Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology最新文献

{"title":"Trajectory- the unseen realm in a firing event: a novel and scientific approach in the identification of optimal recovery zones for gunshot residue micro traces.","authors":"Sreelakshmi Krishna, Pooja Ahuja","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-00980-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-00980-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gunshot residue (GSR) particles, generated during firearm discharge, disperse in the surrounding environment according to physical laws governing the motion of particles. This study analyzes GSR distribution from 9 × 19 mm ammunition along the trajectory with a fixed target. GSR particle count follows a bell-shaped distribution, influenced by velocity, temperature, and burn rate. Understanding this pattern aids in modeling GSR dispersion based on muzzle-to-target distance, improving forensic analysis of shooting incidents. The kinematic behavior of GSR particles observed in this study facilitated the identification of the region exhibiting the highest deposition. The peak particle deposition was detected along the projectile trajectory, specifically at 100-130 cm from the muzzle end, in the direction of fire. This facilitated the identification of the distance at which the probability of obtaining maximum GSR particles is possible. This aids forensic investigations, providing insights into the trajectory, and identifying the potential region of maximum GSR deposition. A significant influence of distance on the number of GSR particle deposition was observed in the study. The study highlights the necessity of GSR collection along the trajectory, where retrieval probability is higher than at the muzzle or target. A methodology using the Trasoscan Laboratory Imaging System (TLIS) for GSR detection and counting is proposed. TLIS demonstrates potential as a primary imaging tool, with analytical data represented as particle frequency in the shooting vicinity. SEM analysis reveals significant deviations in GSR size distribution across muzzle, trajectory, and target, enhancing accuracy by identifying GSR-dense areas for more precise forensic conclusions. The largest GSR particles were recovered from the target distance (470-500 cm), suggesting surface modifications upon impact, which can be instrumental in estimating the shooting distance. The proposed approach could be implemented in current analytical pipelines or caseworks.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143614313","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":"Death due to positional asphyxia related to underlying seizure disorder.","authors":"Garlen Yu, Joseph A Prahlow","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-00973-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-00973-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Positional asphyxia occurs when a victim fails to remove themself from a compromising position, leading to the restriction of respiration with subsequent death. Many cases involve an inverted body position with or without abnormal kinking of the neck. Victims are typically unable to recover from dangerous situations due to impaired consciousness. Furthermore, positional asphyxia is often accidental, stemming from conditions such as intoxication and varying neurologic disorders. We report a unique case of a death of a college student due to positional asphyxia related to an underlying seizure disorder to highlight the significant dangers that individuals face with seizure disorders, including sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP).</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143572488","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":"Diagnosing coronary artery dissection using virtual autopsy in a resource-poor setting- a case report.","authors":"Chathula Ushari Wickramasinghe, Murugupillai Sivasubramanium, Sameera Gunasekara, Gayan Kumarasinghe, Saman Chandradasa","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-00967-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-00967-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The development of technology has significantly impacted the evolution of autopsy techniques worldwide. Initially described by Richard Dirnhofer, the concept of \"Virtual Autopsy (VA)\" or \"Virtopsy\" involves combining innovative technology with Conventional Autopsy (CA). This has permitted a non-/minimally invasive approach to postmortem examinations.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>A 65-year-old male, a known patient with ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia, who had defaulted treatment, was found dead at home. The body was brought to the National Hospital Kandy for post-mortem examination. The internal dissection revealed a haemopericardium of 50 ml. Bleeding into the epicardial tissue throughout the course of the circumflex artery was noted. With the suspicion of coronary artery aneurysm rupture/dissection, ex-situ contrast-enhanced radiography was done on the heart to identify the point of bleeding. This was done by cannulating the left coronary ostia, through which a contrast dye was injected and X-ray images taken. With the assistance of the radiographs combined with careful dissection and histology, circumflex artery dissection and the rupture site were identified more accurately.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>VA has many uses, as an adjunct to CA to accentuate the findings of CA and enable targeted system-specific CA. Based on various factors such as the availability of technology, expertise, and post-mortem rate, the use of VA should be customized to each country to obtain the maximum benefits.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143572515","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":"Deaths in Mountains.","authors":"Roger W Byard","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-00965-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-00965-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143572600","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":"Even if a genetic autopsy reveals a pathogenic variant, this should not prevent forensic experts from looking for other causes.","authors":"Josef Finsterer","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-00977-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-00977-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143572529","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 Rhodococcus erythropolis endocarditis complicated by an abscess invading the atrioventricular node: a case report.","authors":"Yuhao Yuan, Longda Ma, Yue Liang, Shuquan Zhao, Qing Shi, Zhonghao Yu, Yiwu Zhou","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-00972-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-00972-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Infective endocarditis (IE) and myocardial abscesses caused by Rhodococcus erythropolis are rare clinical manifestations in healthy individuals. We report the autopsy of a 43-year-old male who suffered from IE caused by R. erythropolis infection and died of an atrioventricular node abscess, arrhythmia, and heart failure. This case indicates that the possibility of infection affecting the cardiac conduction system should be considered in arrhythmia-related IE cases. Our findings suggest that clinicians should consider the possibility of R. erythropolis infection in arrhythmia cases associated with IE.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143566617","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":"Cadaver clots: a systematic review of the literature.","authors":"Biagio Solarino, Laura Ambrosi, Marcello Benevento, Davide Ferorelli, Claas Buschmann, Simona Nicolì","doi":"10.1007/s12024-025-00976-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-025-00976-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cadaveric blood is ubiquitous, and observed in various forms-liquid, coagulated, and clot-like-during autopsies. Understanding its state in postmortem vessels is essential for both scientific research and forensic investigations. Pulmonary thromboembolism (PT) is a leading cause of sudden death, often requiring medicolegal evaluation. While thrombus formation is primarily explained by Virchow's triad, the distinction between antemortem, agonal, and postmortem clot (PMC) pathogenesis remains debated. This study aims to systematically review the literature to clarify the morphological and pathological differences among these entities in forensic practice. A systematic review of PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted using predefined key terms: \"clot,\" \"thrombus,\" \"chicken-fat,\" \"agonal,\" \"postmortem,\" and \"autopsy.\" Articles were screened for relevance, and 11 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The review highlights a significant gap in comparative studies addressing antemortem versus postmortem clots. The literature lacks a consensus regarding their definitions, macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, pathogenesis, and relevance to determining the cause and timing of death. Existing studies present conflicting interpretations, limiting the reliability of forensic differentiation. The current understanding of antemortem, agonal, and postmortem clots remains incomplete. Our findings underscore the need for further research to establish standardized criteria for distinguishing clot types, which is crucial for forensic pathology and medicolegal evaluations.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143540647","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 preliminary study of carrion insects in Greece and their attraction to three animal baits: a forensic entomology perspective.","authors":"Gabriella Dimitra Rakopoulou, Ian Robert Dadour","doi":"10.1007/s12024-024-00796-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12024-024-00796-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The current study provides data on the composition of the dipteran and coleopteran fauna attracted to three different animal baits (chicken stomach, beef liver, fish) in the urban ecosystem of Athens, Greece. An additional objective was to examine the effect of bait choice by the collected taxa. Three trap locations were established within the Agricultural University of Athens. At each location two different types of baited traps were used to capture and record the local dipteran and coleopteran biodiversity. During the sampling period, a total of 2416 dipteran and coleopteran specimens representing 43 species were collected and identified. The three most abundant dipteran taxa were Sarcophaga sp. (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy, Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). The results showed that the structure of the local insect community associated with the decomposition of animal baits depends on the bait used for sampling. This study reinforced the feasibility of using animal tissues as attractants to a wide diversity of medical, parasitological and forensically important taxa. Overall, beef liver attracted the most insects with Diptera preferring beef liver and Coleoptera preferring chicken stomach. Furthermore, this study revealed that baits of one animal tissue did not attract all species but in combination a much better understanding of this biodiversity was achieved. Finally, from a forensic entomology perspective this study highlights the lack of understanding of the value of entomological data related to case work in Greece.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"11-22"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140012536","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":"Stability of new psychoactive substances in crude wastewater.","authors":"Bethan Davies, Richard Paul, David Osselton, Timothy Woolley","doi":"10.1007/s12024-024-00860-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12024-024-00860-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Those involved in drug testing continue to grapple with the dynamic nature of emerging psychoactive substances (NPS) and their rapid infiltration into society. The challenge extends beyond merely detecting and measuring NPS using analytical tools; it also encompasses the complexities arising from the formation and presence of metabolites and degradation products. This study utilises liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry to investigate the stability of new psychoactive substances in wastewater. Seven NPS compounds including 25C-NBOMe, 5F-APINACA 4-hydroxyphenyl, AB-PINACA, APINACA 4-hydroxyphenyl, fentanyl, norfentanyl and MDPV, along with their corresponding internal standard, were examined. Reference material for each NPS compound was introduced into a wastewater sample from a Wessex water treatment plant. The sample was then exposed to four different environments: room temperature, refrigerator temperature, acidification to pH 2, and the introduction of sodium metabisulfite. The findings highlight the critical dependence of storage conditions on target analytes, emphasizing the paramount importance of the time elapsed between collection and analysis for NPS wastewater analysis. Notably, synthetic cannabinoids exhibit limited stability in wastewater whereas cathinone-like substances demonstrate greater stability. Furthermore, metabolites prove to be more stable in wastewater than the parent drug, suggesting that focusing on metabolite detection may be more favourable for future analysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"478-486"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141579427","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 impact of SARS-Co-V pandemic on violence against children: one institution's experience.","authors":"Francesco Lupariello, Lucia Tattoli, Giuliana Mattioda, Barbara Lauria, Sonia Aguzzi, Sara Simona Racalbuto, Emanuele Castagno, Claudia Bondone","doi":"10.1007/s12024-024-00890-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12024-024-00890-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Violence against children (VAC) is a global issue due to its biological, psychological, and social effects. Research in this field is valuable for understanding unknown aspects of VAC and for defining updated intervention strategies. Until now, there have been no clear indications about the possible effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on VAC. In this study, the authors compared quantitative and qualitative variables of pre-pandemic and pandemic cases evaluated at an Italian center specialized in VAC. The aims were to determine if the cases referred for VAC changed during the pandemic and if there were statistically significant differences in variables' distributions between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The referrals during the first 13 months of the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were compared to cases referred over 13 months (2018-2019) to the same center. The analysis showed no statistical differences between age distributions and most qualitative variables. A decrease in the number of cases was observed. The comparison of frequency distributions of most variables between pre and post-pandemic samples did not differ. The most important result of the analysis is that the volume of observed VAC cases decreased during the pandemic period, confirming the indications of the scientific literature. It could not be excluded that the decrease was due to the negative impact of the pandemic on the child protection system. The above data could help develop innovative prevention tools and corrective intervention programs for future emergencies.</p>","PeriodicalId":12449,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"165-172"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142106092","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}