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This study's purpose is to evaluate whether bone speed of sound (SOS) data, a parameter of quantitative ultrasound, collected from an infant autopsy sample are comparable to data collected from healthy, living infants. We hypothesize that SOS values obtained from deceased term‐born infants will fall within the normal range for healthy, living infants. The study sample consists of 351 deceased infants between the ages of 30 weeks gestation at birth to 1 year postnatal at the time of death receiving autopsies at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences or Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, TX. Various multivariate and univariate statistics were used to examine the relationship between SOS and age, prematurity, and chronic illness. The results of an ANOVA comparing the study sample data to published data from healthy, living infants indicate the SOS data are comparable. Additionally, a MANOVA indicated significant differences in SOS related to prematurity (p = 0.001) and age (p < 0.001). Mean SOS was significantly greater among term‐born infants (M = 3065.66, SD =165.05) than premature infants (M = 2969.71, SD =192.72). Age had a significant polynomial (cubic) relationship with SOS for both the premature and term groups (p < 0.001). Results suggest that bone from an infant autopsy sample is an appropriate surrogate to examine the relationship between SOS and determinants of bone strength. Therefore, future research will use this study sample to investigate the relationship between SOS and determinants of bone strength in infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment is a growing medicolegal and social concern and forensic anthropologists in the United States are more frequently being asked to participate in pediatric autopsies to evaluate skeletal injuries. These injuries may be occult to medical imaging and the autopsy itself, but the forensic anthropologist directly evaluates the skeletal tissue which can dramatically improve the sensitivity and specificity of the analysis. The training and methods of forensic anthropologists provide them with the unique perspective of comprehending the anatomical, biomechanical, and physiological properties of human pediatric bone which informs their interpretations of time since injury and mechanism of trauma. This perspective also permits the ability to differentiate between growth and development, skeletal anomalies/variants, and traumatized bone which can be of distinct consequence to the forensic pathologist's cause and manner of death determination. This review is intended for forensic anthropologists and others in the medicolegal community who are tasked with identifying and interpreting pediatric skeletal trauma. The research and scholarly work cited herein is the most current bibliography for comprehending the role and contribution(s) of the forensic anthropologist in the pediatric autopsy, the techniques and methods available to them, and the challenges and cautions associated with this delicate work. This article is categorized under:Forensic Anthropology > Trauma AnalysisForensic Medicine > Imaging ModalitiesForensic Medicine > Medicolegal Death Investigation Systems [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proper education and training are fundamental in developing a competent forensic anthropology practitioner; however, the amount, variety, and reliability of education and training that a practitioner receives during and after graduate education varies widely, resulting in knowledge gaps between practitioners. Three main issues contribute to these training-based knowledge gaps: lack of guidance from the governing bodies, limited opportunities in education and training, and differences between academic and non-academic training. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (HCIFS) Forensic Anthropology Division (FAD) has developed a comprehensive program providing practical training for postdoctoral fellows and interns. The goal is to provide introductory practical experience for interns and extensive practical case experience for fellows. The FAD received accreditation in 2015, in large part due to its training program. The FAD Training Manual was developed to guide and record trainings in accordance with accreditation requirements. Its modular format allows customization of the training program, and completion of each module is documented. Formalized and standardized training under a quality assurance umbrella is key to ensuring trainees will become competent practitioners who will produce high-quality work. The HCIFS training program was developed with a strong quality improvement initiative and therefore is continuously revised to incorporate feedback from trainees and trainers. This template can be used by offices creating or revising their training programs to begin nationwide standardization in training within forensic anthropology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diagnosis of child abuse is dependent on a comprehensive and accurate assessment of injury in the context of a thorough investigation. However, signatures of trauma are often subtle and interpretation can be very difficult. Recently, researchers have refocused their attention from the head to the neck in search of traumatic signatures of abusive head trauma. HCIFS has developed a technique to remove the cervical spinal cord with the ganglia attached that is less destructive and more time and cost efficient than alternative methods previously published. Once removed, the dorsal nerve roots and ganglia are evaluated for the presence of hemorrhage. The authors performed a small pilot study using the novel method to evaluate 20 decedents with a history of blunt force trauma and eight without a traumatic history. Fifteen of the traumatic deaths and two of the nontraumatic deaths were found to have dorsal nerve root and/or ganglia hemorrhage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]