Genetic variation of 13 STR loci in the four endogamous tribal populations of Eastern India

We have analysed 13 autosomal STR loci in four endogamous tribal populations from two eastern states (Orissa and Nagaland) of India. The Gadaba, Kuvi Khond and Lotha Naga populations have not been analysed for microsatellite genetic variation previously. The allele frequencies for all loci are within the range observed in the geographical region and racial background, though some alleles showed greater variation. Departures from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were tested by three methods and two loci (THO1 and TPOX) showed significant departures for all measures in Gadaba and Lotha Naga populations. The exclusion probability and discrimination probability were high for all analysed loci in all populations. There is no evidence for association of alleles among the STR loci studied. This allele frequency information will be useful for forensic, paternity and population genetic studies.     

Autosomal STR data on the enigmatic Andaman Islanders

We have analyzed nine autosomal STR loci (D3S1358, vWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S317, and D7S820) in 97 samples of enigmatic Andaman islanders including: 15 Great Andamanese, 46 Onge and 36 Nicobarese. Data was compared with the available data on Indian and South East Asian populations. Heterozygosity (H), power of discrimination (PD), probability exclusion (PE), typical paternity index (TPI), polymorphism information content (PIC), AMOVA and Arlequin analysis were carried out. Average heterozygosity observed was high and almost equal in all the populations. Similarly, PD, PE, TPI and PIC have been almost equal in all the populations.     

Genetic polymorphisms of 15 STR loci in two Tibetan populations from Tibet Changdu and Naqu, China

The allelic distribution of 15 short tandem repeat (STR) loci included in the AmpFl STR Identifiler kit was examined in 100 Changdu Tibetan and 118 Naqu Tibetan unrelated individuals living in the Tibet Province, PR China. The distribution of these observed genotypes was not significantly different from the expected distribution according to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.     

14岁青少年手腕骨发育的研究I．男生骨龄标准的制定

目的研究我国当前青少年骨发育状况,制订专用于法医学推断男性刑事责任年龄14岁的骨龄标准。方法以湖南冷水江地区青少年为对象,按照纳入标准,选取14岁±3个月的健康男性中学生103名,拍摄其左手腕部后前位X线片。选择手腕骨15个部位,按照统一标准进行观察、测量,采用最大百分比法确定发育等级标准,建立骨龄评估方法,以单盲法进行验证。结果除第一掌骨、近节第四指骨骨骺发育等级为部分闭合外,其他均为未闭合;对于第四、五掌骨和近三指骨,不足14岁组以未闭合为主,已满14岁组以部分闭合为主。各个观察部位骨骺横径宽于干骺横径。30例的验证结果准确率为80.0%。结论根据发育等级特征及测量学方法建立骨龄评估标准可行,可望得到推广。本文以刑事责任年龄14周岁为对象,制订法医学专业骨龄推断标准,并引入测量学方法,辅助推断年龄。     

Emotional distress in African American women with HIV

This study identified factors associated with emotional distress in 109 African American women with HIV. The relationship of personal factors (demographic, social conflict, social support, and spirituality), health-related factors (perception of health, physical and mental health problems, and years diagnosed), and cognitive/coping responses (stigma, worry, and emotion focused coping) on depressive symptoms and mood state was examined. Younger age, more social conflict, less social support, lower perception of health, and more HIV worry were associated with higher depressive symptom scores. Variables most often affecting various mood states included personal factors (public housing, unemployment, and social conflict) and worry about having HIV worry.     

Forensic anthropology: developments of a classical discipline in the new millennium

The present brief review is a survey of the role of forensic anthropology (FA) in the new millennium. After an introduction which deals with the expanding definition of the discipline and the issue of professionality and training, the author approaches the role and novel developments of the field, with particular reference to the past 5 years. Such developments are discussed in a sectorial manner, distinguishing the role of research in the areas of forensic anthropology which deal with human remains and those that deal with the living. As regards the "human remains" domain, advances and stalls still present in the fields of species and postmortem interval determination, sexing, aging and attribution of ancestry are stressed. The need for standards in facial reconstruction and positive identification by bone morphology are underlined, as well as the growing role of the anthropologist in detecting signs of trauma. Finally, the relatively new role of the forensic anthropologist in the domain of identification of the living is described, although this area is still underrepresented as regards research activity: these studies concern the strive to devise methods for identifying faces (e.g. in the case of crimes registered by videosurveillance systems), aging living individuals or juveniles represented in pedopornographic material.     

Individualizing characteristics of footprints in Gujjars of North India--forensic aspects

Careful examination of foot impressions can provide important evidences and clues in a crime scene investigation. The present study is conducted on a cross-sectional sample of 1040 adult male Gujjars inhabiting the sub-Himalayan region of North India. The study describes the utility of individualizing characteristics of footprints in forensic examinations. Various features of the toes, humps in the toe line, phalange marks, flatfoot condition, pits, cracks, corns, etc., were studied. Frequency of some of these characters has also been recorded. The frequency of the tibialis-type foot is the highest, followed by fibularis-type, then intermediate-type and midularis-type is found to be least frequent among the sample. Three humps have been found most often in footprints, followed by two humps, four humps, and then five humps and one hump are found to be least frequent. Flatfoot condition is found to be present in 1.54% of the sample population and the trait also shows bilateral variation. Phalange marks, crease marks, pits, deformity, etc., are also demonstrated with suitable examples in the present population. These characteristic features can provide useful clues to establish personal identity whenever complete or partial footprints are recovered at the crime scene and can help in including or excluding the possible presence of individual at the scene of crime.     

Y-chromosomal STR haplotypes in Kalmyk population samples

Seventeen Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs), DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385ab, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, GATA-H4, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635 were typed in DNA samples from the Kalmyk population (n=99). The population is characterized by a high proportion of duplicated DYS19 alleles and deletions of the locus DYS448 on the background of the Central Asian haplogroup C*. AMOVA analysis reveals a close vicinity to Mongolian and Kazakh populations and large genetic distance to geographical neighbours from Russia, Ukraine and the Caucasus.     

Facial soft tissue thickness in skeletal type I Japanese children

Facial reconstruction techniques used in forensic anthropology require knowledge of the facial soft tissue thickness of each race if facial features are to be reconstructed correctly. If this is inaccurate, so also will be the reconstructed face. Knowledge of differences by age and sex are also required. Therefore, when unknown human skeletal remains are found, the forensic anthropologist investigates for race, sex, and age, and for other variables of relevance. Cephalometric X-ray images of living persons can help to provide this information. They give an approximately 10% enlargement from true size and can demonstrate the relationship between soft and hard tissue. In the present study, facial soft tissue thickness in Japanese children was measured at 12 anthropological points using X-ray cephalometry in order to establish a database for facial soft tissue thickness. This study of both boys and girls, aged from 6 to 18 years, follows a previous study of Japanese female children only, and focuses on facial soft tissue thickness in only one skeletal type. Sex differences in thickness of tissue were found from 12 years of age upwards. The study provides more detailed and accurate measurements than past reports of facial soft tissue thickness, and reveals the uniqueness of the Japanese child's facial profile.     

The chronology of third molar mineralization in the Austrian population--a contribution to forensic age estimation

The aim of the present study was to determine the chronology of third molar mineralization and to establish Austrian reference data. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was undertaken by evaluating 610 panoramic radiographs in order to assess the mineralization status of the mandibular third molars of Austrian male and female individuals (275 males and 335 females) between the ages of 12 and 24. The evaluation was carried out using the eight grade scheme of Demirjian et al. (1973). Mean ages, standard deviations, standard errors and percentile distributions are presented for each stage of development. Significant differences between the left and right mandibular third molars were not found. Males reach the developmental stages earlier than females, statistically significant differences were noted in stages E and F. Both mandibular third molars were observed in the majority of the individuals of the Austrian sample (477 individuals, 78.2%). For medicolegal purposes the likelihood of whether an Austrian individual is older than 18 years or not was determined.