Forensic science最新文献

Rats were given thallium acetate (5 mg elemental thallium/kg body weight) intraperitoneally daily for 7 days. The brain was fixed by perfusion—fixation and small pieces of the cerebellum were processed for electron microscopy. Variegated mitochondrial profiles, increased incidence of electron — dense bodies and proliferation of Golgi zones were observed in the thallium — poisoned rat cerebellum. Multilamellar cytoplasmic bodies were discernible in the cerebellar cortex of the thallium-treated rats.

This paper describes the technique of pyrolysis mass spectrometry and illustrates its application to the forensic analysis of polymeric materials.

In forensic cases, until recently, identification of biological stains was based on the use of genetic markers, such as blood groups.

In this paper, we show that another acquired characteristic, even if not immutable during life, may afford similar possibilities.

As an example, we have demonstrated that the HB_s antigen, associated with the hepatitis B virus, can help in the identification of bloodstains.

The requisite condition for using this new marker, is that not too much time should elapse between the time the biological stains are formed and the moment when victim and suspected individual are examined for comparison of their blood with the stain.

We have shown that in a dried state, the HB_s antigen is very stable for at least six months. In vivo, it persists for a few week to 6 or 7 years according to the case.

HB_s antigen is a relatively rare factor, its frequency being 0.5% in the Belgian population; the frequency reaches 2 to 3% in the Mediterranean population who constitute most of the immigrants in Belgium.

Kidney, thyroid gland, liver, striated muscle and cerebral cortex from ten males and six females who died with severe burns were examined with regard to sex determination using Y-chromosome detection. A control group of sixteen persons was compared.

Only the kidneys offered a reliable sex determination. Thyroid gland presented high false positive values, the liver one false negative and striated muscle and cerebral cortex both false negative and positive values.

When heating liver and kidney it was demonstrated that temperatures higher than 150 °C made the detection difficult.

Samples of 32 brands of cigarettes seized from the illicit market in various parts of Burma were analysed for the presence of marijuana, coca leaf and other narcotic drugs. Thirteen brands of cigarettes were found to contain marijuana and six brands contained marijuana and cocaine; all of these brands were manufactured in South East Asia.

A comprehensive scheme for the gas chromatographic analysis of light petroleum distillates and blends in the range C4 C26 has been developed. This scheme has been applied to the characterisation of volatile petroleum products used as accelerants in cases of fire-raising.

A report of two autopsies which is thought to be the first case of its kind in Japan is presented here. The cause of death was concluded to be oxygen deficiency from the filling of a compartment by Freon gas escaping from a cylinder. However, the authors suspect that Freon per se is not a non-toxic substance as had been believed but has some toxicity because of the existence of fat droplets in hepatocytes of mice exposed to Freon gas and because of the behavioral findings on them during experiments.