Post-mortem analysis of apoptotic changes associated with human skin bruises

The estimation of the age of skin bruises is of importance in forensic medicine, especially in child abuse cases. Time-dependent changes in bruise colour and/or associated histological features have been used with a limited degree of success. An increased rate of apoptosis in the injured tissue has been considered as a novel time-dependent marker of cell death, by injury inflicted in a rat model. The object of the present study was to apply the TUNEL method of DNA end labelling to identify and enumerate apoptotic cells in bruised and normal skin in order to study the relationship of apoptotic cell density with the age of the bruise. A commercially available DNA end labelling kit, TUNEL method, was standardised, validated and used for this purpose. Twenty unselected post-mortem cases with bruises due to a variety of causes were studied. The apoptotic cells stained with TUNEL reaction were counted in 10 high power fields in the epidermis, as well as in the dermis of formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded skin specimens. The mean positive cell densities (+/- 1 S.E.) were compared with respect to the age of the bruise. In the epidermis, the mean apoptotic cell count was statistically significantly greater in the bruised skin compared to normal skin in 2- to 6-day-old bruises; whilst in the dermis the same was true in 3- to 8-day-old bruises. The overall findings suggest that there is a quiescent period prior to the increase in the apoptotic cell activity that is seen following skin bruising. This is so provided the post-mortem skin samples were collected within a lapse of 6 days or less between the time of death and formalin fixation and paraffin embedding to avoid the bias made by the difference of length of post-mortem interval.     

Beyond traditional paternity and identification cases. Selecting the most probable pedigree

The paper extends on the traditional methodology used to quantify DNA evidence in paternity or identification cases. By extending we imply that there are more than two alternatives to choose between. In a standard paternity case the two competing explanations H(1): "John Doe is the father of the child and H(2): "A random man is the father of the child, are typically considered. A paternity index of 100000 implies that the data is 100000 more likely assuming hypothesis H(1) rather than H(2). If H(2) is replaced by "A brother of John Doe is the father", the LR may change dramatically. The main topic of this paper is to determine the most probable pedigree given a certain set of data including DNA profiles. In the previous example this corresponds to determining the most likely relation between John Doe and the child. Based on DNA obtained from victims of a fire, bodies found in an ancient grave or from individuals seeking to confirm their anticipated family relations, we would like to determine the most probable pedigree. The approach we present provides the possibility to combine non-DNA evidence, say age of individuals, and DNA profiles. The program familias, obtainable as shareware from http://www.nr.no/familias, delivers the probabilities for the various family constellations. More precisely, the information (if any) prior to DNA is combined with the DNA-profiles in a Bayesian manner to deliver the posterior probabilities. We exemplify using the well published Romanov data where the accepted solution emerges among 4536 possibilities considered. Various other applications based on forensic case work are discussed. In addition we have simulated data to resemble an incest case. Since the true family relation is known in this case, we may evaluate the method.     

Unusual infant death: dog attack or postmortem mutilation after child abuse?

An unusual form of fatal child abuse is reported in which investigations by the police and the medical examiner were able to distinguish blunt force head trauma followed by postmortem dismemberment from a fatal dog attack. A discussion of the approaches used to ascertain the correct diagnosis is presented, as well as an overview of dog attacks on humans.     

Wrapped in silence: psychotherapists and confidentiality in the courtroom

The impact of the Austrian Psychotherapy Act, which, in contrast to legal provisions in the United States, does not provide for any exceptions to breach confidentiality, is compared with the effects of U.S. law on dealing with confidentiality. The authors investigated the impact of this law in light of three common situations in psychotherapy that may jeopardize strict confidentiality: treating potentially dangerous patients, giving testimony, and serving as a psychotherapist in prison. Under the strict provisions of the Austrian Psychotherapy Act, a breach may be excusable in the case of a highly probable danger, but Austrian psychotherapists cannot be obliged to serve as witnesses or as experts in civil or criminal cases, as American psychotherapists can. Psychotherapy in prison, where release is contingent on the success of the therapy and the divulging of information could be in the interests of the patient as well as the court and the public, requires a modified dealing with confidentiality.     

Analysis of eight STR loci in two Hungarian populations

A collection of eight STR loci (D3S1358, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820) was used to generate allele frequency databases for two Hungarian population samples, Caucasians from the Budapest area and Romanies from Baranya county. During the analysis two intermediate sized alleles and a sequence variant allele were observed at the D7S820 locus. All three types of allelic variants were found to have modification (deletion, insertion, transversion) in the same block of a (T)(9) stretch located within the 3' flanking region of each allele, which may indicate a possible higher mutation rate of this (T)(9) block. For the loci D3S1358 and D7S820 the Romany population database showed departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The forensic efficiency values for the Romany population were slightly different from those found in the Hungarian Caucasian population. Comparing the allele frequency values by G-statistic, calculating the F(st) indices and with the pairwise comparisons of inter-population variance, the two Hungarian populations could be distinguished using data of the eight STR loci.     

Swiss Caucasian population data for the STR loci D2S1338 and D19S433 using the AmpFISTR SGM plus PCR amplification kit

Allele and genotype frequencies for the ten STR loci D3S1358, VWA, D16S539, D2S1338, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D19S433, TH01, FGA were determined in a Swiss Caucasian population sample (n=206) using the AmpFISTR SGM Plus Amplification kit. Electrophoresis was carried out on an ABI PRISM CE 310 Genetic Analyzer instrument. Previously, allele frequencies were published for the 13 STR loci D3S1358, VWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, THO1, TPOX, CSF1PO and D16S539 for the same samples (n=206) amplified with the AmpFISTR Profiler Plus and Cofiler PCR Amplification kits. Since the results for the eight loci D3S1358, VWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, THO1, D16S539 shared between the AmpFISTR SGM Plus, Profiler Plus and Cofiler PCR Amplification kits already are published, only the allele frequencies for the two STR loci D2S1338 and D19S433 are reported in this paper. The two loci meet Hardy-Weinberg expectations. In addition, there is little evidence for association of alleles among the 15 loci (amplified with the Profiler, Cofiler, and SGM Plus amplification kits). The allelic frequency data can be used in forensic analyses to estimate the frequency of a multiple STR locus DNA profile in the Swiss population.     

Delimitation of the time of death by immunohistochemical detection of thyroglobulin

To improve the possibilities to delimit the time of death after longer laytime it was examined if this is possible by immunohistochemical detection of thyroglobulin. The results show that in our examination material the colloid and the follicular cells of the thyroid glands of up to 5-day-old corpses produce a positive immunoreaction towards thyroglobulin in all cases whereas none of the corpses older than 13 days show such a reaction. This means that in case of a negative immunoreaction the time of death can be assumed to lie more than 6 days before the autopsy. The fact that a negative immunoreaction occurs consistently after 13 days leads to the conclusion that when thyroglobulin has been stained in a specimen, the death of the respective person must lie a maximum of 12 days earlier, whereby these time-limits may change in considerably different surrounding conditions.     

Mass screening in low-income populations: the challenges of securing diagnostic and treatment services in a national cancer screening program

Funding for many mass screening programs for low-income and uninsured populations provides resources for screening tests, yet only rarely does it provide coverage for necessary follow-up diagnostic and treatment services. The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), a federally funded initiative that provides cancer screening to low-income uninsured and underinsured women, covers some diagnostic follow-up tests and no treatment services. We conducted in-depth case studies of seven state programs participating in the NBCCEDP to investigate the strategies and approaches being used to secure diagnostic and treatment services. The results suggest that the program relies on a patchwork of resources--at state and local levels--to provide diagnostic and treatment services. This includes a number of components of local safety nets, all of which are unstable and have uncertain futures. Public health disease-screening initiatives need to reconsider the feasibility of continued reliance on case-by-case appeals to the local safety net for diagnostic follow-up and treatment services.