International Journal of Legal Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Operation Melilli, forensic humanitarian medico legal activities on the largest known Mediterranean disaster: the shipwreck of April 18th, 2015.","authors":"Cristina Cattaneo, Debora Mazzarelli, Annalisa Cappella, Davide Porta, Pasquale Poppa, Vera Merelli, Francesca Magli, Alberto Amadasi, Lara Olivieri, Giulia Caccia, Andrea Palamenghi, Marco Cummaudo, Annalisa D'Apuzzo, Egidio Ibba, Davide Damante, Nicola De Felice, Giuseppe Romano, Luca Cari, Luca Maria Sconfienza, Grazia Pozzi, Carmelo Messina, Nunziata Giuseppa Elisabetta Barbera, Antonina Argo, Stefania Zerbo, Giuseppe Lo Re, Alessio Asmundo, Daniela Sapienza, Roberto Giuffrida, Denise Albani, Elena Pilli, Gianpietro Lago, Alberto Marino, Diego Denari, Luca Tajana, Barbara Bertoglio, Pierangela Grignani, Carlo Previderé, Carlo Robino, Andrea Verzeletti, Chiara Rossetti, Lorenzo Franceschetti, Luca Salvaderi, Adriano Tagliabracci, Mauro Pesaresi, Antonio De Donno, Valeria Santoro, Rossana Cecchi, Antonio Banchini, Rosa Maria Gaudio, Letizia Alfieri, Susi Pelotti, Daniela Roberta Schillaci, Lucia Tattoli, Giancarlo Di Vella, Richard L Jantz, Douglas H Ubelaker, Rossella Di Liberto, Jose-Pablo Baraybar, Vittorio Piscitelli, Danilo De Angelis","doi":"10.1007/s00414-026-03886-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-026-03886-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>On April 18th, 2015, a boat carrying about 1,000 migrants sank in the Strait of Sicily, prompting one of the most complex recovery missions ever conducted in the Mediterranean. Operation Melilli was the first time a European Government authorized the recovery of a sunken migrant ship to identify all victims. The Italian Navy and Fire Brigade recovered the wreck and remains, while forensic pathologists, anthropologists, and radiologists from 13 universities, coordinated by the Commissioner for Missing Persons, conducted the postmortem examinations. From the wreck, 528 bodies and 30,000 commingled remains-mostly of young Sub-Saharan men-were retrieved. Collaboration with the International Committee and Italian Red Cross enabled antemortem data collection for over 300 missing persons. Ten years later, 33 victims have been identified through DNA analysis and other 40 are currently being confirmed as operations are still ongoing at the time of the preparation of his article. Beyond the number of identifications achieved so far, Operation Melilli demonstrated that migrant deaths can be addressed with the same forensic rigor, dignity and traceability expected in any other mass disaster. Its humanitarian value lies not only in the identities already restored and to be restored in the future, but also in the systematic recovery, documentation, sampling of the victims and preservation of their personal belongings, which keep future identifications possible. This operation also prompts broader considerations regarding resource allocation, international cooperation, and ethical responsibility in responding to such events. As such, Operation Melilli stands therefore as enduring evidence of how forensic science can serve humanitarian goals. Our experience also shows that these tasks are feasible and would not require extreme financial resources from the EU but rather more efficient collection and exchanges of ante and postmortem data at least among European countries. In the words of then-Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (2014-2016): \"We are human, there are 500, 600 people, children who died in this manner. I think it is right for ltaly to reveal its centuries of civilization. Let's go and recover that boat […] I want the entire world to see\".</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"3931-3949"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13658332/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148684475","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":"From digital to physical model: testing of a workflow for case-specific 3D-printed bone simulants.","authors":"Manon Wartel, Daan Wintermans, Stefan Schaufelbühl, Wim Kerkhoff, Pia Genet, Fabiano Riva","doi":"10.1007/s00414-026-03945-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-026-03945-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bone simulants are used for a variety of purposes in wound ballistic experimentation. Synthetic simulants have several advantages over biological (either human or animal) material. Generic synthetic simulants are available, but the shapes and sizes of these materials cannot cover the full range observed in human individuals. This is a disadvantage, e.g., in forensic reconstructions where accurate and case-specific simulants are often desirable. One way to circumvent this problem is to print bone simulants, based on scanned victims' data. The current study is intended to explore the feasibility of this method, find suitable materials, and determine optimal printer settings. For this purpose, two porcine scapulas and two porcine femurs were scanned with a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner and replicated with a 3D printer based on the scan data. Polylactic acid (PLA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and nylon-carbon fibre (PA6-CF) were used as printing materials. Cancellous bone was replicated by printing a honeycomb pattern with a 60% infill. Cortical bone was replicated by printing a rectilinear pattern with a 100% infill. Both the biological originals and their printed replicas were embedded in gelatine and shot with 6,35 mm Browning and .22 Long Rifle bullets. Penetration capacity, projectile deformation and fracture characteristics were compared. The results were most promising with the TPU prototypes. For the PLA and PA6-CF, the fracture characteristics and projectile deformation differed from those observed with the biological originals. Also, the penetration depth into the gelatine behind the bone simulants was lower with these materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"4385-4398"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13658306/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148792671","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":"First-stage assessment of AI-based anatomical measurement accuracy for the Cameriere European dental age estimation method.","authors":"Zehra Selin Karauğuz, Halenur Altan","doi":"10.1007/s00414-026-03950-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-026-03950-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study represents the first methodological stage of a broader AI-assisted Cameriere European dental age estimation workflow. The aim of this first stage was to evaluate the performance of YOLOv8-based deep learning models in automatically detecting the anatomical landmarks and apical structures required for the Cameriere European method. Rather than directly estimating dental age, the proposed system was designed to automate the measurement-related inputs needed for subsequent Cameriere European-based age calculation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective first-stage validation study included 4,050 panoramic radiographs of boys and girls aged 5-13 years. Two YOLOv8-based models were developed to automate the anatomical measurement components of the Cameriere European method: a YOLOv8x-pose model for open-apex landmark detection and tooth-length reference point localization, and a YOLOv8x-seg model for closed-apex segmentation. Owing to model-specific anatomical eligibility criteria, 3,796 images were used for the pose model and 2,971 images for the segmentation model. Image annotations were performed using CranioCatch software according to a standardized annotation protocol. Model outputs were compared with manual reference annotations to evaluate landmark detection, measurement-related localization, and apical segmentation performance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the YOLOv8x-pose model, mAP_0.5 = 0.963 and mAP_0.5:0.95 = 0.842 were achieved; recall was 0.928 and precision was 0.918. Error metrics were MAE = 0.0032, RMSE = 0.0045, SMAPE = 2.09%, and the coefficient of determination R² = 0.9992.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>YOLOv8-based pose and segmentation models demonstrated technical feasibility for automating anatomical measurement extraction required for the Cameriere European dental age estimation method. Because dental age was not calculated in this first-stage analysis, the findings should be interpreted as measurement-level validation rather than complete dental age-estimation accuracy. Further validation is required to integrate AI-derived measurements into the Cameriere European formula and to compare AI-assisted dental age estimates with manual Cameriere-based assessment and chronological age.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"3951-3959"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148689177","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":"Estimation of population affinity from computed tomography-derived pelvic measurements: a comparative study of Indonesian and Japanese population samples.","authors":"Suguru Torimitsu, Ambika Flavel, Lauren Swift, Yohsuke Makino, Ridhwan Lye, Nur Amelia Bachtiar, Daniel Franklin","doi":"10.1007/s00414-026-03883-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-026-03883-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Population affinity estimation is a core component of forensic anthropology, particularly in cases where DNA, dental records, and fingerprint evidence are unavailable. Although cranial morphology has been extensively investigated, direct comparative studies of pelvic morphology among Asian populations remain scarce. This study quantified pelvic morphometric differences between contemporary Indonesian and Japanese adults and evaluated the feasibility of population affinity classification using measurements derived from computed tomography (CT). CT scans of 185 Indonesian and 236 Japanese adults were analyzed. Eleven pelvic measurements were obtained from three-dimensional reconstructions, and interpopulation differences were assessed using nonparametric statistical tests. Machine learning models, including random forest and support vector machines, were developed for sex-mixed binary classification, sex-specific binary classification, and four-way classifications by population and sex. Significant differences were evident across all measurements. Japanese individuals exhibited consistently larger mean values than Indonesians of the same sex, while patterns of sexual dimorphism were comparable between populations. Classification accuracy was 94.3% for random forest and 96.4% for support vector machines in the sex-mixed model, and 94.1% and 96.0%, respectively, in the four-way model. Support vector machines outperformed random forests in sex-specific classifications. Analysis of mean absolute Shapley Additive explanations (SHAP) values identified the subpubic angle and the height between the anterior superior iliac spine and the anteroinferior margin of the ischial tuberosity as the most influential variables. These findings demonstrate that CT-based pelvic morphometrics can reliably differentiate Indonesian and Japanese individuals and support their application in forensic identification when crania are unavailable.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"4015-4026"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13658380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148277391","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":"Evaluation of the RTyper Y27 chip amplification system with Quick TargSeq 1.0 for Y-STR genotyping in forensic science.","authors":"Junping Han, Yiren Yao, Qun Wan, Xuanzhu Chen, Junyi Shen, Boxu Chen, Yongjie Li, Bin Zhuang, Lijian Zhao, Lan Hu, Caixia Li","doi":"10.1007/s00414-026-03816-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-026-03816-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The male-specific Y chromosome is widely used in forensic DNA analysis. High-mutation Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) increase the ability to differentiate related males, enhancing discrimination capacity. Current Y-STR typing requires trained forensic personnel, specialized instruments, and a controlled lab environment, taking 6-8 h. The Quick TargSeq 1.0 system integrates DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and electrophoresis via microfluidic biochip technology. Our previous study showed that Quick TargSeq can automatically produce auto-STR and DIP-38 profiles from buccal swabs, blood stains, or other biological samples in about 2 h. Here, we developed a Y-STR kit for Quick TargSeq. The RTyper Y27 microfluidic amplification system is a five-dye multiplex setup containing 27 core Y-STR loci (DYS19, DYS385a/b, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS481, DYS533, DYS576, DYS635, Y-GATA-H4, DYF387S1a/b, DYS449, DYS460, DYS518, DYS627, and DYS570). To confirm the system's efficiency and accuracy, we conducted sensitivity, concordance, reproducibility, inhibition, mixture, and versatility studies following SWGDAM developmental validation guidelines. Results demonstrate that the RTyper Y27 system is efficient, accurate, and reliable for forensic applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"3797-3807"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148411596","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":"Paternal lineage diversity in the Sikh males of Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan through 27 Y-STRs.","authors":"Gourav Ostwal, Pankaj Shrivastava, Kapil Verma, Shivani Dixit, R K Kumawat, Kaushal Sharma, Bhawana Joshi","doi":"10.1007/s00414-026-03899-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-026-03899-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Y-STRs are among the most important genetic markers for forensic DNA application and paternal lineage studies. To explore Y-STR diversity in the Sikh population of Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, this study involved the random selection of 207 unrelated male individuals. The 27 Y-STRs of the Ingenomics™ Y Profiler™ Plus PCR Amplification Kit were used in this study. Of the 207 male individuals studied, 197 exhibited unique haplotypes. The results revealed the highest gene diversity (0.8907) at the DYS518 locus, whereas the lowest (0.4161) was at the DYS533 locus. Gene diversity (GD), polymorphism information content (PIC), power of discrimination (DC) and matching probability (PM), were found to be highly important for the 27 studied Y-STRs. These parameters underscore the utility of these loci in forensic identification and paternity testing. These findings enhance the Y-STR database for the Sikh population, aiding forensic casework and regional genetic studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"4427-4433"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148381898","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":"Sex estimation from morphometry of lumbar vertebrae (L4-L5): A machine learning approach.","authors":"Busra Gul Ayturk, Ali Keles, Usame Omer Osmanoglu","doi":"10.1007/s00414-026-03912-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-026-03912-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sex estimation is the first and most important step in establishing a reliable biological identity during the examination of skeletal remains. For sex estimation, the pelvis and cranial bones are primarily preferred. In cases where the pelvis bones are not available, vertebrae are also utilised. The present study focuses on the effectiveness of the fourth-fifth lumbar vertebrae in sex identification within the Turkish population using machine learning.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This study was conducted by screening retrospective computed tomography images of individuals admitted to Karaman Training and Research Hospital. DICOM images of the fourth-fifth lumbar vertebrae of 540 individuals aged between 18 and 79 were used. Measurements included Vertebral Length, Vertebral Body Anterior Height, Transverse Process Length, Spinous Process Length, Vertebral Foramen Anterior-Posterior Diameter, Vertebral Foramen Transverse Diameter, Vertebral Body Anterior-Posterior Diameter, and Vertebral Body Transverse Diameter. Eight different machine learning algorithms were employed for sex estimation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the machine learning algorithms, the logistic regression algorithm yielded the highest accuracy, reaching 91.3% for the fourth lumbar vertebra and 90.7% for the fifth lumbar vertebra. Moreover, the most effective parameters for sex estimation in both vertebrae were found to be Vertebral Body Anterior-Posterior Diameter and Vertebral Body Anterior Height.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings of this study demonstrate that the fourth-fifth lumbar vertebrae exhibit dimorphism and can be used for sex estimation. We consider that this study may be beneficial to forensic researchers and anthropologists in terms of sex estimation and to clinicians and regional surgeons in terms of morphometry.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"3719-3732"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148387477","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":"AI-based bone age assessment versus forensic expert panel: agreement, sex bias, and ethical implications.","authors":"Beytullah Ural, Ahmet Nezih Kök, Talip Vural","doi":"10.1007/s00414-026-03919-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-026-03919-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Forensic age estimation is frequently requested when chronological age is unknown or contested. While automated bone age systems have been validated in clinical populations, their performance against committee-based forensic reference standards-and their compatibility with the AGFAD-compliant Mindestalter (minimum chronological age) framework-has not been systematically addressed in cases of unknown chronological age.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this retrospective single-centre study, we investigated the technical agreement between BoneXpert and an institutional Forensic Expert Panel (FEP) -the legally recognised reference standard in Turkish forensic practice-rather than validating BoneXpert as a stand-alone forensic tool. Hand-wrist radiographs of 128 cases (44 males, 84 females; 2016-2024) were reassessed using the Greulich-Pyle atlas (FEP) and BoneXpert. Agreement and bias were analysed using pairedt-tests, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Bland-Altman plots. In addition, a complementary minimum-age threshold analysis was performed within the Mindestalter framework using the minimum chronological ages reported by Tisè et al. RESULTS: Excellent agreement was observed (overall ICC = 0.956; males 0.987; females 0.907). A small but significant bias (-0.24 years) indicated underestimation by BoneXpert, driven by female cases (-0.34 years; no significant bias in males). Under the Mindestalter framework, BoneXpert never classified a case as proven above a legal threshold when the FEP did not. Concordance was 93.8% (κ = 0.834) at the 14-year threshold and 80.5% (κ = 0.604) at the 15-year threshold. At the 18-year threshold, neither method could prove that the threshold had been reached using hand-wrist GP-based assessment alone.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>BoneXpert provides consistent and ethically conservative results but should be used only as a decision-support tool within a multidisciplinary expert-led workflow, in line with AGFAD recommendations.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"3747-3755"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148396226","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":"Forensic evidence from a 30-year study of non-thrombotic pulmonary embolism.","authors":"Stefano Tambuzzi, Guendalina Gentile, Michele Boracchi, Matteo Marchesi, Riccardo Zoia","doi":"10.1007/s00414-026-03938-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-026-03938-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Non-thrombotic pulmonary embolism (NTPE) represents a heterogeneous and underrecognized group of conditions characterized by the obstruction of the pulmonary vasculature by non-thrombotic material, often associated with complex pathogenetic mechanisms and non-specific clinical presentations. Despite their potential to cause sudden and unexpected death, comprehensive forensic studies on NTPE remain limited. This study presents a 30-year retrospective forensic analysis (1993-2024) of autopsy cases performed at the Institute of Legal Medicine of Milan, aimed at identifying and characterizing deaths attributable to NTPE. Among 325 fatal pulmonary embolisms, 32 cases (9.8%) were classified as NTPE. Bone marrow embolism was the most frequent subtype (37.5%), followed by septic (25%), fat (21.8%), and amniotic fluid embolism (9.4%), with single cases of air and neoplastic embolism. NTPE occurred predominantly in traumatic and iatrogenic settings and were frequently associated with surgical or invasive procedures. Macroscopic findings were often non-specific, whereas histopathological examination proved decisive for diagnosis, frequently requiring targeted histochemical techniques to identify the nature of the embolic material. These findings highlight the intrinsic diagnostic complexity of NTPE and the risk of under recognition in the absence of systematic post-mortem investigation. In this context, a comprehensive forensic autopsy approach remains essential for the accurate identification and classification of these entities. Increased awareness of NTPE, together with the integration of histopathological and ancillary analyses, may contribute to improving diagnostic accuracy and to a more reliable interpretation of sudden and unexpected deaths.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"4319-4342"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13658339/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148673604","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 facial approximation methodologies applied to the Brazilian population: a scoping review.","authors":"Paula de Sousa Rachid, Daniel Pignatari Mahet Rodrigues, Lucas Alves Jural, Andrea Vaz Braga Pintor, Lucianne Cople Maia, Antônio Carlos de Oliveira Ruellas, Maria Augusta Visconti, Andreia Cristina Breda de Souza","doi":"10.1007/s00414-026-03947-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-026-03947-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This scoping review aimed to map forensic facial approximation (FFA) methodologies applied to the Brazilian population. The protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework and adopted the following structure: Population, human; Concept, FFA methodologies; and Context, studies conducted in the Brazilian population. Searches were conducted in seven databases and grey literature up to December 2025. No restrictions were applied regarding publication date or language. The data collected included FFA methodology, sample size, sex, age, region of the country, skull acquisition method, reconstructed facial region, anatomical landmarks, cranial analysis, and facial reconstruction software. Thirty studies proposing new or adapted methodologies were included, totaling 3,239 evaluated samples, predominantly from adult populations and Southeast Brazil (83.3%). Craniofacial structures were obtained mainly through cone-beam computed tomography and facial reconstructions or assessment of facial soft tissue thickness (FSTT). Of these, 23 focused on FSTT and the inclusion of cutaneous appendages, while 7 investigated the dimensions and projection of the nose, mouth, and ears. The studies also examined variations according to sex, age, skeletal class, skin color, and nutritional status. Population biases and the persistence of few studies on the nose, eyes, mouth, and ears remain central challenges, as does the standardization of landmarks and the validation of FSTT tables. Thus, it is observed that the growth of the country's scientific output in FFA does not yet eliminate critical methodological gaps.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"3611-3621"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13658438/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148689131","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}