International Journal of Legal Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Comparison of different dental age estimation methods with deep learning: Willems, Cameriere-European, London Atlas.","authors":"Betul Sen Yavuz, Omer Ekmekcioglu, Handan Ankarali","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03452-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03452-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to compare dental age estimates using Willems, Cameriere-Europe, London Atlas, and deep learning methods on panoramic radiographs of Turkish children. The dental ages of 1169 children (613 girls, 556 boys) who agreed to participate in the study were determined by 4 different methods. The Convolutional Neural Network models examined were implemented in the TensorFlow library. Simple correlations and intraclass correlations between children's chronological ages and dental age estimates were calculated. Goodness-of-fit criteria were calculated based on the errors in dental age estimates and the smallest possible values for the Akaike Information Criterion, the Bayesian-Schwarz Criterion, the Root Mean Squared Error, and the coefficient of determination value. Simple correlations were observed between dental age and chronological ages in all four methods (p < 0.001). However, there was a statistically significant difference between the average dental age estimates of methods other than the London Atlas for boys (p = 0.179) and the four methods for girls (p < 0.001). The intra-class correlation between chronological age and methods was examined, and almost perfect agreement was observed in all methods. Moreover, the predictions of all methods were similar to each other in each gender and overall (Intraclass correlation [ICC_W] = 0.92, ICC_CE=0.94, ICC_LA=0.95, ICC_DL=0.89 for all children). The London Atlas is only suitable for boys in predicting the age of Turkish children, Willems, Cameriere-Europe formulas, and deep learning methods need revision.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143448969","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":"Radiologic assessment of third molar development and cervical vertebral maturation to validate age of majority in a Mexican population.","authors":"Ana Belén Márquez-Ruiz, Lucas González-Herrera, Juan de Dios Luna, Aurora Valenzuela","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03450-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03450-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>An increase in irregular migration flows has further raised the importance of age estimation in forensic science. To improve the reliability of age of majority determination, one recommendation is to combine the evaluation of third molar development with age-related skeletal information. In the present study, we assessed mandibular third molar development and cervical vertebral maturation to evaluate the ability of these age indicators, alone and in combination, to accurately identify individuals 18 years of age or older. The study sample comprised 123 multi-slice computed tomography images of Mexican individuals (67 males and 56 females) aged between 14 and 22 years. Demirjian's stages of tooth development and Baccetti's stages of vertebral maturation were used. A fully developed mandibular third molar (stage H) indicated adult age with 100% certainty. However, around 70% of individuals older than 18 years had third molars that had not yet completed their development. Thus, immature third molars do not rule out the possibility that an individual has reached the age of majority. In the study sample, the combination of the maturity stages of teeth 38 and 48 or their combination with the cervical stages of maturation did not improve upon the prediction accuracy of either of the mandibular third molars alone (area under the ROC curve > 0.85). Therefore, these findings highlight the need to identify other complementary age estimation methods that minimize the number of false negatives (i.e., adults classified as minors) obtained with assessment of third molar development alone.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143448972","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":"Determination of DNA recovery from human teeth exposed to various acids.","authors":"Tuğba Ünsal Sapan, Nejla Karaboğa","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03445-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03445-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Forensic sciences encompass a comprehensive application of various scientific disciplines working together to solve crimes. In forensic cases, identification is the primary procedure. Due to the variety of crimes, difficulties can arise in identification. The ability to extract DNA from all types of biological tissues has made DNA analysis one of the most frequently used and reliable methods in identification. Teeth, which are noted for their relatively low degradation over long periods despite exposure to environmental, physical, and chemical factors, and their ability to securely preserve DNA material, are among the most used samples in DNA analysis. With the evolution of crime and methods of concealing it, body integrity-threatening procedures such as exposure to acids are frequently used by perpetrators. However, several studies have shown that DNA can still be recovered from dental samples exposed to various chemicals for specific durations. This study aimed to recover DNA from teeth exposed to strong acids. Dental samples obtained from volunteers were exposed to strong acids, including HCl, HNO₃, and H₂SO₄, for 8, 12, and 120 hours, respectively, with each duration parameter tested separately. Following exposure, DNA isolation was performed, and the amount of DNA was assessed. Samples deemed suitable for identification underwent PCR and electrophoresis to obtain DNA profiles. The results showed that it was possible to successfully obtain a full DNA profile from molars exposed to sulfuric, hydrochloric, and nitric acid for up to 24 h, while it was possible to obtain a partial DNA profile from molars exposed to sulfuric acid for up to 120 h.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143440884","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 the AGCU EX-38 typing system: a comprehensive forensic tool for enhanced genetic identification.","authors":"Atif Adnan, Haodong Chen, Allah Rakha, Le Tao, Qu Shen, Chen Linli, Shao Zexiang, Guo Jiajia, Shi Minghao, Rashed Alghafri, Nicole Novroski, Cristina Coman, Chuan-Chao Wang","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03443-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03443-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The necessity for developing the AGCU EX-38 typing system arises from the ever-increasing demand for more accurate and comprehensive forensic tools. Traditional kits with fewer STRs often fall short in complex cases requiring higher resolution. The AGCU EX-38 typing system incorporates 35 autosomal STRs, including extended CODIS loci as well as additional non-CODIS loci (D6S1043, D19S3045, D3S3045, D7S3048, D11S2368, D4S2366, D8S1132, D15S659, Penta D, Penta E, D6S447, D3S1744, D14S608, D18S535). This combination of CODIS and non-CODIS markers provides a significant advantage, particularly in complex kinship analyses such as half-sibship cases. This six-dye kit encompasses 38 loci, with a maximum amplicon size of 550 base pairs (bp), and features nine STRs within 200 bp and 14 STRs within 300 bp, offering unparalleled coverage and sensitivity. The AGCU EX-38 typing system is the only available kit on the market containing 35 autosomal STRs with six-dye chemistry, making it a unique and invaluable resource for forensic laboratories. This configuration allows for higher resolution and superior performance in cases with degraded or mixed DNA samples. In this study, we report the results of the developmental validation study, which followed the SWGDAM (Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods) guidelines. The data includes PCR-based studies, sensitivity, species specificity, stability, precision, reproducibility and repeatability, concordance, stutter, DNA mixtures, and performance on mock casework samples. The results validate the multiplex design and demonstrate the kit's robustness, reliability, and suitability for genetic identification and population studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143440885","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":"Global lens of Willems' method for dental age estimation: where we are and where we are going - umbrella review.","authors":"Daniela da Costa Nóbrega Brasil, Débora Duarte Moreira, Bianca Marques Santiago, Walbert de Andrade Vieira, Oksana Avdeenko, Luiz Renato Paranhos, Ademir Franco","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03424-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03424-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This umbrella review aimed to evaluate the evidence behind the Willems method for dental age estimation and detect methodological limitations in the existing systematic reviews. The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Overviews of Reviews (PRIOR), with the protocol registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023487745). Seven databases, including grey literature sources, were searched (Medline/PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, SciELO, Web of Science, Open Grey and Open Access Theses and Dissertations). Systematic reviews of cross-sectional studies on the Willems method were included. Two calibrated reviewers independently conducted study selection, data extraction, quality assessment (AMSTAR-2) and risk of bias (ROBIS). Five systematic reviews published between 2017 and 2022 were included. Combined sample sizes ranged from 9347 to 17,741 individuals aged 2.2 to 18 years. Meta-analyses reported minor overestimations in dental age, with differences varying by sex and ethnicity. However, significant methodological shortcomings were identified, such as lack of protocol registration, limited search strategies, and inadequate assessment of the risk of bias. All systematic reviews were rated as critically low quality and with a high risk of bias. The Willems method was deemed appropriate for dental age estimation by most studies, but methodological limitations of existing systematic reviews underscore the need for more rigorous research and improved standards.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143425296","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":"Biomechanics of motorboat propeller injuries: how can a pattern of trauma be related to a propeller and a boat?","authors":"Veronique Alunni, Emmanuel Alessandrini, Caroline Bernardi, Luisa Nogueira","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03438-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03438-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Propeller-related injuries are a cause of death during recreational water activities. However, there are no articles in the literature that analyze the nature of the propeller and/or the vessel that may be involved in the accident in relation to the type of injuries. Based on the case of a woman injured by a propeller of a boat, and a review of the literature, we focused on determining the type of propeller and engine involved in relation to the nature of the injuries. In this case, investigations confirmed collision with a vessel with a high-speed planning hull. The small spacing of the lesions indicates that the relative speed between the victim and the boat was low with the possibility that the victim was trapped under the boat and dragged. The analysis of the nature of metallic residues identified in the lesions provide the composition of the propeller and point towards a category of boat. However, given the difficulty of the exercise, it is preferable to remain cautious in asserting the responsibility of a boat and instead provide a response in terms of « compatibility or exclusion».</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143412795","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":"Global characterization of extrachromosomal circular DNAs in four body fluids.","authors":"Lanrui Jiang, Mengyuan Song, Feng Song, Shuangshuang Wang, Yuxiang Zhou, Zefei Wang, Chaoran Sun, Hewen Yao, Zhirui Zhang, Xindi Wang, Miao Liao, Yanyun Wang, Haibo Luo","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03442-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03442-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Determination of the type of body fluids is highly desired in forensic investigations. Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) is a double-stranded, circular type of nucleic acid molecule that exists outside chromosomes and is ubiquitous in eukaryotic cells, which is widely explored in clinical research. The use of eccDNA for body fluid identification has remained relatively unexplored. As such, peripheral blood, menstrual blood, semen, and saliva samples (each = 3) from healthy individuals were detected, using Circle-seq, to identify potential markers for body fluid identification. In total, 263,036 eccDNAs were identified, widely distributed throughout the genome, and most of them were within 1000 base pairs in size. The study combined eccDNA with RNA analysis in an attempt to observe the relationship between eccDNA and gene expression in healthy individuals. We performed outward PCR on selected eccDNAs using library samples and validated the predicted junction sites by Sanger sequencing. In short, this pilot study demonstrated for the first time the characterization of eccDNA profiles from four body fluids of healthy individuals. It provided a novel direction for body fluid identification. In the future, breaking the low abundance and high heterogeneity of eccDNA will lead to new possibilities in the forensic field.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143407506","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 intoxications and inherited cardiac disorders in the young: where to draw the line?","authors":"Simone Grassi, Fabio Vaiano, Alexandra Dimitrova, Chiara Vullo, Emma Beatrice Croce, Riccardo Rossi, Vincenzo Arena, Sabina Strano Rossi, Oscar Campuzano, Ramon Brugada, Antonio Oliva","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03439-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03439-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sudden cardiac death represents a significant public health concern and is one of the leading causes of early mortality worldwide. The escalating use of illicit drugs, approximately 269 million people in 2018, represents a growing public health. Some of these drugs are stimulants that may have multiple effects on the cardiovascular system including the cardiac rhythm, then substance abuse increases the risk of sudden death. For instance, drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, may be responsible for myocardial infarction as well as occlusive coronary thrombosis with acute infarction. The consequences of such occurrences are far-reaching, with considerable effects not only on the victims but also on their families. Sudden cardiac death presents considerable forensic diagnostic challenges, particularly in the presence of high but non-lethal drug levels increasing the possibility of a genetic predisposition to malignant arrhythmogenic events. Our review aims to discuss the complex relationship between illicit drugs and congenital cardiac disorders, stressing the forensic issues deriving from their interaction and from the differential diagnosis. Indeed, especially when a non-lethal dose of illicit drug in presence of ambiguous microscopic findings is reported, being able to discriminate between a toxic sudden death (entailing criminal implications for the drug dealer) and a natural sudden death is a forensic issue of upmost importance.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143398982","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":"Quantitative investigation of diatom dispersion in lung tissue of confirmed drowning incidents.","authors":"Dominik Hagen, Astrid Obermayer, Walter Stoiber, Peter Steinbacher, Jian Zhao, Fabio C Monticelli, Stefan Pittner","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03441-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03441-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The diagnosis of drowning represents a considerable challenge in forensic practice. Typically, it is made by excluding other potential causes of death while concurrently identifying key signs of drowning. However, in cases with a prolonged postmortem interval, these characteristic signs are often absent. To support drowning diagnoses, various supplementary methods have been introduced over time, prominently including qualitative and quantitative diatom tests. One such approach involves comparing diatom concentrations in the drowning medium (immersion water) and in the lung tissue to determine lung-to-drowning medium (L/D) ratios. L/D-ratios above 2 are thereby seen as safe indicators of drowning, as higher diatom concentrations in the lungs than in the drowning medium can only be explained by active water aspiration. Previous studies typically investigated diatom concentrations in the tip of the lung's left superior lobe, as this region is thought to generally experience the lowest physiological pressure. However, no experimental data have yet confirmed the relevance of this in drowning incidents. It is also still unclear how diatoms are distributed within the lung during aspiration and how L/D-ratios could vary if samples from other lung regions are used for L/D-ratio calculations. To address these uncertainties, we conducted a study assessing diatom concentrations across seven positions from all pulmonary lobes in 25 drowning cases. Our aim was to identify the lung regions with the lowest probability of diatom uptake, thereby maximizing the reliability of L/D-ratios as a forensic tool. Our findings show that the left superior lung lobe is indeed the site of the lowest diatom accumulation and thus optimal for L/D-ratio related drowning diagnosis. Nonetheless, due to the higher sensitivity for diatom uptake, inclusion of other lung positions may also be recommended to strengthen diagnostic accuracy, especially in cases with generally low L/D-ratios.</p>","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143752550","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":"Reply to the commentary of Burkhard Madea and Elke Doberentz on our article \"An assessment of the Henssge method for forensic death time estimation in the early post-mortem interval\".","authors":"Fabian Heinrich, Benjamin Ondruschka, Sven Anders-Lohner","doi":"10.1007/s00414-025-03437-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03437-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14071,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Legal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143188897","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}