Legal Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Letter to the Editor regarding the Article \"Complex suicides involving the use of firearms and hanging: A retrospective study and review of the literature\".","authors":"Andrea Gentilomo, Stefano Tambuzzi, Guendalina Gentile, Riccardo Zoja","doi":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102563","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102563","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49913,"journal":{"name":"Legal Medicine","volume":"72 ","pages":"102563"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142866131","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":"Allelic and haplotype diversity of 12 X-chromosomal short tandem repeats in Koreans, with an analysis of anomalous profiles.","authors":"Dong Gyu Lee, Jung-Eun Kim, Ji Hwan Park, Mi-Jung Kim, Man Il Kim, Si-Keun Lim, Ju Yeon Jung","doi":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102561","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102561","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Owing to the unique inheritance pattern of the X chromosome, X-chromosomal short tandem repeat (X-STR) analysis represents a valuable tool in forensic DNA examination-particularly in complex kinship cases, missing person investigations, and disaster victim identification. We analyzed buccal swabs from 429 unrelated Korean males for forensic statistical parameters of 12 X-STRs. Among the 427 individuals analyzed (2 were excluded), DXS10135 was the most informative marker (polymorphism information content [PIC] = 0.9131) and DXS7423 the least informative (PIC = 0.4250). When analyzed based on the four linkage groups (LGs), each individual had unique 12 X-STR haplotypes, with LG1 showing the highest haplotype diversity (0.9968) and the most common haplotype frequency (0.0164). LG1 was also the most informative (PIC = 0.9945), followed by LG3, LG4, and LG2 (with haplotype diversities of 0.9882-0.9968). Our analysis shows that Koreans clustered with East Asians, displayed strong genetic similarity, but differed significantly from Emirati Arabs, Brazilians, Argentinians, and Europeans, forming three distinct clusters influenced by historical and geographical factors. Within the examined X-STR haplotypes, biallelic patterns were identified in two instances: one involved a duplication at DXS10146, as indicated by relative peak height and normalized peak height ratio analysis, and the other encompassed eight loci, where balanced peak heights (72.51 %) and an X peak height imbalance at the amelogenin locus (59.69 %) were indicative of Klinefelter syndrome with sex chromosome aneuploidy. The 12 X-STR loci are informative and discriminatory in the Korean population, providing critical insights for forensic applications and genetic research.</p>","PeriodicalId":49913,"journal":{"name":"Legal Medicine","volume":"72 ","pages":"102561"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142856562","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":"Age estimation by radiomics analysis of mandibular condylar cone beam computed tomography images.","authors":"Aytaç Üzel, Alican Kuran, Oğuz Baysal, Umut Seki, Enver Alper Sinanoglu","doi":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102560","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102560","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The aim of this study was to estimate the legal age using the parameters obtained from radiomic analysis of the mandibular condyle in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>The study group consisted of 300 mandibular condyles, which were categorized into six groups based on the age of the patients: 8-11 years, 12-14 years, 15-17 years, 18-20 years, 21-23 years, and over 24 years. Each patient's condyle was segmented individually using the 3D Slicer program. Radiomic features were extracted from the segmented images using the SlicerRadiomics plugin. Subsequently, three distinct models were developed with reference to three specific subgroups of the 12-14 age group, 15-17 age group, 18-20 age group and the efficacy of radiomic features in predicting the age of the patient was evaluated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The ROC analysis of the three radiomics scores (RS) yielded AUC values of 0.927, 0.860, and 0.769 for RS_12-14, RS_15-17, and RS_18-20, respectively. The RS_12-14 model exhibited the highest sensitivity and specificity values among the models, with 88% and 84.4%, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Among the radiomic features extracted from the mandibular condyle in CBCT images, the most significant features, identified based on developed models and their respective coefficients, can be applied to estimate patients' ages. Future studies hold substantial potential for advancing this method, particularly in automating both the segmentation process and the derivation of formulae for age estimation. The use of radiomic features for age prediction presents a promising alternative method for developing fully automated systems in clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":49913,"journal":{"name":"Legal Medicine","volume":"72 ","pages":"102560"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142878425","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":"Comprehensive study of various vitamin concentrations in the human postmortem blood with an autopsy case report of beriberi.","authors":"Tadashi Hosoya, Kazuki Harada, Jun Kanetake","doi":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102559","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102559","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Using human cardiac blood from forensic autopsy cases, comprehensive measurements of albumin, vitamins A, B1, B6, B12, C, D, folate, and PIVKA-Ⅱ were performed. Of 128 cases, 83 were male, with an average age of 61.8 years and average postmortem interval of 44 h. The average concentrations of vitamins were 29.8 μg/dL for vitamin A, 32.2 μg/dL for vitamin B1, 278 ng/mL for vitamin B6 (pyridoxamine), 152 ng/mL for vitamin B6 (pyridoxal), 57.2 ng/mL for vitamin B6 (pyridoxal), 17.9 ng/mL for folate, 1188 pg/mL for vitamin B12, 23.5 μg/mL for vitamin C, 15.0 ng/mL for vitamin D, and 1.03 μg/mL for PIVKA-Ⅱ. An autopsy case of a Japanese middle-aged male with beriberi was also presented, where severe edema and effusion of the cavity and a high NT-proBNP serum value were observed; however, cardiac pathology showed no specific abnormal features. In the present case, the blood vitamin B1 concentration was within the standard clinical range. This study revealed that bloodborne water-soluble vitamin levels shows higher to clinical standard value at postmortem, whereas fat-soluble vitamin levels may stay in the standard range or lower. Our findings suggest that postmortem water-soluble vitamin concentrations within the clinical standard may reflect low antemortem vitamin concentrations.</p>","PeriodicalId":49913,"journal":{"name":"Legal Medicine","volume":"72 ","pages":"102559"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142822649","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":"Age assessment of Chinese Tibetan twins using multiple skeletal age estimation methods: A case report.","authors":"Shuai Luo, Fei Fan, Meng Liu, Li-Rong Qiu, Meng-Jun Zhan, Yu-Chi Zhou, Hui-Kun Yang, Hu Chen, Xue-Ling Chen, Zhen-Hua Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102558","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102558","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This case presents a unique age estimation involving Chinese Tibetan twins, where one of them has been arrested for alleged rape. His parents claimed he was about 13 years old without providing any official age documentation. Since age is important in criminal proceedings in China, bone age estimation was conducted to determine the chronological age of the twins. The twins underwent a physical examination, X-rays of the left hand/wrist, and pelvis, and a CT scan of the clavicle. Two age estimation standards in China were used: \"Skeletal Maturity and Assessment Methods of Hand and Wrist for Chinese\" (China-05 standard), and \"Technical Specifications for Skeletal Age Evaluation of Han Population Teenagers\" (TSSHPT standard). The bone radiographs showed that most of the twins' epiphyseal development was similar, with only slight differences observed in the distal radius, distal ulna, and iliac crest apophysis. The results of the two methods showed differences in the range of predicted ages. Applying the RUS-CHN method to hand/wrist images, the estimated age of the suspect was determined to be 16-16.5 years old, while his brother's age was 15.5-16 years old. Applying the TSSHPT standard to all three images, the estimated age of the suspect was 17-17.5 years old, while his brother's age was estimated to be 16.5-17 years old. In this case, two commonly used methods for age estimation were introduced. The disparity in age estimations using the RUS-CHN and TSSHPT standards, with the age of the suspect ranging from 16 to 17.5 years. This case revealed that the choice of bone age estimation method can significantly impact the result of estimated age, which has important implications for legal proceedings. Additionally, the minor differences in skeletal maturity between the twins emphasize the need to account for individual variations, even among genetically similar individuals. Furthermore, this case contributes to the broader discourse on the effectiveness of skeletal age estimation methods across diverse populations, underscoring the necessity for tailored evaluation standards that consider genetic and environmental diversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":49913,"journal":{"name":"Legal Medicine","volume":"72 ","pages":"102558"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142830692","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":"Homicide-suicide as domestic violence: A case report with a little literature review.","authors":"Beáta Ágnes Borsay, Barbara Dóra Halasi, Róbert Kristóf Pórszász, Péter Attila Gergely","doi":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102557","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102557","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The focus is on unnatural death in forensic pathology including criminal death. One special field is the murder-suicide or homicide-suicide. It is a relatively rare occurrence worldwide mainly with male perpetrators and female victims. The authors report a case about a special type of homicide-suicide which is so-called intimate partner homicide (femicide)-suicide in which the victim was a 42-year-old woman with more than 55 incised- (cuts, stabs, etc.) and blunt force injuries with external examination. The resuscitation was unsuccessful by the paramedics. Not one of the wounds was incompatible with life, some of them had life-threatening conditions, and numerous self-defense type of wounds were observed. Not so far from the crime scene, the 48-year-old perpetrator's hanging corpse was found on a high voltage electric column who previously committed suicide, talked to one of his daughters from his first marriage, left money at his funeral, and asserted he would not have gone to prison again. The authors compared this case with the international literature data.</p>","PeriodicalId":49913,"journal":{"name":"Legal Medicine","volume":"72 ","pages":"102557"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142787490","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":"Effective diagnosis of cervical fracture using postmortem computed tomography and autopsy findings.","authors":"Yoriko Shinba, Yuki Abe, Takanori Kohyama, Masahide Mitsuma, Hiromi Yamashita, Takehiko Murase, Kazuya Ikematsu","doi":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102555","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102555","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A common forensic problem is cervical fractures, which sometimes need to be diagnosed only by physical examination of the body, without imaging or autopsy. Despite reports from clinical practice describing the association between cervical fractures and head injury, we could not find any analysis of autopsy cases. In addition, discussion of the cervical fracture diagnosis by postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) appears limited. This study aimed to examine autopsy and PMCT findings and explore valid methods for the diagnosis. We analyzed autopsy cases of cervical fractures during the 7 years before (2004-2010) and after (2014-2020) the PMCT introduction in our department. In 2014-2020, 67 autopsy cases with cervical fractures were recorded, of which 61 (91 %) were related to blunt injury to the head. Those with cervical fractures had a significantly higher incidence of blunt injury to the head (p < 0.001), particularly \"forehead\" and \"face\" injury, which accounted for > 50 % of cases. Of the external forces on the neck, \"extension\" accounted for 82.1 %. The cervical fracture-positive rate in all autopsy cases increased significantly from 11 (4.0 %) in 2004-2010 to 67 (8.2 %) in 2014-2020 (p = 0.021). From December 2015 to December 2020, when \"cervical retroflexion\" imaging was actively performed in PMCT, the cervical fracture diagnosis rate increased significantly from 57.1 % in the cervical normal position to 81.0 % with the addition of \"cervical retroflexion\" position (p = 0.021). Blunt head injury and PMCT in the \"cervical retroflexion\" position may be useful in the diagnosis of cervical fractures.</p>","PeriodicalId":49913,"journal":{"name":"Legal Medicine","volume":"72 ","pages":"102555"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142824566","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":"Fatal bear attack in Russian Federation: A case report","authors":"Nikolaos Angelakopoulos ,&nbsp;Igor Valentinovich Vlasyuk ,&nbsp;Sudheer Babu Balla ,&nbsp;Rizky Merdietio Boedi ,&nbsp;Galina Zolotenkova","doi":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102556","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102556","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human-bear conflicts are a growing concern globally, with Russia harboring a significant population of brown bears. This case report details a fatal encounter between a male hunter and a brown bear in the greater Khabarovsk region. On October 2015, the hunter’s body was discovered approximately 400 m from a deceased brown bear, indicating a deadly confrontation. Forensic examination revealed extensive trauma and varied patterns of injuries, with the cause of death attributed to mixed shock from traumatic injuries and acute blood loss. Despite the limited dental information due to the missing maxilla, positive identification was achieved through the unique dental patterns in the victim’s mandible. This study emphasizes the need for specialized forensic knowledge in wildlife-related fatalities, highlighting the importance of accurate post-mortem examinations and the critical role of dental data in positively identifying victims under challenging circumstances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49913,"journal":{"name":"Legal Medicine","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 102556"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142719858","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}

{"title":"Immunohistochemical and molecular study for differential diagnosis between freshwater and saltwater drowning","authors":"Rehab A. Azouz ,&nbsp;Alaa F. Bakr ,&nbsp;Marwa A. Ibrahim ,&nbsp;Mohamed Y. Mahmoud","doi":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102545","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102545","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The postmortem identification of drowning in the field of forensic medicine is difficult due to unspecific autopsy findings, and usually, it is a “diagnosis of exclusion”. A model of drowning in salt and fresh water was established to discuss the postmortem changes after drowning and the differences between saltwater drowning (SWD) and freshwater drowning (FWD). The organs (brain and ‘lung) of 30 rats were extracted at three-time points (0 h, 24 h, and 48 h) after drowning. The histopathological, immunohistochemical,l, and molecular changes in the lung and brain of rats at different time points were investigated. Results show no significant difference in pathological findings between fresh and saltwater drowning. Casp3, JNK, and ERK all showed a rise in their postmortem expression in a time-dependent way; the expression of these three genes is much greater in cases of saltwater drowning compared to cases of freshwater drowning. So, it is concluded that after 24 h and 48 h from death, potent cellular oxidative stress occurred and caused the upregulation of the studied genes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49913,"journal":{"name":"Legal Medicine","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 102545"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142693860","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":"The utility of drowning site inference through metagenomic diatom analysis","authors":"Hiroaki Nakanishi ,&nbsp;Aya Takada ,&nbsp;Katsumi Yoneyama ,&nbsp;Saki Kodama ,&nbsp;Kentaro Sakai ,&nbsp;Kazuyuki Saito","doi":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102548","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102548","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The diatom test is one of the methods used to diagnose drowning in forensic autopsies. Metagenomic diatom analysis may reveal where a drowning occurred. We evaluated whether metagenomic diatom analysis could be used to infer waters, watersheds, and geographic locations using 166 water samples from 64 locations (freshwater: 55; seawater: 9). Principal component analysis (PCA) in all samples revealed no specific clusters for waters or watersheds. In one river, the three samples at the same site generally tended to be in close clusters, but there were some cases where the three sites were far from each other. The precise geographic location could thus not be reliably identified. However, PCA of data from dams, lakes, and retention basins revealed sites with independent clusters, suggesting unique diatom compositions. Diatoms of seawater were not detected in freshwater. The high number of <em>Actinoptychus</em>, <em>Chaetoceros</em>, and <em>Skeletonema</em> detected in seawater samples suggested that they are useful for seawater identification. This method required only 2 mL of water; it suggests that this method can be applied to actual samples. In summary, it was difficult to infer the geographic location and waters or watersheds, but the freshwater/seawater distinction could be easily made, and depending on the application, it may be useful in forensic science practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49913,"journal":{"name":"Legal Medicine","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 102548"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142640092","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}