Forensic Science Review最新文献

Distribution of ethanol between blood and alternative biological specimens in life and after death. Part I: Importance of body water. 生前和死后血液和其他生物标本中乙醇的分布。第一部分：身体水分的重要性。

Forensic Science Review Pub Date : 2026-07-01

A Wayne Jones

{"title":"Distribution of ethanol between blood and alternative biological specimens in life and after death. Part I: Importance of body water.","authors":"A Wayne Jones","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"Measuring the concentration of ethanol in blood and other biological specimens provides important forensic information whenever alcohol-related crimes and alcohol-related deaths are investigated. A dose-response relationship holds between a person's blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) and the degree of impairment of the central nervous system (CNS): When their BAC reaches 0.3-0.5 g/L, most people feel less inhibited and experience mild euphoria, while heavy drinking resulting in a BAC of 3.0-4.0 g/L is sufficient to cause death by depression of respiratory centers in the brainstem. After the consumption of alcoholic beverages, the ethanol they contain is distributed into the total body water (TBW) compartment without significant binding to plasma proteins or other macro-molecules. When absorption and distribution are complete, the concentrations of ethanol in blood and other body fluids and tissues depend on their relative water contents. Other factors influencing BAC are the dose ingested and the rate of drinking, as well as the person's age, sex, body weight, ethnicity, and degree of adiposity. Concentration-time profiles of ethanol in the blood also depend upon the route of administration (oral or intravenous) and upon whether ingested as a bolus dose or through repetitive drinking over several hours. Factors influencing gastric emptying are also important considerations, such as whether the ethanol was consumed on an empty stomach or after a meal. Blood is the most important biological specimen in forensic casework, because BAC serves as a proxy for the concentration of ethanol influencing the brain. This forensic science review deals with the distribution of ethanol between the blood and the total body water compartment, and the role played by body composition (obesity), which is an important consideration when blood-alcohol calculations are performed.","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"38 2","pages":"129-149"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149116037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Acetaminophen toxicity: A comprehensive review. 对乙酰氨基酚毒性：综合综述。

Forensic Science Review Pub Date : 2026-07-01

R G Menezes, G A AlMajed, M A Barnawi, S M Budshait, R A AlAteeq, R S AlMadani

{"title":"Acetaminophen toxicity: A comprehensive review.","authors":"R G Menezes, G A AlMajed, M A Barnawi, S M Budshait, R A AlAteeq, R S AlMadani","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"Poisoning by acetaminophen is a serious public health concern because of its accessibility and the ease with which overdoses can occur accidentally or on purpose. The liver metabolizes acetaminophen, and when taken in excess, it is transformed into a poisonous metabolite that seriously damages the liver and may result in hepatic failure and death. The cornerstone of treatment is the early administration of N-acetylcysteine, which is most effective within 8 hours of ingestion. Co-ingestants, therapy timing, and pre-existing liver diseases are some of the factors that affect toxicity. Both unintentional overdoses and deliberate poisonings have legal and forensic ramifications, especially where minors or self-harm are involved. In fatal cases, a toxicological investigation is essential to identify the cause of death and differentiate acetaminophen poisoning from other possible causes. Regulations such as age restrictions, pack-size constraints, and improved labeling have demonstrated the potential to reduce the prevalence of acetaminophen toxicity. Intentional and accidental overdoses can be avoided in part by raising public awareness and educating healthcare professionals. To lessen the impact of acetaminophen poisoning on public health systems, more research is required to enhance early identification, improve treatment techniques, and guide policy decisions. This review aims to familiarize clinicians and forensic professionals with the pharmacology, clinical presentation, management, and medicolegal aspects of acetaminophen toxicity..","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"38 2","pages":"111-128"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149116076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Virtual comparison microscopy revolutionizing firearms identification: A review of methods, validity, and admissibility. 虚拟比较显微镜革命性的枪支鉴定：方法，有效性和可采性的回顾。

Forensic Science Review Pub Date : 2026-01-01

B A Best

引用次数: 0

Approach helpful for differentiating hemp- and marijuana-derived plant products: A review. 有助于判别大麻和大麻衍生植物产品的方法综述。

Forensic Science Review Pub Date : 2026-01-01

Y-C Cheng

{"title":"Approach helpful for differentiating hemp- and marijuana-derived plant products: A review.","authors":"Y-C Cheng","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"The legalization of hemp and the rapid growth of hemp-derived products have created major challenges for forensic and related laboratories in the United States. As marijuana remains illegal at the federal level and is heavily trafficked, accurately differentiating legal hemp from illicit marijuana is critical for law enforcement, industry, and medical applications. This review summarizes current methods used in cannabis classification, including morphological examination, chemical analysis, and genetic approaches, and discusses the limitations of each approach. Gas chromatography (GC)-based methods remain the primary technique in forensic laboratories due to their long-standing use in seized-drug analysis, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Liquid chromatography (LC)-based methods avoid thermal artifacts and allow the direct quantification of acidic and neutral cannabinoids. Other techniques, such as direct analysis in real time (DART) and spectroscopy, can also improve analytical efficiency. However, each approach has particular limitations, and the continuing emergence of hemp-derived cannabinoids interferes with analysis and interpretation. DNA-based approaches, for which synthase-gene markers, simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, and organelle markers have been discovered and evaluated, can offer stable and environment-independent alternatives, yet their forensic implementation is limited by insufficient databases, assay complexity, and laboratory resource constraints. Continued development and method selection should be guided by laboratory resources and the intended application. It is important to understand the limitations and ensure careful evaluation and validation to support accurate and defensible cannabis testing.","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"38 1","pages":"45-61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149116106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Breath-alcohol analysis as a surrogate for blood-alcohol concentration depends on assuming a constant blood/breath ratio of alcohol. 呼气酒精分析作为血液酒精浓度的替代依赖于假设恒定的血液/呼气酒精比。

Forensic Science Review Pub Date : 2025-07-01

A Wayne Jones

{"title":"Breath-alcohol analysis as a surrogate for blood-alcohol concentration depends on assuming a constant blood/breath ratio of alcohol.","authors":"A Wayne Jones","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"The ratio of blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) to breath-alcohol concentration (BrAC), which is commonly referred to as the blood/breath ratio (BBR), is an important concept in forensic science and legal medicine. For example, the BBR serves as the calibration factor used when a breath-alcohol test result is converted into the coexisting BAC for clinical, research, and forensic purposes. Furthermore, when legislative bodies established statutory BrAC limits for driving, they divided the statutory BAC limit by an assumed population average BBR, hence BrAC = BAC/BBR. However, jurisdictions opted to use different BBRs when calculating statutory BrAC limits for driving, and values of 2000:1, 2100:1, 2300:1, and 2400:1 were used in different countries. Under in vitro conditions, the blood/air partition ratio of ethanol can be determined with high precision (coefficient of variation CV ~2%), whereas in vivo the BBR of alcohol depends on numerous physiological factors, such as lung physiology, breathing pattern, and other biological variables; BBRs in vivo have CVs ranging from 8-12%, depending on the type of breath analyzer used. BrAC increases during a prolonged exhalation into an evidential breath-alcohol analyzer and the BBR therefore decreases as a person reaches a vital capacity exhalation. The BBR of alcohol also depends on whether arterial (A) or venous (V) blood samples were used for ethanol analysis, because A-V differences are continuously changing during the absorption, distribution, and elimination stages of the blood-alcohol curve. This article reviews the historical background and wisdom of assuming a constant BBR of alcohol for legal purposes when breath test results are used as a proxy for venous BAC. Discussion and debate about a person's BBR should be irrelevant in those jurisdictions that enforce a statutory BrAC limit for driving.","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"37 2","pages":"117-135"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144765630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Driving under the influence of drugs: An overview of current legal frameworks. 在药物影响下驾驶：现行法律框架概述。

Forensic Science Review Pub Date : 2025-07-01

D Ferrari, M Locatelli, E Sabetta

{"title":"Driving under the influence of drugs: An overview of current legal frameworks.","authors":"D Ferrari, M Locatelli, E Sabetta","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or illicit drugs has been shown to increase the risk of involvement in road traffic collisions. Thanks to the scientifically proven link between blood alcohol concentration and impaired driving ability, a broadly accepted legislative framework has been established and is now widely adopted across the globe. In contrast, less is known about the effects of illicit drugs, and a clear correlation between blood drug concentrations and driving performance has been defined by some authors as a \"mirage\". In this review, we examine the advantages and limitations of current legislative initiatives regulating DUI of psychoactive drugs. The predominant approaches employed are \"zero tolerance\", \"legal limits\", and \"impairment assessment\". We discuss the distinctions among these methods, focusing on their implications for balancing citizens' rights and public safety. Additionally, we address the pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical challenges associated with the implementation of each legislative framework. The application of these three approaches is also discussed in light of recent changes in drug policies observed in many countries, including the decriminalization of certain substances, such as cannabis, and the growing prevalence of drugs prescribed for medical purposes. In conclusion, due to the absence of a robust scientific foundation, determining the most appropriate approach among the three remains challenging. The choice of method is primarily influenced by the government's policy priorities, which may emphasize either the protection of citizens' rights or the promotion of road safety.","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"37 2","pages":"105-115"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144765631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Forensic importance and advancements in microscopic examination of questioned documents. 质疑文件显微检查的法医重要性和进展。

Forensic Science Review Pub Date : 2025-01-01

V Gupta, H Aniket, S Shivangi, K Saini

{"title":"Forensic importance and advancements in microscopic examination of questioned documents.","authors":"V Gupta, H Aniket, S Shivangi, K Saini","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"Questioned document examination is one of the most challenging tasks in the field of forensic science. Examining the document without destroying its integrity is difficult in such cases. Microscopic examination is a noble and mostly non-destructive approach in document examination. It enables the examiner to visualize the evidence in the document, which would have been otherwise difficult with unaided eyes. The purpose of the study was to establish the importance of microscopic examination in document examination. A critical review of 60 years, from 1963 to 2023, of various research papers from different journals has been conducted. Applications of various microscopes including stereo microscopes, digital microscopes, scanning electron microscopes (SEM), and atomic force microscopes (AFM) were reviewed. Compared to the basic examinations performed before the year 2000, there was a remarkable evolution involving complex examinations with more precise results after the year 2000. Microscopy helped solve almost all kinds of problems involved in document examination. Among all microscopes, the stereo microscope was found to be a prominent tool in document laboratories. Certain limitations were also listed for microscopic examination over spectroscopic methods. However, microscopes have been the tool of choice for forensic document examiners.","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"37 1","pages":"51-65"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143075648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Fingerprints in ancient China - A mini-review. 中国古代的指纹——一个小回顾。

Forensic Science Review Pub Date : 2025-01-01

D Petrétei

引用次数: 0

Development and present status of impaired driving legislation in the United Kingdom. 英国酒后驾驶立法的发展和现状。

Forensic Science Review Pub Date : 2025-01-01

A Wayne Jones

{"title":"Development and present status of impaired driving legislation in the United Kingdom.","authors":"A Wayne Jones","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"This article traces the development and present status of legislation pertaining to driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and other drugs (DUID) in the United Kingdom (UK). The Road Safety Act of 1967 represented a paradigm shift in the way that traffic offenders were prosecuted for driving after consumption of alcohol. This new legislation defined punishable concentrations of alcohol (ethanol) in samples of the driver's blood (80 mg%) or urine (107 mg%). The creation of these statutory concentration limits meant that it was no longer necessary to prove that a suspect was under the influence or impaired by alcohol at the time of driving. Also in 1967, a police officer in uniform was permitted to administer a roadside breath alcohol screening test to help make a decision whether a suspect should be arrested for further investigation. In 1983, the British government introduced a statutory breath alcohol concentration limit of 35 μg/100 mL and evidential quality breath analyzers were approved for use by the police as an alternative to sampling blood or urine for analysis. Evidence of driving under the influence of drugs other than alcohol depended on the results of a clinical examination and questionnaire done by a police surgeon. This was supported by evidence presented by the arresting police officers or other witnesses. In 2015, a radical change occurred in the legislation pertaining to drug-impaired driving where instead of relying on clinical evidence of impairment, concentration limits in blood for 17 psychoactive substances were defined by statute. These consisted of eight commonly encountered recreational drugs of abuse and nine prescription medications (opiates and benzodiazepines), all classified as controlled substances.","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"37 1","pages":"35-44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143075625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

How Ontologies Have Supported Digital Forensics: Review and Recommendations. 本体论如何支持数字取证：回顾与建议》。

Forensic Science Review Pub Date : 2024-07-01

T J Silva, E OliveiraJr, A F Zorzo

{"title":"How Ontologies Have Supported Digital Forensics: Review and Recommendations.","authors":"T J Silva, E OliveiraJr, A F Zorzo","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"The evolution of digital media has increased the number of crimes committed using digital equipment. This has led to the evolution of the computer forensics area to digital forensics (DF). Such an area aims to analyze information through its main phases of identification, collection, organization, and presentation (reporting). As this area has evolved, many techniques have been developed, mainly focusing on the formalization of terminologies and concepts for providing a common vocabulary comprehension. This has demanded efforts on several initiatives, such as the definition of ontologies, which are a means to identify the main concepts of a given area. Hence, the existing literature provides several ontologies developed for supporting the DF area. Therefore, to identify and analyze the existing ontologies for DF, this paper presents a systematic literature review (SLR) in which primary studies in the literature are studied. This SLR resulted in the identification of ontology building methodologies, ontology types, feasibility points, evaluation/assessment methods, and DF phases and subareas ontologies have supported. These results were based on the analysis of 29 ontologies that aided in answering six research questions. Another contribution of this paper is a set of recommendations on further ontology-based support of DF investigation, which can guide researchers and practitioners in covering existing research gaps.","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"36 2","pages":"99-125"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141996635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0