Frequencies of D8S384 alleles and genotypes in European, African-American, Chinese, and Japanese populations

D8S384 is a tetranucleotide tandem repeat locus. In order to evaluate the forensic validation of D8S384, the genotype distributions and allele frequencies in ten populations from three main ethnic groups were investigated, including Germans, Slovakians, African Americans, Japanese, and Chinese (Jilin, Guangzhou, Nanning, Hailaer, Dali, and Chengdu). A total of 1011 unrelated individuals, 41 pedigrees, 30 disputed paternity trios and three personal identification cases were analyzed for D8S384 by Amp-FLP technique. Many kinds of tissues, body fluids, secreta and stains have been tested. The alleles were determined by comparison with a human allele ladder. The results showed that D8S384 typing was both precise and reliable. There were eight alleles in these populations. The genotype distributions conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium predictions. No mutation events were observed. With a maximum likelihood method, the mutation rate was indirectly estimated as 2.14 x 10(-5). The heterozygosity was 0.704 +/- 0.014 at D8S384 locus. All these results suggest that D8S384 locus is a useful marker for forensic identification and paternity analysis.     

Traumatic rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm associated with the use of a seatbelt

Injury to the abdominal aorta after blunt trauma continues to be a relatively infrequent occurrence. In this report, we describe a case of traumatic rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm associated with inappropriate seatbelt use.     

Simultaneous detection of multiple STR loci on sex chromosomes for forensic testing of sex and identity.

The forensic usefulness of X and Y chromosomal STR loci has recently been demonstrated. One quadruplex-PCR, using 2 X- and 2 Y-STRs (STRX1/HPRTB and DYS390/ DYS393), and 2 duplex-PCRs, each using an X- and a Y-STR (ARA/DYS390 and ARA/DYS393), and detection of PCR products by using an automated DNA sequencer are reported herein. This approach allows us to determine not only the sex of the donor of a sample, but also the X- and/or Y-STR genotypes of the sample. A male biological specimen yields 4 amplified products in quadruplex-PCR and 2 amplified fragments in duplex-PCRs, whereas a female biological specimen yields only 2 amplified fragments of X-STR in quadruplex-PCR and one fragment, also of X-STR, in duplex-PCRs. Our study thus provides useful information for many activities in forensic practice, such as identity testing, paternity testing, especially of deficiency cases, compilation of population data, and sex determination of a biological sample from a single PCR.     

An unusual case of fatal gas embolism.

We describe an unusual case of fatal gas embolism, in which a man died by connecting an extension tube supplying oxygen to an indwelling catheter that was inserted into the left cephalic vein.     

Advantages of dental mitochondrial DNA for detection and classification of the sequence variation using restriction fragment length polymorphisms.

After amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the nucleotide sequences of a 452-bp section of the D-loop region of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were determined in 40 teeth extracted from patients living in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. Dental DNA was extracted separately from the dental pulp and dentin (i.e., the attached pulp cells from the most superficial layer of the pulp cavity wall) of the same tooth. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the 452-bp region of the D-loop demonstrated that nucleotide substitutions and insertion/deletion events were identical in material from both sources. Thus, dentin produces equivalent results when the dental pulp of a tooth is unsuitable for mtDNA analysis. To establish the reliability of the screening procedure for the sequence analysis, we identified restriction sites for the enzymes KpnI and MnlI in the 452-bp region of the D-loop. Thirteen of 14 patterns of four polymorphisms analyzed using the mtDNA from the 40 tooth samples were identifiable by an initial screening procedure involving restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Combined use of sequence analysis and RFLP analysis proved extremely efficient in analyzing mtDNA polymorphisms, allowing identification of individuals.     

GC/MS研究海洛因代谢物在吸毒者体内的分布

应用GC／MS－SIM测定了海洛因代谢物吗啡在两例海洛因延缓死亡者的体内分布,并分析了收集到的7例案子的毛发（头发、腋毛和阴毛）中6-单乙酰吗啡和吗啡含量。生物检材和毛发经酸水解、提取、醋酸酐或双（三甲基硅基）三氟乙酰胺（BSTFA）衍生化,然后进行GC／MS-SIM分析。结果表明尿、胆汁和肝脏是判定死者是否曾使用海洛因的最佳检材;毛发分析与生物检材相比有其独特的优点,可提供数月甚至数年的用药情况。为公安司法机关打击吸毒、惩治犯罪提供更可靠、有效的证据。     

意外摔跌致颅脑损伤21例尸体检验分析

通过对21例意外摔跌伤所致颅脑损伤的法医学检验资料进行统计分析,探讨意外摔跌伤的损伤特点、发生原因,以及与高处跌倒、交通事故及打斗中摔跌形成的损伤特点进行比较。结果表明意外摔跌饬有其独特的特点。     

Analysis of penicillins in whole blood by reversed high-performance liquid chromatography

A reversed-HPLC method was established to determinate penicillins in whole blood. Thiamphenicol as internal standard was added to 0.5 ml blood. Proteins in blood were precipitated with acetonitrile, then the separate supernatant was directly injected onto the chromatography column. The range of five penicillins' linearities was 0.9918 to 0.9996, their range of relative recovery was 91.75% to 107.33%, their CV was 3.56% to 9.85%. Effects of different storage temperatures on the stability of analytes and interference of other antibiotics were also studied.     

A study of 44 forensic autopsy cases of adrenal hemorrhage

44 cases of adrenal hemorrhage (AH) were analyzed. The forensic autopsy showed that AH occurred mainly in male aged from 20 to 40 years old. The traumatic AH was more often seen in young men and the pathologic AH was mostly seen in elderly persons. AH were more likely found in bilateral adrenal corticomedullary junction. The pathological grade of AH was not related to the interval time of survival. The pathologic mechanism of AH was discussed as well.