As times go by, the objects and subjects of researches have changed. Forensic medicine and science can not be escaped. To overview the international changes and trend of forensic medicine and science, we gathered abstracts of 3,354 articles from 5 outstanding international journals, those are (1) Forensic Science International, (2) Journal of Forensic Science, (3) American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, (4) Medicine, Science and the Law, (5) International Journal of Legal Medicine. There were 1,226 articles (36.6%) on forensic pathology, followed by forensic genetics (902 articles, 26.9%), toxicology (549 articles, 16.4%), forensic sciences (445 articles, 13.3%) and medical law & criminal psychology (232 articles, 6.9%). Corresponding authors from 4 countries (USA, Great Britain, Germany and Japan) took more than half of total corresponding authors. And there were 27 articles (0.8%) from Korea. This article will introduce us an overview of international trend of forensic researches.
Criminal Psychology ; Forensic Genetics ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Pathology ; Forensic Sciences ; Germany ; Great Britain ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Pathology ; Toxicology ; United Nations

With the advance of molecular biology, DNA analysis technology has been widely applied in forensic science. Non-human DNA analysis can be used in some special cases and has unique forensic value to provide investigation clues and trial basis. Animal DNA typing plays a more prominent role in the detection of all kinds of non-human DNA related cases and is the main content of forensic non-human DNA analysis. This paper reviews the development history, present situation, advantages and disadvantages of animal DNA typing according to its technology, characteristic, challenges facing forensic science application scenarios, and also its future development.
Animals ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Forensic Medicine ; DNA/analysis* ; Forensic Sciences ; Molecular Biology ; Forensic Genetics

Given the complexity of biological samples and the trace nature of target materials in forensic trace analysis, a simple and effective method is needed to obtain sufficient target materials from complex substrates. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have shown a wide range of application value in many research fields, such as biomedicine, drug delivery and separation, due to their unique superparamagnetic properties, stable physical and chemical properties, biocompatibility, small size, high specific surface area and other characteristics. To apply MNPs in the pretreatment of forensic materials, maximize the extraction rate of the target materials, and minimize interference factors to meet the requirements of trace analysis of the target materials, this paper reviews the application of MNPs in the fields of forensic toxicological analysis, environmental forensic science, trace evidence analysis and criminal investigation in recent years, and provides research ideas for the application of MNPs in forensic trace analysis.
Magnetite Nanoparticles/chemistry* ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Sciences ; Forensic Toxicology

The forensic medicine department of the National Institute of Scientific Investigation (NISI) designed a form of forensic laboratory information sheet for autopsy practice in 2006. The forensic laboratory information sheet consists of three parts of checklist; the first part concerns death circumstance-related investigatory facts, the second part displays a table of checklist regarding types of forensic scientific tests to be done, and the third describes brief presumptive results of forensic autopsy. This laboratory information sheet reminds forensic pathologists and other forensic medicine staffs to perform appropriate tissue sampling, helps reduce the probability of errors during interdepartmental flow of sampled tissues, and contributes to produce better forensic science results on the basis of good communication. We suggest that this communication form between forensic medicine and science departments should be now considered efficient and actuated especially in areas outside NISI.
Autopsy ; Checklist ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Sciences

OBJECTIVES: To understand the legal application and case deposition of assessment opinions of sexual self-defense capability, and to explore the necessity of legal correspondence in the sexual defense capability assessment. METHODS: According to the self-made questionnaire, the cases of sexual self-defense capability assessment completed by the Academy of Forensic Science from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2018 were statistically analyzed through telephone interviews and referrals. RESULTS: Among the 69 cases, 3 cases (4.3%) had complete sexual self-defense capability, 30 cases (43.5%) had weakened sexual self-defense capability, 32 cases (46.2%) had no sexual self-defense capability, and 4 cases (5.8%) were not suitable for assessment. Among the 30 cases with weakened sexual self-defense ability, 15 cases were filed and investigated by public security authorities for rape and 15 cases were not. The inconsistent rate of disposition was 1∶1. Among the 15 rape cases filed and investigated by the public security authorities, 10 cases were arrested and prosecuted by the procuratorate and sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment by the court, while the other 5 cases were not arrested and prosecuted by the procuratorate, with an inconsistent rate of disposition being 2∶1. CONCLUSIONS The legal application of the assessment opinion on the weakening of sexual self-defense capability is inconsistent, and the judicial disposition is confusing. It is imperative to unify and correspond the classification of sexual self-defense capability with the legal requirements.
Rape ; Forensic Psychiatry ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Sciences

Diptera Calliphoridae is the first major kind of flies that appears on the decomposed corpses. In forensic entomology, according to the living characteristics of Calliphoridae flies, we could accurately estimate postmortem interval (PMI) in a murder or unidentified case and could provide useful clues to solve the case. This paper introduces the characteristics of the biology and morphology of Diptera Calliphoridae, and reviews the combined application of forensic entomology, molecular biology, mathematical morphology and toxicology.
Animals ; Autopsy ; Cadaver ; Diptera ; Entomology ; Forensic Anthropology ; Forensic Medicine/methods* ; Forensic Sciences ; Humans ; Postmortem Changes ; Time Factors

The researches on postmortem interval （PMI） estimation are very important and meaningful in forensic science. PMI estimation is also an important issue that must be solved in practice of forensic pathology. There are many defects existing in traditional methods for PMI estimation, so it is imperative to introduce new pathways. With the emergence of various new technologies, the researches on PMI estimation have a tendency from simple to complex with a growth of data. The present review firstly summarizes a series of methods used for PMI estimation, and then gives an outlook for the application of artificial intelligence algorithms in this field.
Autopsy ; Forensic Pathology ; Forensic Sciences ; Humans ; Postmortem Changes ; Time Factors

Proteomics has become one of the hot topics in modern life sciences. Its application prospects have been confirmed in clinical medical research, such as the discovery of new disease biomarkers, identification of disease-related proteins, and development of new drug targets. However, in the field of forensic science, especially in forensic pathology, it is still in the stage of exploration. This paper reviews the research techniques and the use of proteomics in forensic pathology in domestic and foreign scholars, in order to provide new ideas for the research and application of forensic pathology.
Autopsy ; Forensic Pathology ; Forensic Sciences ; Humans ; Postmortem Changes ; Proteomics

Electrical conductivity （EC） is an important physical and chemical index in electrochemical analysis. In recent years, with the penetration and reference of transformation medicine and interdisciplinary theory and technology in the forensic field, new applications of EC in the field of forensic science have been developed. This paper reviews three aspects of the application of EC, the determination of biological tissue freshness, postmortem interval estimation and the application in forensic taphonomy, in order to provide reference for relevant scientific research and related practices.
Autopsy ; Electric Conductivity ; Forensic Pathology ; Forensic Sciences ; Humans ; Postmortem Changes

Objective To analyze a knowledge web of the literature published by Journal of Forensic Medicine from its founding in 1985 to 2018, describe the evolving process of forensic science research and explore the research hotspots and frontiers at present. Methods The literature that was published by Journal of Forensic Medicine from 1985 to 2018 was collected and analyzed in terms of elements, such as emerging research hotspots, high frequency keywords, authors, dispatching units, location of institution and funding, by CiteSpace5.3 information visualization analysis software. Results All disciplines of forensic medicine were continually developing and maturing, and the publication volume of the literature on forensic pathology had the highest weight; in research hotspots, the two categories, research and identification each had their own emphasis; as the main source of contributions to the journal, research institutes accounted for 38.99% of the total number of publications; Shanghai ranked first among all regions with 1 046 articles published. The number of funded articles was generally on the rise, with the number of funded articles published largest in 2015. Conclusion As an authoritative academic journal in the field of forensic science in China, Journal of Forensic Medicine carries the development of forensic science and witnesses the institutional reform of universities and colleges, and offers a wide range of communication and cooperation in terms of technicality and application. Many scholars and scientific research institutions have gained progress continually in various research directions in the form of teamwork; and emerging research hotspots will continue to play a huge role in future practical applications.
Bibliometrics ; China ; Forensic Medicine/statistics & numerical data* ; Forensic Pathology ; Forensic Sciences