RNA在法医学中的研究应用进展

长期以来,RNA由于其自身的不稳定性、易降解的特征未受到法医学者的关注。近年来,随着定量PCR等分子生物学技术的改进与发展,RNA分析逐渐开始在法医学实验室中开展起来。RNA可用于死亡时间、创口形成时间、斑痕形成时间的推测,并且可取代传统的血清酶学检测用于确定体液类型并扩大了检测范围,还可以辅助诊断细胞或器官的功能状态。本文就近年来RNA在法医学的研究应用进展做一概述。     

尸温相关因素推断死亡时间的研究

目的 统计分析影响尸体温度下降多因素和死亡时间的相关性,探索尸温推断死亡时间的创新应用.方法 建立影响尸体温度(直肠温度)下降相关因素的采集标准,收集实践工作中的157例明确死亡时间真实案例的相关数据,根据实际工作经验结合统计学的基本要求对各因素进行量化评分,利用EXCEL和SPSS软件对数据进行处理,采用多元线性回归的方法统计分析各影响系数同死亡时间的相关性.结果 获得了具有统计学意义的回归方程,Y=25.993+0.04X1+0.172X2+0.88X3+0.047X4+0.373X5+0.347X6-0.766X7,决定系数R2=0.876.结论 该方法为尸温推断死亡时间的创新应用,经测试可用于实际工作.     

大鼠死后腓肠肌直接电兴奋性变化与早期死亡时间的关系

目的探讨大鼠死亡后不同时间腓肠肌电兴奋性的变化,为早期死亡时间的推断提供新的指标。方法建立大鼠机械性窒息模型,利用电生理检测仪检测死亡后不同时间大鼠腓肠肌对不同强度的电刺激的反应性,记录肌肉组织动作电位出现时间,统计学分析其差异并建立回归方程。结果大鼠机械性窒息死亡后一定时间内,其腓肠肌对电刺激的兴奋性与死亡时间呈明显线性关系。结论肌肉组织的电兴奋性可以作为早期死亡时间推断的有效指标。     

放射影像学在颈部损伤尸体检验中的应用

多层面计算机断层成像(MSCT)和磁共振成像(MRI)对尸体骨骼系统和软组织损伤的诊断价值等同于传统的尸体解剖,运用在颈部损伤的尸体检验中可以弥补传统尸体解剖的某些不足,在某些特定的环境、腐败、烧焦或具有传染性的尸体检验中,MSCT和MRI联合使用可以作为机械性窒息、挥鞭样损伤、颈椎损伤及颈部血管损伤的可选择的法医学检查手段之一。     

大鼠死后组织细胞DNA含量变化与死亡时间的相关性研究

目的应用流式细胞术研究大鼠死后组织细胞DNA含量变化与死亡时间的相关性。方法SD大鼠断颈处死后于不同时间段取心、肝、脾、肾器官组织,经胰蛋白酶消化等处理后制成单细胞悬液,应用流式细胞术,在620nm波长处检测各组不同器官组织细胞DNA含量,观察其变化规律。结果大鼠各器官组织细胞DNA含量随死亡时间延长均呈下降趋势。其中以脾组织细胞DNA含量变化趋势与死亡时间最具相关性,肝、肾次之,而心最差;死后48h,各器官组织细胞仅存微量完整的细胞核DNA。结论机体死亡后,各器官组织细胞核DNA含量随死亡时间的延长逐渐减少,具有一定的变化规律,可应用组织细胞DNA含量变化来推断死亡时间。     

人脾细胞核几何参数变化与早期死亡时间的相关性研究

目的运用图像分析技术探讨人脾脏细胞核几何参数变化与死亡时间的关系。方法选31例已知死亡时间的人离体脾组织,在死后36h内每h细胞学涂片、Feulgen-Vans染色,对人脾细胞核的异形指数等5个几何参数进行图像分析。结果脾脏细胞核异形指数在死后5～36h呈上升趋势,r=0.983,线性回归方程y=11.334x-33.339,面积、等效直径、平均直径、周长均与死亡时间无明显的相关性。结论异形指数能较客观地反映人脾细胞核DNA降解后的离散分布状况,与死亡时间有明显相关性,可能是推断早期准确死亡时间的较好形态学指标。     

家兔死后红细胞内钾钠离子含量与死亡时间的关系

研究了40只家兔死后不同时间心血红细胞内钾钠离子含量变化及红细胞膜Na+－K+－ATP酶活性。发现红细胞内钾离子含量随死亡时间增加呈线性下降（r=-0．829,P＜0．025）。在死后0－48小时,红细胞内钾离子含量与死亡时间显著相关。红细胞膜Na+－K+－ATP酶活性在死后48小时无显著变化。     

Current state and progress of research on forensic biomechanics in China

Forensic biomechanics gradually has become a significant component of forensic science. Forensic biomechanics is evidence-based science that applies biomechanical principles and methods to forensic practice, which has constituted one of the most potential research areas. In this review, we introduce how finite element techniques can be used to simulate forensic cases, how injury criteria and injury scales can be used to describe injury severity, and how tests of postmortem human subjects and dummy can be used to provide essential validation data. This review also describes research progress and new applications of forensic biomechanics in China.

Key points

• The review shows the main research progress and new applications of forensic biomechanics in China.
• The review introduces eight cases about the application of forensic biomechanics, including the multiple rigid body reconstruction, the finite element applications, study of mechanical properties, traffic crash reconstruction based on multiple techniques and analysis of morphomechanical mechanism about blood dispersal.
• Though forensic biomechanics has a great advantage for the evaluation of injury mechanisms, it still has some uncertainties owing to the uniqueness of the human anatomy, the complexity of biological materials, and the uncertainty of injury-causing circumstances.

     

A Pilot Study Comparing Postmortem and Antemortem CT for the Identification of Unknowns: Could a Forensic Pathologist Do It?

Forensic pathologists are commonly tasked with identifying human remains. Although DNA analysis remains the gold standard in identification, time and cost make it particularly prohibitive. Radiological examination, more specifically analog imaging, is more cost-effective and has been widely used in the medical examiner setting as a means of identification. In the United States, CT imaging is a fairly new imaging modality in the forensic setting, but in more recent years, offices are acquiring CT scans or collaborating with local hospitals to utilize the technology. To broaden the spectrum of potential identifying characteristics, we collected 20 cases with antemortem and postmortem CT images. The results were qualitatively assessed by a forensic pathologist and a nonmedically trained intern, and all cases were correctly identified. This study demonstrates that identification of human remains using visual comparison could be performed with ease by a forensic pathologist with limited CT experience.     

Urea,Uric Acid,and Creatinine in Postmortem Blood,Vitreous Humor,and Synovial Fluid: A Comparative and Correlation Study,

Urea, uric acid, and creatinine have been demonstrated to be relatively stable in postmortem blood (BL), thus being useful for diagnostic purposes. However, no studies have explored their levels in BL, vitreous humor (VH), and synovial fluid (SF) concurrently. Therefore, we measured and compared their levels in these fluids. We also determined the effects of various factors on their levels. The results indicated that BL urea, uric acid, and creatinine levels were significantly higher than VH and SF levels. VH and SF urea levels and SF creatinine levels had a strong correlation with BL urea and creatinine levels, respectively. BL creatinine levels were higher in men than in women. BL and SF creatinine levels were negatively correlated with age. SF uric acid and BL, VH, and SF creatinine levels exhibited a positive correlation with weight. Only VH creatinine levels were positively correlated with body mass index. None of urea, uric acid, and creatinine levels were correlated with postmortem interval.