{"title":"Forensic medicine in (West-Bank) Palestine visions and obstacles","authors":"Hafsah Ghanem","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102696","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102696","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Forensic medicine in Palestine is a new branch of medicine compared with other medical specialties and is still at a nascent stage. Only 6 medical doctors specializing in forensic medicine are currently practicing in Palestine, including only one female specialist (the author). Palestine has adopted a system that combines clinical forensic medicine and forensic pathology. Forensic doctors can deal with both the living and the dead and deal with cases of physical and sexual assault, gender-based violence, and domestic violence.</p><p>In different courts, such as civil, military, and shariah, Palestinian judicial decisions depend primarily on forensic medical reports and the testimonies that forensic doctors provide for the court to explain their reports. Forensic medicine has a significant role and crucial impact on achieving justice for victims of all types of abuse, either dead or alive. However, the role of forensic medicine in achieving justice for victims, and hence fighting and eradicating violence, is underestimated and not fully understood by the general population.</p><p>This paper introduces to the reader the status of forensic medicine in Palestine, focusing on the challenges and obstacles faced by both the victims and forensic doctors. Meeting these challenges and overcoming obstacles is essential for fighting all types of violence, including violence against women in Palestinian society.</p><p>The current provision of forensic medical services in Palestine is less than satisfactory, being considerably hampered by the lack of legislation and regulations.</p><p>Palestine is in great need of continued international support for forensic medicine and forensic services. Two projects supported by the United Nations put the country on the road, but there are still many miles to go toward the aim.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102696"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141136875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bite marks: To opine or not to opine?","authors":"Maria Nittis , Richard Bassed","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102689","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102689","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Much has been written about bite mark comparisons and bite mark analysis. It has largely been written for, and remained within the domain of, the forensic odontologist despite the limited number of such specialists and the even smaller subset who have expertise in this area. For those health professionals who work in the field of clinical forensic medicine, most will not have access to a forensic odontologist. Courts can be reticent about the costs involved in obtaining another expert opinion. For health professionals, who will likely encounter more bite marks in their career than forensic odontologists, the difficulty is knowing what can legitimately be opined about such injuries.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102689"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140960985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Male rape in Brazil: A descriptive analysis from 2010 to 2022","authors":"Edmilson Ozorio dos Santos, Ivan Dieb Miziara","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Male rape is a relatively under-discussed topic in scientific literature, despite its significant relevance and prevalence worldwide, including in Brazil. To inform public health and safety policies, this study aimed to analyze cases of male rape using data from SINAN, the Information System for Notifiable Diseases, a division of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, for the years 2010–2022. Our findings reveal a 469 % increase in male rape cases in the country over the study period, with a predominance of cases in the state of São Paulo. Also, a higher prevalence of cases was observed among individuals aged 5–9 years. Furthermore, we identified a correlation between the occurrence of rape and certain factors, including individuals with less than 4 years of formal education if they were over the age of 50, and those who had a history of being sexually abused between the ages of 5 and 14. Additionally, this study reinforces the prevalence of rape cases occurring within domestic environments and perpetrated by individuals closely related to the victims. This study contributes to filling the gap in research on male rape in Brazil, laying the foundation for the development of strategies to prevent and combat rape in the country.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102684"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140755728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shutaro Nagano , Kana Unuma , Yohsuke Makino , Hiroki Mori , Koichi Uemura
{"title":"Acute upper airway obstruction due to cervical hematoma after cervicofacial liposuction","authors":"Shutaro Nagano , Kana Unuma , Yohsuke Makino , Hiroki Mori , Koichi Uemura","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102697","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102697","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Liposuction is a surgical procedure performed worldwide. Although many fatal complications of liposuction have been reported, to our knowledge, no cases of fatal liposuction complications specifically related to the face region have been reported. Here, we present a case of a woman in her 30s who developed a cervical hematoma and upper airway obstruction following facial liposuction. We present this unique case to highlight the rare occurrence of fatal complications specific to facial liposuction.</p><p>The patient underwent liposuction during surgery at a cosmetic surgical clinic and awoke from anesthesia after the procedure. Two hours later, she developed a neck swelling and dyspnea. While the anesthesiologist managed her airway, she went into cardiopulmonary arrest. She was then transferred to the emergency room but died on day 7 of hospitalization. The autopsy revealed swelling of the right cheek and mandible, a subcutaneous hematoma in the same area, and laryngeal edema. A damaged facial artery branch was identified, which was consistent with the computed tomography (CT) findings on admission. CT also showed that the hematoma compressed the right internal jugular vein, suggesting that venous outflow impairment caused by the hematoma may have exacerbated the airway obstruction.</p><p>This case reveals that cervical hematoma caused by facial liposuction can cause fatal upper airway obstruction and the onset of the hematoma may be gradual.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102697"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141028457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examination of bone fractures in women exposed to domestic violence (Tokat-Turkey)","authors":"Ugur Demir , Yasin Etli , Mahmut Asirdizer","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102687","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102687","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Fractures are an important symptom of physical violence that will negatively affect the woman's quality of life in the coming years. However, there is limited information in the literature about fractures in women exposed to domestic violence (DV). The aim of this study was to compare fracture development rates and age distributions in women exposed to DV and intimate partner violence (IPV), a component of DV, and women exposed to other physical violence (OV), to determine the incidence of DV cases with and without fractures, and to determine fracture locations in DV cases and to identify diagnostic lesions accompanying fractures.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>A retrospective review was made of patients injured as a result of IPV, other domestic violence (ODV) and OV. The data of cases with fracture were analyzed in terms of age groups of the victims and according to location and types of fractures.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Of the 854 female patients aged >18 years who were admitted to the hospital due to violence, 55.2% were exposed to DV. Most DV victims (87.9%) were assaulted by intimate partners. The incidence of fractures in IPV cases (7.2%), was nearly twice that of ODV and OV cases. The mean age of IPV cases with fractures (42.1 ± 12.1 years) was significantly higher than that of IPV cases without fractures (33.1 ± 11.8 years) (p < 0.05). Most IPV cases (61.8%) were aged <35 years. Most DV cases with fractures (75%) were aged <50 years. Facial/neck injuries (41.5%) and facial fractures (52.6%) were prominent in DV cases.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The results of this study of the presence of facial fractures, especially in women aged <50 years, is an important finding that can alert doctors to potential cases of domestic violence.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102687"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140901053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aisling R. Geoghegan , William RM. Weiler , Frances Yeung , Emma J. Cory
{"title":"Development of a standardized peer review and oversight process in cases of suspected child physical abuse","authors":"Aisling R. Geoghegan , William RM. Weiler , Frances Yeung , Emma J. Cory","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102698","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102698","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Peer review of medical opinions provided in cases of suspected child physical abuse is generally considered to be best practice for pediatricians engaged in this field. However, there are no published standardized guidelines on how pediatricians should undertake physical abuse peer review including case selection and process. Due to the high-stakes nature in the field of child abuse pediatrics, rigorous quality assurance practices and oversight mechanisms are essential to safeguard children, families, health care providers, and intersecting systems. The Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect program at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada developed a structured peer review process for cases of suspected physical abuse. Included in the process is an approach for the evaluation of institutional complaints received related to a child abuse pediatrician's medical opinion. This quality assurance process is presented so that other child abuse pediatricians and programs may replicate or adapt the protocol for their own local context.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102698"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141091084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M.A. Kislov , M. Chauhan , A.N. Prikhodko , R.V. Bespamyatnov , K.V. Natarova
{"title":"Suicide by a construction nail fired from a pistol","authors":"M.A. Kislov , M. Chauhan , A.N. Prikhodko , R.V. Bespamyatnov , K.V. Natarova","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102682","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Penetrating head injury</em> to accomplish suicide by a non-ammunition-related projectile discharged from a nail-gun is a very rare entity. The authors describe even much rarer, and the first reported case of a suicide <em>penetrating head injury</em> by a construction nail discharged from a blank cartridge of a pistol. The absence of beveling and muzzle impression, the non-ejection of the discharged cartridge, and the exit of just the tip of the nail from the other side of wound were the atypical features in this firearm fatality sustained at a contact-range. The entry wound prototypes like abrasion and grease collar, and blackening were absent. An improvisation to insert a construction nail into the chamber of firearm, for utilization as a projectile was another unique highlight here. The deceased was a construction builder. Being debt-ridden, he probably could not manage to purchase even one live cartridge for his licensee pistol to bring suicidal ideation to culmination.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 102682"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140637883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Forensic Professionals’ Stress Inventory (FPSI): Development and psychometric properties","authors":"M. Moniz , M. Paulino , O. Moura , M.R. Simões","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102677","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102677","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Professionals in the justice system are particularly susceptible to occupational stress and burnout due to factors intrinsic to their profession. The Forensic Professional's Stress Inventory (FPSI) was designed to assess stress and psychological distress specifically in justice system professionals. A preliminary 41-item scale was administered to a sample of 690 forensic professionals (i.e., judges, lawyers, and attorneys). Exploratory factor analysis, exploratory structural equation modeling, and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to find the most interpretable and parsimonious factor solution for FPSI. The 25-item bifactor model (with four first-order factors) demonstrated the most adequate fit to the data. Overall, FPSI revealed adequate psychometric properties and would be a useful instrument for assessing psychological strain and stress in forensic professionals.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 102677"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1752928X24000398/pdfft?md5=72c8e5c9ed4806031a96a1cd7649edcb&pid=1-s2.0-S1752928X24000398-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140332754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Norell Rosado , James McKenzie , Elizabeth Charleston , Rebecca E. Ford-Paz
{"title":"The Forensic Assessment for Immigration Relief (FAIR) clinic: A faculty-led, pediatric clinic model","authors":"Norell Rosado , James McKenzie , Elizabeth Charleston , Rebecca E. Ford-Paz","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102685","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102685","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Since 2019, the number of children apprehended by the United States Custom and Border Patrol at the southern border continues to increase. Many of these children are fleeing violence and extreme poverty and qualify for several forms of humanitarian relief. Trained pediatric health professionals have an essential role to play in documenting evidence to support their petitions. The goal of a forensic medical and psychological evaluation is to establish the facts related to the reported incident(s), provide forensic evidence to support these claims, and provide an expert opinion on the degree to which a finding correlates with the client's reports through a written affidavit. Research studies have demonstrated a significant increase in asylum grant rate for cases that include an evaluation. As demand for forensic evaluations has grown, multiple clinic models have emerged, including volunteer networks, student-led clinics, and faculty-led clinics. The Forensic Assessment for Immigration Relief (FAIR) Clinic offers a sustainable infrastructure while emphasizing the training of pediatric healthcare professionals on the conduct of trauma-informed, culturally attuned, and developmentally appropriate forensic evaluations. This paper outlines the year-long process of developing and launching a clinic specializing in pediatric forensic medical and psychological evaluations as a blueprint for replication.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 102685"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140637882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Realistic three-dimensional imaging of injuries in forensic medicine - Survey-based method comparison of CRT and VRT","authors":"G.M. Bruch , K. Engel , J. Schropp , S. Grabherr","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102681","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102681","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>A comparison between Cinematic Rendering Technique (CRT) and Volume Rendering Technique (VRT) in cases with postmortem CT-angiography (PMCTA) was carried out.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>For different injuries seen in PMCTA, a VRT and a CRT image of exactly the same pathological section was generated. Two questionnaires were created, one with CRT and one with VRT reconstructions, with the same questions per 3D-image. The questionnaires were sent to forensic pathologists, lawyers and police officers. In total eleven different injuries had to be analyzed.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>In total 109 questionnaires were answered fully. Of these returnees, 36 stated that they were forensic pathologists. Seventy-three people were assigned to the group of medical laypersons, in the study this group consists mainly of police officers, judges and lawyers. Between the two software programs CRT and VRT that were compared, no significant difference could be identified in any of the participating groups with regard to the assessment of the life-threatening nature of the injury images shown. When asked about the comprehensibility of pathology, there was a significant difference in favour of CRT. This advantage was apparent to named medical laypersons and to forensic pathologists.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The study showed a positive trend that CRT may be more understandable than VRT. Not only the medical laypersons, but also the forensic physicians found CRT to be beneficial.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 102681"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1752928X2400043X/pdfft?md5=112655694aa0d6a6afe86b3457337e85&pid=1-s2.0-S1752928X2400043X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140535099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}