International Journal of Legal Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Immunohistochemical insights into hyperthermia-related deaths: a systematic review.","authors":"Luca Tomassini, Giulia Ricchezze, Cristiana Gambelunghe, Massimo Lancia, Virginia Goracci, Francesco De Micco, Piergiorgio Fedeli, Mariano Cingolani, Roberto Scendoni","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03485-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03485-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The diagnosis of hyperthermia-related death presents a significant challenge in the field of forensic medicine due to the lack of pathognomonic signs and the complexity of the variables involved. This systematic review analyzes research on the role of immunohistochemistry (IHC) in postmortem diagnosis of hyperthermia, considering studies related to environmental hyperthermia, fire-related fatalities, and substance-induced hyperthermia. A total of 36 studies were included, selected according to PRISMA guidelines and critically evaluated using JBI tools. The results highlighted significant methodological heterogeneity, with differences in the tissues studied, the immunohistochemical markers used, and the analytical techniques employed. Some markers showed diagnostic potential in cases of fire exposure, but in deaths due to environmental or substance-induced hyperthermia, the markers examined were neither specific nor reliable. Common methodological weaknesses included small sample sizes, biases, and insufficient statistical analysis, which influenced the interpretation of the results. Considering these issues, IHC cannot be considered a valid diagnostic technique for hyperthermia-related deaths. Future studies with greater methodological rigor, validation of specific markers, and standardization of procedures are necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2467-2501"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143795204","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":"Genetic diversity and forensic profiling: analysis of 20 CODIS STR Loci in the population of West Bengal, India.","authors":"Sreemoyee Chakraborti, Bipradut Sil, Sutanwi Bhuiya, Sandip Ghosh","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03524-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03524-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>West Bengal, situated in eastern India, is renowned for its diverse landscape and significant population density. This study aims to assess the genetic diversity and forensic parameters at 20 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci of the population of West Bengal using samples collected from 200 genetically unrelated healthy adults during routine forensic casework from 2023 to 2024. Employing advanced genomic technologies and stringent quality control measures, genetic analysis explored allele frequencies and forensic parameters, including Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium and linkage disequilibrium tests. The research revealed substantial genetic diversity and polymorphism, particularly at locus D1S1656, shedding light on West Bengal's genetic landscape. These insights enhance our understanding of population genetics and have implications for forensic applications and broader population studies. Our results also showed significant linkage disequilibrium between several autosomal STR markers in the diverse populations. In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of advanced genetic analysis in elucidating population diversity, offering valuable insights into the genetic makeup of the West Bengal population and its significance for forensic and population genetics research.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2147-2158"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144208512","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":"Cardiac-specific troponin-I (cTnI) in a post-mortem setting.","authors":"Ethan D Sutton, Sarah Parsons, Maria Pricone, Hans H de Boer","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03526-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03526-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cardiac-specific troponin (cTn) is widely used in clinical medicine to support a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Several studies have explored the value of cTn testing in deceased individuals. These studies suggest that -although there are important limitations associated with its use- post-mortem cTn can be useful in selected cases. A decision for post-mortem cTn testing should however be influenced by factors that have not been explored in much detail. This includes the success rate of post-mortem cTn testing, and whether cTn levels are stable after death.Therefore, this study addresses the post-mortem availability and stability of cardiac-specific Troponin I (cTnI). Post-mortem availability was determined by analysing the success rate in 250 high-sensitivity (hs-)cTnI tests on post-mortem blood samples, and its relationship with variables such as sample location, sample type, post-mortem interval, and decomposition. Post-mortem stability was explored by comparing post-mortem cTnI levels between two samples from the same individual, taken at different times.Post-mortem hs-cTnI tests were successful in 86.4% of cases (216/250), with little effect of sex, age, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Visible decomposition precluded a successful test. Other variables associated with decomposition (such as increased post-mortem interval) also affected test success negatively. Our results furthermore suggest that cTnI is very unstable post-mortem, with marked differences in hs-cTnI test results between samples from the same individual. The differences were large (on average 18734 ng/L) and not unidirectional. Instability appeared to increase with larger time intervals, but the results were overall erratic and difficult to interpret.We conclude that hs-cTnI testing results are generally available in a post-mortem setting, but that testing should be performed on the earliest available blood sample. Samples from decomposed individuals should not be tested. Furthermore, the severe instability of cTnI indicates that any post-mortem hs-cTnI result must be interpreted with caution.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2539-2548"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12354124/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144127422","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":"Exploratory study on source identification of saliva stain and its TsD inference based on the microbial relative and absolute abundance.","authors":"Xi Wang, Xi Yuan, Yifeng Lin, Qiong Lan, Shuyan Mei, Meiming Cai, Fanzhang Lei, Bonan Dong, Ming Zhao, Bofeng Zhu","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03456-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03456-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In recent years, it has become a major research trend to obtain the microbial relative abundance in common body fluid stains at the crime scenes through 16S rRNA next generation sequencing to explore the effectiveness in forensic application. However, few scholars have combined the determination of tissue sources of body fluid stains with the inference of time since deposition (TsD) based on the relative and absolute abundance of microorganism in the same sample in a single study. Therefore, we preliminarily used the four abundant saliva-related bacteria to distinguish fresh saliva, saliva stains (exposure ≤60 days) from the four kinds of fresh body fluids and epidermal tissue, simultaneously assessed the temporal variation regularities in both microbial relative and absolute abundance in these saliva stains. Quantitative real-time PCR results demonstrated that fresh saliva samples and saliva stains exposed for up to 60 days still retained two or more abundant saliva-related bacteria, demonstrating sufficient discriminative power to identify saliva stain from other four kinds of body fluids and tissue. Microbial compositions and temporal analyses of 56 saliva samples revealed that many phyla and genera with abundance higher than 1% had different temporal variation regularities in relative and absolute abundance data, except for some genera such as Neisseria, etc. Beta diversity analysis indicated greater differences in absolute quantitative data among fresh saliva samples and saliva stains at different time points compared with relative quantitative data. The support vector machine (svm) model based on microbial relative or absolute abundance both have the prediction accuracy higher than 0.8 in classifying saliva stains deposited at 1 h, 1 day, and 7 to 60 days. This study combined the tissue origin identification and TsD inference of saliva stains, and the absolute quantitative technology was applied for the first time to the TsD inference of saliva stains. And the results indicated that using the absolute quantitative technology might be more suitable for early TsD inference (within 14 days) of saliva stains in this study, which helped to accurately infer the TsD of saliva stains, providing an important clue for forensic investigation.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2063-2075"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143986667","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":"Unaccompanied foreign minors: the Novara experience as a reference center of Eastern Piedmont (Italy).","authors":"Federica Collini, Samuele Baldi, Sarah Gino","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03498-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03498-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>20% of migrants who reach Italy are minors, often Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (UFM). If they are minors, they have the right to remain on EU territory, but in case of doubt, the authorities ask to ascertain their age. This is currently done through different procedures.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The aim of this study was to understand the validity of the protocol adopted by the 'Maggiore della Carità hospital in Novara (Italy), reference center for Eastern Piedmont, for ascertaining the age of self-proclaimed minors by comparing the results with those of other European realities. A cross-sectional study was conducted by analyzing the final reports of UFM examined at this hospital between January 1st, 2018, and December 31st, 2023. Socio-demographic, clinical, radiological and forensic data were collected.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three hundred and one migrants were evaluated: 97% was male with an average age reported of 16.32 years ± 1.35. The estimated age by wrist X-ray was 17.81 ± 1.52. The physical examination of sexual maturation was not statistically correlated with the age estimated by X-rays (r = 0.36). No migrant was certified as an adult. Pathologies and injuries were frequently described.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Comparing these results with those of similar European studies, it seems that the Piedmont protocol is unable to accurately estimate the age, even though it is one of the most complete Italian one. The effort to assign an age as close as possible to the actual one is a prerequisite for recognizing the rights of these individuals, but the method must achieve concrete and decisive results without violating their integrity.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2303-2312"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12354121/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143970796","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":"The impact of considering different numbers of contributors in identification problems involving real casework mixture samples.","authors":"Camila Costa, Carolina Figueiredo, Sandra Costa, Paulo Miguel Ferreira, António Amorim, Lourdes Prieto, Nádia Pinto","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03500-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03500-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Increasingly complex genetic samples are analyzed in forensic genetics routine, including mixtures to which more than one individual contributed. The standard problem relies on identification, aiming to quantify the likelihood of the donor of a reference sample being a contributor to the mixture. This is computed through a likelihood ratio (LR) and requires using devoted probabilistic genotyping software that may consider the quantity of the mixture's DNA (quantitative tools), beyond only the presence/absence of specific alleles (qualitative tools). In any case, the mixture's number of contributors (NoC) is a parameter that the user must introduce. Due to its nature, NoC is unknown for most real casework samples and needs to be estimated, which may be challenging due to poor DNA quality and quantity. This study aims to evaluate the impact of considering different NoC of real mixture samples (both over- and underestimating it after a first assessment of the expert) in identification problems through the pairwise comparison of LRs, using for the statistical assessment of both qualitative (LRmix Studio) and quantitative tools (EuroForMix and STRmix™). Different computational models showed different variations of the results, but for all, the impact was greater when considering a smaller NoC than the one initially estimated by the expert. Quantitative tools showed more sensitivity to NoC variation. Taking advantage of using real data, whose possible complexities surpass those of mock ones, this work highlights the impact that the NoC may have on the quantification of the proof, reinforcing the importance of its proper estimation.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2099-2107"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12354499/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144028342","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":"Assessment of DNA transfer and degradation in washing machines: forensic implications.","authors":"A M López-Parra, S Bravo, M Lozano, C Gomes, S Palomo-Díez, E Arroyo-Pardo","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03502-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03502-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>DNA transfer caused by the use of a washing machine is a topic of great importance in the forensic field, as it can have significant implications in collecting genetic evidence at crime scenes. Understanding DNA transfer during the washing process is important since this process can affect the accuracy and reliability of the recovered DNA samples. In this study, two experiments were carried out on 53 volunteers, one studied the transfer of touch DNA and the other studied the transfer of blood DNA. Fabrics were washed with clean acceptor fabric in a washing machine. Mixtures of alleles were obtained, especially in acceptor fabrics, partially matching with the profile of the corresponding volunteer. Complete profiles were not recovered in any case. The age of the volunteers, the type of sample, the small volume of blood, or the short contact with the piece of cloth seem to be factors to consider regarding the low recovery rate of the POI (person of interest) alleles. The presence of extra alleles and the low rate of recovered POI alleles, require the criteria for the interpretation of these profiles to be more restrictive. So, the profiles derived from clothes that have been washed in a washing machine in their interpretation should be considered as LTDNA (Low Template DNA) with the criteria used in the interpretation of mixtures.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2087-2097"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12354116/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143999242","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":"Identification of circular RNAs as biomarkers for pupal age estimation and postmortem interval in forensically important Sarcophaga peregrina (Diptera: Sarcophagidae).","authors":"Hai Wu, Haojie Tang, Xing Han, Fernand Jocelin Ngando, Yanjie Shang, Yadong Guo","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03490-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03490-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate estimation of the pupal age in necrophagous flies is vital for determining the postmortem interval (PMI) in forensic entomology. Differential expression of genes (DEGs) exhibits temporal fluctuations across the developmental stages of these flies. This study evaluates circular RNAs (circRNAs) as novel molecular markers and develops a model for predicting pupal development time based on circRNA expression. Transcriptomic analysis of Sarcophaga peregrina pupae at various stages identified four circRNAs (circRNA_0037, circRNA_0531, circRNA_3373, circRNA_2847) showing significant expression differences. Using real-time quantitative PCR and regression analysis, we constructed a model to estimate development time, which accurately predicts intra-puparial periods. Additionally, we examined circRNA degradation patterns in pupae under lethal conditions and identified a clear degradation trend in circRNA_2847, suggesting its potential use for estimating the PMI. This study introduces new molecular markers and insights for estimating necrophagous fly pupal age.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2441-2455"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144011014","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":"Ötzi the Iceman: forensic 3D reconstructions of a 5300-year-ago murder case.","authors":"Chiara Villa, Sara Larsen, Albert Zink, Niels Lynnerup","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03510-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03510-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The cause of death of Ötzi the Iceman has been the subject of extensive investigation. A deep wound on his left shoulder and an arrowhead lodged between his rib cage and left scapula have been central to determining his final moments. While initial CT analyses concluded that exsanguination due to a lacerated left subclavian artery was the cause of death, recent research has suggested that the injury might not have been immediately fatal. This study re-analyzed the 2013 CT scans using a forensic approach to assess the shoulder injury in greater detail, by creating 3D models of the affected anatomical structures and calculating relevant tissue volumes. Additionally, forensic animation techniques were applied to reconstruct Ötzi's likely posture at the moment of impact. A previously unidentified hematoma with an approximate volume of 110 mL was observed, suggesting that death from blood loss alone may not have been immediate, although external hemorrhage cannot be excluded. Furthermore, forensic animation demonstrated that a straight trajectory of the arrow aligns with both the scapular lesion and arterial laceration, providing new insights into the injury mechanism. These results underscore the value of 3D segmentation and modeling in forensic pathology, offering enhanced reconstructions of traumatic events in both contemporary and archaeological contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2263-2271"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12354122/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144110644","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":"Dating long bone fractures of infants under one year of age.","authors":"Amandine Capelli, Luisa Nogueira, Frédéric Santos, Béatrice Leloutre, Marco Albertario, Caroline Bernardi, Véronique Alunni","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03518-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00414-025-03518-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Infants under one year of age frequently suffer from inflicted fractures. Dating the trauma is vitally important to identify the perpetrator and ensure the protection of the child. While several studies have investigated the radiological dating of fractures in children, few have focused specifically on those occurring during the first year of life. Although maltreatment is particularly common in the first few months of life, dating these fractures remains challenging, as bone healing capacity is age-dependent and may differ from that observed in older children. In addition, the radiological nomenclature found in the literature is heterogeneous and often imprecise.The aim of this study was to apply clearly defined radiographic criteria to establish an analytical methodology that facilitates the dating of long bone fractures in infants under one year of age. A total of 99 infants under one year old with long bone fractures of known date were included, representing 290 radiograph sets. Four dating groups were defined based on literature data, with the aim of developing predictive models based on well-defined radiographic features, in order to construct a simplified dating decision tree.Our findings suggest that the absence of periosteal apposition and bone remodeling is consistent with a fracture less than one week old. On the other hand, the presence of periosteal apposition suggests a fracture that is probably one to eight weeks old, and more than one month old when accompanied by signs of remodeling. Finally, isolated signs of remodeling are suggestive of a fracture of more than two months.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"2519-2531"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144110624","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}