Y-chromosome STR haplotypes in Córdoba (Argentina)

Eight Y-chromosome STRs were investigated in a male population sample from Córdoba region (Argentina). Complete Y-chromosomal STRs haplotypes were obtained in 100 individuals, among which 91 different haplotypes were observed. The most common haplotype was shared by 4% of the sample, while 86 haplotypes were unique. The gene diversity was 0.9875 and the discrimination capacity was 0.8600. The combined polymorphism provides a powerful discrimination tool for routine forensic applications.     

STR data for 09 autosomal STR markers from Rio Grande do Sul (southern Brazil)

Allele frequencies for 09 STR autosomal loci (D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820, D8S1179, D13S317, D18S51, D21S11, FGA and VWA) included in the AmpFlSTR Profiler Plus were obtained from a sample of unrelated individuals from Rio Grande do Sul (southern Brazil).     

Individual Dismissals in Europe and the United States: A Model on the Influence of the Legal Framework on Firing Costs

In this article, we present a model of individual dismissals based on the workers' right to file a suit against their employer arguing that the dismissal is unjustified or unfair. The model is a standard pre-trial bargaining game between a firm and a worker. We study two cases: when the law states the severance pay for unfair dismissal (the European case), and when judges can decide freely on the compensation to be paid to the worker (the American case). The model provides some guidelines for Labour Law reforms. In the European case, a decrease in the severance pay for unfair dismissals fixed by law will decrease the severance pay offered by the firm, and only under some assumptions will decrease the expected firing cost and will increase the settlement probability. In addition, the transition from the European to the American case is likely to increase the probability of settlement (and to decrease it in the opposite case) with ambiguous effects on agreed severance pay and expected firing costs.     

Age patterns of suicide: identification and characterization of European clusters and trends

Relatively few studies have addressed age patterns of suicide using specifically designed and systematized approaches. Our main objective was to identify and characterize age patterns of suicide in Europe, both on cross-sectional and longitudinal perspectives, based on data comprising the two last decades of the 20th century. A second objective was to determine whether some analytical methods could be useful as complementary approaches to the traditional examination of age-specific rate curves. We identified and characterized four patterns: upward-sloping, convex, downward-sloping, and uniform. The first three reproduce patterns previously described, though we propose some modifications to the respective classification criteria. Longitudinally, pattern stability was found for most countries, but some notable exceptions were detected. From the computation of multiple-decrement life tables by European country, period, and gender, we derived cumulative distributions of age at death for suicide. The results indicate that this methodology is a useful tool, not only for describing and summarizing information, but, more importantly, for providing a better understanding of intrinsic features and complexities of the patterns. Finally, we discuss practical implications of the study in the context of previous theories linking age patterns of suicide to sociological and economic dimensions, and we raise a few questions and hypotheses to be addressed in future research.     

A new method for collection and identification of gunshot residues from the hands of shooters

This work presents a novel collection method for gunshot residues (GSR) using a sampling procedure based on ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution as a complexing agent on moistened swabs. Detection was via a sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HRICP-MS). The proposed collection and analytical method allowed detection of antimony (Sb), barium (Ba) and lead (Pb) after .38 shot tests. at detection limits of less than 1 microg L(-1) in four different areas of the hands of volunteers. This paper includes a discussion concerning hand areas near the thumb and forefinger as being more suitable for GSR collection as well as a comparison between differences observed using 2% diluted EDTA. 2% nitric acid solution, and simple deionized water as collecting solutions, proving the superior efficiency of EDTA in GSR recoveries.     

Suicidal deaths using fireworks

The use of commercial explosives is an unusual method of commiting suicide, and only a few cases have been described in the medicolegal literature. In this paper, two cases of suicide are considered that reflect backgrounds of financial problems and psychological illnesses, respectively. Both individuals comitted suicide by detonating an explosive (fireworks). In the first case putting the explosive on his head and in the second case into his mouth. In both cases the cause of death was the destruction of the central nervous system. The following cases emphasize the importance of the forensic pathologist in the recognition of the scene, as well as the systematical collection of trace evidence of the explosion for their subsequent study in the laboratory and their correlation with the autopsy findings.     

Glucose and lactate in vitreous humor compared with the determination of fructosamine for the postmortem diagnosis of diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic illness responsible for a great number of deaths. In postmortem diagnosis, because of the difficulty involved in interpreting blood glucose levels and relatively nonspecific pathologic features, biochemical markers in vitreous humor are useful. The aim of this study was to compare the results obtained for the combined determination of lactate and glucose with fructosamine levels recorded in the vitreous humor of two diagnostic groups (one diabetic and the other nondiabetic). The authors intended to ascertain the capacity of different markers measured in vitreous humor to diagnose diabetes mellitus. Fifty-one cadavers (mean age, 58.7 years; standard deviation, 17.09) were studied. The mean postmortem interval was 16.4 hours (standard deviation, 9.05). Cases were assigned to two diagnostic groups according to whether they were previously diagnosed as either diabetic or nondiabetic. Statistically significant differences for glucose, fructosamine, and the sum values of glucose and lactate were found between the two diagnostic groups. The highest levels were obtained in the group of cases with a previous diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. After the comparison of receiver operating characteristic curves, the sum values of glucose and lactate in vitreous humor is a better predictor of antemortem diabetes mellitus than the fructosamine.