Article
Genetics & Heredity
Meghan Mckinnon, Denice Higgins
Summary: The study found that retaining the supernatant following demineralisation can significantly increase DNA yield for incinerated modern bones. While DNA content yield decreased with burn duration, the demineralisation treatment variations appeared to have the same effect for all burn lengths.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL-GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Chandra Finaughty, Laura Jane Heathfield, Victoria Kemp, Nicholas Marquez-Grant
Summary: DNA identification plays a crucial role in forensic science. This study conducted a systematic literature review to identify the optimal DNA extraction techniques for hard tissue samples. The results showed that solid-phase magnetic bead/resin methods and demineralisation pre-step significantly improved the success rate of DNA profiling.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL-GENETICS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Medicine, Legal
James T. Pokines, Samantha Kelley, Alexis Muschal, Isabella Liggett, Alyssa Zamora, Megan Hill, Sierra Sater, Austin Shamlou, Meagan O'Brien
Summary: This study investigated the dispersal behavior of dry bones in a forested urban environment populated by various scavenging taxa. Game cameras were used to document the behavior, revealing that bones were dispersed in small amounts with the majority of movements within 1-5 cm range. Rodents were found to have gnawed on 72.7% of the bone sample, indicating their significant impact on bone dispersal.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Review
Medicine, Legal
Meghan Mckinnon, Maciej Henneberg, Denice Higgins
Summary: Identifying incinerated human remains through genetic analysis of burned bone is challenging due to factors such as low levels of exogenous DNA, dense mineralized bone, contamination, and qPCR inhibitors. Research is needed to optimize DNA recovery protocols for burned bones, as current knowledge is mostly based on ancient bone studies.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Christian Haarkotter, Diana C. Vinueza-Espinosa, Xiomara Galvez, Maria Saiz, Maria Isabel Medina-Lozano, Jose Antonio Lorente, Juan Carlos Alvarez
Summary: Skeletal remains are a challenging sample for DNA laboratories due to environmental conditions affecting DNA preservation. This research evaluates the efficiency of petrous bone compared to tooth and long bones for DNA extraction. Results show that petrous bone outperforms other bone remains, yielding 15-30 times more DNA. The DNA profiles obtained from petrous bone are more informative and of superior quality, making it a recommended option for DNA typing with environmentally degraded skeletal remains.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Michele Ragazzo, Giulio Puleri, Valeria Errichiello, Laura Manzo, Laura Luzzi, Saverio Potenza, Claudia Strafella, Cristina Peconi, Fabio Nicastro, Valerio Caputo, Emiliano Giardina
Summary: The study evaluated a custom plate of OpenArray (TM) technology for testing 60 SNPs validated for predicting eye color, hair color, skin pigmentation, and personal identification. The technology showed high concordance rates, good sensitivity to different DNA concentrations, and high accuracy in human identification.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dan Xiao, Nan Wang, Shiheng Chen, Siyue Wang, Xiangyi Yuan, Wei Fan, Mingxin Huo
Summary: This study found that the efficiency of UV inactivation of Cryptosporidium oocysts can be significantly enhanced by adding a trypsin pretreatment stage. Experimental observations and analysis suggest that trypsin can cleave the protein layers on the oocyst wall, allowing UV radiation to penetrate the oocysts and degrade their genomic DNA.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Legal
Parncheewa Panjaruang, Tayawee Romgaew, Sunisa Aobaom
Summary: This study investigated the effectiveness of four types of swabs in collecting touch DNA from objects using SYBR Green I stain. The results showed that only the foam swab could distinguish between touch DNA with and without SYBR Green I fluorescence. Additionally, it was found that SYBR Green I could effectively stain touch DNA on foam swabs and maintain fluorescence for an extended period of time at room temperature. These findings suggest that SYBR Green I can be used as a stain on foam swabs for touch DNA screening in forensic laboratories, resulting in increased productivity and cost savings.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Legal
Nidhi Sheth, Harish Swaminathan, Amanda J. Gonzalez, Ken R. Duffy, Catherine M. Grgicak
Summary: Single-cell methods provide a solution to the forensic DNA mixture problem, with extraction methods significantly impacting the quality of electropherogram signal.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LEGAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrea Bonicelli, William Cheung, Sheree Hughes, Daniel J. Wescott, Noemi Procopio
Summary: This study evaluates the effect of commonly used procedures at HFTFs on the bone metabolome and lipidome using an animal bone model. The results show significant reductions in the abundances of metabolites and lipids, as well as contamination introduced by the procedures. The study demonstrates that the biochemical profile of bone is heavily affected by the maceration procedures.
Article
Thermodynamics
Steven J. Walden, Sam L. Evans, Jacqui Mulville, Karen Wilson, Scott Board
Summary: This pilot study aimed to determine the variation of collagen and water content in bone during soft tissue putrefaction using thermogravimetric analysis, with the potential forensic application of estimating post-mortem interval. The results showed differences in mass loss of porcine bone decomposed in shallow burial and surface deposition scenarios, indicating potential for future research in determining post-mortem interval. However, the analysis of collagen degradation during thermolysis showed inconsistent results, suggesting limited potential as an indicator of post-mortem interval during soft tissue putrefaction.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL ANALYSIS AND CALORIMETRY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Legal
Angi M. Christensen, Ian S. Saginor
Summary: This study found that even in non-carbonate soils, the presence of bone particles can still result in effervescence when HCl is added, allowing for a simple test to presumptively determine the presence of bone particles in soil. Interdisciplinary collaboration can provide valuable insights into understanding soil composition.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Claire L. Glynn
Summary: Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) is a novel investigatory tool that combines consumer DNA testing, genetic genealogy research, and forensic DNA evidence to generate leads in criminal investigations and identify unknown individuals. It has become a significant subdiscipline within forensic sciences and has been successful in resolving cold cases.
Article
Medicine, Legal
Rohan Gawali, Amardeep Kaur, Malay Shukla, Harshit Ganatra, Molina Madhulika Ekka, Bhargav C. Patel
Summary: The study found dentine to be the best source of DNA, followed by pulp, with cementum being the least favorable choice. Alveolar bone exhibited the second-highest total yield of DNA. This study supports alveolar bone as an alternate source of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Michael Hofreiter, Jiri Sneberger, Martin Pospisek, Daniel Vanek
Summary: Research on ancient and forensic DNA has shown interconnectedness between the two fields, with potential for improved results through communication. Incorporating ancient DNA approaches into forensic protocols is promising, but requires comparative studies to tailor methods for forensic needs.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL-GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Legal
Shigeki Tsuneya, Makoto Nakajima, Maiko Yoshida, Yumi Hoshioka, Fumiko Chiba, Go Inokuchi, Suguru Torimitsu, Hirotaro Iwase
Summary: This case report highlights the detection of diatoms in a non-drowned human who had aspirated mud. Careful analysis of diatoms in various samples can help differentiate true drowning from false-positives in non-drowning cases.
Article
Medicine, Legal
Jessika Camatti, Ivan Galliani, Antonello Cirnelli, Rossana Cecchi
Summary: This article presents a case study on the evaluation of criminal responsibility of a murderer. The multidisciplinary approach was used to investigate and analyze the case, and through psychological tests and interviews, experts concluded that the accused cannot be exempted from criminal responsibility for the homicide.
