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Identifying missing persons and unidentified dead bodies is a well-documented global problem in recent years. To curb this issue, countries such as the USA, UK, and Australia already have well-established DNA databases. Considering the alarming number of unidentified/unclaimed dead bodies reported in India every year, it is evident that the current practices are not sufficient to establish their identities. Forensic medicine professionals are ethically, morally, and dutybound to collect information about missing and unidentified persons and work with the government agencies to determine their identity. Concerning the social and public interest, we have developed the first-ever identification portal and DNA database of unidentified dead bodies autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, AIIMS, New Delhi, India. After the investigation officer's informed consent, biological samples from unidentified dead bodies and a detailed phenotypic description, anthropological data and other visual characteristics of the deceased are recorded at the time of autopsy. This information is uploaded on our database which is available for public access, and the genotypic information generated through STR analysis is only available for internal usage.Claimants (biological relatives) may browse through the URL (https://umid-aiims.icmr.org.in/), and if they wish to claim an unidentified dead body, they may approach as per the given guidelines. The DNA profiles generated include a total of 16 STRs (15 autosomal tetranucleotide microsatellite STRs and 1 Sex Chromosome Specific STR). The claimant's STR profile is run through the questioned database to look for a potential match. If positive, the investigating officer of that particular case is informed for further necessary action. Until December 2020, our database consisted the information of 255 individuals and two unidentified cadavers were identified. This project's success can also lead to a pioneering National DNA database of unidentified and missing persons in India., (Copyright © 2021 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: A review study on the biochemistry of epilepsy showed that in epileptic patients, serum glucose and cholesterol concentrations are low, sodium is unaffected, potassium increases, glucose is high and mild hypocalcemia. We have conducted a biochemical study on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) cases in an attempt to establish the characteristic biochemical values to diagnose these deaths., Methods: This was a hospital based case-control study done at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi for one year. Twenty SUDEP cases and 20 age- and sex-matched controls were included in the study. Femoral blood, cerebrospinal fluid, vitreous humor, and pericardial fluid were biochemically analyzed for sodium, potassium, calcium, glucose, N-acetyl- cysteine activated creatine kinase (CK-NAC) and isoenzyme CK-MB., Result: Serum sodium, CK-MB and CK-NAC level was found significantly increased and potassium level was found decreased in SUDEP cases in comparison to non-epileptic deaths. Likewise, in CSF, sodium and CK-NAC was found increased and potassium level was found decreased in SUDEP cases. In vitreous humor, sodium and CK-MB level was found increased and potassium level was found decreased in SUDEP cases in comparison to non-epileptic deaths. In pericardial fluid, sodium, CK-NAC and CK-MB level was found increased and potassium level was found decreased in SUDEP cases in comparison to non-epileptic deaths., Conclusion: It concludes that high sodium level and low potassium level could be associated with SUDEP. However, this is a small size study, a larger study is needed to verify the findings. Furthermore, it is difficult to conclude whether these findings are exclusive to SUDEP., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.)

This study describes the feasibility of anaerobic treatment of complex phenolics mixture from a simulated synthetic coal wastewater using four identical 13.5L (effective volume) bench scale hybrid up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (HUASB) (combining UASB+anaerobic filter) reactors at four different hydraulic retention times (HRT) under mesophilic (27+/-5 degrees C) conditions. Synthetic coal wastewater with an average chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 2240 mg/L and phenolics concentration of 752 mg/L was used as substrate. The phenolics contained phenol (490 mg/L); m-, o-, p-cresols (123.0, 58.6, 42 mg/L); 2,4-, 2,5-, 3,4- and 3,5-dimethyl phenols (6.3, 6.3, 4.4 and 21.3 mg/L) as major phenolic compounds. The study demonstrated that at optimum HRT, 24h, and phenolic loading rate of 0.75 g COD/(m(3)-d), the phenolics and COD removal efficiency of the reactors were 96% and 86%, respectively. Bio-kinetic models were applied to data obtained from experimental studies in hybrid UASB reactor. Grau second-order multi-component substrate removal model was best fitted to the hybrid UASB reactor. The second-order substrate removal rate constant (k(2(s))) was found as 1.72 h(-1) for the hybrid reactor treating complex phenolic mixture. Morphological examination of the sludge revealed rod-type Methanothrix-like, cells to be dominant on the surface.