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Degradation-related poor quality of ancient DNA from long-time stored biological material (e.g. historical skeletal remains) often leads to a loss of information in molecular genetic characterisation. A new generation of DNA quantification and STR technologies consider mentioned issue by an optimised primer design combined with active master mix components. In this respect, the efficiency of the new PowerQuant™ (Promega) quantification kit and the Investigator ® ESSplex SE QS STR kit (QIAGEN) was tested and analysed. Both analyses tools were evaluated by their applicability to monitor the presence of possible PCR inhibitors and DNA degradation that influences downstream STR analyses and further result interpretation. Characteristic features that reflect mentioned phenomena of both systems where correlated with respect to a combined use in aDNA analyses. Here, especially the Investigator ® ESSplex SE QS kit, which features an intelligent system design comprising both DNA typing and quality control, has shown to be valuable. Some given result interpretation thresholds were adapted with regard to aDNA applicability in forensic case work and anthropological interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) especially in younger adults with no previous symptoms is a challenging problem in forensic diagnostics, occurring with an incidence of about 80,000 per year in Germany. Long QT-Syndrome (LQTS) and other cardiac disorders associated with abnormality of cardiac rhythm triggered by mutations of cardiac ion channels have to consider if no cause of death is detectable during autopsy. A molecular genetic screening can help to ensure. Meanwhile twelve genes are known in which more than 700 different mutations are associated with LQTS. The three major LQTS-susceptibility genes are KCNQ1, KCNH2 and SCN5A. They are responsible for 75% of all congenital LQTS cases. We developed a rapid, sensitive and reasonable method for the simultaneously screening of the most common LQTS mutations, focused on these three genes. Using the SNaPshot® minisequencing primer extension assay a total of 91 Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) were examined in six multiplex assays. The data suggest that this technique is applicable, solid, flexible and a good alternative to complete sequencing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the year 2003, several largely complete skeletons were found on various neighbouring spots during construction works in the vicinity of a Chemnitz detention centre, which had been used for decades. The Authority of the Inquiry did not assign systematic excavation, and so the skeleton material, which was sent in for investigation from the various finding places, also contained skeleton remains of several individuals per finding place. Police investigation, the burial place and some minor clothing remains resulted in the assumption that the graves had been laid out in the first years after World War II. In addition, it was suspected that one of the buried bodies might have been a male person who had been missing at that time. After appropriate mechanical preparation of selected bone materials the DNA-isolation followed, and subsequently quantification with the Quantifier™ Human DNA Quantification kit of the firm Applied Biosystems. The amplification of DNA was carried out with commercially available autosomal and gonosomal amplification kits of various firms. DNA fragment separation was done with ABI Prism™ 3130 Genetic Analyzer of the firm Applied Biosystems.Compared to the pre-investigation, much better and forensically usable results of the analysis were achieved by modified methodology, as will be presented in detail. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents research which concluded that the myofibrillary protein troponin T can be used as a marker to meet forensic requirements when diagnosing heart contusion. Difficulties in diagnosing heart contusion during medicolegal necropsies; Details about troponin T; Troponin T concentration in heart contusion cases and resuscitation cases.

Purpose: The response to traumatic brain injury (TBI) is complex and induces various biological pathways in all brain regions that contribute to bad outcomes. The cerebellar hypoxia after a frontal cortex injury may potentiate the pathophysiological impacts of TBI. Therefore, a gene expression analysis was conducted to determine the influence of hypoxia on TBIs. Material and methods: Total RNA, including microRNAs, was isolated from the cerebellum of individuals who had died from severe frontal cortex injuries or due to natural causes of death (reference group). Results: From a total of 19,596 genes, an average of 59.56 % messenger RNAs (mRNAs) appeared expressed with 42 of them showing significant >2-fold differences of upregulated ( n = 18) and downregulated ( n = 24) genes. The validity of 14 candidate genes (with low p values and high fold differences or based on cited literature) was confirmed using qRT-PCR (Spearman correlation r = 0.93). Only four genes appeared to be either upregulated (FOSB and IL6) or downregulated (HSD11B1 and HSPA12B). From a total of 667 microRNAs, altogether, 248 microRNAs appeared expressed with 13 of them showing significant differences in the mean gene expression. The combination of two mRNAs (HSPA12B/FOSB or IL6/HSD11B1) or two microRNAs (either miR-138/miR-744 or miR-195/miR-324-5p) completely discriminated both groups, a finding unaltered by potential confounders such as age at biosampling, survival time, and the postmortem interval. Conclusions: Cerebellar hypoxia markers are important to understand the pathophysiology of TBIs and could be used for therapeutic strategies or forensic purposes, e.g., to assess the severity of a brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicides committed by intraorally placed firecrackers are rare events. Given to the use of more powerful components such as flash powder recently, some firecrackers may cause massive life-threatening injuries in case of such misuse. Innocuous black powder firecrackers are subject to national explosives legislation and only have the potential to cause harmless injuries restricted to the soft tissue. We here report two cases of suicide committed by an intraoral placement of firecrackers, resulting in similar patterns of skull injury. As it was first unknown whether black powder firecrackers can potentially cause serious skull injury, we compared the potential of destruction using black powder and flash powder firecrackers in a standardized skull simulant model (Synbone, Malans, Switzerland). This was the first experiment to date simulating the impacts resulting from an intraoral burst in a skull simulant model. The intraoral burst of a 'D-Böller' (an example of one of the most powerful black powder firecrackers in Germany) did not lead to any injuries of the osseous skull. In contrast, the 'La Bomba' (an example of the weakest known flash powder firecrackers) caused complex fractures of both the viscero- and neurocranium. The results obtained from this experimental study indicate that black powder firecrackers are less likely to cause severe injuries as a consequence of intraoral explosions, whereas flash powder-based crackers may lead to massive life-threatening craniofacial destructions and potentially death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may lead to injuries. Forensic experts are sometimes confronted with claims that fatal injuries were caused by chest compressions during CPR rather than by assaults. We want to answer, how often CPR-associated injuries are present in younger children and if they may mimic injuries caused by abuse.Material and Methods: All autopsy records of the Institute of Legal Medicine in Leipzig, Germany in a 6-year study period were used (2011-2016). There were 3664 forensic autopsies in total, comprising 97 autopsies of children ≤4 years. After exclusion criteria we were able to include 51 cases in the study. Following this, all CPR-related variables were collected according to the 'Utstein style'. Standard procedures were used for statistical evaluation of the data.Results: The most common cause of cardiac arrest was SIDS. The mean duration of CPR was 50min. Bystander CPR was performed in 43.1%. In no single case death was declared without at least partly professional CPR. Most of the children were first resuscitated out-of-hospital (41.2%). 27.5% of the children had at least one CPR injury without preference to an age group. None of the recorded CPR-associated injuries were considered significant or life-threatening. The duration of CPR or presence of bystander CPR did not correlate to the presence of any detected injury.Conclusion: Skeletal injuries and relevant injuries to the soft tissue and organs seem to occur only very rarely after pediatric CPR. Whenever such injuries are diagnosed, the children should be examined thoroughly for potential abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) closure is a routinely performed method to reduce the risk of stroke in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, when an oral anticoagulation is no longer indicated due to relevant bleeding complications. Currently, the Amplatzer Amulet and the Watchman system are two equally used systems. While there is an acute success rate of more than 95 per cent for this intervention, several minor and major complications such as pericardial effusions, air embolism, vascular lesions in proximity to the heart or even death can occur. Here, we report two cases of very rare fatal outcomes in percutaneous LAA occlusion. Eight hours after deployment of an Amplatzer Amulet a patient died, after the pulmonary trunk was perforated by a hook of the occluder device causing pericardial tamponade. In the second case during final radiological position control of the deployed Watchman occluder air was injected accidentally. The patient immediately died due to coronary air embolism. Forensic autopsies are necessary to solve the cause and manner of death, to evaluate and develop medical devices and to rule out medical malpractice. Thus, a close collaboration of legal medicine and the various cardiologic departments is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injuries of the tongue are generally self-inflicted lesions and occur during different diseases or external incidents. The amputation of the tongue is a rare event. In this article, we report about a woman presenting with a complete amputation of the anterior third of the tongue. The morphological findings, which are essential for the differentiation of self-inflicted injuries and injuries caused by a third party, are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report about the case of a sudden unexpected death of a 25-year-old male suffering from infectious disease. An autopsy was ordered with no final premortem diagnosis. Microscopic and microbiological examination revealed a pneumococcal bronchopneumonia and hemophagocytic lesions in the bone marrow. After integrating clinical and autopsy reports as well as additional postmortem investigations, the cause of death was found to be infectious-triggered hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) with a final cytokine storm. This seems to be the first reported fatal case of a reactive form of HPS associated to Streptococcus pneumoniae to the best of our knowledge. HPS is a dangerous hyperinflammation with highly characteristic, but nonspecific, laboratory findings and symptoms. Autopsies in such cases must be carefully performed and include systematic tissue sampling done by an experienced pathologist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Genetic characterization of more than 15,000 individuals (mainly Caucasians) was performed using different primers. The study presents sequence structures of regular alleles ranging from 8 to 38 in comparison with variant alleles. Half of the variant alleles have insertions or deletions within the central polymorphic region. Other variations are located in the 120 bp 5′-flanking part and the 20 bp 3′-flanking part. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Three tetranucleotide tandem repeats (DXS10079, DXS10074 and DXS10075) which were unutilised so far were evaluated for forensic use. Our investigation was amended to establish a cluster of closely linked markers within a 280-kb region at Xq12. Haplotype stability in 152 meioses was demonstrated in a recombination analysis of 96 three-generation families. Three further known markers, DXS7132, HumARA and DXS981 spanning a region of 3.6 Mb, were also included. No recombination events were detected. Hence, we conclude that this cluster segregates with stable haplotypes, providing a powerful tool in kinship testing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The semisynthetic cannabinoid hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) is currently getting a lot of media attention because the legal status in many countries is not clearly specified. In this study, a GC-MS method for the quantification of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) was extended to (9R)- and (9S)-HHC. The applicability was proven by serum/plasma samples from drivers suspected of cannabis consumption. Limit of detection (LOD) and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) were 0.15 and 0.25 ng/mL, respectively. Within-run imprecision was <6.5% and between-run imprecision was <10.0%. Inter-injection stability, processed sample stability (3 days), freeze-thaw stability (three cycles), and storage stability (1 week room temperature; 1 month 4°C, -20°C) could be proven. Both HHC diastereomers could be detected in 17 (5.3%) out of 321 analyzed samples from traffic controls in Western Saxony. The mean ratio between (9R)- and (9S)-HHC was 1.99 (CV = 14.6%). Quantification resulted in concentrations between