniques in different areas of knowledge and also mentions the utilities of Forensic Microbiology, where the thanatomicrobiome, present from the moment of death, according to recent studies, points to be a promising method for estimating the post-mortem interval in the future.

Introduction

Urgent assistance in primary care is a key area of the health system, being as an important stressor to be claimed for professional liability. The objective was to analyze the professional liability in primary care emergencies of specialists of family and community medicine and their main characteristics in our environment.

Methods

Retrospective descriptive analysis of claims against General Practitioners between 1986 to 2015 was performed.

Results

224 claims, all resolved, were analyzed, due to error or diagnostic delay (122-54.5%), accessibility problems in medical care (48-21.4%), treatment errors (29-12.9%) and errors in the issuance of documents (25-11.1%). In 147 (65.6%) it was urgent assistance and in 77 (34.3%) scheduled. The way of interposition was judicial in 71.4%. In 6 cases (2.6%) the resolution involved compensation in 3 cases of urgent assistance and 3 of scheduled.

Conclusion

The very low risk of claim and compensation payment is confirmed, with no differences found between urgent and scheduled assistance. Clinical safety aspects should be emphasized, especially in the diagnostic error.

Introduction

Chemical submission is the use of chemical substances to manipulate the will of a person, producing incapacity or unconsciousness that facilitates criminal action. It has gained in prominence in recent years, due to its frequent use in cases of alleged crimes against sexual freedom.

Materials and methods

An observational descriptive-retrospective study of cases of alleged crimes against sexual freedom committed using chemical substances was carried out, to determine the profile of the victims according to the samples analysed and the substances detected in 2016, 2017 and 2018,registered with the Criminalistics Directorate (DIRCRI) of the Peruvian National Police (PNP).

Results

Of the 1841 cases of crime against sexual freedom, 445 (24.17% ± 2%) met the inclusion criteria. The victim's profile is that of a young (Lima) woman (mean age: 22.56 ± 1.14 years). The cases were from San Juan de Lurigancho (10.56% ± 2.9%). The samples submitted were urine (62.47% ± 4.5%), and urine and nail plaque (37.53% ± 4.5%). The toxicological analysis of probable cases showed substances identified as psychotropic drugs (57.53% ± 4.6%, mainly benzodiazepines), ethanol (26.29% ± 4.1%), and illicit drugs (11.24% ± 2.9%, mainly marijuana and cocaine), alone or in combination.

Conclusions

The study showed that 24.17% ± 2% were probable cases of Lima women who had been sexually assaulted under the influence of chemical substances, predominantly in the district of San Juan de Lurigancho at 10.56% ± 2.9%, most of the samples analysed were urine with 62.47% ± 4.5%; the most prevalent group of substances were psychotropic drugs at 57.53% ± 4.6%, with benzodiazepines being the only subgroups that were recorded.

Introduction

In the past years, research regarding sexting behaviours and online sexual victimization has been rapidly growing, with literature examining the social, legal, psychological and psychopathological consequences of being coerced into sexting. However, up to date, there is little evidence exploring the psychopathological profile of sexting coercion perpetrators. The aim of this study was to examine differences in the psychopathological profile of sexting coercion perpetrators vs non-perpetrators, and, additionally, examining sex differences.

Methods

The original sample comprised 1370 college students (including 74% females, mean age = 21.40). The non-perpetrator subsample comprised 1247 participants (76% females, mean age 21.39) and the sexting coercion perpetration subsample comprised 75 participants (30% females, mean age = 21.38).

Results

Data indicated significant differences in the psychopathological profile between perpetrators and non-perpetrators, with the first group showing higher scores for different psychopathology scales. When examining sex differences intragroup, results showed significant differences between perpetrator males and non-perpetrator males for scales related with dysfunctional attachment, anger, frustration and social skills. Significant differences between female samples were only found for hostility. Finally, no differences were found between sexting coercion perpetrator males and females, with both groups showing similar psychopathological profiles.

Conclusions

People who engaged in sexting coercion perpetration show a different psychopathological profile than those who did not report coercing someone into sexting, however, males and females coercers show similar psychopathological profiles. Further results and implications regarding psychopathological differences between examined groups are discussed.

Introduction

The rate of reporting the crime of stalking to the police in Spain is low. The present study aims to determine the factors that influence the decision to report the victimizing event to the police, as well as the reasons for non-reporting.

Methods

A total of 1,773 Spanish university students (71.9% female and 27.4% male; mean age 21.35 years; SD = 4.493) completed a stalking victimization survey to determine the prevalence rate of stalking victimization, the severity of the behaviour and the likelihood of reporting.

Results

638 students (35.6%) reported having been victims of stalking at some time in their lives (79.5% female, mean age = 21.85, SD = 5.340). Only 35 victims (5.5%) reported the incident to the police. Being a woman, receiving threats of harm to third parties, as well as direct threats were the variables most related to reporting the situation. Of the victims who did not report the events (386), more than half considered that the situation was not important enough to report to the police.

Conclusions

Stalking is a prevalent phenomenon, however, the rate of reporting to the police is low. The severity of the behaviours experienced increases the likelihood of reporting. Therefore, it is necessary to raise awareness of the phenomenon of stalking to prevent serious behaviours and enhance the visibility of this crime.

Introduction

The study of the post-mortem interval is an important element in the investigation of criminal acts. It is also one of the most difficult variables to quantify and establish. Various cadaveric phenomena are used to assess it, some of which are ocular, such as intraocular pressure. There are currently no reliable indicators of its behaviour over time.

Material and methods

Prospective, longitudinal, descriptive, and analytical study. Ante-mortem and post-mortem intraocular pressure was measured in seriously ill patients with progression to death, performing descriptive analysis of variables and application of the Student's t test, χ² and ANOVA

Results

Ninety-five eyes were studied, obtaining a mean ante-mortem intraocular pressure of 13.4 mmHg, which progressively decreased during the four hours post-mortem, 10.4 mmHg per hour, 8.48 mmHg at 2 hours, 6.17 mmHg at 3 hours, and 3.81 mmHg at 4 hours. In the repeated measures ANOVA test, a clinically significant value of p < .001 was obtained.

Conclusions

In this study, an inverse relationship was observed between post-mortem intraocular pressure and post-mortem interval, with a linear decrease over time of 2 mmHg per hour. Therefore, the measurement of intraocular pressure is a fast and reproducible method, which can be used as an additional element to estimate the post- mortem interval.