对冻死尸体血糖变化的研究

用分光光度计对10具冻死尸体、50具非冻死尸体、50名健康体检人的血糖及5只家兔冻死前后的血糖分别进行测定,测得的数据用统计学“方差分析”方法处理,结果为健康人男、女的血糖浓度、健康人与非冻死尸体血糖的浓度差异无显著性;冻死与非冻死血糖的浓度、冻死与健康人血糖的浓度差异有高度显著性;家兔在冻前与冻死后血糖浓度的差异有高度的显著性。结论为冻死尸体血糖明显升高,可以做为法医确定冻死的佐证之一。     

The application of eight reported temperature-based algorithms to calculate the postmortem interval.

There exist numerous temperature-based techniques to calculate the early postmortem interval of human corpses. This paper presents eight commonly used time of death algorithms and describes how they were applied to eight corpses.     

152例火场尸体的法医学检验分析

目的 探讨火场尸体的法医学检验特点及其鉴定。方法 对86起火场中152例尸体的相关检验资料进行回顾性研究。结果 152例火场尸体,生前烧死109例,纵火焚尸38例,无明显高温作用的尸体5例。主要死因有“烧死综合征”100例,火场有毒气体中毒8例,机械性损伤32例(含高坠死4例),机械性窒息5例,电击、服毒各1例;不能确定死因5例。自杀5例,他杀40例,意外107例。在生前烧死尸体,87例呼吸道内有炭末沉着,71例皮肤局部烧伤边缘组织有红肿,46例检见水泡,17例有“闭眼反应”征象,大部分尸体血中HbCO浓度超过20％;纵火焚尸少见或不见上述改变。结论 检验火场尸体,根据烧死尸体征象和血中HbCO浓度检测,并结合火场勘验资料综合分析,其死因鉴定和死亡方式推断结论方能准确。     

Biolog-Eco法检测尸体微生物群落的代谢功能变化

目的检测死后不同时间尸体上微生物群落功能多样性的变化并评估其在死亡时间推断中的应用价值。方法采用Biolog-Eco微平板对野外实验中来自于死后0~240 h猪和人尸体的肛门拭子进行微生物群体的培养,监测其引起的光密度值变化,结合法医病理学及蝇类演替,观察自然腐败尸体微生物群落的代谢特性及其变化。结果微生物代谢功能多样性与蛆虫数量变化呈负相关关系。冷冻在0 h对每孔颜色平均变化率影响最大,48 h后基本消失,192 h后尸体微生物群落多样性相对不稳定。主成分分析将31种碳源综合为5个主成分(累积贡献率90%)。碳源tsquare分析显示,N-乙酰-D-葡萄糖氨和L-丝氨酸是推断人和猪样品PMI(0~240 h)的优势碳源。结论 Biolog-Eco法能表现死亡后0~240 h尸体上微生物群落对部分碳源利用的代谢差异,有望为死亡时间推断提供新依据。     

Determination of 2.4-dinitrophenol,its basic metabolite and 4-oxide diphenyl in biological materials

A possibility was considered to isolate, by using dimethylformamide, 2.4-dinitrophenol, 2-amino-4-nitrophenol and 4-oxid-diphenyl from a biological-origin object. A method of extraction with subsequent chromatography in thin silicon-gel layer was used to purify the isolates from biological materials. The designed technique provides for identifying and for quantitatively defining the discussed phenol structures contained in the isolates from the liver tissue of corpses and human blood.     

Long Bone (Humerus,Femur, Tibia) Measuring Procedure in Cadavers

In this work, we present a measuring methodology for long bones of the limbs (humerus, femur, and tibia) of human corpses. Measurements of cadaveric height and long bone lengths were conducted on 72 corpses (20 females and 52 males) from the School of Medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Additionally, these measurements were compared with those taken from dry bones of a subsample of individuals. Our results show marginal differences (TEM% = 0.59) between cadaveric and dry bone measurements, resulting from different osteometric technical procedures. This note outlines the measuring methodology, which will be subsequently used to create regression formulas for stature estimation.     

Towards a "crime pollen calendar" - pollen analysis on corpses throughout one year

A palynological study was carried out on 28 corpses brought in one year (June 2003-May 2004) to the morgue of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Parma (Northern Italy). This preliminary research focuses on the date of death, which was known for all corpses examined. Pollen sampling and analyses were made with the first aim of comparing the pollen grains found on corpses with those diffused in the atmosphere in the region in the same season as the known date of death. Eyebrows, hair-line near the forehead, facial skin and nasal cavities were sampled. Most of the corpses had trapped pollen grains, with the exception of two December corpses. All pollen grains were found with cytoplasm and in a good state of preservation. In this way, a series of reference data was collected for the area where the deaths occurred, and we examined whether pollen grains on corpses could be an index of the season of death. To verify this hypothesis, the pollen analyses were compared with data reported in the airborne pollen calendars of Parma and the region around. Pollen calendars record pollen types and their concentrations in the air, month by month. The quantity of pollen recorded on corpses did not prove to be directly related to the quantity of pollen in the air. But qualitatively, many pollen types which are seasonal markers were found on corpses. Main corpse/air discrepancies were also observed due to the great influence that the local environmental conditions of the death scene have in determining the pollen trapped by a corpse. Qualitative plus quantitative pollen data from corpses appeared helpful in indicating the season of death. A preliminary sketch of a "crime pollen calendar" in a synthetic graphic form was made by grouping the corpse pollen records into three main seasons: A, winter/spring; B, spring/summer; C, summer/autumn. Trends match the general seasonal trend of pollen types in the air.     

Traumatology of the traffic accident--dead people for the safety in traffic

Since 1970, traumatomechanics has been a focal point in research at the Institute for Legal Medicine and Traffic Medicine in Heidelberg. Here, the main topics are the understanding of the interrelation between mechanical strain and the resulting degree of injury; at the forefront of all interest is the determination of the mechanical resilience in humans, their organs and tissues. Important are not only the means, but likewise the individual strain tolerance and the causes for its variability. Their understanding leads to scientifically justifiable expert's reports. In safety research, these data are of major importance for the validation of crash-dummies and for the improvement of safety protection systems. Before this background, national and international institutions have supported numerous projects. With the help of 2 examples, the Thorax-Trauma-Index (TTI) and the synergy between safety belt and airbag, the relevance of these data for international regulatory provisions and the progress in safety practice are illustrated. Some traumatomechanical insights can only be gathered from human corpses. Legal prerequisites and ethical problems of experiments with corpses are discussed.     

The use of either the nose or outer ear as a means of determining the postmortem period of a human corpse.

Presented in this paper are the initial results involving the use of the nose or outer ear as temperature measurement sites to determine the postmortem period of the human corpse. Simple mathematical models for both sites are developed based on cooling curves of five corpses. Analysis of errors between actual and calculated postmortem intervals suggest that in its present form, the described methods would not be suitable for use in accurately determining the time since death of human corpses.     

Medical criminological personality identification by morphological signs of upper limbs segments

Studies of the morphology of segments of human upper limbs helped develop a method for medical criminological personality identification by metric parameters of the arm and hand in expert evaluation of a dismembered corpse. The sampling consisted of 270 corpses of Europeoids of both sexes (150 men and 120 women) aged 17-98 years. Ten quantitative signs of the upper limbs were analyzed. Statistical modeling of body length and weight and of head and chest circumferences was performed on the basis of the hand, arm, and forearm characteristics. The data can be used for rapid personality identification in criminal cases, war actions, terroristic acts, and calamities with multiple victims.     

A, B and H group specific substances in human vitreous humor

The presence of A, B and H group specific substances in vitreous humor taken from 105 human corpses was determined. Good agreement was obtained between these group substances and the ABO blood group. The relationship with the secretor type is discussed.     

Taphonomy of child-sized remains: a study of scattering and scavenging in Virginia, USA

Child-sized pig carcasses (Sus scrofa) were placed in surface deposit and buried scenarios in a wooded area of Virginia from May 1998 through December 2000, to examine the taphonomic effects of decompositional changes, predator scavenging, and the extent of remains scattering. Changes were observed through on-site examination, charting of remains, and recorded video imaging. Analysis of data revealed that utilization of corpses as food sources by vertebrates was dependent upon invertebrate colonization. Vertebrates avoided feeding on the corpses while invertebrate colonization was active, and would feed before invertebrates successfully colonized a corpse, or would wait until the invertebrate populations migrated away from the corpse. Among vertebrates, there was no apparent succession order for the animals utilizing the remains as a food source. Different vertebrates would feed at different times based upon diurnal or nocturnal predilection. Analysis noted an accidental cooperative relationship between the invertebrates and vertebrates scavenging on the corpses. Certain vertebrates gained access to the internal tissues by utilizing openings in the corpses caused by invertebrate and other vertebrate scavenging. Alternately, carrion-frequenting insects were afforded access to previously inaccessible colonization sites as a result of scavenging vertebrate activities.     

Trichophyton Mentagrophytes Perforates Hair of Adult Corpses in the Gaseous Period*

Abstract: Despite the substantial literature on mycology, there are still limited reports of the interaction between fungi and human hosts in the postmortem period. Thus, the main goal of this study was to investigate the in vitro perforation test using Trichophyton mentagrophytes on hair from adult corpses in the postmortem period (gaseous period). The protocol was carried out with positive (prepubescent children’s hair) and negative controls (healthy adult hair) as well. One strain of Trichophyton rubrum was also used as a negative perforation control. Perforations were found in all the hair samples from corpses and prepubescent children after 12–14 days exposure to T. mentagrophytes and were absent in the hair samples of healthy adults. Furthermore, hair perforation was not observed with T. rubrum. Our preliminary findings suggest the use of T. mentagrophytes as a potential marker of the death interval in forensic science.     

Postmortem evaluation of serum and urine neopterin concentrations

Cellular immune response is accompanied by the release of neopterin. Increased neopterin levels in urine and serum are observed in patients during viral infections, autoimmune diseases, and allograft rejections and certain malignant diseases. We investigated postmortem neopterin concentrations in urine and serum samples taken from 32 corpses 3 to 69 h (mean 19.3 h) after death. Urine neopterin concentrations in corpses are similar to those of healthy live controls and are independent of the time after death. In contrast, serum neopterin concentrations are frequently greatly increased in corpses, and the levels are higher in sera collected more than 10 h after death in comparison with samples obtained earlier. Neopterin measurement in urine and serum samples of corpses is feasible. It appears likely that urine neopterin concentrations could aid the diagnosis of inflammatory diseases in corpses.     

Piophila megastigmata (Diptera: Piophilidae): first records on human corpses

Piophila megastigmata McAlpine, 1978, for many years only known from South Africa, was recently recorded in Spain. The present work reports for the first time the occurrence of P. megastigmata in human corpses in Portugal. The species was also collected in succession studies conducted with piglet carcasses, where it coexisted with Stearibia nigriceps (Meigen, 1826), showing similar periods of presence in the carcass. However, P. megastigmata was more abundant than S. nigriceps in autumn, with the opposite in summer. During winter neither species was able to colonize carrion and in spring, only S. nigriceps. This first record of P. megastigmata in human corpses confirms it as a potentially useful forensic species in Europe. The species, well established in the Iberian Peninsula, probably has a wider distribution but has been previously overlooked and possibly confused with Piophila casei (Linnaeus, 1758) in many studies.     

Artifacts Caused by Leaf-Cutting Ants of the Genus Atta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Postmortem Bite Injuries and the Tearing of Clothes

Ants are one of the first insects to find an exposed cadaver and can be present during all stages of decomposition. Although these organisms are not commonly used in postmortem interval estimates, they are to be taken into account on criminal investigations involving human corpses, since they can leave bite marks that can be mistaken for antemortem or perimortem injuries, which could be misleading when ascertaining the occurrence of abuse or physical altercation during a crime. A few studies report the action of ants on human cadavers and even though leaf-cutting ants of the genus Atta are frequently encountered in succession studies that use animal carcasses, there are no records of these fungus-growing species on human corpses. Atta is a genus restricted to the New World, ranging from northern Argentina to southern United States and acts as one of the most conspicuous neotropical herbivores. In this study, we report three cases of violent death that illustrate the impact of ants, especially those of the genus Atta, in a forensic setting. We compare the patterns displayed by postmortem bite injuries caused by leaf-cutter ants and other common species with less robust mandibles. We also present the capability of Atta ants to create artifacts by cutting victim’s clothes in a crime scene, contributing to the knowledge of ant-mediated confounding factors in crime scene investigation.     

Shells and Bones: A Forensic Medicine Study of the Association of Terrestrial Snail Allopeas micra with Buried Human Remains in Brazil

Little is known regarding the scavenger fauna associated with buried human corpses, particularly in clandestine burials. We report the presence of 20 shells of the terrestrial snail Allopeas micra, within hollow bones of human remains buried for 5 years, during the process of collecting DNA material. The fact that a large number of shells of A. micra had been found in the corpse and in the crime scene supports the assumption that there was no attempt to remove the corpse from the area where the crime occurred. Despite this, our observations cannot be used to estimate the postmortem interval because there is no precise knowledge about the development of this species. This is the first record of a terrestrial snail associated with a human corpse and its role in this forensic medicine case.     

Practicability of the mobile one-finger scanner Cross Match MV5 in fingerprinting of corpses: are mobile fingerprinting scanners suitable for use in mass disasters?

Dactyloscopy is a special field in the police records department and a suitable means for identifying unknown dead persons as well as solving crimes by taking fingerprints from living persons. Apart from the conventional methods of dactyloscopy, mobile and more compact instruments are to facilitate taking prints of fingertips and palms also at the scene of mass disasters. In the presented study, living persons and corpses were examined to find out the possible uses and limits of mobile one-finger scanners. The concrete issue of the investigation was whether the mobile one-finger scanner Cross Match MV5 is suitable for application in mass disasters. The device was used in 12 corpses aged 5 weeks to 76 years (mean postmortem interval 5.5 days) and in 28 living persons aged 6 weeks to 87 years. In summary, the scanner produced qualitatively good prints in all age groups of the living individuals. In the corpses, the prints were only partly evaluable. In particular, fingers and fingertips with soot blackening and livid discoloration were difficult to analyse. Postmortem rigidity also complicated the handling of the scanner. In fresh corpses, the scanner can be recommended without reservation. Even if the epidermis was detached, the scanner was able to produce evaluable prints of the dermis of the hypothenar.     

Criteria of personal identification by the hyoid bone

We studied 16 sizes of the hyoid bone (HB) from 158 corpses of known gender, Russians, who had died at the age over 15 years by the K. Miller et al program (1998) and 205 back projection electroroentgenograms of the neck of patients of the traumatological hospital in the town of Kirov. HB skeletization was made by the enzymatic drug enzyme. SPSS package and multidimentional statistics (regression and discriminant analyses) were used for data processing. It was established that HB is an informative object of forensic medical personal identification allowing determination of the body length and gender as well as anatomical, x-ray and osteometric individual features. Precision of human body length diagnosis by HB is 6.71-7.26 cm. Therefore, this method should be used in combination with the diagnosis by long tubular bones. Diagnosis of human gender by osteometric signs of HB based on one-dimentional discriminant analysis is feasible in 80-85%, based on canonical discriminant analysis--in 91.1% cases. The method of anatomic, osteometric and roentgenological assessment of HB individuality can be used in personal identification by intravital x-ray of cervical organs and in traumatic defects of HB. The methods may be applied in forensic medical practice in expert examination of body fragments or isolated bone fragments.     

The application of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase II gene for the identification of forensically important blowflies in Western China

Blowflies found on human corpses are important for the estimation of the postmortem interval and other questions of forensic relevance. Some of these species are difficult to differentiate morphologically, and therefore a molecular method was elaborated for species identification. Here, we describe a molecular method for rapid identification of these insects. Specific insect DNA fragments were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction, followed by direct DNA sequencing of the amplification products. Analysis of the cytochrome oxidase II sequences revealed abundant phylogenetically informative nucleotide substitutions that could identify blowfly species to species group. In contrast, because of the low level of sequence divergence of sister species, the data could not distinguish among taxa from the same species group, ie, the species within the Lucilia sericata and Lucilia cuprina groups. The molecular data support the existing species group separation of the taxa within the Calliphora. Because of the speed and accuracy of current nucleotide sequencing technology and the abundant apomorphic substitutions available from mtDNA sequences, this approach enables quick identification of species used for estimation of postmortem interval.