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Diagnostics
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Forensic Diagnosis
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Forensic Diagnosis

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 7804

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Diana Hernandez-Romero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Biomedical Research Institute (IMIB), Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
Interests: forensic diagnosis; forensic pathology; molecular autopsy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forensic pathology is a medical discipline focalized on the medico-legal study of sudden or unexplained death. The objective of the autopsy, including the role developed by the forensic pathologist, is to identify the cause of the circumstances of death. Molecular autopsy is a fundamental approach to forensic examination, establishing a genetic diagnosis when traditional autopsy is inconclusive. In the last few decades, new techniques, including the -omics (genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics), open a new scenario in the applicable molecular tools that can help in the diagnosis of death.

In this context, new initiatives based in different disciplines, such as molecular biology, second-generation biomarkers, proteomics… have achieved important advances in classical forensic problems as the establishment of the post mortem interval, drowning, death by poisoning or cardiac sudden death. The contribution of specialized scientific investigators and forensic pathologists has been particularly significant.

Dr. Diana Hernandez-Romero
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diagnostics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1712 KiB  
Article
Correlations between Dental Age, Skeletal Age, and Mandibular Morphologic Index Changes in Turkish Children in Eastern Anatolia and Their Chronological Age during the Pubertal Growth Spurt Period: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Fatma Saraç, Büşra Baydemir Kılınç, Periş Çelikel, Murat Büyüksefil, Muhammet Burak Yazıcı and Sera Şimşek Derelioğlu
Diagnostics 2024, 14(9), 887; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14090887 - 24 Apr 2024
Viewed by 152
Abstract
In age determination, different methods aiming to obtain the closest result to chronological age have been investigated so far. The most commonly used one among these is the radiological method, which is usually used to evaluate the developmental stages of wrist bones or [...] Read more.
In age determination, different methods aiming to obtain the closest result to chronological age have been investigated so far. The most commonly used one among these is the radiological method, which is usually used to evaluate the developmental stages of wrist bones or teeth. In our study, we assessed bone age estimations using the Gilsanz–Ratib atlas (GRA), which has recently become commonly used for children aged 9 to 15 years; evaluated the dental age, determined with Cameriere’s European method; conducted morphometric measurements of the mandibular bone; and then examined their relationships with chronological age. The results of our study reveal that, in children during the puberty growth spurt, Cameriere’s EU formula might have higher accuracy in estimating chronological age in younger age groups, while the GRA might be more accurate for older ages. Additionally, we conclude that of the mandibular morphometric measurements, condylar height and tangential ramus height show strong positive correlations with age. As a result, we conclude that the morphometric measurements evaluated in the present study can be used as auxiliary methods in forensic anthropology and forensic dentistry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Diagnosis)
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14 pages, 2651 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Microbiome Identification of Forensically Relevant Biological Fluids: A Pilot Study
by Audrey Gouello, Laura Henry, Djamel Chadli, Florian Salipante, Joséphine Gibert, Adeline Boutet-Dubois and Jean-Philippe Lavigne
Diagnostics 2024, 14(2), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14020187 - 15 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1168
Abstract
In forensic sciences, body fluids, or biological traces, are a major source of information, and their identification can play a decisive role in criminal investigations. Currently, the nature of biological fluids is assessed using immunological, physico-chemical, mRNA and epigenetic methods, but these have [...] Read more.
In forensic sciences, body fluids, or biological traces, are a major source of information, and their identification can play a decisive role in criminal investigations. Currently, the nature of biological fluids is assessed using immunological, physico-chemical, mRNA and epigenetic methods, but these have limits in terms of sensitivity and specificity. The emergence of next-generation sequencing technologies offers new opportunities to identify the nature of body fluids by determining bacterial communities. The aim of this pilot study was to assess whether analysis of the bacterial communities in isolated and mixed biological fluids could reflect the situation observed in real forensics labs. Several samples commonly encountered in forensic sciences were tested from healthy volunteers: saliva, vaginal fluid, blood, semen and skin swabs. These samples were analyzed alone or in combination in a ratio of 1:1. Sequencing was performed on the Ion Gene StudioTM S5 automated sequencer. Fluids tested alone revealed a typical bacterial signature with specific bacterial orders, enabling formal identification of the fluid of interest, despite inter-individual variations. However, in biological fluid mixtures, the predominance of some bacterial microbiomes inhibited interpretation. Oral and vaginal microbiomes were clearly preponderant, and the relative abundance of their bacterial communities and/or the presence of common species between samples made it impossible to detect bacterial orders or genera from other fluids, although they were distinguishable from one another. However, using the beta diversity, salivary fluids were identified and could be distinguished from fluids in combination. While this method of fluid identification is promising, further analyses are required to consolidate the protocol and ensure reliability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Diagnosis)
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11 pages, 1285 KiB  
Article
Forensic Age Estimation: A Multifactorial Approach in a Retrospective Population Study
by Monika Bjelopavlovic, Sebastian R. Reder, Isabel Fritzen, Marc A. Brockmann, Jochen Hardt and Katja Petrowski
Diagnostics 2023, 13(12), 2029; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics13122029 - 12 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1802
Abstract
Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of forensic age estimation in a German population by combining clavicle and wisdom teeth assessments based on cone beam computed tomography (CT) data. The study aimed to determine the reliability of [...] Read more.
Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of forensic age estimation in a German population by combining clavicle and wisdom teeth assessments based on cone beam computed tomography (CT) data. The study aimed to determine the reliability of this approach in predicting biological age. Material and Methods: A total of 161 CT data sets from 120 males and 41 females with known exact ages were evaluated by three raters. The clavicle was assessed according to stages 1–5 (including substages 2a–c and 3a–c), and the Demirjian stage’s classification method was used for the wisdom teeth. Inter-class correlation (ICC) was calculated to assess the agreement among the three raters. Additionally, ordinary least square regressions were performed to predict chronological age using the clavicle or one of the four teeth. Finally, age prediction models using multiple indicators were developed. Results: The ICCs ranged from 0.82 for the clavicle to 0.86 and 0.88 for the wisdom teeth. Linear estimation tended to overestimate chronological age, especially in subjects over 18 years old. The clavicle showed the strongest overestimation. Combining age estimation from the clavicle with the upper and lower wisdom teeth improved the predictive power, resulting in a 14% and 15% increase in R² for the upper and lower wisdom teeth, respectively. Adding more than one tooth to the prediction did not improve the predictive power (all ΔR² < 1%). Conclusions: Age estimation using CT can be significantly improved by combining information from the analysis of wisdom teeth with age estimation based on the clavicle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Diagnosis)
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14 pages, 899 KiB  
Article
Palatal Rugae Patterns in Fars, Turkmen, and Sistani Ethnicities in the Eastern Part of the Caspian Littoral of Iran
by Donya Rahebi, Aliakbar Naghavialhosseini, Mina Pakkhesal, Abdolhalim Rajabi, Fatemeh Mirzaei, Nesreen A. Salim and Malik Sallam
Diagnostics 2023, 13(2), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics13020200 - 05 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1819
Abstract
In forensic medicine, it is important to identify whole or fragmented bodies. This aim can be particularly challenging in mass disasters. Palatal rugae patterns can be used as a surrogate parameter in forensic medicine. This stems from the difficulty in falsifying these patterns, [...] Read more.
In forensic medicine, it is important to identify whole or fragmented bodies. This aim can be particularly challenging in mass disasters. Palatal rugae patterns can be used as a surrogate parameter in forensic medicine. This stems from the difficulty in falsifying these patterns, their resistance to trauma, to decomposition for several days postmortem, and to combustion under high-temperatures, as well as being distinguishable among different races. The present study aimed to analyze the differences in the palatal rugae patterns among three Iranian ethnicities (Fars, Turkmen, and Sistani). This retrospective study involved the use of archived materials. The study casts were selected from the database of patients who visited a private orthodontics clinic. A total of 309 dental casts (103 Fars, 103 Turkmen, and 103 Sistani) were assessed, which belonged to 181 females and 128 males aged between 12 and 30 years (mean: 16.86 ± 3.18 years). The difference in the mean number of palatal rugae in women between the three ethnicities was statistically significant. Also, the differences in the total number of straight rugae were significant between the three ethnic groups. The most common rugae shapes in the three ethnic groups were the straight and wavy shapes. The length of the palatal rugae in the primary and secondary rugae among the study subjects younger than 18-years-old was significantly different between the three ethnic groups. Thus, the present research highlighted the differences in palatal rugae patterns among three Iranian ethnicities. Therefore, palatal rugae can be used in forensic medicine as a complementary approach to human identification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Diagnosis)
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Review

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14 pages, 1296 KiB  
Review
Dating Skin Lesions of Forensic Interest by Immunohistochemistry and Immunofluorescence Techniques: A Scoping Literature Review
by Luca Tomassini, Massimo Lancia, Roberto Scendoni, Anna Maria Manta, Daniela Fruttini, Erika Terribile and Cristiana Gambelunghe
Diagnostics 2024, 14(2), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14020168 - 11 Jan 2024
Viewed by 754
Abstract
Wound age estimation is a significant issue in forensic pathology. Although various methods have been evaluated, no gold standard system or model has been proposed, and accurate injury time estimation is still challenging. The distinction between vital skin wounds—i.e., ante-mortem lesions—and skin alterations [...] Read more.
Wound age estimation is a significant issue in forensic pathology. Although various methods have been evaluated, no gold standard system or model has been proposed, and accurate injury time estimation is still challenging. The distinction between vital skin wounds—i.e., ante-mortem lesions—and skin alterations that occur after death is a crucial goal in forensic pathology. Once the vitality of the wound has been confirmed, the assessment of the post-trauma interval (PTI) is also fundamental in establishing the causal relationship between the traumatic event and death. The most frequently used techniques in research studies are biochemistry, molecular biology, and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Biochemical methods take advantage of the chemical and physical techniques. A systematic literature search of studies started on 18 February 2023. The search was conducted in the main databases for biomedical literature, i.e., PubMed and Scopus, for papers published between 1973 and 2022, focusing on different techniques of immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence (IF) for estimating the PTI of skin wounds. The present study involves a comprehensive and structured analysis of the existing literature to provide a detailed and comprehensive overview of the different IHC techniques used to date skin lesions, synthesize the available evidence, critically evaluate the methodologies, and eventually draw meaningful conclusions about the reliability and effectiveness of the different markers that have been discovered and used in wound age estimation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Diagnosis)
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Other

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9 pages, 4064 KiB  
Case Report
Case Report: A Sudden Thyroid-Related Death of a 15-Year-Old Girl
by Kálmán Rácz, Gábor Simon, Andrea Kurucz, Gergő Tamás Harsányi, Miklós Török, László Tamás Herczeg and Péter Attila Gergely
Diagnostics 2024, 14(9), 905; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14090905 (registering DOI) - 26 Apr 2024
Viewed by 163
Abstract
A 15-year-old young girl was found dead at home. There were no indications of any intervention or the application of force. On the previous day, she was admitted to hospital because of palpitations, fatigue, a headache, and a swollen neck. During a physical [...] Read more.
A 15-year-old young girl was found dead at home. There were no indications of any intervention or the application of force. On the previous day, she was admitted to hospital because of palpitations, fatigue, a headache, and a swollen neck. During a physical examination, a swollen thyroid gland and tachycardia were found. In the family history, her mother had thyroid disease. According to the laboratory values, she had elevated thyroid hormone levels. After administration of beta-blockers, the patient was discharged and died at home during the night. The parents denounced the hospital for medical malpractice; therefore, a Forensic Autopsy was performed. Based on the available clinical data, the autopsy, histological and toxicological results, the cause of death was stated as multiorgan failure due to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) caused by the autoimmune Graves disease. The forensic assessment of the case does not reveal medical malpractice. Post-mortem diagnoses of thyroid disorders in cases of sudden death can be challenging. However, as the reported case illustrates, the diagnosis could be established after a detailed evaluation of antemortem clinical data, autopsy results, histology, and a toxicological examination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Diagnosis)
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13 pages, 4867 KiB  
Case Report
Diagnostic Methods in Forensic Pathology: Autoptic Findings and Immunohistochemical Study in Cases of Sudden Death Due to a Colloid Cyst of the Third Ventricle
by Angelo Montana, Francesco Paolo Busardò, Giovanni Tossetta, Gaia Goteri, Pasqualina Castaldo, Giuseppe Basile and Giulia Bambagiotti
Diagnostics 2024, 14(1), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14010100 - 01 Jan 2024
Viewed by 955
Abstract
The colloid cyst is a non-malignant tumor growth made of a gelatinous material covered by a membrane of epithelial tissue. It is usually located posterior to the foramen of Monro, in the anterior aspect of the third ventricle of the brain. Due to [...] Read more.
The colloid cyst is a non-malignant tumor growth made of a gelatinous material covered by a membrane of epithelial tissue. It is usually located posterior to the foramen of Monro, in the anterior aspect of the third ventricle of the brain. Due to its location, it can cause obstructive hydrocephalus, increased intracranial pressure, and sudden cardiac death, catecholamine-mediated, through hypothalamus compression. All the mechanisms are still controversial, but the role of catecholamine has been confirmed with histological findings that highlighted myocardial injury (coagulative myocytolysis and contraction band necrosis, CBN). This study presents a case of sudden death in a previously healthy 22-year-old male due to a colloid cyst of the third ventricle. A complete autopsy was performed, highlighting in the brain an abundant quantity of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and a 2 cm pale grayish-green rounded cyst formation partially filling and distending the third ventricle. The diagnosis was confirmed through immunohistochemical investigation: positivity for Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining and CK7 expression. In cases such as the one reported here, a combined approach of autopsy, histology, and immunohistochemistry is mandatory in order to identify the neoformation’s location and morpho-structural characteristics for a correct differential diagnosis, as well as to identify the cause of death. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forensic Diagnosis)
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