The effects of aging on the comparability of antemortem and postmortem radiographs

To study the effects of aging on the ability to make positive identifications from radiographs of the postcranial axial skeleton, we collected early and later exposed abdominal X-rays from five patients whose period of treatment spanned from ten to twenty-three years. Corresponding lumbar vertebrae from each pair of radiographs were compared for similarities and differences in several of the criteria that have been reported as useful for individualization. These include shapes of the bodies, spinous processes, transverse processes, pedicles, and osteophytic extrusions. It is our conclusion that even though bone is a flexible tissue and changes constantly during life, aspects of the criteria chosen are quite stable and that even after two-and-a-half decades the ability to make positive identifications from postcranial axial material is not necessarily diminished.     

mtDNA investigations after differential lysis

In order to gain information regarding the ethnic origin of an unknown offender in a murder case it was necessary to sequence the HV1 and 2 regions of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The only evidentiary material that could be linked to the suspect was DNA, extracted from spermatozoa after differential lysis. The observed mtDNA sequences were identical to the sequences of the victim. Therefore, we had to check if this was a coincidence or the result of a technical limitation of the testing procedure. Subsequently, we performed a systematic study. In cases with complete separation of sperm and female cells it wasn't possible to obtain a mtDNA sequence for the sperm fraction. This phenomena is based on the loss of the sperm's flagellum and mid-piece during the first lysis step and a concomitant loss of the sperm's mitochondria. In our murder case, a minor carry-over of female cells to the sperm fraction was responsible for the sequencing result.     

Assessment of STR Typing Success Rate in Soft Tissues from Putrefied Bodies Based on a Quantitative Grading System for Putrefaction

To date, there is no systematic investigation of the association of short tandem repeat (STR) typing success rate in soft tissues with different signs of putrefaction. Herein, putrefaction was rated using a newly developed 19‐parameter system in soft tissues from a collective of 68 decaying bodies, and DNA yield was determined in 408 samples. DNA integrity was rated using a self‐devised pentaplex PCR generating an “integrity score” (S_i). STR typing success rate was then assessed for selected cases. DNA yield and S_i differed significantly between tissues with kidney on average exhibiting the highest S_i values. Statistical analysis revealed that nine parameters were significantly and positively correlated with S_i. The observed values for each of these nine parameters were summed up to generate a putrefaction score (S_p) for each sample. Our results show that STR typing success rate can be predicted based on S_p before expensive multiplex STR profiling is performed.     

Is it possible to have cheaper drugs and preserve the incentive to innovate? The benefits of privatizing the drug approval process

In this paper, we argue that lower prices for pharmaceuticals can be achieved by fostering a new type of competition in the pharmaceutical industry. Lower drug development costs, and hence prices, can be brought about by abolishing national drug administrations and replacing them with private certification boards that compete on the basis of safety, efficiency and cost of their drug approval process. A major benefit of this type of privatization is that it would not necessitate limits on data exclusivity in order to achieve lower prices. Drug approval privatization could achieve the same positive results as generic competition, in terms of lower costs and prices, without the negative effects of intellectual property rights violation and the consequent discouragement of innovative activities.