Acute aortic syndrome (AAS) is a life-threatening condition that includes acute aortic dissection (AAD), intramural hematoma (IMH), and symptomatic penetrating aortic ulcer. While hypertension is the primary risk factor, substance abuse—especially cocaine—has been linked to AAS. However, the role of opioids remains unclear.
This study presents two autopsy cases of opioid users who died from cardiac tamponade due to aortic dissection. The first case involved a 55-year-old male undergoing methadone treatment, with biologically active methadone detected at death. The second case was a 58-year-old male with no known substance abuse history but with postmortem findings of morphine and methadone, indicating recent opioid use. Histological examination in both cases revealed vascular damage consistent with aortic dissection.
While no direct causal link has been established, chronic opioid exposure may contribute to vascular degradation through hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α)-mediated inflammation. The overlap between opioid use and AAS in these cases suggests a potential association, warranting further investigation into the vascular effects of opioids and their clinical implications.
{"title":"Aortic dissection and opioid use: Two autopsy cases and potential pathological implications","authors":"Luca Tomassini , Erika Buratti , Rino Froldi , Roberto Scendoni","doi":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100456","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100456","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Acute aortic syndrome (AAS) is a life-threatening condition that includes acute aortic dissection (AAD), intramural hematoma (IMH), and symptomatic penetrating aortic ulcer. While hypertension is the primary risk factor, substance abuse—especially cocaine—has been linked to AAS. However, the role of opioids remains unclear.</div><div>This study presents two autopsy cases of opioid users who died from cardiac tamponade due to aortic dissection. The first case involved a 55-year-old male undergoing methadone treatment, with biologically active methadone detected at death. The second case was a 58-year-old male with no known substance abuse history but with postmortem findings of morphine and methadone, indicating recent opioid use. Histological examination in both cases revealed vascular damage consistent with aortic dissection.</div><div>While no direct causal link has been established, chronic opioid exposure may contribute to vascular degradation through hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α)-mediated inflammation. The overlap between opioid use and AAS in these cases suggests a potential association, warranting further investigation into the vascular effects of opioids and their clinical implications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36331,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Reports","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100456"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100455
Yasmeen Abdhool, Lienke Perold
Spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an uncommon cause of sudden death, particularly in non-cirrhotic individuals. We report a 59-year-old male who presented with one week of abdominal pain and died unexpectedly. His clinical history included a prior positive GeneXpert test for tuberculosis (2010) and multiple subsequent TB investigations over 15 years, though no record of anti-TB treatment was documented. At autopsy, a massive haemoperitoneum and hepatomegaly were observed, with a focal rupture of the liver capsule. The lungs demonstrated multiple nodules macroscopically suggestive of miliary tuberculosis in a high TB-burden setting. Post-mortem GeneXpert MTB/RIF testing detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in lung and liver tissue; however, histology revealed no granulomatous inflammation or acid-fast bacilli. Histopathological examination confirmed HCC with regions of both well- and poorly differentiated tumour, vascular invasion, and subcapsular necrosis corresponding to the site of rupture. Pulmonary lesions were consistent with metastatic HCC. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges in high-TB-burden, resource-limited settings, where malignancies may be overlooked due to presumptive attribution of non-specific symptoms to tuberculosis. It underscores the importance of comprehensive differential diagnoses, clinical vigilance, and the value of autopsy in uncovering undiagnosed pathology.
{"title":"When hoofbeats aren’t always horses: Hepatocellular carcinoma rupture in a Tuberculosis‐Endemic Context","authors":"Yasmeen Abdhool, Lienke Perold","doi":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100455","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100455","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an uncommon cause of sudden death, particularly in non-cirrhotic individuals. We report a 59-year-old male who presented with one week of abdominal pain and died unexpectedly. His clinical history included a prior positive GeneXpert test for tuberculosis (2010) and multiple subsequent TB investigations over 15 years, though no record of anti-TB treatment was documented. At autopsy, a massive haemoperitoneum and hepatomegaly were observed, with a focal rupture of the liver capsule. The lungs demonstrated multiple nodules macroscopically suggestive of miliary tuberculosis in a high TB-burden setting. Post-mortem GeneXpert MTB/RIF testing detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in lung and liver tissue; however, histology revealed no granulomatous inflammation or acid-fast bacilli. Histopathological examination confirmed HCC with regions of both well- and poorly differentiated tumour, vascular invasion, and subcapsular necrosis corresponding to the site of rupture. Pulmonary lesions were consistent with metastatic HCC. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges in high-TB-burden, resource-limited settings, where malignancies may be overlooked due to presumptive attribution of non-specific symptoms to tuberculosis. It underscores the importance of comprehensive differential diagnoses, clinical vigilance, and the value of autopsy in uncovering undiagnosed pathology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36331,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Reports","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100455"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146038176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100454
Cassandra Creamer , Jolandie Myburgh , Desiré Brits , Brenda Z. De Gama
Forensic taphonomy facilities play an important role in decomposition research by providing controlled environments to investigate decomposition rates, patterns, and the influence of environmental factors on post-mortem interval estimations. Furthermore, establishing such facilities in different geographical locations is important for region-specific research. This paper outlines the experiences and challenges encountered in establishing a forensic taphonomy facility at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, based on guidelines obtained from existing literature. The establishment process involved extensive planning, including securing appropriate land, navigating complex ethical approval processes, obtaining permits, and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation. Financial and security measures also added to the aforementioned challenges. This facility was established with the aim of conducting animal decomposition research to investigate the effects of the humid-subtropical climate on post-mortem interval estimations and to contribute to the broader body of forensic decomposition research in South Africa. The experiences documented in this paper provide insights and guidance for future facility development in South Africa, with the potential to expand access to animal or human decomposition research and training opportunities.
{"title":"Establishing a forensic taphonomy facility at the University of KwaZulu-Natal: Experiences and challenges","authors":"Cassandra Creamer , Jolandie Myburgh , Desiré Brits , Brenda Z. De Gama","doi":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100454","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100454","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forensic taphonomy facilities play an important role in decomposition research by providing controlled environments to investigate decomposition rates, patterns, and the influence of environmental factors on post-mortem interval estimations. Furthermore, establishing such facilities in different geographical locations is important for region-specific research. This paper outlines the experiences and challenges encountered in establishing a forensic taphonomy facility at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, based on guidelines obtained from existing literature. The establishment process involved extensive planning, including securing appropriate land, navigating complex ethical approval processes, obtaining permits, and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation. Financial and security measures also added to the aforementioned challenges. This facility was established with the aim of conducting animal decomposition research to investigate the effects of the humid-subtropical climate on post-mortem interval estimations and to contribute to the broader body of forensic decomposition research in South Africa. The experiences documented in this paper provide insights and guidance for future facility development in South Africa, with the potential to expand access to animal or human decomposition research and training opportunities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36331,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Reports","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100454"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146038179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100453
Kang Hua Lee, Thiam Bon Lim
In atypical fire cases where ignitable liquid residues were undetected using traditional fire debris detection methods, analyzing other chemical traces such as the gaseous and volatile organic contents, and liquid and solid components of the debris itself, can shed light on the fire events. The forensic laboratory has broadened the scope of instrumental techniques to analyze the diverse nature of samples from fire scenes. In this paper, we reviewed the laboratory’s analytical findings of fire debris samples submitted from atypical fire incidents in recent years. We demonstrated how multi-instrumental approaches usually employed in chemical unknowns analysis, combined with understanding of the correlation between the detected compounds’ physical and chemical properties and the fire, help trace possible primary ignition sources. In local cases, potential sources of fuel in the initial event of atypical fires were categorized into flammable gases, self-heating materials, reactive mixtures, and combustible substances. However, interpreting analytical results and classifying fuel sources remain challenging as they may be subjected to the scale and complexity of scene debris, altered states, detectability of fuel traces, and the limited comprehension of the laboratory regarding the fire properties and behavior of the detected compounds and parent materials.
{"title":"Chemical analysis of fire debris in atypical fire incidents","authors":"Kang Hua Lee, Thiam Bon Lim","doi":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100453","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100453","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In atypical fire cases where ignitable liquid residues were undetected using traditional fire debris detection methods, analyzing other chemical traces such as the gaseous and volatile organic contents, and liquid and solid components of the debris itself, can shed light on the fire events. The forensic laboratory has broadened the scope of instrumental techniques to analyze the diverse nature of samples from fire scenes. In this paper, we reviewed the laboratory’s analytical findings of fire debris samples submitted from atypical fire incidents in recent years. We demonstrated how multi-instrumental approaches usually employed in chemical unknowns analysis, combined with understanding of the correlation between the detected compounds’ physical and chemical properties and the fire, help trace possible primary ignition sources. In local cases, potential sources of fuel in the initial event of atypical fires were categorized into flammable gases, self-heating materials, reactive mixtures, and combustible substances. However, interpreting analytical results and classifying fuel sources remain challenging as they may be subjected to the scale and complexity of scene debris, altered states, detectability of fuel traces, and the limited comprehension of the laboratory regarding the fire properties and behavior of the detected compounds and parent materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36331,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Reports","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100453"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146038178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100452
Yang Chen , Manrui Li , Zhuo Li , Xilong Lin , Yang Xu , Shengqiu Qu , Meili Lv , Miao Liao , Lin Zhang , Qiuyun Yang , Xiameng Chen , Weibo Liang
Accurate determination of the timing and progression of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is critical in forensic pathology, particularly for reconstructing injury events and estimating post-traumatic intervals. However, conventional timing approaches of TBI rely on limited pathological features and often lack sufficient accuracy. To address this limitation, we re-analyzed publicly available single-cell RNA-seq datasets from GEO (GSE269748 and GSE160763) and integrated murine cortical transcriptomes across three post-injury stages—acute (24 h), subacute (7 days), and chronic (6 months)—to characterize time-resolved neuronal molecular changes after TBI. Neuron-focused differential expression and functional enrichment analyses revealed a progression from early stress and inflammatory-response programs toward later synaptic and neurodegeneration-associated alterations. We further curated representative gene sets for 14 regulated cell-death programs and quantified their activity using AUCell-derived AUC scoring, identifying stage-dependent shifts in death-associated transcriptional signatures, with higher necroptosis- and pyroptosis-associated signals in the acute phase and increased ferroptosis- and autophagic cell death–associated signals in the chronic phase, accompanied by transcriptional patterns consistent with altered iron handling and glutathione metabolism. This re-analysis provides a time-resolved, neuron-centered molecular framework that may support forensic estimation of injury timing and offers insight into mechanisms of secondary brain injury.
{"title":"Single-cell transcriptomics reveals time-resolved neuronal death characteristics in traumatic brain injury","authors":"Yang Chen , Manrui Li , Zhuo Li , Xilong Lin , Yang Xu , Shengqiu Qu , Meili Lv , Miao Liao , Lin Zhang , Qiuyun Yang , Xiameng Chen , Weibo Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100452","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100452","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate determination of the timing and progression of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is critical in forensic pathology, particularly for reconstructing injury events and estimating post-traumatic intervals. However, conventional timing approaches of TBI rely on limited pathological features and often lack sufficient accuracy. To address this limitation, we re-analyzed publicly available single-cell RNA-seq datasets from GEO (GSE269748 and GSE160763) and integrated murine cortical transcriptomes across three post-injury stages—acute (24 h), subacute (7 days), and chronic (6 months)—to characterize time-resolved neuronal molecular changes after TBI. Neuron-focused differential expression and functional enrichment analyses revealed a progression from early stress and inflammatory-response programs toward later synaptic and neurodegeneration-associated alterations. We further curated representative gene sets for 14 regulated cell-death programs and quantified their activity using AUCell-derived AUC scoring, identifying stage-dependent shifts in death-associated transcriptional signatures, with higher necroptosis- and pyroptosis-associated signals in the acute phase and increased ferroptosis- and autophagic cell death–associated signals in the chronic phase, accompanied by transcriptional patterns consistent with altered iron handling and glutathione metabolism. This re-analysis provides a time-resolved, neuron-centered molecular framework that may support forensic estimation of injury timing and offers insight into mechanisms of secondary brain injury.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36331,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Reports","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100452"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100450
Ezequiel Ortiz Rosa , Sergio Ricardo Marques , Edgard Michel-Crosato , Thais Torralbo Lopes-Capp , Maria Gabriela Haye Biazevic
Estimating sex in human skulls is an essential step in forensic identification. The combined application of qualitative and quantitative techniques allows for greater accuracy, especially in specific populations such as the Brazilian one, characterized by great biological diversity. Considering the ethnic and geographic diversity of Brazil, this study aims to conduct a comparative assessment of accuracy for sex estimation applicable to the Brazilian population. The research was conducted with 96 skulls and 96 mandibles from the collection of the Federal University of São Paulo, using two distinct methods: the qualitative (anthroposcopy) method and the quantitative (anthropometric) method. Although qualitative and quantitative analyses are constantly discussed, there is a lack of comparison between analyses in the Brazilian population. The qualitative analysis had a 73.00 % accuracy rate with a 0.524 kappa coefficient, while the quantitative method had an 82.00 % overall accuracy, with greater sensitivity for females (95.00 %). The variables Maxium Cranial Length (GOL), Basion-Bregma Height (BBH), and Bizygomatic Width (ZYB) (skull), as well as Bigonial Width (BGB) and Right Mandibular Ramus Height (MRHd) (mandible), showed greater discriminatory capacity according to the area under the ROC curve. The research highlights that, although the qualitative method is traditionally accepted and of practical application, it is more subject to interobserver errors, while the quantitative method offers greater standardization and precision, being useful mainly in forensic contexts that require objective and statistically based data. It is concluded that. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicate the need for additional research to validate new methods and improve outcomes for the Brazilian population. Hence, they should be applied to local population samples for greater reliability in forensic results.
{"title":"Application of qualitative and quantitative techniques to estimate the sex of Brazilian skulls and mandibles","authors":"Ezequiel Ortiz Rosa , Sergio Ricardo Marques , Edgard Michel-Crosato , Thais Torralbo Lopes-Capp , Maria Gabriela Haye Biazevic","doi":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100450","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100450","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Estimating sex in human skulls is an essential step in forensic identification. The combined application of qualitative and quantitative techniques allows for greater accuracy, especially in specific populations such as the Brazilian one, characterized by great biological diversity. Considering the ethnic and geographic diversity of Brazil, this study aims to conduct a comparative assessment of accuracy for sex estimation applicable to the Brazilian population. The research was conducted with 96 skulls and 96 mandibles from the collection of the Federal University of São Paulo, using two distinct methods: the qualitative (anthroposcopy) method and the quantitative (anthropometric) method. Although qualitative and quantitative analyses are constantly discussed, there is a lack of comparison between analyses in the Brazilian population. The qualitative analysis had a 73.00 % accuracy rate with a 0.524 kappa coefficient, while the quantitative method had an 82.00 % overall accuracy, with greater sensitivity for females (95.00 %). The variables Maxium Cranial Length (GOL), Basion-Bregma Height (BBH), and Bizygomatic Width (ZYB) (skull), as well as Bigonial Width (BGB) and Right Mandibular Ramus Height (MRHd) (mandible), showed greater discriminatory capacity according to the area under the ROC curve. The research highlights that, although the qualitative method is traditionally accepted and of practical application, it is more subject to interobserver errors, while the quantitative method offers greater standardization and precision, being useful mainly in forensic contexts that require objective and statistically based data. It is concluded that. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicate the need for additional research to validate new methods and improve outcomes for the Brazilian population. Hence, they should be applied to local population samples for greater reliability in forensic results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36331,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Reports","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100450"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100451
Sohee Cho , Kyoung-Jin Shin , Soong Deok Lee
Microhaplotypes (microhaps), composed of two or more SNPs within short DNA segments, have emerged as promising markers for forensic kinship testing, offering advantages over conventional STRs. However, their resolution for distant relationships remains limited, prompting efforts to improve panel performance. This study evaluated a 56-locus microhap panel in a Korean population and examined the effects of incorporating cryptic variations adjacent to established microhap loci, identified through massively parallel sequencing. Using data from 281 individuals across 53 families, the panel demonstrated superior discrimination in parent-child, full-siblings, and second-degree relatives pairs compared with STRs, while resolution for third-degree relatives remained challenging. A total of 72 cryptic variations were detected across 38 loci, increasing the mean effective allele number (Ae) from 3.288 to 3.476 and generating 23 novel haplotypes. Incorporating these variants led to modest but consistent improvements in likelihood ratio distributions across all kinship categories. These findings highlight that leveraging cryptic variations can enhance microhap-based kinship inference without panel redesign, providing a cost-effective and scalable strategy for improving forensic kinship analysis. Further studies in larger and multi-ethnic populations will be essential to validate and optimize this approach for broader forensic applications.
{"title":"Empirical evaluation of 56 microhaplotypes with cryptic variation for kinship testing in a Korean population","authors":"Sohee Cho , Kyoung-Jin Shin , Soong Deok Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100451","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100451","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microhaplotypes (microhaps), composed of two or more SNPs within short DNA segments, have emerged as promising markers for forensic kinship testing, offering advantages over conventional STRs. However, their resolution for distant relationships remains limited, prompting efforts to improve panel performance. This study evaluated a 56-locus microhap panel in a Korean population and examined the effects of incorporating cryptic variations adjacent to established microhap loci, identified through massively parallel sequencing. Using data from 281 individuals across 53 families, the panel demonstrated superior discrimination in parent-child, full-siblings, and second-degree relatives pairs compared with STRs, while resolution for third-degree relatives remained challenging. A total of 72 cryptic variations were detected across 38 loci, increasing the mean effective allele number (A<sub>e</sub>) from 3.288 to 3.476 and generating 23 novel haplotypes. Incorporating these variants led to modest but consistent improvements in likelihood ratio distributions across all kinship categories. These findings highlight that leveraging cryptic variations can enhance microhap-based kinship inference without panel redesign, providing a cost-effective and scalable strategy for improving forensic kinship analysis. Further studies in larger and multi-ethnic populations will be essential to validate and optimize this approach for broader forensic applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36331,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Reports","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100451"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145927175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100449
W.N. Ramdé , S. Bagré , M. Tall , R. Kagambèga , B. Doudoulgou , B. Sawadogo , P.W. Compaoré
Introduction
Sexual assaults are a global issue and remain a major concern in African countries. They raise significant medico-legal challenges. This study, conducted at the Department of Forensic Medicine of CHU-B, aimed to investigate the epidemiological, clinical, and medico-legal aspects of sexual assault victims received.
Materials and methods
We carried out a retrospective descriptive study over five years (from April 15, 2017, to April 14, 2021) in the Forensic Medicine Department of Bogodogo University Hospital (CHU-B).
This was an exhaustive sampling of all case files of sexual assault victims received in our study setting.
Results
We collected 205 case files of victims. The mean age was 15.46 years. The sex ratio was 0.025. Pupils/students represented 29.26 %. Perpetrators were adult males in 90.24 % of cases and acted alone in 90.24 %. Threats were reported in 78.05 % of cases, including 12.19 % with a bladed weapon and 4.88 % with a firearm. Assaults took place at home in 68.29 % of cases. In 70.73 % of cases, victims reported having been sexually penetrated by the male organ in the vagina, mouth, or anus. Victims examined showed clinical signs consistent with recent vaginal sexual penetration in 51.22 %. Spermatozoa were found in 8.78 % of cases.
Conclusion
Sexual assaults remain a public health problem. Studying the associated factors will help determine specific preventive actions.
{"title":"Forensic aspects of sexual assaults examined at the Department of Forensic Medicine of the University Hospital Center of Bogodogo, Burkina Faso","authors":"W.N. Ramdé , S. Bagré , M. Tall , R. Kagambèga , B. Doudoulgou , B. Sawadogo , P.W. Compaoré","doi":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100449","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100449","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Sexual assaults are a global issue and remain a major concern in African countries. They raise significant medico-legal challenges. This study, conducted at the Department of Forensic Medicine of CHU-B, aimed to investigate the epidemiological, clinical, and medico-legal aspects of sexual assault victims received.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and methods</h3><div>We carried out a retrospective descriptive study over five years (from April 15, 2017, to April 14, 2021) in the Forensic Medicine Department of Bogodogo University Hospital (CHU-B).</div><div><u>This was an exhaustive sampling of all case files of sexual assault victims received in our study setting</u>.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We collected 205 case files of victims. The mean age was 15.46 years. The sex ratio was 0.025. Pupils/students represented 29.26 %. Perpetrators were adult males in 90.24 % of cases and acted alone in 90.24 %. Threats were reported in 78.05 % of cases, including 12.19 % with a bladed weapon and 4.88 % with a firearm. Assaults took place at home in 68.29 % of cases. In 70.73 % of cases, victims reported having been sexually penetrated by the male organ in the vagina, mouth, or anus. Victims examined showed clinical signs consistent with recent vaginal sexual penetration in 51.22 %. Spermatozoa were found in 8.78 % of cases.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Sexual assaults remain a public health problem. Studying the associated factors will help determine specific preventive actions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36331,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Reports","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100449"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146038177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2025.100447
Smith Purdum , Justin P. Miller-Schulze
This work introduces a novel application of chemometric-based preprocessing and machine learning for fire debris analysis, which is crucial in origin and cause investigations. The most technically demanding and interpretative aspect of fire debris analysis is the qualitative classification of GC-MS data using pattern matching, which can be performed by artificial intelligence to support human analysts. Three different methods for preprocessing GC-MS data for machine learning, each requiring varying levels of analyst input, were developed using chromatographic software for feature extraction and data export. These methods were evaluated alongside several machine and deep learning models to classify fire debris and liquid samples containing self-heating fatty acids. The dataset comprised 310 samples (153 positive and 157 negative) generated from spontaneous heating experiments, neat exemplars, forensic casework, and pyrolyzed substrates. Models trained on each preprocessing method were evaluated using repeated 2-fold and Monte Carlo cross-validation across multiple training/testing splits. Within the scope of this data set and preprocessing methods, naive bayes, random forest, and gradient boosting performed best across 2-fold evaluations, with mean accuracies of 100 %, 99.90 %, and 99.65 % for the three preprocessing methods. This pilot study demonstrates a novel, chemometric workflow for fatty acid classification and establishes options for extending machine learning to more complicated fire debris tasks such as ignitable liquid residue analysis. The results imply that machine learning has the potential to enhance fire debris analysis by improving accuracy and analytical efficiency by streamlining routine classification tasks, allowing laboratories to allocate expert effort more effectively and reduce turnaround time.
{"title":"Chemometric-based machine learning for the forensic classification of fire debris for the presence of self-heating fatty acids following analysis by ASTM E2881","authors":"Smith Purdum , Justin P. Miller-Schulze","doi":"10.1016/j.fsir.2025.100447","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsir.2025.100447","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work introduces a novel application of chemometric-based preprocessing and machine learning for fire debris analysis, which is crucial in origin and cause investigations. The most technically demanding and interpretative aspect of fire debris analysis is the qualitative classification of GC-MS data using pattern matching, which can be performed by artificial intelligence to support human analysts. Three different methods for preprocessing GC-MS data for machine learning, each requiring varying levels of analyst input, were developed using chromatographic software for feature extraction and data export. These methods were evaluated alongside several machine and deep learning models to classify fire debris and liquid samples containing self-heating fatty acids. The dataset comprised 310 samples (153 positive and 157 negative) generated from spontaneous heating experiments, neat exemplars, forensic casework, and pyrolyzed substrates. Models trained on each preprocessing method were evaluated using repeated 2-fold and Monte Carlo cross-validation across multiple training/testing splits. Within the scope of this data set and preprocessing methods, naive bayes, random forest, and gradient boosting performed best across 2-fold evaluations, with mean accuracies of 100 %, 99.90 %, and 99.65 % for the three preprocessing methods. This pilot study demonstrates a novel, chemometric workflow for fatty acid classification and establishes options for extending machine learning to more complicated fire debris tasks such as ignitable liquid residue analysis. The results imply that machine learning has the potential to enhance fire debris analysis by improving accuracy and analytical efficiency by streamlining routine classification tasks, allowing laboratories to allocate expert effort more effectively and reduce turnaround time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36331,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Reports","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100447"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145927179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-24DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2025.100448
Melissa Shear, Jaime Brachold, Prachi Christian, Charles Troup, Rino Radhakrishnan
The Applied Biosystems™ RapidHIT™ ID System1 is a highly automated and simple-to-use instrument that produces trusted laboratory-quality forensic DNA short tandem repeat (STR) profiles in as little as 90 min. The system has been optimized for use in decentralized environments and for processing presumed single-source DNA samples, generating Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)-compatible DNA profiles. The system delivers reliable, reproducible, high-quality electrophoretic data with management software that enables real-time access, review, and control of STR profiles. The RapidHIT™ ID instrument and RapidLINK™ v2.0.1 software validation studies were performed using Applied Biosystems ACE GlobalFiler™ Express sample cartridges with single source reference samples in accordance with the FBI Quality Assurance Standards and guidelines from the Scientific Working Group for DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM). The results from these validation studies are reported here for sensitivity, specificity, inhibitors, size precision, concordance, contamination and carryover, mixtures, and reproducibility and repeatability. In addition, it is demonstrated that multiple RapidHIT ID systems networked with RapidLINK form a highly reliable system for wide-scale deployment in locations such as police booking stations and Ports of Entry, enabling real-time testing of arrestees, potential human trafficking victims and other instances where rapid turnaround is essential.
{"title":"Analytical validation study of the RapidHIT™ ID and RapidLINK™ v2.0.1 system to generate and process profiles with ACE GlobalFiler™ Express cartridge","authors":"Melissa Shear, Jaime Brachold, Prachi Christian, Charles Troup, Rino Radhakrishnan","doi":"10.1016/j.fsir.2025.100448","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsir.2025.100448","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Applied Biosystems™ RapidHIT™ ID System<span><span><sup>1</sup></span></span> is a highly automated and simple-to-use instrument that produces trusted laboratory-quality forensic DNA short tandem repeat (STR) profiles in as little as 90 min. The system has been optimized for use in decentralized environments and for processing presumed single-source DNA samples, generating Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)-compatible DNA profiles. The system delivers reliable, reproducible, high-quality electrophoretic data with management software that enables real-time access, review, and control of STR profiles. The RapidHIT™ ID instrument and RapidLINK™ v2.0.1 software validation studies were performed using Applied Biosystems ACE GlobalFiler™ Express sample cartridges with single source reference samples in accordance with the FBI Quality Assurance Standards and guidelines from the Scientific Working Group for DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM). The results from these validation studies are reported here for sensitivity, specificity, inhibitors, size precision, concordance, contamination and carryover, mixtures, and reproducibility and repeatability. In addition, it is demonstrated that multiple RapidHIT ID systems networked with RapidLINK form a highly reliable system for wide-scale deployment in locations such as police booking stations and Ports of Entry, enabling real-time testing of arrestees, potential human trafficking victims and other instances where rapid turnaround is essential.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36331,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Reports","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100448"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146038175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号