The Reliability of Facial Recognition of Deceased Persons on Photographs

In humanitarian emergencies, such as the current deceased migrants in the Mediterranean, antemortem documentation needed for identification may be limited. The use of visual identification has been previously reported in cases of mass disasters such as Thai tsunami. This pilot study explores the ability of observers to match unfamiliar faces of living and dead persons and whether facial morphology can be used for identification. A questionnaire was given to 41 students and five professionals in the field of forensic identification with the task to choose whether a facial photograph corresponds to one of the five photographs in a lineup and to identify the most useful features used for recognition. Although the overall recognition score did not significantly differ between professionals and students, the median scores of 78.1% and 80.0%, respectively, were too low to consider this method as a reliable identification method and thus needs to be supported by other means.     

Effects of Cremation on Fetal Bones

The charring process is a weak point of anthropological analysis as it changes bone morphology and reduces information obtainable, specially in fetuses. This experiment aims at verifying the conservation of fetal bones after cremation. A total of 3138 fetuses of unknown sex and age were used, deriving from legal and therapeutic abortions from different hospitals of Milan. Cremations took place in modern crematoria. Nine cremation events were analyzed, each ranging from 57 to 915 simultaneously cremated fetuses. During the cremations, 4356 skeletal remains were recovered, 3756 of which (86.2%) were morphologically distinguishable. All types of fetal skeletal elements were found, with the exception of some cranial bones. Only 3.4% of individuals could be detected after the cremation process, because of the prevalence of abortions under 12 lunar weeks. All fire alterations were observed and the results were statistically analyzed. This pilot study confirmed the possibility of preservation of fetal skeletal elements after cremation.     

Repeat Coronary Artery Dissection in Pregnancy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Non‐atherosclerotic spontaneous coronary artery dissection (NA‐SCAD) is a rare cause of morbidity and mortality with a propensity for young, healthy, and often peripartum women. NA‐SCAD etiology is poorly understood, with possible hormonal and hereditary mechanisms. Current treatment strategies range from conservative management (often showing resolution on angiographic follow‐up) to invasive angiographic procedures. Rarely, NA‐SCAD has recurred in another coronary artery, ranging hours to years later. We report NA‐SCAD of the right coronary artery (RCA) in a 30‐year old, 3‐month postpartum female with an additional autopsy finding of remote myocardial infarction (MI) in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery territory. The remote MI is consistent with prior NA‐SCAD of the LAD and, given the medical history, may have occurred in the peripartum period of the decedent first pregnancy 3 years earlier. As such, to the best of our knowledge, this may represent the first reported case of NA‐SCAD recurrence in a subsequent pregnancy.     

A Computational Framework for Age‐at‐Death Estimation from the Skeleton: Surface and Outline Analysis of 3D Laser Scans of the Adult Pubic Symphysis

In forensic anthropology, age‐at‐death estimation typically requires the macroscopic assessment of the skeletal indicator and its association with a phase or score. High subjectivity and error are the recognized disadvantages of this approach, creating a need for alternative tools that enable the objective and mathematically robust assessment of true chronological age. We describe, here, three fully computational, quantitative shape analysis methods and a combinatory approach that make use of three‐dimensional laser scans of the pubic symphysis. We report a novel age‐related shape measure, focusing on the changes observed in the ventral margin curvature, and refine two former methods, whose measures capture the flatness of the symphyseal surface. We show how we can decrease age‐estimation error and improve prior results by combining these outline and surface measures in two multivariate regression models. The presented models produce objective age‐estimates that are comparable to current practices with root‐mean‐square‐errors between 13.7 and 16.5 years.     

大鼠双侧阴茎背神经和／或海绵体神经离断后海绵体组织细胞凋亡

目的观察双侧阴茎背神经、海绵体神经损伤．以及联合神经损伤后阴茎海绵体组织细胞凋亡表达。方法（1）将78只SD大鼠随机分为术后1、2、4、8、16和32d组,每组分别分为海绵体神经离断组、阴茎背神经离断组、阴茎背神经和海绵体神经联合离断组、手术对照组和非手术对照组。通过DNA梯带法（DNAladder）进行定性、TUNEL法进行凋亡细胞检测;用actin-α标记平滑肌细胞。用CD31标记内皮细胞,进行凋亡细胞定位。结果双侧海绵体神经损伤及联合损伤组分别与阴茎背神经损伤组、手术对照组和非手术对照组之间的凋亡率均有显著差异（P〈0．0046）,但两组之间的差异无显著性（P〉0．0046）,双侧阴茎背神经损伤组与手术对照组之间细胞凋亡率差异无显著性（P〉0．0046）。海绵体平滑肌细胞凋亡平均数与内皮细胞的凋亡平均数差异具有显著性（P〈0．05）。结论海绵体神经损伤可引起阴茎海绵体平滑肌的凋亡;阴茎背神经损伤对阴茎组织细胞凋亡无明显影响;联合损伤对海绵体平滑肌细胞凋亡的影响同单纯海绵体神经损伤。     

膜攻击复合物对继发性脑损伤的影响

脑损伤后普遍存在的炎性反应激活补体并通过多种途径导致和加重继发性脑损伤。膜攻击复合物具有直接破坏血脑屏障、促使红细胞溶解、促进释放细胞因子、氧自由基和金属基质蛋白、加剧炎症反应的生物特性,从而加重继发性脑损伤。本文对膜攻击复合物造成继发性脑损伤的研究进行综述,希望能对相关研究和法医学鉴定提供参考。     

Fatal falls from a height: two case studies

Two case studies are presented involving fatal falls of adult females from a height. One involved a launch at low speed from a balcony, and one involved a launch at high speed from the top of a cliff. Crime scene evidence obtained on the balcony itself provided a strong indication of homicide, but subsequent investigation showed that the fall was accidental. No crime scene evidence was obtained for the cliff fall since the fall initially appeared to be just another suicide from a popular suicide spot. Subsequent investigations indicated homicide based on measurements of cliff height, horizontal distance to the impact, and available runup distance, plus measurements of possible run, jump, and throw speeds. It was found that a female weighing 61 kg (134 lb) can be thrown at speeds up to 4.85 m/s by a strong male, more than enough to account for the estimated launch speed (4.5 m/s). Given the available 4.0 m runup distance, it was found that women of better than average rather than elite athletic ability can dive at speeds of about 3.5 m/s or jump feet first at speeds of about 4.0 m/s, both being less than the estimated launch speed. The decedent had no athletic ability and landed head first after falling through a height of 29 m.     

南京汉族人群24个Y-STR基因座的遗传多态性

目的调查DYS391等24个Y-STR基因座在南京汉族人群的遗传多态性,考察其在法医学中的应用价值。方法应用AGCU Y-PLUS(24)PCR试剂盒对南京580名汉族无关男性个体进行Y-STR基因座扩增检测分型,用软件计算24个基因座的基因频率等群体遗传学参数,并与湖北、辽宁、广东、北京、成都汉族人群数据进行比较。结果南京580名汉族无关男性个体在24个Y-STR基因座共发现580种单倍型,各基因座的基因多样性(GD)为0.294 6~0.939 8,单倍型多样性(HD)为0.983 7。六地人群GD值的差异有统计学意义。结论 DYS391等24个Y-STR基因座在南京地区有法医学价值,可用于案件检验及家系排查。     

甲基苯丙胺心肌毒性的研究进展

甲基苯丙胺(MA)是近年来在我国公共场所流行滥用的成瘾性药物,俗称冰毒。目前实验研究发现,MA对人体多个系统都具有毒性作用,其中对心血管系统的毒性损害作用较为显著。临床表现上,MA中毒主要导致了以心率和血压改变为特异性表现的一系列症状,以及继发的心脏结构改变所导致的心脏损害;病理学上,MA中毒导致了心肌坏死、心肌间质炎细胞增多、心肌纤维化、心肌梗死等。法医学研究中,发现了MA急性中毒导致死亡的主要原因是MA引起的心律失常和室颤,慢性中毒的死因较多,以MA慢性中毒导致高血压、心肌病、心肌梗死等为主。MA中毒的心肌毒性的分子机制表现为心肌内多种蛋白质表达的改变。目前MA心肌毒性的机制研究较多,但仍未完全查明。本文通过对近年来MA心肌毒性研究现状进行综述,为后续研究提供参考。     

法医物证学miRNA分析的研究进展

在种属和体液鉴定及降解检材等特殊案件的分析时,转录水平的miRNA所具有的生物属性及表达特点,使其能够发挥基因组DNA所不具备的价值。本文通过概述法医物证学miRNA研究的现状,对法医miRNA分析的研究策略和法医物证学应用前景进行了综述,以期为法医miRNA分析的应用研究提供借鉴。