Forensic Science International: Reports最新文献

In several countries, counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals are a severe public health concern. This is a global issue, but it is especially prevalent in African countries, where more than 30 % of the pharmaceuticals supplied are counterfeit or substandard. Many reasons contribute to the emergence of this issue, which differ from country to country. Online business, light sanctions for drug infringers, ignorance, and an absence of meaningful collaboration amongst players are all variables involved. The Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA), Tanzania Police Force, Weights and Measures Agency Tanzania Fair Competition Commission (FCC), Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Customs are all involved in the fight against counterfeit drugs in Tanzania. Despite this, more work needs to be done to control the supply of counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals, which have major health and economic effects. Based on the public health and economic consequences of these low-quality pharmaceuticals, strong international cooperation is required to address the issue. This includes tighter state licensing oversight of pharmaceutical suppliers. In order to identify these products at various supply chain stages, advanced technologies should be used. Finally, consumers must be educated on how to recognize counterfeit pharmaceuticals and their effects.

Estimating the post mortem interval is an important aspect of the work of forensic pathologists and forensic anthropologists. Whilst temperature is generally agreed as the most important variable affecting decomposition, some formulae also incorporate relative humidity for a more detailed estimate. Both these variables are impacted by anthropogenic climate change. This study aims to provide a first overview of the likely extent to which anthropogenic climate change will affect future rates of decomposition. The post mortem interval from death until skeletonization (PMIDS) was calculated using the formula by Vass [1], as well as temperature and humidity predictions from two different climate models, to predict changes in the speed of decomposition between the decades 2020–2029 and 2090–2099. The changes are calculated for different climate zones, and a global average, as well as different climate change scenarios, and for decomposition starting in January and July. The estimated PMIDS is significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in most scenarios, with the largest global decrease of 33.5% in the SSP5–8.5 scenario, with decomposition starting in July, and the smallest decrease of 2.6% in the SSP1–2.6 scenario, with decomposition starting in January. The significantly accelerated decomposition in the SSP5- 8.5 scenario will increase the workload of forensic anthropologists, by decreasing the time until skeletonization, after which the expertise of a forensic anthropologist is more likely to be needed. However, climate change is also predicted to decrease the accuracy of the formulae used for PMI estimation, even in regions where levels of precision are currently good. The present authors therefore argue, that the impacts of climate change will warrant increasing attention in the field of forensic anthropology, and that more research into PMI estimation will be needed particularly in warmer and drier regions.

One of the most important documents produced by physicians is a death certificate. It is not only used in the field of forensic science but is also utilized by statisticians, administrators, historians, researchers, and public health experts. Insurance companies refer to the cause and manner of death listed in the death certificate when deciding whether to distribute benefits. We report the case of a 40-year-old male who was declared dead after crashing his vehicle against a fixed object in a head-on collision. The collision occurred after he had worked a highly strenuous shift as a volunteer firefighter. The decedent’s daughter was a passenger in the car when the incident occurred, and witnessed him become unconscious and exhibit signs of a seizure while driving, before he lost control of the vehicle. The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy received a police report which did not include details of the crash and which specifically omitted the daughter’s witnessed account. Based on the absence of traumatic injuries and the presence of facial petechiae and marks on his abdomen and chest from the seatbelt, the autopsy pathologist concluded that the cause of death was mechanical/positional asphyxia due to entrapment by the seatbelt. The decedent had significant cardiovascular disease, but this was not considered a cause or a contributory cause of death. Because the cause of death did not align with the terms of the decedent’s insurance coverage, which required that any qualified accident be directly due to on the job injury or occur due to a cardiovascular event within 24 h of job-related exertion, the family was denied Public Safety Officer accidental death benefits. The family approached a legal advocate with experience in appealing these types of claims, and the advocate reached out to a consulting pathologist to peer-review the case. The consultant authored a report incorporating the daughter’s witnessed statement and discovered evidence on microscopy that indicated that cardiac strain brought on by workplace exertion was the likely cause of the collision and terminal entrapment. Upon tertiary review by the Chief Medical Examiner, the death certificate was subsequently amended to acknowledge the decedent’s cardiovascular disease, allowing the family to successfully appeal the insurance agency’s decision and receive the benefits.

This paper reports a fatal assault with a hammer, with numerous strikes to the skull. The victim was a man in his 70 s with dementia. The suspect was the victim’s son, a man in his 50 s with schizophrenia. According to the son's testimony, he struck the father approximately 100 times with ‘murderous intent’ using a hammer. The son called 911, but the father was dead when the authorities arrived. The futon on which the victim’s head was lying as well as his clothes were soaked with a lot of blood. Numerous additional bloodstains were observed on the wall and furniture. The hammerhead was made of metal and had a square face with rounded corners at each end. At autopsy, many purple bruises, thought to be defensive wounds, were found on both forearms and hands. Dozens of scalp-contused lacerations, abrasions, and small open scalp wounds accompanied by abrasions were observed. There were no skull bone fractures or major intracranial injuries. We believe hemorrhage from multiple scalp wounds was the cause of death. Most previous reports of head injuries due to hammer blows focused on skull fractures and scarcely focused on scalp injuries. This is the first report of head injuries due to blows with a square-faced hammer with rounded corners. We report this case because evaluating the unique characteristics of the wounds on the victim, as well as accumulating information from similar cases, may help identify wounds caused by similar weapons in the future.

Sex determination is one of the most important primary parameter in human identification. The development of forensic science in the world has provided identification tools and biometric systems for various identity cards. However, there is very little information available in Ghana on sex determination using Second digit: fourth Digit ratio (2D:4D), and hand dimensions. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine sex using 2D:4D, and hand dimensions. This quantitative cross-sectional study involved 100 (46 males and 54 females) undergraduate students of the University aged 17–26 years. Measurements of 2D:4D, and hand dimensions of participants were taken with a flatbed scanner (CanoScan LiDe 120) and resultant hand prints images were measured using the parallel dimension tool in Corel DRAW X7 application software. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 20.0). The average hand length, breadth and index were found to be greater in males than in females. The predominant hand index for the study was Dolichocheri (Long fingers with narrow small palm) and the least common was the Hyperdolichocheri (Very long fingers with narrow small palm). The 2D:4D showed sexual differences and the male participants recorded significantly higher values for the right hands but no significant difference for the left. A binary logistic regression analysis was done to determine the sex of the participants using 2D:4D, and hand dimensions. The significance of the study is that, it has provided additional data for forensic work in Ghana.

The applicability of Greulich and Pyle atlas for estimating age for court cases that require age estimation amongst the Botswana population is often questioned because the atlas has been adopted without being evaluated for Botswana. It has long been established that accuracies of such age estimation methods are dependent on different factors such as the general health and nutrition of the population. We present a study aimed at determining the level of accuracy of the Greulich and Pyle atlas at estimating age for the Botswana population. It is the first time that this type of study is being performed for Botswana. The results will be used to confirm if there is need to develop specific age estimation standards for Botswana. A total of 140 x-ray image samples were obtained from local hospitals for patients aged between 5 and 18 years. The sample images were compared with the Greulich and Pyle age estimation standards. In forensic age estimations, there are several important age limits which are considered. The legal age of maturity for Botswana is 18 years. This age limit is very important in determining whether offenders should be tried as children or adults and at the same time, in determining if victims are minors or adults. It also forms the basis for sentencing of offenders for crimes committed against children. For the important age group 15 ≤ 18 the mean skeletal age difference was found to be 0.94 (statistically significant) indicating that age was underestimated for males. This could be a problem where a perpetrator’s age is underestimated as a result not sentenced accordingly as they are mistaken for a minor. The mean skeletal age difference for females was found to be 0.64 years, indicating that age was underestimated by up to 0.64 years for females while the mean skeletal age difference was found to be 0.50 years for males in overall. This indicated that the Greulich and Pyle atlas underestimated age by 0.50 years overall. Significant statistical difference was observed between the mean chronological age and the mean estimated age as the p-values were found to be 0.03 for females and 0.05 for males. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the Greulich and Pyle atlas can be used to estimate age but with caution as there is a possibility of errors. There is need for this atlas to be revised to reduce errors in age estimation for the Botswana context.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal).

This article has been retracted at the request of the Section Editor and Authors after a thorough investigation.

While NIST informed the journal that it followed appropriate human subjects protocols, it has come to light that the manuscript fails to indicate whether consent was obtained for all sample acquisition. The article further incorrectly implies that NIST collaborated with the Guangzhou Forensic Science Institute. All authors have been informed of this decision. Apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process.

Alcohol (ethanol) is the most widely detected drug in forensic toxicology casework and an increase in consumption of alcohol was reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in consumption could be attributed to rising stress levels and social isolation. To determine whether the pandemic had an impact on ethanol positivity and concentrations in cases analyzed by the Dallas County Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences, blood ethanol results were evaluated from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2021. This time frame captured ethanol prevalence and concentrations before, during, and immediately following the pandemic for comparison. The average ethanol concentration in postmortem casework over the three years for each quarter ranged from 0.116 g/100 mL to 0.142 g/100 mL while the average concentration in driving while intoxicated (DWI) was higher, ranging from 0.173 g/100 mL to 0.188 g/100 mL. The ethanol positivity rate for postmortem casework remained relatively the same at approximately 20% during the time frame, while there was a decrease in ethanol positivity rate for DWI casework during the pandemic in April - June (Q2) 2020. However, the positivity rate returned to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2020. Despite the self-reported surveys of increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic, a corresponding increase in average ethanol concentrations was not observed in Dallas County and the surrounding area.

Forensic facial approximation plays a vital role in identifying individuals who cannot be identified using conventional approaches. The key concern is linking the hard and soft tissues while improving the precision and consistency of its varied approaches. However, forensic facial approximation has limited relevance in India due to a lack of thorough study and proficiency with a diverse population displaying disparities in facial characteristics. The current study attempts to assess the changes in facial characteristics on forensic facial reconstruction utilizing different soft tissue thickness databases while keeping the skeletal elements, technique, and operator constant. Three facial approximations were created based on three facial soft tissue thickness databases of different geographic regions within India. Visual assessment and superimposition were used to analyze the reconstructed faces and subjects. All the reconstructed faces showed a considerable difference between each other and the subject. The placement of the eyes, ears, and, most crucially, the mouth differed significantly. No approach works with the nose, eyes, mouth, and ears; even with the best practices possible, sometimes inaccurate results occur. Facial approximation should be seen as a blend of science and art based on well-documented anatomical principles.

Background

The estimation of sex is a fundamental component in the establishment of a biological profile and a critical step for the identification of skeletal remains in forensic contexts. The proximal femoral geometry is frequently evaluated at crime scene for the estimation of sex, but the use of radiograph anthropometry for the estimation of sex is rare, even though radiographs would be easier to handle than bone specimen.

Aim

The aim of this study was to estimate sex using proximal femoral parameters of adult population in the Volta region of Ghana.

Method

This study made use of 214 normal anteroposterior (AP) radiographs of the pelvis that showed the hip joints and the proximal femora. The age and sex were recorded. Four proximal femoral parameters were measured on the radiographs using the ‘DICOM radiology reader software. The hip axis length was measured and mean difference of the parameters between the genders and the laterality categories were assessed.

Results

Three out of the four parameters measured; femoral head diameter, neck diameter and hip axis length demonstrated statistically significantly difference (p = 0.0001) between the males and females in both right and left side measurement. The right hip axis length (RHAL) and left head diameter (LHD) contributed significantly to sex estimation.

Conclusion

The right hip axis length demonstrates a high accuracy of 81.3% in sex determination among the population. This is the first study to present this finding in this population and might provide another way (if not easier way) to estimate the sex of a given skeletal specimen may give valuable insight into a better-customised implant and prosthesis design.