Forensic Science International: Reports最新文献

The foramen magnum (FM) occupies a well-protected position, making it particularly intriguing for forensic research. The necessity for methods to estimate sex from cranial fragments becomes evident when only a partial skull is available for identification. The objective of this study was to assess sex differences in anthropometric measurements, including the length of the foramen magnum (FML), width of the foramen magnum (FMW), foramen magnum area (FMA), and circumference, with the aim of developing a binary logistic regression model in Thai cadaveric donors. Sixty adult dry skulls underwent both intraclass and interclass correlation analyses. Subsequently, 240 adult dry skulls of known sex (120 males and 120 females) were meticulously measured and analyzed to determine the optimal threshold for sex determination. Morphometric analysis of the FM was carried out using vernier calipers, and the area of the FM was precisely calculated. The FML, FMW, FMA, and circumference were all found to be significantly larger in males than in females. Furthermore, FM circumference exhibited an AUC (Area Under the Curve) value of 0.908, signifying it as an excellent parameter for sex discrimination. Lastly, binary logistic regression was executed. Significant sex differences in FM circumference were consistently observed, demonstrating an accuracy of 81.62% when validated in 120 dry skulls.

Sex estimation models are specific to populations and cannot be generalized due to genetic and environmental variabilities. This retrospective cross-sectional study, conducted between January and September 2023 at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, included 119 (50.9 %) females and 115 (49.1 %) males aged 23–82 years. Measurements, including manubrium length (M), manubrium width (MW), sternal body length (B), combined manubrium and sternal body lengths (CL), corpus sterni width at first sternebrae (CSW_S1), and corpus sterni width at third sternebrae (CSW_S3), were obtained from Computerized Tomographic (CT) images of the sternum using DICOM Viewer, accurate to 0.1 cm. Subsequently, sternal area (SA) and sternal index (SI) were calculated. Univariable and stepwise multivariable discriminant function analysis (DFA) and logistic regression (LR) models were developed using a training sample (70 %), and cross-validation was performed on a holdout sample (30 %). Results showed that the linear measurements, excluding M, and sternal area were higher in males than females (P<0.001), while the sternal index was <50 % in males but >50 % in females (P<0.001). Univariable sex estimation accuracies, in cross-validation, ranged from 43.7 % to 92.9 % in DFA and 50.0–92.9 % in LR. For multivariable models, the accuracy ranges were 92.9–94.3 % in DFA and 91.6–93.0 % in LR. The sternal body length was the most accurate at 90.1 % in DFA and 90.2 % in LR, with lower sex bias (male-female) in LR than in DFA (-0.1 vs. 8.7). The sternum proves valuable for sex estimation, with sternal body length as the most accurate linear measurement. However, multivariable models, particularly LR, demonstrate higher accuracy compared to DFA.

Introduction

Humerus is a long bone that contributes significantly to the total height of an individual. It is sexually dimorphic and is a well-preserved bone postmortem. Height and sex are essential in establishing one's identity and can be estimated from long bones when standing height cannot be easily obtained. Previous studies report that sex and height are population-specific. Hence, the present study sought to establish the relationship between percutaneous humeral lengths and height and formulate models for height and sex determination for the Ghanaian population.

Materials and methods

Measurement of standing height and percutaneous humeral lengths were taken from 286 Ghanaian consented participants with no noticeable lower and upper extremities traumas or pathologies. The data was analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013 and SPSS version 23.0 edition. Correlation analysis was done to determine the correlation of the percutaneous humeral length with height, linear regression and binary logistic analyses were used to derive equations for predicting height and sex from percutaneous humeral length. An independent samples t-test was used to determine the means between males and females, left and right percutaneous humeral lengths.

Results

There was a strong positive correlation between standing height and left (r = 0.774) and right (r=0.759) humeral lengths. The left humeral length regression equation was a good height estimator in males (75.4%) and females (71.%). The left and right humeral lengths best predicted the sex for the population, with an accuracy of 78.0% and 77.8% for males and 53.8% and 54.6% for females, respectively.

Conclusion

This study has added to the limited data on the use of percutaneous humeral length as a substitute for the determination of standing height and sex in the Ghanaian population, and it is also a significant identification tool which can be employed in the field of forensic anthropometry.

One of the most striking attacks on a commercial passenger airliner was the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 (PA103) on 21 December 1988. Shortly after departure, the Boeing 747 “Clipper Maid of the Seas” broke apart over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. All 259 passengers and crew were killed, along with 11 residents of Lockerbie. The bombing of flight PA103 is still subject to controversy. The origin of a crucial piece of evidence, a fragment of circuit board, is highly questioned. One of the reasons for this ongoing controversy is probably that circumstantial evidence, that led to the conviction of a Libyan, is not supported by other evidence. Almost nothing is published in the forensic literature regarding the survivability of components that make up an improvised explosive device (IED). To gain insight into the survivability of IED components, suitcases, their contents, and luggage containers, a series of controlled experiments were carried out in which suitcase bombs, positioned in different configurations in aluminium LD3 luggage containers, were detonated. From the results, it could be seen that the major part of the suitcases, their contents and the LD3 containers survived the explosion. Also, almost all components of the IED itself survived the explosion to a greater or lesser extent.

Testing of evidence in an alleged sexual assault case not only seeks to address the question of who was involved, but also looks to answer the question of what biological source provided the DNA. It can be difficult to obtain positive serological data on challenging samples such as laundered items, low-level DNA samples, or sexual assault kit swabs obtained after a prolonged interval from the time of assault. In the absence of confirmatory serological results, an expert witness often cannot speak to the biological source of the DNA. In order to determine quantitation thresholds which could be used to deduce the presence of spermatozoa (sperm) within a sample, we evaluated the fractionation of male DNA utilizing our laboratory’s differential extraction method. Study samples included serial dilutions of semen and semen/saliva mixtures, post-coital and laundered samples as well as casework data from 1,729 samples that were processed using a differential extraction. Based on this data, it was determined that a sample which had at least 200 picograms of male DNA and at least 10% of the total male DNA in fraction 2 (F2, also known as the sperm-enriched or sperm fraction) could be reported as positive for the presence of sperm. No false positive results were obtained from the study-generated samples when using these thresholds to infer the presence of sperm. Additionally, samples that contained sperm, but were negative using traditional serological methods, could be detected. However, not all sperm-containing samples fractionated above both thresholds; therefore, serological testing may still be necessary to minimize false negative results. The thresholds developed here, proved reliable to deduce the presence of sperm in real casework samples.

This case report describes the death of a 73-year-old man who suffered a fatal myocardial infarction following pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Post-mortem examination and imaging revealed the presence of an atrioesophageal fistula (AEF) leading to gas embolism at various sites of the heart including the right coronary artery. Atrioesophageal fistulas are rare complications of pulmonary vein isolation with high mortality rates.

Scientific and technological developments experienced by forensic sciences have increased the possibility of human identification. Forensic anthropology has developed worldwide and has made significant progress in Brazil in the last 10 years. This context has allowed forensic medicine institutes to use new techniques to resolve cold cases of human identification. This work aimed to report the methodology, development, and partial results of the LAFOL Identifies Operation, carried out at the Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Dentistry Laboratory (LAFOL) of the Medico-Legal Institute of Porto Velho. We carried out a multidisciplinary expert approach on human skeletal remains archived over the last 20 years to identify these individuals using current scientific methods. Eighty-one cold cases of skeletonized and/or mummified human skeletal remains were reanalyzed; they were archived in the LAFOL Laboratory collection as unidentified. Anthropological analyses showed that the collection is predominantly composed of adult individuals (86.4%), between 21 and 39 years old (55.6%), and males (62.9%). In the human skeletal remains identified, forensic anthropology played a key role in the case screening process. We expected that the results presented in this work will inspire other Medico-Legal Institutes in Brazil and worldwide to establish task forces for the reanalysis of cold cases in their institutes, promoting new forensic dentistry and anthropological comparisons and collecting biological samples to feed the database of genetic profiles of missing persons.

We report a rare case of fatal exsanguination by a scythe. A 71-year-old man slipped while jumping over a stream and impaled himself on a 70 cm long curved steel blade of the scythe. The external examination of the body disclosed a stab wound in the left upper part of the trunk. Internally, impaling injuries involving the left thoracic walls, left lung parenchyma, and pulmonary vasculature were disclosed. Toxicology results indicated preceding alcohol use. This paper also traces and consolidates symbolic, artistic, and historical connotations of the scythe and highlights the intersection of art and science that defines the field of forensic pathology. Although exploring the relationship between the arts and pathology is not novel, intriguing links between the arts and forensic practice can broadly enhance observation and analytical skills, and help forensic professionals become more thoughtful and contextual.

We report two cases of falls from a very high altitude with no fatal injuries. Two men were found dead directly under a high bridge. Surveillance video footage indicated that they had fell approximately 120 m from the bridge to the ground. On the fall site, there was snow on the ground, and the men were completely buried in the snow. An autopsy performed at 2 days after their bodies were found, showed a small subdural hematoma in one patient and a minor pulmonary laceration in the other. However, no fatal injuries were observed. Their deaths were caused by hypothermia based directly on the difference in the coloration of the left and right cardiac blood, the bright red to reddish brown lungs, and the Wischnewski spots. The reason why no fatal injuries occurred despite falling from height was considered to be the fall onto the snow.

The unusual body deposition site described comprised three elements of concealment: i) a covert stream-based ravine some 60 m from the suspect’s home; ii) partial grave dug into the ravine bank and iii) final concealment using concrete slabs. Disaggregation and sieving of concrete samples from the site, suspect residence(s) and control samples was carried out. These allowed informative exclusion of all but one control sample and provided a range of possible comparisons that may reflect the sequence of concrete slab selection, transport and use in covering the victim. The textures/colours of disaggregated, dried sediment size fractions also proved useful in conveying principles of exclusion to the court and jury at a subsequent murder trial. This work flows from basic (visual) observation of dry, cut blocks, through regular laboratory procedures of thin section work to disaggregation and size separation of aggregate-cement fractions. Graphical presentation of each analysis provided effective communication of geological science during the trial at court, concluding with a verdict of guilty by aggravated murder.