International Journal of Legal Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Poisoning suicide due to paroxetine overdose toxicity aided by benzodiazepine and antipsychotic drugs.","authors":"Dimitra Florou, Research Fellow, Kleio-Evangelia Fragkouli, Amvrosios Orfanidis, Vassiliki A Boumba","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03570-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03570-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This contribution presents a case of suicide death due to ingestion of paroxetine in overdose by a 22-year-old psychiatric patient. The deceased was found dead in his room with blood exiting his nose and dry bloodstains on his left wrist. Many empty and semi-empty packets of prescribed medications were found in the scene. On internal examination, the urinary bladder was markedly distended, and the organs showed autolytic changes with no other macroscopic pathological lesions. Blood (from the left external iliac vein), urine, and gastric contents were sampled for toxicological analysis. The toxicological screening revealed the presence of the antidepressant selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine, the benzodiazepine alprazolam and its metabolite alpha-hydroxy-alprazolam, and the antipsychotic quetiapine in blood, urine, and gastric contents, and the presence of nor-clozapine in urine. Quantitative analysis showed lethal blood paroxetine concentration of 3.3 mg/L and 1.58 mg/L in urine. Based on the medicolegal autopsy, the medical history, the circumstances of death by the police, the toxicological results and the pharmacology of the involved drugs, the manner and cause of death were recorded as suicide and, mixed-drug intoxication due to the synergistic action of the primary toxicant paroxetine and the secondary contribution of alprazolam, quetiapine and clozapine, respectively. It was classified as X61 in International Classification of Diseases (10th revision). This is the first fatal case reporting the simultaneous presence of antipsychotics (quetiapine and clozapine) and benzodiazepines (alprazolam) with toxic paroxetine levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2713-2719"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12532633/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144784208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Foren-STR: a comprehensive tool for rapid calculation of forensic parameters from autosomal STR data.","authors":"Jorge Castillo-Ortiz, Lizzette Salinas-Pineda, N Sofía Huerta-Pacheco, Mariano Guardado-Estrada","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03540-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03540-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In forensic genetics, prior to solving paternity or identification cases, it is mandatory to analyze population data of genetic markers to ensure the quality of the estimations in the required calculations. Currently, there are several tools that analyze forensic population parameters and population genetic statistics. However, the use of some of these tools can be time-consuming, as there is a learning curve to get familiarized with them, a situation that can be complicated due to the workload of forensic laboratories. Here, we propose a comprehensive tool for the quick calculation of forensic parameters and some population genetic statistics for an autosomal Short Tandem Repeats (STR) database. This tool is a web-based application ( https://enacif.shinyapps.io/Foren-STR/ ) developed in R, which estimates Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HW), probability of match (PM), power of discrimination (PD), and power of exclusion (PE). Additionally, it can analyze more than one population and graphically infer whether there is population substructure through a heatmap or by statistically calculating genetic distances, such as F_st. The results of this tool are similar to those of other tools, providing an alternative and user-friendly option for forensic geneticists.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2675-2679"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12532639/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Significance of chondrocyte viability in postmortem interval assessments and chondrocyte viability assay.","authors":"Anita Galić Mihić, Davor Mayer, Katerina Jazbec Gradišar, Elvira Maličev, Rok Blagus, Pero Hrabač, Armin Alibegović","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03549-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03549-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Determination of the postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the most challenging problems in forensic medicine. The main aim of this study was to determine the dynamics of the decrease in the fraction of viable chondrocytes excluded from the donors' knees for PMI determination. The other aim was to find an appropriate method for chondrocyte viability assay. We analyzed osteochondral cylinders from 35 donors (28 males and 7 females), aged 44 to 90 years, whose bodies were stored in refrigerators at temperature of 8 ± 2 °C, during the period from 4 to 83 days postmortem. The proportion of viable chondrocytes was determined by flow cytometry (FC) and cell viability analyzer (CVA). For FC we used RedDot™1 to mark all chondrocytes with nuclei (method FCN) and 7-AAD, to distinguish live/dead cells (method FCC) among RedDot™1 positive cells. Results revealed that chondrocytes from the knee cartilage can be found alive after more than two months postmortem. We observed that even in controlled temperatures and environment, the predicted interval for PMI is too wide for this method to be used in daily forensic practice, likely due to the relatively small number of donors considered in our study, and other unknown factors that affect the viability of chondrocytes in dead bodies. This could be verified with a larger number of donors followed over a longer period. FCC is a slightly superior method over CVA and FCN in terms of its ability for PMI determination.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2763-2773"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12532684/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144642531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Forensic personal identification using two-dimensional computed tomographic imaging of the frontal sinus: a comparative analysis of feature matching algorithms.","authors":"Suguru Torimitsu, Yukiko Uemura, Shigeki Tsuneya, Numfon Tweeatsani, Maiko Yoshida, Daisuke Yajima, Go Inokuchi, Ayumi Motomura, Fumiko Chiba, Yumi Hoshioka, Hirotaro Iwase, Yohsuke Makino","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03564-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03564-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Personal identification plays a crucial role in forensic investigations. The frontal sinus (FS), due to its unique anatomical characteristics, is often used for human identification with radiographic imaging. This study evaluates the feasibility of personal identification using computed tomographic (CT) images of the FS with feature matching programs, the Accelerated-KAZE (AKAZE) and Oriented Features from Accelerated Segmented Test and Rotated Binary Robust Independent Elementary Features (ORB).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>CT images of 180 deceased individuals (135 males, 45 females) were analyzed. Antemortem (AM) and postmortem (PM) CT images of the FS were processed and compared using the AKAZE and ORB algorithms. The similarity between the paired AMCT and PMCT images was calculated using brute-force matching. Welch's t-test was used to assess differences in similarity scores between the matched and mismatched groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the accuracy of the identification.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean similarity scores of the matched groups were significantly lower than those of the mismatched groups across all subgroups (p < 0.001). ROC analysis showed that AKAZE had a higher true positive rate (TPR = 0.950) and a lower false positive rate (FPR = 0.129) than ORB (TPR = 0.883, FPR = 0.172) for all samples.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Feature-matching algorithms applied to CT images demonstrated high reliability for personal identification. AKAZE performed better than ORB in distinguishing between the matched and mismatched groups. These findings support the potential application of this method to forensic investigations, particularly where DNA, fingerprints, and dental materials are not available.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2857-2867"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12532623/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144821400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Autopsy findings in victims of gunshot injuries: wound ballistic considerations based on test shots to simulants and composite models.","authors":"Markus Große Perdekamp, Stefan Pollak","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03543-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03543-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The focus of this review is on the experimental reproduction of gunshot injuries as observed in real autopsy cases. At the centre of considerations are the morphological features and diagnostic conclusions derived from the wound appearance. With this in mind, the technical possibilities to simulate the tissue damage are described on the basis of the pertinent literature and our own studies. In particular, the following issues are addressed: (1) the morphology of bullet entrance wounds depending on the shooting distance (contact, close range and distant shots); (2) the findings along the bullet path (with special regard to different soft tissues and the fracture patterns in bones); (3) the use of biological and synthetic simulants as target material; (4) imaging techniques and evaluation methods in one-component surrogates and composite models; (5) injuries from uncommon weapons and shooting devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2721-2739"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12532641/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144505618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unusual findings of isopropanol and chlorhexidine in a 4-month infant: a case of postmortem contamination linked to an inappropriate disinfection procedure.","authors":"Adeline Knapp-Gisclon, Charlotte Mayer-Duverneuil, Caroline Rambaud, Jean-Claude Alvarez","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03565-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03565-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A 4-month-old infant was found in cardiorespiratory arrest in his cot at the home of his childminder. The child's cardiac blood and gastric contents, taken during a body examination, were sent to us to investigate the cause of death in the context of sudden unexpected infant death. Alcohols (ethanol, methanol, acetone and isopropanol) were determined by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID), a broad screening was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and a targeted screening of drugs and narcotics by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Chlorhexidine was determined by LC-MS/MS. The child showed no symptoms in the days preceding his death. The autopsy concluded that death was linked to an asphyxia mechanism. Only isopropanol at a concentration of 23 mg/dL was found in the cardiac blood sample taken during the body examination. However, it was absent from the gastric contents. After discussion with the doctor, prior to external examination of the body, the child's skin and tubes were decontaminated by spraying a product containing 2% chlorhexidine and 70% isopropanol on the puncture area. A specific test for chlorhexidine was then carried out, revealing a concentration of 879 ng/mL. The concomitant presence of isopropanol and chlorhexidine makes the hypothesis of contamination of the sample by the disinfectant plausible. A second tube of peripheral blood, this time taken during the autopsy, was sent to us. This blood sample tested negative for alcohols and chlorhexidine, confirming the contamination of the first sample by the disinfectant.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2707-2711"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144608306","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":"Development and validation of a multiplex assay system for simultaneous detection of HIV-1, HBV, and human STRs for forensic application on CE system.","authors":"Yi Liu, Zhaorui Chang, Dan Wen, Ruyi Xu, Yue Wang, Weifeng Qu, Chudong Wang, Hongtao Jia, Jienan Li, Jifeng Cai, Yadong Guo, Bowei Jiang, Lagabaiyila Zha","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03569-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03569-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human immunodeficiency virus (hereafter, \"HIV\") and hepatitis B virus (hereafter, \"HBV\") are prevalent infectious pathogens. In many countries, criminal law applies to those who intentionally transmit or expose others to these two dangerous pathogens. Viral infection is a significant characteristic in forensic investigations, and there are few reports on the simultaneous detection of DNA viruses, RNA viruses, and human short tandem repeats (hereafter, \"STRs\") in forensic laboratories. We developed a novel multiplex assay system that simultaneously identifies HIV-1, HBV, and STRs via capillary electrophoresis (hereafter, \"CE\"). This system demonstrated high species specificity, detecting HIV-1 RNA and HBV DNA at concentrations as low as 10 IU/mL. Full STR profiles were generated using 62.5 pg of template DNA. The combined power of discrimination of the 16 STR loci met the requirements of forensic applications. The comprehensive validation results confirmed that the multiplex assay system, which can provide qualitative results for three types of targets in a single tube via a one-step amplification process, is valuable for forensic applications. This system can offer additional individual characteristics (viral infections) for forensic DNA analysis, thus improving the efficiency of forensic investigations.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2647-2657"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144730333","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":"Predictive models for sex Estimation based on alveolar measurements in a contemporary Italian sample.","authors":"Carmen Tanga, Joan Viciano","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03555-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03555-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Teeth play a significant role in reconstructive identification, aiding in the estimation of an individual's biological profile, such as population affinity, sex, and age at death. However, when teeth are lost postmortem-a common occurrence in forensic contexts-alternative methods are required. This study aimed to develop predictive models for sex estimation using alveolar measurements and to evaluate their reliability with a validation sample. Mesiodistal and buccolingual alveolar diameters from both arches were measured in 127 adults (64 males, 63 females) from the Certosa Cemetery osteological collection in Bologna. Binary logistic regression models were developed using a training subsample and tested on a hold-out subsample. The results indicated that the canine alveoli in both arches exhibited the highest sexual dimorphism, followed by those of the central incisor, first premolar, lateral incisor, and second premolar. In the training subsample, univariate predictive models achieved sex classification accuracy ranging from 57.3 to 83.9%, while multivariate models ranged from 68.0 to 91.3%. In the hold-out subsample of 19 individuals, sex was accurately estimated in 89.5% of cases, with a match rate of 63.2% compared with known biological sex. This study highlights the potential of alveolar measurements as a reliable alternative in forensic anthropology, offering a viable method for sex estimation when teeth are unavailable for measurement.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2965-2980"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144540145","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":"Fatal and nonfatal sharp force injuries to the limbs: a study of forensic autopsies in Sweden (2010-2019).","authors":"Anton F Mittendorf, Nils Rosario Högberg, Tilde Joensuu, Yohan Robinson, Carl Johan Wingren, Ali-Reza Rezaie, Brita Zilg","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03554-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03554-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sharp force injuries display varying patterns depending on the manner of death (homicide, suicide, accidental). The purpose of this study was to analyse forensic autopsy data to examine the characteristics of sharp force injuries on the extremities, to differentiate between different manners of death and to examine demographic differences.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective cohort study utilized forensic autopsy reports from the Swedish Forensic Medicine Database. Cases were selected based on sharp force trauma as the cause of death. Injuries to the arms and legs were analysed for severity using a modified Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) to assess the trauma burden on the extremities and toxicological data was gathered. Statistical analyses were performed to explore differences in injury patterns and toxicological findings across manners of death as well as between sexes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study included 823 cases, categorized as 403 homicides, 365 suicides, 26 accidents, and 29 undetermined deaths. Suicides were more likely to involve lethal extremity injuries, particularly to the forearms and wrists. The injury severity was significantly higher in suicides than homicides when considering only cases with extremity injuries. Toxicology results showed higher intoxication rates in accidental deaths.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study highlights the utility of analysing the anatomical distribution and severity of injuries to the extremities in differentiating between homicides and suicides. Additionally, demographic and toxicological factors, such as age and substance use, provide valuable insights into the circumstances surrounding sharp force deaths.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2749-2761"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12532691/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144553448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Validation of the investigator argus y-28 qs kit on the seqstudio™ genetic analyzer for hid: a new panel file for genemapper id-x software v1.6.","authors":"Giulia Soldati, Stefania Turrina, Francesco Ausania","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03539-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03539-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Investigator Argus Y-28 QS Kit is a 27-locus, six-dye multiplex, which includes six rapidly mutating Short Tandem Repeats (RM Y-STRs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A new text file containing the optimized panel and bin sets for GeneMapper ID-X Software v1.6 has been prepared. In addition, an internal validation study was conducted on the Investigator Argus Y-28 QS kit using the SeqStudio™ Genetic Analyzer for HID.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The full results of that study are presented here, including data on precision, sensitivity, reproducibility, stutter determination, and reduction volume analysis. A concordance study and three case reports are documented. Finally, the kit was successfully used to conduct a proficiency test.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The obtained findings achieved a satisfactory performance of the Investigator Argus Y-28 QS Kit on the SeqStudio™ Genetic Analyzer for HID.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2635-2645"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144333092","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}