Persecution of Jewish forensic pathologists

Not even forensic pathologists were spared by the anti-Jewish laws of the Third Reich. Fritz Strassmann and Paul Fraenckel were among more than 140 faculty of the Berlin Department of Medicine persecuted by the national socialist dictatorship. It was because of their Jewish background that Georg Strassmann was expelled from university in Breslau, and Leone Lattes was forced to leave in Pavia. Miklós Nyiszli was deported from Oradea to Auschwitz and forced to perform forensic autopsies. Stefan Jellinek in Vienna, Ludwik Hirszfeld in Warsaw and Friedrich Schiff in Berlin were other medical professionals whose achievements had enriched legal medicine before they became victims of anti-Jewish persecution.     

STR analysis of artificially degraded DNA-results of a collaborative European exercise

Degradation of human DNA extracted from forensic stains is, in most cases, the result of a natural process due to the exposure of the stain samples to the environment. Experiences with degraded DNA from casework samples show that every sample may exhibit different properties in this respect, and that it is difficult to systematically assess the performance of routinely used typing systems for the analysis of degraded DNA samples. Using a batch of artificially degraded DNA with an average fragment size of approx. 200 bp a collaborative exercise was carried out among 38 forensic laboratories from 17 European countries. The results were assessed according to correct allele detection, peak height and balance as well as the occurrence of artefacts. A number of common problems were identified based on these results such as strong peak imbalance in heterozygous genotypes for the larger short tandem repeat (STR) fragments after increased PCR cycle numbers, artefact signals and allelic drop-out. Based on the observations, strategies are discussed to overcome these problems. The strategies include careful balancing of the amount of template DNA and the PCR cycle numbers, the reaction volume and the amount of Taq polymerase. Furthermore, a careful evaluation of the results of the fragment analysis and of automated allele calling is necessary to identify the correct alleles and avoid artefacts.     

Differences in trauma symptoms and family functioning in intra-and extrafamilial sexually abused adolescents

This study investigated to what extent abuse-related symptoms and family functioning are related to intra- or extrafamilial sexual abuse. One hundred adolescents (12 to 18 years old) were recruited shortly after disclosure of the abuse. Information from the participants was obtained through self-report questionnaires and a semistructured interview. Fifty-three percent of the adolescents reported clinically significant symptoms. Data did not support the idea that intrafamilial sexually abused adolescents report more symptoms than extrafamilial sexually abused adolescents. Type of abuse did not account for the differences and variety of reported symptoms or for differences in family functioning. Family functioning-in particular, lack of cohesion- was an independent contributor to internalizing trauma-related problems.     

Trace analysis of peroxide explosives by high performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-APCI-MS/MS) for forensic applications

An HPLC-APCI-MS(/MS) method for the (trace) analysis of the most commonly encountered peroxide explosives, hexamethylenetriperoxidediamine (HMTD) and triacetonetriperoxide (TATP), has been developed. With this method, HMTD and TATP have been analyzed in the same run. (Pseudo-)molecular ions of these peroxides have been obtained as base peak under the same condition. A series of product ions was produced from these pseudo-molecular ions ([HMTD - 1]+ and [TATP + NH4]+) in the MS/MS analysis. We also pioneered in showing that a TATP molecular ion [TATP + H]+ can be observed with HPLC-MS/MS. The limit of detection for HMTD and TATP was 0.26 and 3.3 ng, respectively, on column by HPLC-MS in the Full Scan mode and 0.08 and 0.8, respectively, by HPLC-APCI-MS/MS in Selected Reaction Monitoring (single mass unit) mode. The method presented has been applied successfully for the identification of peroxides in the bulk solid state (powder sample), as well as in post-blast extracts originating from a forensic case. For the post-blast extracts, the use of tandem MS has been shown clearly to be of crucial importance for the identification and detection of the peroxide explosives.     

Expert evaluation of the gunshot distance based on the volume of wound canal in flat bones

Different-distance experimental shots were made from a rifled gun at flat bones. Those shot distances were established, at which the wound canal had the smallest volume, and, at which entry and exit holes were virtually identical and matched the bullet diameter. A bigger shot distance was associated with an increasing volume of the wound canal caused by a bigger exit hole. A smaller shot distance led, also, to an increasing volume of the wound canal caused by bigger entry and exit holes. The volume of the wound canal in flat bones can be used as a reliable criterion in assessing the shot distance.     

The forensic medical diagnosis of intoxication of alcohol surrogates by morphological findings

The pathomorphology of intoxication of alcohol surrogates is described. A high frequency rate of DIC-syndrome is shown for the condition. A majority of thrombi accumulates at places with the highest concentrations of toxic substances as well as at those places, through which poisoning substances are brought out of the body, i.e. in the liver (since toxic substances are introduced perorally) and kidneys. Thrombi were detected in all internals, including the brain, in lethal intoxication. The immediate toxic effect from methanol and from higher spirits can matter in the genesis of changes, including acute swelling and chromatolysis with subsequent cell death. Exclusively cerebral or coagulopathic-cerebral types of thanatogenesis were registered in studied case of intoxication.     

Polymorphism of the central region of D-loop of mitochondrial DNA and personality identification by forensic medicine methods

Polymorphism of mDNA D-loop central region (CR), positions 16366-0072) was studied versus hypervariable sections (HVS1), positions 16024-16365, and HVS2, positions 00073-00340, for a sample of 71 residents of the Russian Federation. Ten polymorphic positions with 56 nucleotide substitutions, 55 of which are transitions, were detect in the CR section; no insertions or deletions were found there. It was proven as possible to use the mDNA CR locus as an additional identification marker in the forensic-expert of the mDNA control region. The probability of random coincidence (RC) of haplotypes in joint typing of HVS1, HVS2 and CR made 0.0208, which is 1.4-fold less versus the same parameter for haplotypes HVS1/HVS2 (RC = 0.0284).