Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology最新文献

{"title":"Postmortem mutilation in a case of natural death.","authors":"Elke Doberentz, Valentin Sanner, Burkhard Madea","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-01013-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-01013-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This is a case report of a postmortem dismemberment (removal of the head) of a 44-year-old man (the perpetrator was 39-years-old) who died of natural causes (massive pneumonia). The case was neither a defensive nor an offensive mutilation but could be properly termed a \"communication\" dismemberment. The assumption that a victim of dismemberment is always a victim of homicide is not true in this case. To our knowledge, this is one of the very rare cases in which a perpetrator who has nothing to do with the death dismembered a body. Gerchow's question about whether there has ever been a case in which someone who had nothing to do with the death dismembered a body can be answered with a \"yes.\"</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144011266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trends in forensic investigation of seminal fluid- a scoping review.","authors":"Megha Upadhyay, Pankaj Shrivastava, Kapil Verma, Bhawana Joshi","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-01012-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-01012-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In sexual assault cases, semen is the most significant evidence for investigation. It can be recovered from either the victim or the crime scene. Additionally, semen can also be retrieved along with other body fluids, which makes it even more difficult to detect. The detection methods for semen are very wide, ranging from conventional destructive techniques to modern nondestructive techniques. The conventional techniques are reliable but have great disadvantages in terms of specificity and evidence integrity. This review highlights recent investigative techniques that are currently trending in the detection of semen. It provides a comprehensive analysis of various methods, including a comparative evaluation of their effectiveness. Additionally, the review summarizes the use of DNA markers as a detection strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143989657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From microbial data to forensic insights: systematic review of machine learning models for PMI estimation.","authors":"Abdulkreem Abdullah Al-Juhani, Arwa Mohammad Gaber, Rodan Mahmoud Desoky, Abdulaziz A Binshalhoub, Mohammed Jamaan Alzahrani, Mofareh Shubban Alraythi, Saleh Showail, Amjad Aoussi Aseeri","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-01002-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-01002-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Estimating post-mortem interval (PMI) is crucial for forensic timelines, yet traditional methods are prone to errors from witness testimony and biological markers sensitive to environmental factors. New molecular and microbial techniques, such as DNA degradation patterns and bacterial community analysis, have shown promise by improving PMI estimation accuracy and reliability over traditional methods. Machine learning further enhances PMI estimation by leveraging complex microbial data. This review addresses the gap by systematically analyzing how microbiome-based PMI predictions compare across organs, environments, and machine learning techniques.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We retrieved relevant articles up to September 2024 from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE, and Cochrane Library. Data were extracted from eligible studies by two independent reviewers. This included the number and species of subjects, tissue sample used, PMI range in the study, machine learning algorithms, and model performance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We gathered 1252 records from five databases after excluding 750 duplicates. After screening titles and abstracts, 43 records were assessed for eligibility, resulting in 28 included articles. Our ranking of machine learning models for PMI estimation identified the top five based on error metrics and explained variance. Wang (2024) achieved a mean absolute error (MAE) of 6.93 h with a random forests (RF) model. Liu (2020) followed with an MAE of 14.483 h using a neural network. Cui (2022) used soil samples for PMI predictions up to 36 days, reaching an MAE of 1.27 days. Yang (2023) employed an RF model using soil samples, achieving an MAE of 1.567 days in summer and an MAE of 2.001 days in winter. Belk (2018) an RF model on spring soil samples with 16S rRNA data, attaining an MAE of 48 accumulated day degrees (ADD) (~ 3-5 days) across a PMI range of 142 days.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Machine learning models, particularly RF, have demonstrated effectiveness in PMI estimation when combined with 16S rRNA and soil samples. However, improving model performance requires standardized parameters and validation across diverse forensic environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144009125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response to Leković and Nikolić.","authors":"Alberto Amadasi, Lorenzo Franceschetti, Larissa Amadasi, Lars Oesterhelweg","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-01008-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-01008-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143967447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Endobronchial valves- an iatrogenic cause of hemoptysis to be considered at autopsy.","authors":"Erin MacDonald, Neil E I Langlois, Roger W Byard","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-01009-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-01009-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>An 80-year-old man who presented with hemoptysis died from ischemic heart disease and emphysema with cor pulmonale. He had a past history of ischemic heart disease with previous myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with endobronchial valve insertion and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung with lobe resection. On the day of death he had coughed up approximately one tablespoon of blood. While causes of hemoptysis usually include entities such as bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, tumors, adjacent aneurysms, inflammatory/infective processes or septic emboli, occasionally there may be an iatrogenic etiology. The present case demonstrates a rare cause of hemoptysis associated with medical treatment - endobronchial valve insertion with surrounding granulation tissue formation and resultant hemorrhage. Hemoptysis in decedents with COPD may, therefore, be due to treatment rather than to underlying inflammatory or neoplastic lesions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144003539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fatal ingestion of firecracker in borderline personality disorder: suicide or not?","authors":"Tijana Petrović, Tatjana Atanasijević, Ana Opanković, Bojana Radnić, Vesna Popović, Milenko Bogdanović","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-01006-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-01006-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition marked by intense emotions, unstable relationships, and a distorted self-image, which often leads to impulsive and self-destructive behaviors. Individuals with BPD frequently engage in deliberate foreign body ingestion (DFBI), a behavior that can result in severe outcomes if dangerous objects are ingested. Herein, we present a case of 45-year-old man with a history of BPD that was found in his apartment with fatal head injuries caused by the explosion of a firecracker in his mouth. Besides extensive head injuries that undoubtedly led to lethal outcome, autopsy revealed a sewing needle deeply embedded in a cardiac muscle, with fibrinous deposits suggesting that its ingestion occurred prior to the fatal incident. Such cases are crucial because they highlight the forensic significance of autopsy findings. By integrating autopsy findings with clinical data and other relevant case circumstances, valuable information can be obtained regarding the cause and manner of death. This case underscores the importance of thorough forensic investigation in cases of unusual self-harm to accurately determine intent and underlying factors.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143965377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The issue of \"combined homicide\": a review of the literature and an explanatory case including blunt force trauma, strangulation and stab wounds.","authors":"Alberto Amadasi, Marc Windgassen","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-01007-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-01007-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Among the various methods employed in the commission of homicide, the occurrence of what is termed a \"combined homicide\" has been documented, where the perpetrator uses more than one method to bring about the victim's death. This article presents the case of a 59-year-old woman who was murdered by her husband in a premeditated manner, using three distinct methods in succession: blunt force trauma inflicted by hammer blows to the head, asphyxia through strangulation with a cord and sharp force injury resulting from multiple stab wounds to the abdomen. In the literature, only a limited number of cases have been analyzed under such a classification and there is currently no widely accepted nosological definition. This case shares similarities with instances of \"complex suicide,\" particularly due to the use of multiple injurious methods. However, it does not fall within the \"overkill\" category, as the intent was not to inflict excessive harm on the body, but to kill the victim. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a clear and consistent definition of \"combined homicides\" to ensure accurate classification and facilitate a comprehensive forensic investigation.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143994936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A rare case of lethal lactic acid poisoning: an autopsy case report.","authors":"Deepu Mathew, Keerthi Kumaran, Alagarasan Naveen, Ambika Prasad Patra, Pampa Ch Toi","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-01005-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-01005-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>More than 700,000 people die due to suicide every year, and ingestion of pesticides, hanging, and firearms are among the most commonly used suicide methods globally. Although corrosives are among the least preferred agents for suicide due to the extreme pain caused and the possibility of prolonged suffering instead of immediate death, cases of ingestion continue to be observed. Commonly ingested corrosive substances include acids such as hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, alkalis such as sodium and potassium hydroxide, heavy metal salts, formalin, and iodine tincture. However, previous literature has not reported cases of poisoning with lactic acid preparations in adults. In this report, we discuss the death of a 67-year-old male following the consumption of Lactisan, a commercial preparation of lactic acid used in the dairy industry. The diagnosis and management of lactic acid poisoning pose challenges due to the lack of any previous data and the short half-life of lactic acid in the bloodstream. The laboratory investigation showed severe lactic acidosis. We discuss in detail the gross and microscopic features of lactic acid poisoning. This case report emphasizes the need for awareness among healthcare professionals about such uncommon but potentially fatal poisonings.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144000082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scientific analysis of shared AB blood type among relics and eucharistic miracles: A reply to Franco Serafini's commentary.","authors":"Kelly P Kearse","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-01003-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-01003-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the recent paper entitled \"The relics of Jesus and Eucharistic miracles: scientific analysis of shared AB blood type\" the issue was raised that assignment of AB blood type using serological methods with such articles may be difficult due to the shared nature of AB antigens between humans and bacteria. Moreover, it was pointed out that examination of unique polymorphic markers would be required to validate a single source of origin. In a responsive commentary, Serafini has argued that because serological AB techniques have proven useful for certain (unrelated) studies in the past, the validity of such findings with relics is therefore convincing, even though environmental conditions are markedly different. In addition, he makes several assertions regarding the extensive use of control groups that confuse results obtained with relics with those of Eucharistic miracles, which should be considered separately. Serafini's main concern is that excessive scientific prudence will put people off a topic such as the scientific study of Eucharistic miracles. Unfortunately, this viewpoint fails to realize that incautious scientific investigation of such subjects may, in fact, be of much greater harm in the long run. Specific responses to the key points raised in Serafini's commentary are discussed below.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144063127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regarding the possible \"exception\" to Puppe's rule in gunshot wounds to the skull with a burr hole.","authors":"Aleksa Leković, Slobodan Nikolić","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-01004-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-01004-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143996969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}