Legal Medicine最新文献

As an auxiliary method in the process of human identification, forensic facial approximation (FFA) is an important tool for identifying unknown human bodies whose remains do not present the necessary traceability to any antemortem data collection. Specific characteristics are necessary when addressing children aged between 6 and 10 years, who have little sexual differentiation and a mixed dentition. Due to the chronology of eruption of the permanent second molars in this population, it is not possible to measure facial soft-tissue thickness (FSTT) from specific landmarks such as supra and infra M2. The objective of this research was to report the method for measuring the average FSTT of 32 landmarks adapting the method for adults replacing the landmarks at the upper and lower second molars (Supra M2 and Infra M2) in children up to 10 years of age for a measurement using the deciduous second molars as reference. We found statistical differences for some points, considering the variables of age and sex, but with a maximum difference of 2 mm, which allows the use of a single FSTT table. The deciduous teeth can replace the reference of the thicknesses at the supra and infra M2 landmarks. In addition to the new FSTT data for children in Brazil, we concluded that the proposed adaptation to the deciduous M2 points can be applied to obtain soft-tissue data for 32 facial points.

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a chronic and degenerative condition involving calcification of the mitral annulus. MAC is a risk factor for coronary artery disease, cardiovascular events, stroke, and cardiovascular death. However, patients with MAC are often asymptomatic. Herein, we present the first case of cardiac tamponade due to infection of MAC in forensic pathology.

An 80-year-old woman was found in cardiopulmonary arrest shortly after experiencing fatigue. She was transferred to a hospital, and despite chest compression and ventilation, she was pronounced dead due to no response. Postmortem computed tomography, autopsy, and histological examination showed MAC, abscess formation involving Gram-positive cocci on the MAC, and fistulation of the abscess into the intracardial pericardial cavities, resulting in a massive lethal hemopericardium.

Differentiating homicidal or suicidal deaths in presence of a singular stab wound to the anterior or lateral trunk is still a challenge in forensic practice. There are numerous criteria in the literature and in current forensic textbooks to distinguish between self-inflicted injuries and homicide. The applicability of these criteria in single stab injuries was examined by elucidating 12 suicides and 33 homicides, each with a single stab injury to the anterior or lateral trunk and were largely confirmed. An instrumentality still stuck in the corpse was always associated with a suicide in the given cohort. In summary, the final evaluation should always be based on an interpretation of the post mortem findings together with the circumstances on site of discovery as well as the results of the police investigation.

The application of age progression to the search for missing persons demonstrates its usefulness in being able to reconstruct the aged face based on the current age of a person who has been missing for many years. Age progression takes into account facial physiognomic elements and their changes over time. Based on these premises, the present study aims to investigate the evolution of somatic features, from childhood to adulthood, of one of the authors' father using photos at different ages of him.

Sixteen photos were collected depicting an individual of Italian origin between the age of 1 and 72. The photos were processed in Adobe© Photoshop software to graphically highlight the shape development of individual physiognomic elements. The shape of the face, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and cheeks were analysed in detail using a morphological approach. The ageing processes that occurred in this case were discussed on the basis of the literature.

The present study demonstrates the in-depth analysis of the dynamics of facial growth in a single case. Nonetheless, aging is different for each individual, so further studies are necessary to observe facial development on as many subjects as possible.

Our study was designed to examine the correlation between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) gene, specifically focusing on rs27434, and plural tissue weight. We conducted this investigation using autopsy samples from the Japanese population. Blood samples were collected from 178 Japanese subjects who had undergone autopsies in Shimane Prefecture. Genomic DNA was subsequently extracted from these samples. SNP (rs27434, G＞A substitution) was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. In the present study, rs27434 exhibited a statistically significant association with brain weight (g) in both female and male individuals. Among males, rs27434 displayed significant relationships with liver weight (g), and body surface area (m²). In females, rs27434 was significantly related to the length of the appendix. Across both genders, individuals with GA and AA genotypes tended to exhibit higher levels in these respective measurements compared to those with the GG genotype. These results suggest that genetic variant of ERAP1 gene may influence the weight of the organs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the interaction between the association of rs27434 in the ERAP1 gene and data routinely measured at autopsy, such as tissue weight. However, conducting further investigations with larger population samples could provide more comprehensive insights to clarify this issue.

Introduction

The research aimed to determine individual variations in different core temperature measurements before the experiment, after submersion, after 20 min of exposure for heat stroke.

Methods

Rats were divided into three groups depending on the temperature and length of exposure to water: CG, G41-20 and G41-UD. The protocol was made according to the earlier described methodology of heat shock induction.

Results

A significant difference was observed in the G41-UD group; p < 0.0005. The lowest body temperature of the rats was observed, from normothermia, and the highest temperature after death, 37.87 ± 0.62 °C vs 41.20 ± 0.76 °C, the difference between all three groups is p < 0.0005.

Conclusion

Exposure of Wistar rats to water temperatures in the CG and G41 groups led to a significant change in core temperature. In the control group, the thermoregulatory mechanism firmly established normothermia, while hyperthermia was revealed in the G41 group during the 20-minute exposure.

X-chromosome short tandem repeats (X-STRs) are useful for human identification, especially in complex kinship scenarios. Since forensic statistical parameters vary among populations and the X-STRs population data for the diverse population of Peninsular Malaysia's are unavailable, this attempt for Indians (n = 201) appears forensically relevant to support the 12 X-STRs markers' evidential value for human identification in Malaysia. The Qiagen Investigator® Argus X-12 QS kit showed that DXS10135 was the most polymorphic locus with high genetic diversity, polymorphism information richness, heterozygosity, and exclusion power. Based on allele frequencies, the strength of discrimination and mean exclusion chance (MEC_Krüger, MEC_Kishida, MEC_Desmarais, and MEC_DesmaraisDuo) values for the Malaysian Indians were ≥0.999997790686228. As for haplotype frequencies, the overall discrimination power and mean exclusion probability (MEC_Krüger, MEC_Kishida, MEC_Desmarais, and MEC_DesmaraisDuo) were ≥0.9999984801951. The genetic distance, neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree, and principal component analysis also supported the evidential value of the 12 X-STRs markers for forensic practical caseworks in Malaysia.

Sex estimation equations are population-specific, and a wider use of multiple bones to generate equations will increase the accuracy of sex estimation in forensic settings. The metatarsal bones have been used previously, however the dimensions around the diaphyseal nutrient foramen have not been utilised in sex estimation. The current study aimed to determine the utility of the dimensions around the nutrient foramen of metatarsal bones in estimating sex in the South Africans of European descent (SAED). Five measurements around the nutrient foramen were taken from a total of 876 metatarsal bones (first to fifth) from 186 individual skeletons (99 males, 87 females) obtained from the Raymond A. Dart Modern Skeletal Collection. Measurements subjected to direct and stepwise discriminant function (DFA) and logistic regression (LRA) analyses included total length, distance from proximal end to nutrient foramen, circumference, and mediolateral and dorsoplantar diameters at the level of the nutrient foramen. The original classification accuracies for multivariable functions of the stepwise and direct DFA ranged from 83.1–88.3% to 85.5–88.3%, respectively. The original classification accuracies for multivariable functions of the stepwise and direct LRA ranged from 83.3%–88.7% to 86.2%–88.3%, respectively. The cross-validation classifications showed a drop of 0–2.4% for DFA and 0.2–1.1% for LRA. The width measurements were better predictors of sex than length. The dimensions around the metatarsal bone nutrient foramen exhibit sexual dimorphism in the SAED. The generated DFA and LRA functions produced high average classification accuracies which are useful in sex estimation during forensic human identification.

For human identification, the quality and quantity of DNA must be sufficient for amplification and analysis. When DNA extraction from bone tissues and teeth is required, the optimal skeletal elements should be selected as samples for DNA extraction because DNA yield differs among elements. Recently, some studies have reported that a high quantity of high-quality DNA can be extracted from the small cancellous bones of the hands and feet. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of small cancellous bones in the human identification of skeletal remains in routine forensic genetic casework. Cancellous bones [phalanges, (meta)carpal bones, and (meta)tarsal bones)] and the cortical bones (femur and petrous bones) and teeth, which have generally been recommended as samples, were collected from the same individuals that needed identifying using DNA analysis in our laboratory. The quantity of DNA from small cancellous bones tended to be higher than that from cortical bones, and the quality from the former was as high as that from the latter. This study showed that in routine forensic casework, the small cancellous bones of the hands and feet should be actively selected as samples for DNA testing.