Forensic science international最新文献

{"title":"Drug use pattern of suspected drug-influenced drivers in Hungary (2019–2023)","authors":"László Institóris ,&nbsp;Előd Hidvégi ,&nbsp;Ferenc Rárosi ,&nbsp;Éva Sija ,&nbsp;Katalin Kovács ,&nbsp;Gábor Süvegh ,&nbsp;Róbert Berkecz ,&nbsp;Éva M. Kereszty","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112681","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112681","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Between 2019 and 2023, blood and urine samples of 6229 suspected impaired drivers were analysed, with a positivity rate of 91.5 %. Classical illicit drugs were detected in 4693 drivers, medicines in 850 drivers, stimulant new psychoactive substances (sNPS) in 928 drivers and synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) in 657 drivers. The consumption of cannabis, N-ethyl-norpentedron, and N-ethyl-hexedrone increased significantly over time, while the consumption of five SCRAs declined. These changes were concordant with the seizure data for the entire country.</div><div>74.2 % of drug-positive drivers were deemed impaired. Impairment was determined by fixed concentration limits in 3538 cases, multi-drug use in 507 cases, and clinical symptoms (when only one active substance with no impairment limit was present in the blood) in 217 cases.</div><div>To evaluate clinical tests, the prevalence of positive and negative clinical findings was compared for amphetamine/methamphetamine, THC, MDMA, alprazolam, and clonazepam above and below their fixed concentration limits. Only alprazolam showed a significantly higher frequency of positive clinical signs above the limit. This finding suggests that the current protocol of medical examination in Hungary is inadequate for diagnosing impairment when only one active substance without a defined threshold is detected in the blood. Given that sNPS was detected in 24.1 % of drivers, the medical investigation system requires a major revision.</div><div>The aim of this study was to investigate the illicit and licit drug consumption of suspected impaired drivers in Hungary and to present the disadvantages of the system currently used for diagnosing and proving impairment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112681"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145326001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detecting fentanyl analogs in counterfeit pharmaceuticals by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using handheld Raman spectrometers","authors":"Sevde Dogruer Erkok ,&nbsp;Martin M. Kimani ,&nbsp;Adam Lanzarotta ,&nbsp;Bruce McCord","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112679","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112679","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>According to the CDC, approximately 87,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States from October 2023 to September 2024, and the estimated number of overdose deaths in the US attributed to fentanyl and fentanyl analogs was around 54,000 in 2024. While fentanyl and its analogs are abused via numerous administration routes, the number of seized counterfeit tablets containing these drugs is significantly high. The DEA seized over 60 million fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills in 2024, equivalent to more than 380 million lethal doses of fentanyl. Portable techniques can be especially useful for law enforcement. Raman spectroscopy, especially surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), is one such technique which can be useful in both field and laboratory applications due to its sensitivity and selectivity. This study demonstrates SERS for presumptive detection of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in counterfeit tablets using two portable Raman instruments equipped with 785 nm and 1064 nm lasers, combined with commercial Ag nanoparticles and synthesized Au/Ag nanostars. The analysis of 14 counterfeit tablets revealed that SERS correctly identified fentanyl or a fentanyl analog in all samples, achieving 100 % sensitivity. However, the 1064 nm laser configuration demonstrated slightly superior performance, yielding clearer and more consistent spectral features compared to the 785 nm laser. These findings suggest that SERS, particularly with a 1064 nm laser, is a promising tool for presumptive field detection of fentanyl and its analogs in counterfeit tablets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112679"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145257804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The mechanisms of forensic vacuum metal deposition (fVMD): A literature review","authors":"Aaron Dove ,&nbsp;Benoit Daoust ,&nbsp;Andreas Ruëdiger","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112733","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112733","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Since the early 1970s, forensic vacuum metal deposition (fVMD) has been used in operational casework. It is renowned for its sensitivity and ability to work on aged impressions and difficult substrates. However, the precise mechanism by which this development occurs remains unclear. This article examines the current literature on fVMD to see what is known about the technique, what is unclear, and what are the next steps that should be taken. This review shows that, while the operational utility of the technique is not in question, none of the currently posited theories can explain all the observed phenomena. They are therefore, at best, incomplete, and further research is required.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112733"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145563455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using wastewater analysis to estimate the prevalence of THC and CBD use in a population of Japan during and after the Covid-19 pandemic (2020–2023)","authors":"Phong K. Thai ,&nbsp;Qiuda Zheng ,&nbsp;Nanami Yagishita ,&nbsp;Zhe Wang ,&nbsp;Hiroe Hara-Yamamura ,&nbsp;Wayne Hall ,&nbsp;Ryo Honda","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112687","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112687","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>It is illegal to use cannabis products that contain THC in Japan but cannabidiol (CBD) can be legally used for medical purposes. There is a lack of objective evidence on the comparative prevalence of THC and CBD use in Japan. This pilot study used wastewater to estimate the prevalence use of those two substances in the population of a small town in Japan during and after the Covid-19 pandemic period.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>We conducted a longitudinal observational study. Wastewater samples were collected every week for every other two months from October 2020 to March 2023 from the inlet of a wastewater treatment plant serviced a town in Honshu Island, Japan with a population of approximately 120,000 people. Biomarkers of THC and CBD use in wastewater were measured during the monitoring period using liquid-liquid extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The average estimated consumption of cannabis through the proxy of THC in the study population was 5 doses/1000 people/day. We observed a gradual increase of cannabis use from 2020 to 2023 by approximately 27 % per year. The prevalence of CBD use was similar to that of THC although CBD consumption could not be estimated in the absence of pharmacokinetic data.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The prevalence of THC use remained low in Japan compared to other countries despite a steady increase in recent years, but the use of CBD was much more common than in other countries. These findings provide evidence on the value of wastewater surveillance of drug use to differentiate between THC and CBD in Japan.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112687"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145318381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Firearm brand classification using deep learning on cartridge case images","authors":"Edanur Meral,&nbsp;Ahmet Oğuz Akyüz","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112671","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112671","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>When a firearm is discharged, it leaves characteristic marks on the cartridge case, which are analyzed in forensic ballistics to identify the firearm. Conventional ballistic examination systems rely on high-quality images of cartridge cases and bullets, scanning databases to generate ranked candidate lists based on similarity scores. However, these systems often overlook the distinctive signatures of the firearm brand, which could refine search spaces and improve identification accuracy. In this study, we propose a deep learning-based approach leveraging normalized height maps and shape index transformation of cartridge cases for firearm brand classification. Using the BALISTIKA system, we generated high-resolution surface representations from over 350,000 cartridge cases representing the most populous 21 firearm brands, representing 97% of firearms encountered in criminal cases in Türkiye, including handcrafted firearms and converted blank pistols (CBPs). By oversampling the minority classes in the dataset using rotated samples, we expanded it to over a million samples and mitigated class imbalance. We evaluated both traditional machine learning (SVM, Random Forest) and deep learning models (ResNet, Vision Transformer), with deep learning approaches achieving superior performance of up to 92% accuracy. These findings demonstrate that automated firearm brand classification enables forensic examiners to confidently prioritize cartridge cases from the same brand during ballistic comparisons. This approach is expected to substantially reduce examination time and enhance the efficiency of forensic investigations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112671"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145250660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Technical note MD-VF-Auto SEM: A method of the forensic diatom test that may help end the longstanding “war-on-diatoms”","authors":"Sunlin Hu ,&nbsp;Liang Chen ,&nbsp;Jie Ma ,&nbsp;Liguang Li ,&nbsp;Yang Ming ,&nbsp;Jingjie Wu ,&nbsp;Yang Liu ,&nbsp;Siyun Guo ,&nbsp;Yuchi Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112803","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112803","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The diatom test has been a classical test for drowning diagnosis for over a century. While it is often regarded in literature as a reliable method—even a golden standard—its validity remains a subject of ongoing controversy. This paper emphasized that the major cause for the controversy is from the methodology of the test. Conventional methods for the test lack sufficient sensitivity and accuracy, making diatom analysis results difficult to be interpreted in both drowning and non-drowning cases. In contrast, the MD-VF-Auto SEM method—which integrates microwave digestion (MD), vacuum filtration (VF), and automated scanning electron microscopy (Auto SEM)—offers significantly improved sensitivity and accuracy. This enhanced method is capable of clarifying the relationship between diatom presence and drowning, thereby addressing key questions regarding the test’s validity. The rationale as well as related research findings are presented. In the end, we call for international collaborative effort to collectively resolve the long-standing “war-on-diatoms”.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"380 ","pages":"Article 112803"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Petrous bone fractures and ossicular chain lesions detected by PMCT in burnt bodies","authors":"Christian Manzolini,&nbsp;Dominic LC Guebelin,&nbsp;Leonie Birke,&nbsp;Sabinne Langhart,&nbsp;Dominic Gascho,&nbsp;Michael J. Thali,&nbsp;Stephan A. Bolliger","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112709","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112709","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thermal fractures of the skull or even the complete loss of skull structures can make it extremely difficult or even impossible to assess additional mechanical head trauma in severely burnt bodies. However, as the petrous part of the temporal bone is very dense, it often remains more intact, even when other structures of the head are destroyed. It has been suggested in the past that certain lesions of the petrous bone, particularly transverse fractures, may indicate the presence of mechanical trauma. In this retrospective study, a total of 54 cases comprising 108 petrous bones with thermal damage to the head were examined based on CT data and reports, focusing on the occurrence of longitudinal and transverse petrous bone fractures and auditory ossicle luxation in relation to the degree of burning and mechanical trauma. None of the 44 cases without assumedly present mechanical head trauma displayed a fracture of the petrous bone or dislocation of the ossicular chain. In contrast, four transverse and five longitudinal fractures as well as two ossicle dislocations were seen in the ten cases with mechanical trauma to the head. These results indicate that the presence of petrous bone fractures and auditory ossicle lesions are highly indicative of an additional mechanical trauma - possibly before being burnt - thus demanding further investigations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112709"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145458128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bladder wash as an alternative specimen for postmortem toxicology: Critical evaluation of 87 authentic samples","authors":"Théo Willeman ,&nbsp;Berenice Royez ,&nbsp;Nicolas Gattegno ,&nbsp;Amandine Fort ,&nbsp;Jérémy Borges ,&nbsp;Coralie Boudin ,&nbsp;François Paysant ,&nbsp;Françoise Stanke-Labesque ,&nbsp;Hélène Eysseric-Guerin ,&nbsp;Virginie Scolan","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112701","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112701","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>In post-mortem toxicology, the analysis of various biological matrices is essential for obtaining reliable results. However, conventional matrices may be challenging to analyze using standard protocols or might be unavailable. Bladder washing (BW) has emerged as a valuable alternative when urine samples are absent. This study aims to describe the BW sampling technique and provide a critical evaluation of its current utility in post-mortem toxicological practice.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>BW was performed during forensic autopsies, over a three-year period. BW samples were collected from cases where the bladder was empty, using a single 5 mL wash with a 0.9 % NaCl solution. Toxicological analyses were conducted upon request from law enforcement or prosecutors. Screenings for drugs of abuse and medications were performed using LC-MS/MS and LC-HRMS, while volatiles were analyzed by HS-GC-FID. To characterize the wash, creatinine and protein assays were carried out. BW analytical results were subsequently compared to blood analyses in order to determined its sensitivity.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>This study included 87 authentic BW samples, with a median BW volume of 2 mL. The subjects, 55.2 % of whom were women, ranged in age from 1 month to 92 years. The median post-mortem interval was 2 days. Sensitivity for drugs and for alcohol and volatiles were 91.6 % and 65.1 %, respectively. No substances were identified in 14 BW samples, mirroring blood findings. Biochemically, 82.2 % of BWs had undetectable creatinine levels (&lt;0.18 mmol/L) and elevated proteinuria (median: 2.92 g/L).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>BW yielded satisfactory results as a biological matrix for confirmatory toxicological analysis. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the advantages of close collaboration with forensic pathologists in advancing forensic practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112701"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145376504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The anatomical basis of suspension-related torture of the shoulders (reverse hanging)","authors":"Michael S. Pollanen,&nbsp;Ricky Ng","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112707","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112707","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Torture by suspension of a detainee such that force of gravity concentrated on an isolated part of the body is common. If the suspension occurs by hyperextension of the shoulder, then the body weight is preferentially focused on the shoulder joints. This form of suspension-related torture is known as strappado, scorpion position, akrab, reverse hanging, and Palestinian hanging. Here, we show the anatomical basis of injury by hyperextension of the shoulder. In the shoulder, the musculoskeletal tissues around the glenohumeral joint (joint capsule, glenoid fossa, and muscles) and the brachial plexus are the focal points of injury when the shoulder is hyperextended. Importantly, when the shoulder is in the hyperextended position, there is both traction on the brachial plexus, and stretching over the humeral head, resulting in compression of the nerve bundles. This could give rise to transient functional impairment, depending on the magnitude of force (weight) and duration of suspension. Most importantly, if clinical examination of a detainee lacks permanent neurologic impairment, but there is testimonial evidence of transient brachial plexopathy, such as resolved weakness of the upper extremity, resolved clumsiness of the hand, and paraesthesia that improved overtime, then the latter supports an evidence-based conclusion about suspension-related shoulder torture. Understanding the anatomy of the shoulder obviates the under detection of this form of torture in survivors without obvious clinical signs at the time of clinical forensic examination.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112707"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145413498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preserving bloodstain evidence: Completely non-destructive estimation of time-since-deposition with ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics","authors":"Nor Ummiza Kamaruzaman ,&nbsp;Arniza Khairani Mohd Jamil ,&nbsp;Muhammad Faisal Khyasudeen ,&nbsp;Kah Hin Low","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112676","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112676","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Determining the time since deposition (TSD) of bloodstains is critical for reconstructing events in forensic investigations. However, traditional methods often involve destructive techniques that compromise evidence integrity. This study demonstrates the feasibility of attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometrics for non-destructive TSD estimation of bloodstains on glass slides up to 100 days old in realistic indoor environments, including open-air (macro) and zip-lock sealed (micro) conditions. Spectral data were acquired directly from the outer ring of bloodstain samples, preprocessed using standard normal variate transformation, and analysed using partial least squares regression (PLS-R) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The environment-specific PLS-R models demonstrated strong predictive performance, achieving a coefficient of determination of approximately 0.94 and a root mean square error of around 8 days. By categorising TSD prediction into broader groups, the PLS-DA models exhibited high robustness across varying environmental conditions, attaining discriminative accuracies of up to 95 %. Notably, PLS-DA effectively distinguished bloodstains less than 30 days old from older samples, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve approaching 1, indicating high reliability. These findings underscore the potential of PLS modelling combined with ATR-FTIR as a non-destructive, forensic-compatible technique for bloodstain age estimation, ensuring the preservation of forensic evidence integrity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112676"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}