代谢组学技术在法医病理学中的研究进展

代谢组学(metabolomics)是在后基因组学时代兴起的一门跨领域学科,其主要目标是定量研究生命体对外界刺激,病理生理变化,以及本身基因突变而产生的体内代谢物水平的多元动态反应。代谢组学在系统生物学、药物医学、临床医学等方面有着广泛的基础应用研究。在法医学方面,主要集中在法医毒理学研究,但随着技术方法的推广,可以预测其在法医病理学有着广阔的研究前景。本文概括了代谢组学的主要分析技术和方法,叙述了代谢组学技术在法医病理学中的研究现状,主要包括死亡时间和死亡原因,并对以后可能的应用领域进行总结和探讨,希望能为相关研究和应用提供参考。     

代谢组学技术结合机器学习算法在损伤时间推断中的研究进展

损伤时间推断是法医学实践中的重要内容,准确推断损伤时间是国内外法医学者亟待解决的科学问题。代谢组学技术可以有效检测机体受到体内外刺激因素作用产生的内源性代谢物,描述生物体内代谢物的动态变化,具有操作性强、检测效率高、定量结果 准确等优势。机器学习算法对高维数据集的处理具有独特优势,能够有效挖掘生物信息,真实反映机体生理、疾病或损伤状态,是高效处理高通量大数据的新型技术手段。本文综述了代谢组学技术与机器学习算法的研究现状和自身优势,探讨应用代谢组学技术结合机器学习算法在法医学损伤时间推断研究中的应用前景,为法医学损伤时间推断研究提供新思路。     

人类线粒体DNA异质性研究进展及在法医学中的应用

线粒体DNA(mtDNA)异质性的存在使其在法医学应用变得复杂。本文对mtDNA异质性形成的可能原因、异质性的分布和遗传特点、异质性的筛查和定量方法、异质性对法医学的影响以及异质性的研究和展望等方面进行综述,探讨异质性在法医学上的应用价值。     

宏基因组学在法医学鉴定中的应用

随着分子生物学与基因组学的发展,宏基因组学在法医学与法医学鉴定中逐渐扮演着重要的角色。近年来,宏基因组学作为研究环境微生物菌群构成与多样性、各成员之间相互关系及与环境之间相互关系的分支学科,在法医学鉴定相关领域的应用也逐渐兴起,并带来了新的契机。本文对宏基因组学研究策略及其在法医学鉴定中个体识别、案发现场生物斑迹来源鉴定及药物滥用检测等方面的应用现状进行了综述,旨在进一步阐明宏基因组学在法医学中的作用与应用价值。     

早期死亡时间推断研究进展

死亡时间推断在判断案件的性质、划定侦查范围及锁定嫌疑人等方面至关重要,一直是法医病理学工作的重点和难点。早期死亡时间,即指死后24 h以内,由于距离案发时间更短,对其准确推断能促进案件的成功侦破,具有重要的法医学意义。近年来,国内外法医学者运用一系列新方法和新技术对早期死亡时间推断进行了大量研究。本文对体液生物化学、超生反应、代谢组学、影像学、遗传物质降解规律等方面的研究进展进行综述,以期为早期死亡时间推断的研究和应用提供新的思路。     

mRNA在法医学中的应用现状与展望

近年来,随着RNA生物学性质和功能研究的日渐深入,RNA在法医学体液鉴别、斑迹形成时间推断、死亡时间推断、死亡原因分析、损伤时间推断等方面的作用受到了广大法医学研究者的重视,逐渐成为目前法医学应用研究的热点之一。本文综合介绍了mRNA在法医学中的应用现状,并对其未来应用前景进行了展望。     

首届全国法医学本科技能竞赛试题及成绩分析

目的分析首届全国法医学本科技能竞赛试题质量和选手对知识的掌握程度,探讨我国法医学专业本科生病理阅片能力现状、存在问题及对策。方法搜集试题及选手成绩,计算试题信度、难度、区分度;将考生按性别和年级进行分组,对各组学生的三部分(组织病理学基本病变、常见猝死疾病病变、法医病理学专业知识)成绩以及总成绩进行比较。结果试卷信度系数为0.991,信度优秀。区分度为0.30～0.98,整体很好。各题难度在0.29～0.89,试卷总体难度为0.66,难度适中。不同性别、年级的考生成绩组间无统计学差异(P0.05)。结论首届全国法医学本科技能竞赛试题安排合理,难度适中,区分度好;法医学本科生法医病理组织切片的阅片能力一般,小部分较差,法医专业本科生法医病理学阅片能力尚待提升。     

甲卡西酮对大鼠血浆代谢谱变化研究

目的 应用代谢组学技术研究腹腔注射甲卡西酮大鼠血浆代谢谱的变化,筛选出可用于甲卡西酮吸毒法医学鉴定的入体生物标志物.方法 SD大鼠随机分成低剂量甲卡西酮组(腹腔注射甲卡西酮溶液3mg/kg)、中剂量甲卡西酮组(腹腔注射甲卡西酮溶液12mg/kg)和对照组(腹腔注射等量生理盐水),注射3min后收集大鼠眼眶血,应用超高效...     

基于模式识别方法研究深静脉血栓形成大鼠尿液代谢物谱

目的采用代谢组学技术研究深静脉血栓形成(deep venous thrombosis,DVT)大鼠尿液中代谢物谱,筛选出可用于DVT诊断和法医学鉴定的小分子生物标志物。方法建立下腔静脉完全结扎DVT大鼠模型,分为模型组、假手术组和对照组,每组各10只。模型组和假手术组大鼠在建模后48 h于代谢笼中收集24 h尿液,同时对照组收集24 h尿液。核磁共振检测其代谢物谱,SIMCA-P 14.1软件进行模式识别,通过正交偏最小二乘法-判别分析(orthogonal PLS-DA,OPLS-DA)模型中的变量权重重要性排序(variable importance in projection,VIP)值结合Mann-Whitney U检验,寻找尿液中差异代谢物。结果模型组、假手术组和对照组大鼠尿液的代谢轮廓呈现显著性差异。通过偏最小二乘法-判别分析(partial least squares method-discriminant analysis,PLS-DA)模型可以有效判别模型组、假手术组与对照组。与对照组大鼠相比,DVT大鼠尿液中亮氨酸、谷氨酰胺、肌酸、肌酐和蔗糖水平上调,3-羟基丁酸、乳酸、丙酮、α-酮戊二酸、柠檬酸和马尿酸水平下调。结论 DVT大鼠尿液中的差异代谢物有望成为该疾病的候选生物标志物,该结果可为DVT的诊断、治疗和法医学鉴定提供研究基础。     

环状RNA在法医学中的应用

随着分子生物学性质和功能的日渐深入,RNA在法医学的体液鉴别,血迹形成时间、损伤时间及死亡时间的推断,死亡原因分析等方面的作用受到了广大法医学者的重视,逐渐成为目前法医学应用研究的热点之一。近年来,环状RNA在法医学中表现出广泛的应用前景。本文对环状RNA在法医学中可应用的范围进行综述,并对其未来的前景进行了展望。     

The effect of weight on the femur: a cross-sectional analysis

This study assessed whether obesity significantly affects femoral shape. Femora of 121 white men were divided into two weight classes based on body mass index (BMI) of the deceased. Five external anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) measurements were taken at consistent percentages of diaphyseal length. These were then subject to statistical tests. After controlling for age, multivariate statistics show a significant (p<0.05) effect of BMI on the femur, with the greatest significance in ML measurements. T-tests confirm these dimensions are significantly larger in the overweight (p<0.05). The effect of BMI on size-transformed and shape-transformed variables was also evaluated, with ANOVA results showing a significant BMI effect on ML size (p<0.05), but not shape. Significant size-transformed ML variables were then subject to discriminate function analyses with a cross-validation correction. Results show a correct classification rate of 88% in normal weight and 77% in overweight individuals.     

街道乡镇政府信任与居民的社区志愿精神——基于南京市若干城乡社区的实证调查

以南京市城乡若干社区的实证调查为研究个案,深入探讨居民对街道办(乡镇)政府的信任度对居民参与社区志愿服务的意愿与居民的社区志愿精神究竟有何种程度的影响。通过Logistic回归分析,研究结果发现居民对街道办(乡镇)政府的信任度与居民的社区志愿精神之间存在着密切的关联性。对于各级政府而言,本研究的政策含义是需要特别关注影响居民对街道办(乡镇)政府信任的各种居民背景因素,培育居民对街道办(乡镇)政府的信任感和亲切感,不断促进居民社区志愿精神的孕育与成长,从而凝聚成社区草根民主成长的动力和纽带。     

Refining Fingermark Development using Diacetylene Copolymers on Difficult Surfaces,

In further work investigating the intriguing application of diacetylene copolymers in fingermark detection, methods were developed to control (inhibit or enhance) the diacetylene polymerization reaction in fingermarks treated with a mixture of the monomers 2,4‐hexadiyne‐1,6‐bis‐(phenylurethane) (HDDPU) and 2,4‐hexadiyne‐1,6‐bis(p‐chlorophenylurethane) (HDDCPU) in acetone solution. These methods included the use of a humidity chamber to reduce the amount of background development while promoting development on the fingermark, subjecting developed fingermarks to freezing temperatures and using a solvent to remove unreacted monomer in order to inhibit the polymerization reaction. Developed fingermarks were enhanced by conventional lighting (white light, filtered light) and fast Raman mapping, which was shown to be advantageous over FTIR imaging. This study also demonstrated the applicability of diacetylene copolymer solutions in the covert detection of fingermarks on difficult surfaces. Furthermore, fingermarks were successfully developed with good ridge detail on pig skin (used as a model for human skin, a notoriously difficult surface on which to develop fingermarks).     

Justice and organizational punishment: Attitudinal outcomes of disciplinary events

This study utilized a justice framework to investigate punished subordinates' attitudinal reactions to specific disciplinary events. Results suggested that personality variables (negative affectivity and belief in a just world) influenced subordinate perceptions of the disciplinary event. In addition, belief in a just world had a direct effect on satisfaction with the supervisor, intention to leave, and organizational commitment. Contrary to expectations, harshness (a distributive aspect of the event) influenced perceptions of procedural justice and attitudes toward the institution (organizational commitment) and the leader (trust in supervisor), in addition to its influence on perceptions of distributive justice. The influence of procedural aspects of the event on attitudinal outcomes varied by dependent variable. The implications for future research and for management are discussed.     

Effect of Investigator Disturbance in Experimental Forensic Entomology: Carcass Biomass Loss and Temperature

Abstract: Often carrion decomposition studies are conducted using a single carcass or a few carcasses sampled repeatedly through time to reveal trends in succession community composition. Measurements of biomass and other abiotic parameters (e.g., temperature) are often collected on the same carcasses but are rarely a focal point of the studies. This study investigated the effects that repeated sampling during experiments have on the decomposition of carrion, measured as both gross biomass (carcass plus fauna) and net biomass (carcass only), on carcasses disturbed on every visit (with weighing only or also with the collection of fauna) and on carcasses disturbed only once. Each trial lasted at least 21 days, with samples taken in triplicate. Rat carcasses used in this study were placed in the field on the same day and either weighed on every visit or ignored until a given day. Internal and ambient air temperatures were recorded on each carcass at the time of sampling and on undisturbed carcasses using temperature loggers. The presence of succession fauna did not result in significant biomass loss on most days; however, there were individual days early in decomposition (days 3 through 6) when the succession fauna comprised a large portion of the gross biomass. With the exception of biomass loss by the emigration of maggots on days 4 and 5, neither repeated weighing of the carcasses nor repeated weighing and faunal sampling of the carcasses statistically affected the rate of biomass loss. Internal temperatures of carcasses sampled repeatedly were frequently 2–5°C lower than those that had not been disturbed, and ambient temperatures differed significantly depending on the location of measurement device. Results indicate that methods used historically for biomass loss determination in experimental forensic entomology studies are adequate, but further refinements to experimental methodology are desirable.     

The Environmental Justice Movement: Equitable Allocation of the Costs and Benefits of Environmental Management Outcomes

We present a review of theoretical and methodological advances in the social scientific literature on environmental inequality/racism and argue for new directions in research efforts that pay more attention to (1) the historical forces driving environmental justice conflicts; (2) the complex role of stakeholders in these struggles; (3) the role of social inequality, particularly the trade-offs between environmental protection and social equity; and (4) the impact of social movement activity on the state of environmental protection. Drawing on a case study of an environmental justice conflict in the United States, we find that environmental inequality impacts many actors with often contradictory and cross-cutting allegiances. These struggles therefore become a moving drama—a process—rather than a cross-sectional outcome. We conclude with an analysis of environmental inequality on a global scale and argue that the role of transnational capital remains largely untheorized in the literature. We suggest new models for explaining environmental inequality's causes and consequences.     

Forensic veterinary radiology: ballistic-radiological 3D computertomographic reconstruction of an illegal lynx shooting in Switzerland

The most popular handgun in Brazil is the single round-barrel caliber 0.38 revolver. In recent years, however, owing to the modernization of police arms and their availability on the legal and illicit markets, pistols have become increasingly popular and currently represent about 20% of police seizures. In a previous paper we presented a novel collection method for gunshot residues (GSR) using a sampling procedure based on ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution as a complexing agent on moistened swabs with subsequent detection using sector field-high resolution-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SF-HR-ICP-MS). In the present paper, we discuss the capability of this methodology to identify antimony (Sb), barium (Ba) and lead (Pb) on the hands of volunteers after shot tests with 9 mm and 0.40 in. caliber pistols. Two types of munitions were tested: 9 mm Taurus and clean range. The use of a technique with high sensitivity, such as SF-HR-ICP-MS, permits the identification of low concentrations (less than 1 microg/L) of metals in firearm residue and constitutes a powerful tool in forensic science. We also discuss the importance of the sampling procedure, including collection from a different body part than the gun hand of the suspect. Comparison of the analytical data obtained allows clear discrimination between samples from the hands of shooters and non-shooters.     

Motorcyclists’ fatalities in multiple crashes: Who is responsible for death? (three cases)

In Italy in 2007, 26% of two-wheeled motor vehicle injury/fatalities concerned motorcyclists. However, it is rare (4%) that a motorcycle (MC) crashes with two other road users and even more exceptional is a crash between a MC and three other vehicles. In general, in MC–vehicle crashes, the vehicle driver is at fault in more than 50% of the cases and the motorcyclist in 37%. The study concerns three MC lethal road accidents in which the culpability of the motorcyclist's death was questioned by the prosecutor because it was supposed that one or more vehicles ran over the motorcyclist after a fall. The crucial question in these three cases was if it was possible to assign injuries to a specific crash-aetiology and to assign/exclude the responsibility of motorcyclist's death to a defined subject (motorcyclist himself and/or car drivers) after a crash-dynamics study made by an engineer consultant or by the police authority. Case (1) A 56-year-old motorcyclist on a highway had a front–rear end collision with a car that suddenly stopped; he was therefore projected against a concrete traffic island, thrown on the soil and run over by another car. Case (2) A 29-year-old motorcyclist on the East ring road fell on the soil, perhaps by a supposed front–rear end contact with a car and was run over by two cars in rapid succession. Case (3) A 34-year-old motorcyclist on the North ring road fell suddenly on the soil for unknown reasons; during first aid, the medical team around him was run over by the ambulance which pushed after a rear-end collision with a car. A stepwise analysis of the indicated crash dynamics and an evaluation of all the injuries revealed at autopsy, the study proposed, when possible, injury aetiology for each case and the related responsibility assignments and exclusions.     

Transfer Pricing in BEPS Project and China's Response

A major concern on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) is transfer pricing, which is discussed in BEPS Action Items 8–10 and 13. Actions 8–10 contain revised guidance, which ensures that transfer pricing rules secure outcomes that better align operational profits with the economic activities that generate them, as well as guidance on transactions involving cross-border commodity transactions and on low value-adding intra-group services. Action 13 contains a three-tiered standardized approach to transfer pricing documentation, including a minimum standard on country-by-country reports (CbCRs). However, the approach of Actions 8–10 still focuses on the restoration of the dysfunctional rules built on the arm’s length principle, which is rooted in the principle of separate independent entity. The threshold of Action 13 excludes many large multinational enterprises (MNEs) from the CbCR requirement and deprives developing countries access to the information of MNEs below the threshold. Chapter 6 of the Chinese Corporate Income Tax Law, under the title “Special Tax Adjustments,” provided the legal foundations of transfer pricing and transfer pricing documentation in China. To effectively implement the BEPS package in China and to comprehensively update the existing Circular 2, the State Taxation Administration (STA) released a Discussion Draft of a Circular on Implementation Measures for Special Tax Adjustments in September 2015, ranging from Action 3 (controlled foreign company rules), Action 8–10 (aligning transfer pricing outcomes with value creation) to Action 13 (transfer pricing documentation and country-by-country reporting) in details. Right now, a series of patches, such as the STA Bulletins 45, 42, 64, and 6, have been made to replace a substantial part of Circular 2.     

Employment preservation vs. creditors’ repayment under bankruptcy law: The French dilemma?

The paper investigates the French dilemma associated with court administered resolution of corporate financial distress. In such a legal system, the courts seek a double objective: maintaining job positions through continuation, and determining the best outcome for the claimants. We discuss this dilemma empirically, using a unique sample of bankruptcy files on French SMEs. We address successively three critical questions. First, we highlight the determinants of the final bankruptcy outcome (continuation through reorganization or sale, or piecemeal liquidation): does continuation (the most employment-friendly outcome) depend on the firm's characteristics, and/or on the way the procedure is managed? Second, we study the determinants of the creditors’ recovery rates: do the courts play an active role in increasing recoveries? Third, we address the dilemma directly by focusing on sales as a going concern. We model the court administered selection process between rival buyout offers: do the courts balance the social content against the financial content of each offer? Is there an explicit arbitrage between employment preservation and creditor recoveries? Our main results are: (1) the French courts actively work to facilitate continuation against liquidation, and thus play a role in employment preservation. Besides, we find continuation is more likely to prevail when default is an outcome of specific difficulties (outlets, finance, and production). (2) We confirm the Radulovic (2008) findings: the global recovery rate mainly depends on the firm's ex ante characteristics at the time of triggering, while the way the procedure is managed by the court has little impact. Similarly to LoPucki and Doherty (2007), continuation via reorganization does not generate lower recovery rates on average than the other outcomes. (3) Last, the courts’ choice between rival buyout offers confirms that social considerations prevail in the arbitration. Yet, the courts still consider financial issues as well (a higher sale price increases the chances that an offer is selected), but without clear connection with the amount of due claims (one direct consequence is a moderate recovery rate on sales).