Developmental and internal validation of a novel 13 loci STR multiplex method for Cannabis sativa DNA profiling
Forensic DNA typing is typically performed on human DNA samples. However, the molecular analysis of plant DNA is increasingly being studied and considered for use in criminal justice systems around the world [1 –3]. In the field of forensic plant science, plant DNA can be used to link a suspect or a victim to a location (crime scene) or in the case of marijuana, can be used to aid in the investigation of drug cases. In the United States, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit controlled substance [4 ]. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - March 2, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Rachel Houston, Matthew Birck, Sheree Hughes-Stamm, David Gangitano Source Type: research
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(Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - March 1, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Source Type: research
Genetic Dissection of Five Ethnic Groups from Punjab, North-West India –A Study based on Autosomal Markers
The majority of human DNA polymorphisms can be divided into two categories: those based on nucleotide substitutions (commonly known as “SNPs”) and those based on presence or absence of one or more nucleotides (Insertion/Deletion) [1]. Alu insertion elements represent the largest family of Short Interspersed elements (SINEs) in humans and are named due to the presence of an AluI recognition site in the sequence. They are extensi vely distributed throughout the human genome representing ∼10% of the total nuclear DNA [2,3] and their genotyping is relatively simple and inexpensive with a direct PCR-electrophoresis approa...
Source: Legal Medicine - February 27, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Gagandeep Singh, Indu Talwar, Harkirat Singh Sandhu, Kawaljit Matharoo, A.J.S. Bhanwer Source Type: research
Paternity testing at the Department of Forensic Medicine of Wroclaw Medical University (Poland)
In Poland, according to Article 619 of the Family and Guardianship Code, ‘the mother of a child is the woman who gave birth to it’ [1]. Proof of motherhood consists of the child’s birth certificate, presented in the course of the mother’s testimony. According to the law applicable to a child born within matrimony, ‘the father of a child born in marriage or befo re the expiry of 300 days from its termination or cancellation is the mother’s husband. This presumption can be overturned by a court denial of paternity.’ The father of an illegitimate child is a man who acknowledges it or whose paternity has been est...
Source: Legal Medicine - February 24, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Anna Karpiewska, El żbieta Kowalczyk, Tadeusz Dobosz Source Type: research
Mitochondrial control region diversity in Sindhi ethnic group of Pakistan
Pakistan resides on postulated coastal rout from Africa to Australia and it has been hypothesized that earliest colonizers came here about 60,000 years ago. Different invaders including Aryans, Arabs, Macedonians and Mongols etc. have contributed to the ethnicity pool of the Pakistani population [1]. It is also the home of “Indus Valley Civilization”, known to be amongst the oldest civilizations of the world (2500 to 1900 year BC) spreading to the northwest India along the Indus River floodplains [2,3]. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - February 6, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Memona Yasmin, Allah Rakha, Saadia Noreen, Zeenat Salahuddin Source Type: research
Relevance of hemolysis-induced tissue factor expression on monocytes in soft clot formation in alcohol-containing blood
The fluidity of cadaveric blood is an important characteristic for the post-mortem examination of cases of sudden death by asphyxia [1]. Fluidity results from the release of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) by endothelial cells, which is induced by catecholamine stimulation during the agonal period [2 –4]. In contrast, soft blood clots are found in cadaveric blood with specific blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) in cases of asphyxial death. One study reported a positive relationship between BAC and soft blood clot formation [5], but the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - February 2, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Masatoshi Nakata, Shogo Kasuda, Katsuya Yuui, Risa Kudo, Katsuhiko Hatake Source Type: research
Study of autosomal STR loci with IBS method in full sibling identification
Full-sib identification plays an important role in individual identification in criminal and civil law cases and in searching for lost persons when the parents are absent[1]. Full-sib identification precisely can be difficult because the alleles at each short tandem repeat (STR) locus can be all the same, partially the same, or completely different between siblings. Autosomal STR analysis has been applied in full-sib identification using the identity by state (IBS) method[2 –4]. According to Mendelian genetic laws, alleles of full-sibs are acquired from the parents. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - January 31, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Li Yuan, Xu Xu, Dong Zhao, He Ren, Chaohui Hu, Wen Chen, Shicheng Hao, Di Lu, Lin Zhang Source Type: research
Micro-computed tomography of false starts produced on bone by different hand-saws
The tools used in post-mortem dismemberment produce characteristic witness marks on the body of the victim, commonly defined tool marks. The macroscopic and microscopic analysis of tool marks on bones plays a crucial role in forensic anthropology and pathology, providing useful information about the instrument used to cause them [1]. When saws are used to cut bones, they often leave specific saw marks, known as “false starts”, which occur when the blade of the saw, during a stroke, hits the surface of the bone briefly and then restarts from another point, close to the initial point of cut. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - January 24, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Guido Pelletti, Guido Viel, Paolo Fais, Alessia Viero, Sindi Visentin, Diego Miotto, Massimo Montisci, Giovanni Cecchetto, Chiara Giraudo Source Type: research
Fatal disseminated histoplasmosis presenting as FUO in an immunocompetent Italian host
Histoplasmosis, or Darling ’s disease, is a relatively rare fungal disease caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, an ubiquitous saprophytic fungus in soil, endemic in certain parts of the world such as East Africa, eastern and central United States, western Mexico, Central and South America [1,2]. Although discovered in 1905 by the world renown pathologist, Samuel T. Darling, it continued to be commonly misdiagnosed as miliary tuberculosis until the 1930s [3]. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - January 23, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Alessandro Bonsignore, Giulio Fraternali Orcioni, Rosario Barranco, Francesco De Stefano, Jean Louis Ravetti, Francesco Ventura Tags: Case Report Source Type: research
Simple screening method for copy number variations associated with physical features
Copy number variation (CNV) is a type of genomic structural variation in which segments of DNA 1 kb or longer show variations in copy number relative to the reference genome [1,2]. Chromosomal regions harboring CNVs are estimated to be much larger than those harboring nucleotide substitutions [3], and account for at least 12% of the human genome [2]. A significant proportion of CNVs are considered to affect gene function through dosage alteration, gene disruption or changes in expression level. Recently, it has been shown that a considerable number of CNVs are associated with diseases and other complex human traits, includ...
Source: Legal Medicine - January 23, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Misuzu Ueki, Haruo Takeshita, Junko Fujihara, Kaori Kimura-Kataoka, Reiko Iida, Toshihiro Yasuda Source Type: research
Fatal disseminated histoplasmosis presenting as FUO in an immunocompetent Italian host.
Histoplasmosis, or Darling's disease, is a relatively rare fungal disease caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, a ubiquitous saprophytic fungus in soil, endemic in certain parts of the world such as East Africa, eastern and central United States, western Mexico, Central and South America [1,2]. Although discovered in 1905 by the world renown pathologist, Samuel T. Darling, it continued to be commonly misdiagnosed as miliary tuberculosis until the 1930s [3]. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - January 23, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Alessandro Bonsignore, Giulio Fraternali Orcioni, Rosario Barranco, Francesco De Stefano, Jean Louis Ravetti, Francesco Ventura Source Type: research
Genetic polymorphisms of 12 X STR loci in Shaanxi Han population from China
Shaanxi province is located in northwest of China. In ancient times Shaanxi was the eastern end of the ancient Silk Road [1], which should have an ethnic structure of a mixture with the population from West Asia, North Africa and Europe. Most population of north Shaanxi are descendants of the Huns [2]. So it will be quite interesting and important to collect the data of Han population in Shaanxi of China. Blood samples of 518 unrelated individuals (312 males and 206 females) from Shaanxi were typed. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - January 20, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Mao Sun, YunTao Zhang, XiaoNan Zhang, ShanMin Fu, YuanMing Wu Source Type: research
Pattern recognition analysis of proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of postmortem cerebrospinal fluid from rats with drug-induced seizure or coma
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is known to reflect the condition of the central nervous system [1]. Thus, examination of CSF has been widely used in clinical medicine as a general diagnostic tool for infectious diseases [2 –4] and other neurological disorders [5,6]. In the forensic literature, researchers have studied postmortem CSF for toxicological analysis [7–9], estimation of the postmortem interval [10,11], comparisons of individuals with and without mental illness and by cause of death [12], and for examinat ion of the neurochemistry of life-threatening stress prior to death [13]. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - January 15, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Yoshimasa Kanawaku, Keiko Hirakawa, Kaoru Koike, Jun Kanetake, Youkichi Ohno Source Type: research
Freezing preparation for macroscopic forensic investigation in putrefied brain
gray-white matter difference macroscopic investigation total score (Mann-Whitney U Test) (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - January 15, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Kotaro Matoba, Hideki Hyodoh, Manabu Murakami, Tomoko Matoba, Atsuko Saito, Fei Feng, Shigeki Jin Source Type: research
Demirjian ’s Stages and Cameriere’s Third Molar Maturity Index to Estimate Legal Adult Age in Peruvian Population
The estimation of age in individuals and particularly the assessment of the age of majority is part of the contemporary forensic practice [1 –6]. The importance of properly discriminate adults and minors is related to their different treatment in specific civil and penal law [6–8]. The assessment of the biological age of a subject around 18 years old became a serious problem for forensic experts, and a distinction must be drawn betwe en post-mortem or skeleton cases and age estimation in living subjects [9]. (Source: Legal Medicine)
Source: Legal Medicine - January 13, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Juliana Quispe- Lizarbe Roselhy, Christian Sol ís Adrianzen, Milushka Miruslava Quezada Marquez, Ivan Galić, Roberto Cameriere Source Type: research
