Palatine Sutures as Age Indicator: A Controlled Study in the Elderly

Abstract:  Vault sutures have proven their low reliability for estimating age at death in individual forensic science cases. We broke down the palatine sutures of 134 skulls (with known sex and age at time of death) into 15 subparts and 5 stages of fusion to obtain a mean coefficient of obliteration ( C p) which was then linked to five age classes. We completed this study with multiple regression equations of total palatine suture scores. We compared our results with those obtained using the Mann method on the one hand and classically segmented and scored ectocranial suture age determination methods on the other. Palatine sutures generally do not estimate age at death any better than cranial vault sutures. Despite the partly subjective aspect of suture study, palatine suture observation contributes additional information to age-range estimation, especially in old and very old subjects where other methods lose their effectiveness.     

Trends in Adult Suicides in New Mexico: Utilizing Data from the New Mexico Violent Death Reporting System*

Abstract: Although many suicide prevention programs focus on youth suicides, data indicate the vast majority of suicides occur among adults (18–64 years). In 2005 New Mexico joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Violent Death Reporting System, collecting data on suicides, homicides, and unintentional firearm fatalities to better inform state and national prevention programs. We utilized data collected by the New Mexico Violent Death Reporting System in its first 2 years of operation (2005 and 2006) in order to define the demographic patterns of adult suicides in the state and characterize risk factors. A total of 526 suicides occurred among adults during this time, with the majority being male (78.5%) and White non‐Hispanic (56.7%). The highest incidence was in adults between 45 and 54 years (28.1%). Firearms were the most commonly used mechanism, and “current depressed mood” the most commonly identified risk factor. High rates of adult suicide indicate the need for targeted prevention programs.     

An Evaluation of Statistical Methods for the Determination of Age of Death Using Dental Root Translucency and Periodontosis

Abstract: Lamendin and colleagues (1992) proposed to assess age‐at‐death from root translucency and periodontosis. Several teeth from the same individual were included in their study. In our work, we evaluate the reliability of their formulas without introducing this bias. Our sample was constituted of 214 individuals (114 males and 100 women) selected from the Terry collection (U.S.A.). The R² between age and both indicators is equal to 0.33 and 0.08 (p < 0.001). Based on linear regression, the mean of standard error for individual age prediction was equal to 13.67 years, and the mean interval length is equal to 53.89 years. Multinomial logistic regression and Bayesian approach failed to give satisfactory results when classifying the individuals in age categories. Therefore, the use of root translucency and periodontosis may lead to incorrect age‐at‐death assessment, and it is thus necessary to complement this approach with other techniques to assess age‐at‐death.     

Trichophyton Mentagrophytes Perforates Hair of Adult Corpses in the Gaseous Period*

Abstract: Despite the substantial literature on mycology, there are still limited reports of the interaction between fungi and human hosts in the postmortem period. Thus, the main goal of this study was to investigate the in vitro perforation test using Trichophyton mentagrophytes on hair from adult corpses in the postmortem period (gaseous period). The protocol was carried out with positive (prepubescent children’s hair) and negative controls (healthy adult hair) as well. One strain of Trichophyton rubrum was also used as a negative perforation control. Perforations were found in all the hair samples from corpses and prepubescent children after 12–14 days exposure to T. mentagrophytes and were absent in the hair samples of healthy adults. Furthermore, hair perforation was not observed with T. rubrum. Our preliminary findings suggest the use of T. mentagrophytes as a potential marker of the death interval in forensic science.     

行政诉讼的原告资格分析——以主观公权利与反射利益理论为视角

当代中国,在行政诉讼原告资格的认定标准上,尽管立法上还没有引进主观公权利与反射利益的区分理论,但是,在具体的司法实践中,已经不自觉地运用了主观公权利与反射利益的区分理论。主观公权利与反射利益的区分,是行政相对人能否提起行政诉讼的关键,是其合法权益能否获得司法保护的关键。     

专利新颖性标准与利益平衡

一项技术的新颖性是使其获得专利保护的基本前提,而新颖性的判断标准是一个国家专利法律制度的基石,修改后的《专利法》规定我国采用绝对新颖性标准,对调整个人利益与公民利益失衡有重要作用。     

Unnatural and Violent Death in Cases with High Blood Alcohol Concentration— Autopsy Study

The use of alcohol increases the risk of dying from unnatural or violent causes. The presented study explored the distribution of age, gender, cause, and circumstances of death in persons who died in an unnatural and violent manner, with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) higher than 0.3 g/dL, and where the cause of death was not alcohol intoxication. We defined the control (0 < BAC < 0.3 g/dL) and study (BAC ≥ 0.3 g/dL) groups, as in subjects with these concentrations, there is a significant risk of gross intoxication, stupor, and death. The subjects from the study group were older, with no difference in gender distribution. Traffic accidents were the most common fatal event in both groups, followed by suicides. Other accidents (choking on food and exposure to fire) were more frequent in the study group. Compared to the control group, subjects from the study group were older persons whose deaths were mainly accidental.     

Reanalysis of Korean War Anthropological Records to Support the Resolution of Cold Cases

Re‐investigation of previously unidentified remains from the Korean War has yielded 55 new identifications, each with corresponding records of prior anthropological analyses. This study compares biological assessments for age at death, stature, and ancestry across (i) anthropological analyses from the 1950s, (ii) recent anthropological analyses of those same sets of remains, and (iii) the reported antemortem biological information for the identified individual. A comparison of long bone measurements from both the 1950s and during reanalysis is also presented. These comparisons demonstrate commonalities and continuing patterns of errors that are useful in refining both research on Korean War cold case records and forensic anthropological analyses performed using methods developed from the 1950s identifications.     

Saddle Pulmonary Embolism with Paradoxical Coronary Artery Embolism through a Patent Foramen Ovale

A 35‐year‐old male patient was found in cardiac arrest in his vehicle, with no apparent injuries after a minor motor vehicle collision. The decedent was found to have a saddle pulmonary embolus with a thromboembolus impacted across a patent foramen ovale and a paradoxical embolism in the circumflex coronary artery, as well as significant clotting in the deep veins of both lower extremities. There were no risk factors in his history to explain the deep venous thrombosis; family history suggested the possibility of an unrecognized clotting disorder.     

Deaths Due to Accidental Air Conditioner Compressor Explosion: A Case Series

In an air‐conditioning system, the compressor is a large electric pump that pressurizes the refrigerant gas as part of the process of turning it back into a liquid. The explosion of an air conditioner (AC) compressor is an uncommon event, and immediate death resulted from the blast effect is not reported in forensic literature. We report three such cases in which young AC mechanics were killed on the spot due to compressor blast, while repairing the domestic split AC unit. The autopsy findings, the circumstances leading to the explosion of the compressor, are discussed in this study.