Identification of victims of the collapse of a mine tailing dam in Brumadinho

The collapse of the B1 Dam of VALE SA mining company in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil was the largest humanitarian disaster and occupational accident in the country’s history, and it posed challenges regarding the management and identification of multiple victims. We evaluated the impact of the iron ore tailings on the victims’ bodies. We examined the scientific identification of the victims and the dynamics of the disaster over the 1st year after it occurred. We also determined the socio-demographic profiles of the victims. In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, we investigated the expert reports of the victims’ biological remains from 25 January 2019 to 25 January 2020. We analysed the socio-demographic data, identification methods, identification status, identification time, and necroscopic information. During the study period, 259 of 270 victims were identified, and 603 biological materials were analysed; among them, 86.2% were body parts and 13.8% were whole bodies. Of the total cases registered that year, 476 (78.9%) were submitted during the first 10 weeks after the disaster. Friction ridge analysis accounted for 67.9% of primary identifications and DNA analysis did so for 91.6% of re-identification cases. Body dismemberment was 3.4 times greater among mine workers than among community victims. Adult males accounted for the greatest number of victims (P < 0.001). Polytraumatic injury was the prevalent single cause of death. Necropsy examination revealed the occurrence of asphyxia in 7% of cases. The higher number of fatalities and greater dismemberment among employees than with community residents underlines the occupational dangers in the mining industry and clarifies the dynamics of the disaster. In the initial weeks after the dam collapsed, friction ridge analysis was the most appropriate method for identification. Subsequently, DNA analysis became the most-used technique for identification and re-identification owing to the great volume of body parts and decomposed biological tissue. Autopsy allowed diagnosis of the causes of death to be clarified according to the Brazilian criminal legal system.     

海洋石油开发与污染：兼评美国墨西哥湾溢油事故的海事赔偿责任限制问题

从美国墨西哥湾＂深水地平线＂溢油事故以及＂深水地平线＂所有人海事赔偿责任限制出发,简要介绍海洋石油开发装置及其技术特点,分析美国有关海洋石油开发装置的司法实践,并通过阐述国际油污损害赔偿基金的研究报告和希腊最高法院的裁决,提出有必要就海洋石油开发油污责任问题建立统一的国际公约,或者将海洋石油开发装置解释为船舶,以使其可以享受责任限制。     

Amended cause and manner of death certification: a six-year review of the New Mexico experience

Little is known about the amendment of death certificates (DCs) issued by medical examiners and coroners. This retrospective study examined why, how, and with what frequency cause and manner of death were amended on DCs issued by forensic pathologists over a 6-year period at the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator. Approximately 1% of DCs had either cause or manner of death amendments, with arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and intoxicants the most commonly amended and resulting causes of death, respectively. There was a significant association between manner of death and number of DCs amended (p<0.001). By percent, natural and suicide DCs were the most frequently amended. The way in which manner of death changed was significantly associated with the amount of time elapsed between DCs (p=0.04). Toxicology was the most common reason for DC amendment.     

mRNA和microRNA在机械性窒息死推断中的研究进展

机械性窒息死的推断是法医学鉴定的难点之一。利用实时荧光定量PCR（fluorogenic quantitative RT-PCR,RT-qPCR）技术检测RNA表达水平变化规律,并据之推测机械性窒息死亡的原因,近年来已成为研究热点。本文对mRNA和microRNA（miRNA或miR）在机械性窒息死推断的研究文献进行复习综述,并重点探讨miRNA在该类死因推断中的应用,以期为机械性窒息死推断提供新的思路。     

Free amino acid concentrations in vitreous humor and cerebrospinal fluid in relation to the cause of death and postmortem interval

We studied free amino acids in vitreous humor and cerebrospinal fluid from 58 cadavers in the course of routine medicolegal autopsies in the city of Granada. The main objective was to establish whether free amino acids contents in these fluids were related with the cause of death, postmortem interval, and severity of the classic signs of asphyxia. The amino acids (aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, glutamine, glycine/threonine/histidine, citruline, arginine, alanine, taurine, GABA, tirosine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, phenylalanine/tryptophan, leucine, and lysine) were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. There were no statistically significant differences in amino acids concentrations in vitreous humor when the different causes of death were considered. Our results did not show any statistically significant relationship when asphyxial score was plotted against the vitreous content of each amino acid. A statistically significant increase with postmortem interval was observed in vitreous taurine (r = 0.3191, p = 0.01461), glutamate (r = 0.4323, p = 0.0007) and particularly in aspartate (r = 0.4508, p = 0.0003).     

Forensic anthropology and the most probable cause of death in cases of violations against international humanitarian law: an example from Bosnia and Herzegovina

This study presents the results of the analysis of at least 298 predominantly male individuals, between 15 and 75 years, who were recovered from an open cast mine in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Particular attention is paid to identifying the mechanisms of injury and determination of the most probable cause of death based on the assessment of lethal or lethal-if-untreated injuries recorded in the skeleton. It was calculated that at least 38.9% (155/398) of individuals sustained gunshot wounds (GSWs) (plus one shrapnel wound) and may have died as consequence of these injuries. Among individuals who died from GSWs, there were 142 males (91.60%), eight females (5.1%) and five cases that were (3.2%) undetermined. One male individual sustained shrapnel injuries. This study presents an example of the multidisciplinary approach to the effective forensic investigation of violation against International Humanitarian Law, as well as an example of how it is possible to obtain meaningful results to assist the needs of the prosecution in these kind of cases despite the large number of cases and technological constraints.     

Research on the judicial review and variation of sentence for the death penalty with a suspension of execution in Chinese criminal law

The imposition of a death penalty with a suspension of execution (DPSE) for two years, and the procedure for judicial review of the DPSE both demonstrate the Chinese policies of “reduction in use of the death penalty,” “cautious application of the death penalty,” and “tempering justice with mercy.” In recent years, the number of cases in which the defendant was sentenced to death and immediately executed has declined, whereas the number of cases in which a DPSE sentence was given has increased. In China, judicial theory and practice generally emphasize the importance of the judicial review procedure in cases where the sentence is a death penalty with immediate execution. However, less attention has been paid to the procedures for review and variation of sentence in DPSE cases. Judicial review for DPSE sometimes exists in name only, and is sometimes overlooked altogether, which is inappropriate for a penalty of this severity. There are also serious shortcomings in the laws regulating the review procedure for the DPSE, which lack provisions specifying the consequences for serious violations of due process during trial, nor do they completely reflect the principle of in dubio pro reo. In the procedure for variation of the DPSE sentence, the relevant laws do not adequately uphold the defendant’s right to a defense or participation in the process. There are also difficulties regarding the time limits on ruling on a commutation of sentence. In order to make the procedure more reliable and guarantee the substantive rights of defendants sentenced to the DPSE, the relevant laws require a number of modifications and improvements.