International Journal of Legal Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Bone age and dental age to assess criminal responsibility: Part II.","authors":"Cristiana Palmela Pereira, Patrícia Antunes, Ana Rodrigues, Francisco Salvado, Rui Santos","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03454-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03454-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Age estimation is vital in dentistry and legal contexts to determine minors' criminal responsibility. This study aimed to estimate and classify bone and dental age in a Portuguese population, using the Greulich-Pyle method and the Moorrees Fanning and Hunt method, comparing the accuracy of both methods.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>597 left hand and wrist radiographs and 184 orthopantomographs were selected, and the methods were applied.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Cohen's weighted kappa coefficient ranged between 0.890 and 1. Both methods underestimate age. The linear regression formulas showed strong correlations between estimated and real age (0.902 for bone age assessment and 0.894 for dental age assessment). For the bone assessment the accuracy is highest at 14 and 18 years, with similar values to those at 12 and 16. The AUC shows that the method is more reliable at 12 and 14 years. For the dental age assessment, a lower sensitivity value was observed for the age of 12 (73.91%) and a higher for 18 years (91.03%), increasing with age. The accuracy was higher at 12 years (89.62%) and lowest at 18 years (83.02%). Specificity values were higher for ages 12 and 14 (93.98% and 95.24%, respectively). The lowest AUC value was recorded for 18 years (0.889), while for ages 12, 14, and 16, the values were similar, indicating lower reliability for the legal age of 18.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>For individuals under 12, 14, 16, and 18 years old, the bone method is the most effective. However, combining both methods allows greater accuracy and consistency in age estimation for medico-legal applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143515529","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":"Commentary on: \"An assessment of the Henssge method for forensic death time estimation in the early post-mortem interval\" by Heinrich et al.","authors":"Burkhard Madea, Elke Doberentz","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03436-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03436-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143492098","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 age estimation using Vieth classification in adolescents of northern China based on the knee MRI.","authors":"Jianxin Guo, Xiaoqian Jia, Yannan Cheng, Geliang Wang, Huan Wang, Yuxin Guo, Haotian Meng, Yahui Wang, Teng Chen, Yucheng Guo","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03431-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03431-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To investigate the applicability of the Vieth classification and characteristics of ossification age in knee joint in adolescents of northern China. A retrospective study was conducted on a total of 1517 MRI images of knee joints from patients aged 10 to 20 years in the northern China. Vieth classification was used to assess the ossification age of distal femur and proximal tibia. Descriptive analysis was performed to obtain the maximum, minimum, median, and upper and lower quartiles of age at each stage, stack bar graph were used to show the age distribution at each stage. Mann-Whitney U test was utilized to analyze the differences in the stage of the proximal tibia and distal femur. Good intra-observer and inter-observer consistency (к = 0.89 and 0.88) was obtained. Regarding the distal femoral epiphysis, 100% of male participants in stage 3, 4(and 5) and 6 were over 12, 14 and 16 years old, respectively; 100% of female participants in stage 4, 5 and 6 were over 12, 14 and 16 years old. While for proximal tibial epiphysis, 100% of male participants in stage 4 and 5 were over 12 and 14 years old; 100% of female participants in stage 4 and 5 were over 12 years old. Ossification age of the proximal tibia mature earlier than distal femur (P < 0.001). Vieth classification can be used to infer the age of 12, 14 and 16 years in adolescents of northern China, providing a valuable reference for forensic age estimation.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143492101","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":"Evaluation of alcohol intoxication on primary and secondary haemostasis - results from comprehensive coagulation testing.","authors":"Ronja Sabine Schmölders, Till Hoffmann, Derik Hermsen, Michael Bernhard, Fritz Boege, Michael Lau, Benno Hartung","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03449-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03449-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Alcohol intoxication is known to affect blood coagulation. The specific effects remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the impact of severe alcohol intoxication on blood clotting by comprehensive coagulation testing.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A prospective study included 21 patients admitted to the emergency department of University Hospital Düsseldorf with severe alcohol intoxication (target blood alcohol concentration > 2 g/l). Platelet function and coagulation was compared between states of alcohol intoxication and soberness using multiple platelet function analysis, thrombelastography and determination of single coagulation factors. The same test panel was used to study in vitro-effects of ethanol on coagulation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Blood alcohol was correlated with impaired platelet aggregation determined in vivo by functional testing employing ADP and ASPI stimulation. Blood alcohol-associated coagulation impairment was not detectable by thrombelastography or clotting factor measurements. Blood alcohol was negatively correlated with von Willebrand factor ratio and clot strength. The association of elevated blood alcohol with impaired coagulation could not be replicated in vitro.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Our findings suggest that alcohol impairs primary hemostasis by reducing platelet function, while secondary hemostasis remains largely unaffected. Reversion of effects upon sobering suggest a rather direct impact of alcohol on platelet function. That effect was, however, not replicated in vitro possibly implicating involvement of vascular factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Blood alcohol has a potentially negative impact on platelet function, which should be considered in the clinical management of intoxicated patients, especially in emergency settings. Potential bleeding risks due to increased blood alcohol are possibly detected by analysis of platelet function, while not by thrombelastography or plasmatic coagulation tests.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143476587","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":"Machine learning using random forest to differentiate between blow and fall situations of head trauma.","authors":"Johair Temma, Luísa Nogueira, Frederic Santos, Gerald Quatrehomme, Caroline Bernardi, Veronique Alunni","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03440-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03440-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Blunt head trauma is a common occurrence in forensic practice. Interpreting the origin of craniocerebral injuries can be a challenging process, particularly when it comes to distinguishing between falls or inflicted blows. The objective of this study was to develop a predictive model using an innovative Random Forest (RF) classification approach to differentiate injuries caused by falls from those caused by blows. The study examined 65 cases of blunt head trauma over the age of 18 resulting from a fall or an inflicted blow. A preliminary univariate logistic regression analysis followed by RF classification was performed. The presence of a depressed fracture and the lateralisation on the left-sided of cranial vault fractures, as well as extra-axial bleeding, in particular an extra-dural haematoma, were indicative of inflicted blows. The RF classification provided a simple predictive model with an accuracy rate of 78% to identify the most relevant injury criteria for distinguishing between falls and assault situations involving blows.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143476596","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":"Thanatochemistry and the role of hypoxanthine in the post-mortem interval estimation: a systematic literature review.","authors":"Andrea Nicola Cardinale, Antonio Di Lorenzo, Mara Bellino, Giuseppe Strisciullo, Valentina Mussi, Sara Sablone","doi":"10.1007/s00414-024-03378-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-024-03378-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The estimation of post-mortem interval (PMI) is of utmost importance for forensic pathologists due to its implication in medico-legal evaluations. Research over the last thirty years has sought new methods for estimating the time of death, particularly focused on human biomarkers whose concentration changes over time after death. Although most studies are based on potassium (K⁺) concentrations in blood and vitreous humor (VH), hypoxanthine (Hx) has shown great promise in assessing PMI. Following PRISMA guidelines, this systematic review addresses the PICO question: \"In human cadavers, what is the role of hypoxanthine, where, and with what analytical techniques is it currently used for post-mortem interval estimation?\". Twenty-four papers were retrieved. The results indicate that Hx concentration can be estimated in various biofluids, VH being the most commonly accounted for. Furthermore, different pre-analytical procedures are resorted to for sample preparation, such as several methodologies utilized to detect Hx concentration. The relationship between the so-obtained Hx levels and PMI is expressed quantitively (through regressions or correlation coefficients) or semi-quantitatively (by changes in nuclear magnetic resonance spectra). PMI estimation accuracy improves significantly when additional factors are considered (such as ambient and rectal temperature, urea concentration, body weight, and cause of death) or when new methodologies providing flexible regression models are applied. Despite the promising potential, many limitations remain. Notably, the heterogeneity of sample selection and pre-analytical/analytical phases leads to inconsistent results. Thus, much more should be done to lay procedural standards and optimize biochemistry and Hx utilization in PMI-related forensic investigations.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143476599","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":"The European Council of Legal and Forensic Medicine: its role and work in progressing harmonised standards and recommendations in Forensic and Legal Medicine investigation procedures, training and teaching through pursuit of internationally agreed and peer-reviewed published guidelines.","authors":"Denis A Cusack","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03446-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03446-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Specialists and Practitioners in Forensic Medicine and Pathology have onerous duties and obligations in the examination of both the dead and living victims of alleged criminal assault and injury and in the examination of the alleged perpetrators of criminal actions. Forensic physicians and pathologists work in close collaboration with scientific colleagues and law enforcement agencies and present their independent and unbiased findings to the criminal, civil and coronial courts to assist in the administration of justice. Approved and established forensic standards for reporting and certifying investigations and conclusions are core prerequisites for the maintenance of evidential credibility and scrutiny and of justice. Judges, Investigating Magistrates, Coroners and Prosecution and Defence Lawyers as well as Government Departments of Justice and Health are recipients of such expert reports and testimony in framing their respective tasks for society within their countries' legal frameworks. The European Council of Legal and Forensic Medicine has published collaborative papers on international standards and guidelines for forensic examinations by forensic physicians and pathologists of deaths and injuries in the areas of accreditation of pathology services; on-site scene and corpse investigation; examination of victims of sexual assault and of elder abuse; and also in undergraduate and postgraduate forensic teaching and training, in pursuit of international harmonisation.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143476603","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":"Exploring transcriptomic signatures in sudden unexplained death (SUD) cases.","authors":"Jacqueline Neubauer, Guro Dørum, Cordula Haas","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03414-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03414-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Molecular autopsy in sudden unexplained death (SUD) has successfully identified pathogenic variants in cardiovascular genes in a substantial proportion of cases, contributing to prevention strategies in family members. However, many SUD cases remain genetically unresolved, prompting investigations into other omics technologies to better understand the pathogenic mechanisms leading to a sudden death event. In this study, whole transcriptome sequencing was performed on heart samples from 43 SUD cases and 17 heart-healthy controls, with the aim to identify disease-specific transcriptome signatures in sudden unexplained death.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>PCA based on the top 500 genes with the highest variance among the samples showed no clear separation between SUD and controls or among the three SUD subgroups. DESeq2 identified 1,676 differentially expressed genes between SUD and controls with significantly upregulated genes involved in biological processes such as angiogenesis, blood vessel development, vasculogenesis and cell adhesion. Pathway analysis of the differentially expressed genes showed that most were downregulated and involved in amide/peptide biosynthesis and fatty acid metabolism. Additional analysis of SUD subgroups revealed unique gene expression patterns and highlighted differentially expressed genes within each subgroup.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Gene expression analysis of SUD heart tissue is a promising approach to identify cardiac disease-related pathways to further understand the pathological mechanisms leading to a sudden death event. However, due to the heterogeneity of the SUD cases and the unclear phenotype, further studies in larger cohorts are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143468231","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":"Developmental validation of an mRNA-cSNP profiling panel for body fluids identification and individualization.","authors":"Zhiyong Liu, Ning Wang, Qingxia Zhang, Ran Li, Jiajun Liu, Bin Luo, Yicong Wang, Lingna Xue, Riga Wu, Bin Cong, Bo Xie, Hongyu Sun","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03434-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03434-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Forensic analysis of body fluid stains is extremely important, which helps reconstruct crime scenes. It involves two main challenges: body fluid identification (BFID) and individualization. The former aims to ascertain the type/origin of the body fluid stain, while the latter tries to assign the stain to a specific donor. Generally, they are addressed through RNA and DNA analyses, respectively, but this can be time-consuming, laborious, and sometimes yield suboptimal results, especially mixed body fluid stains. To overcome these limitations, we developed an innovative mRNA-based sequencing panel with a dual function. This system comprises 34 body fluid-specific mRNA genes and 39 cSNP markers (amplicon length: 50 ~ 90 bp), enabling a direct link between specific body fluids and their donors. We thoroughly validated the integrated system according to the guidelines of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) on the MGI massively parallel sequencing (MPS) platform. As a result, this panel showed robust identification efficiency for body fluids at 20 ng RNA input, and the range of cumulative discrimination power (CDP) value was 0.802445047 ~ 0.999310789 in five types of body fluid. Furthermore, it had been employed in actual cases and provided the guidance. In conclusion, this system can efficiently, rapidly, and accurately perform body fluid identification and individualization for single-source and mixed samples, meeting the daily investigative demands in forensic genetics.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143468230","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":"A bioinformatic method to predict the 5' ends of primer sequences in multiple STR kits.","authors":"Yukinobu Kutsuwada, Takumi Matsuda, Tetsuya Satoh, Koichi Sakurada","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03444-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03444-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Short tandem repeat (STR) kits, which enable the detection of genetic variations, similarities, and origins, are essential for forensic analysis. However, human-specific primers vary depending on the manufacturer, resulting in mismatched profiles, consequently limiting the kit efficiency. Efficient methods for acquiring primer information to elucidate the reasons behind the allelic discrepancies are yet to be developed. This study aimed to develop an analytical method for directly reading labeled PCR fragments using an Illumina next-generation sequencer. In this study, DNA libraries from seven commercial STR kits (GlobalFiler, GF; Yfiler Plus, YFP; AmpFLSTR Identifiler Plus, IDP; AmpFLSTR MiniFiler, MF; and AmpFLSTR Yfiler, YF; as well as the PowerPlex Fusion, PPF and PowerPlex 16 System, PP16) were sequenced into pair-end reads, and bioinformatic analysis was performed to predict the 5' ends of the primer sequences in each kit. The 5' ends of the primer sequences corresponding to peaks in the evaluated STR kits were further compared with published sequences to validate positional accuracy. The 5' ends of primer pairs at all loci predicted in this study were perfectly matched to those of published primer pairs in the PP16 kits. Our method elucidated the reconstruction process from fluorescent peaks in the electropherogram into a sequence-based histogram for forensic massively parallel sequencing analysis. Moreover, the effect of single nucleotide polymorphism-specific primers in the GF was revealed. Our findings demonstrate that this method can be used to accurately identify the cause of mismatched profiles between kits or low amplification at a specific locus.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143457740","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}