The spleen is a very hostile environment for tumor cells due to its anatomic location, blood supply, and rich immunological property – which makes it one of the most unique organ to be involved in metastatic diseases.15 Splenic metastases from non-hematologic malignancies are rare ranging from 0.6 to 7.1% base on autopsy reports of cancer patients, and 1.1 to 3.4% base on review of splenectomy cases.14 Moreover, isolated splenic metastases are more infrequent with only 31 cases reported from 1969 to October 2015.16 A splenic abscess is an unusual formation and is usually caused by hematogenous spread from an infection. Such expected frequency varies in different autopsy studies between 0.14% and 0.7%.1 Albeit rare, abscess can also result from migration of gut flora brought about by direct invasion of tumor cells from a neighboring neoplasm.17 This is a case of a 36-year-old female who came in with a history of abdominal pain, chills and fever for seven months. CT scan of the whole abdomen revealed splenic abscess with suspicion of a splenic rupture. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy with abscess evacuation, splenectomy and double barrel colostomy and given with intravenous antibiotics. Histopathology results showed metastatic adenocarcinoma in the spleen. Thorough deliberation of her case was done and she was eventually managed as a case of Colon Cancer Stage IV and underwent chemotherapy. Splenic abscess developing from splenic metastasis from a colonic adenocarcinoma is rare and with concomitant high mortality rate. More often than not, splenic metastasis is discovered in advanced stage together with metastatic tumor in other organs while isolated splenic metastasis is even more uncommon. A splenic abscess as an initial demonstration of a colon cancer is not a common daily encounter of physicians hence a high index of suspicion coupled with sensitive and specific imaging is necessary in order to provide prompt medical and surgical intervention.

Human ; Female ; Adult: 25-44 Yrs Old ; Abdomen ; Adenocarcinoma ; Autopsy ; Colostomy ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Pain ; Research Report ; Infections ; History ; Splenic Rupture ; World Health Organization ; Neoplasms ; Disease ; Fever ; Hematologic Neoplasms

BACKGROUND

Drowning is a significant cause of accidental death worldwide, and forensic investigation plays an important role in determining the circumstances and causes of these deaths. Despite its importance, research in forensic investigations related to drowning remains fragmented and insufficiently characterized.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine trends and patterns in publications on forensic examinations related to drowning deaths. Specifically, it sought to identify research gaps, highlight key contributions, and determine major thematic areas in the field.

METHODS

A total of 116 articles published between 2014 and 2023 were retrieved from the PubMed database using search terms related to forensic science and drowning deaths. Bibliometric analysis was performed using VOSviewer (version 1.6.20) to identify research clusters, patterns of author collaboration, and keyword co-occurrence. Filtered data were exported in .txt format to facilitate analysis and visualization.

RESULTS

Visualization analysis identified seven thematic clusters. China had the highest number of publications on this topic. The Academy of Forensic Science in Shanghai was the most productive institution, while Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi had the highest number of publications. Lippmann J. was the most prolific author. The most frequently cited source received 180 citations. The three most commonly discussed topics were drowning, forensic pathology, and autopsy, while the most frequent terms overall were forensic pathology, autopsy, and people.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicate substantial initial research interest in forensic investigations of drowning. However, publication output during the study period showed a downward trend, with a decrease of 16.4%. This decline suggests a notable gap in the literature and highlights the need for further research in this field.

Research ; Pathology ; Publications ; Science ; Role ; Forensic Pathology ; Forensic Sciences

This study investigates the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships of different Artemisia argyi germplasm resources to provide a basis for germplasm identification, variety selection, and resource protection. A total of 192 germplasm resources of A. argyi were studied, and EST-based simple sequence repeat(EST-SSR) primers were designed based on transcriptomic data of A. argyi. Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) amplification was performed on these resources, followed by fluorescence capillary electrophoresis to detect genetic diversity and construct DNA fingerprints. From 197 pairs of primers designed, 28 pairs with polymorphic and clear bands were selected. A total of 278 alleles were detected, with an average of 9.900 0 alleles per primer pair and an average effective number of alleles of 1.407 2. The Shannon's diversity index(I) for the A. argyi germplasm resources ranged from 0.148 1 to 0.418 0, with an average of 0.255 7. The polymorphism information content(PIC) ranged from 0.454 5 to 0.878 0, with an average of 0.766 9, showing high polymorphism. Cluster analysis divided the A. argyi germplasm resources into three major groups: Group Ⅰ contained 136 germplasm samples, Group Ⅱ contained 45, and Group Ⅲ contained 11. Principal component analysis also divided the resources into three groups, which was generally consistent with the clustering results. Mantel test results showed that the genetic variation in A. argyi populations was to some extent influenced by geographic distance, but the effect was minimal. Structure analysis showed that 190 germplasm materials had Q≥ 0.6, indicating that these germplasm materials had a relatively homogeneous genetic origin. Furthermore, 8 core primer pairs were selected from the 28 designed primers, which could distinguish various germplasm types. Using these 8 core primers, DNA fingerprints for the 192 A. argyi germplasm resources were successfully constructed. EST-SSR molecular markers can be used to study the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of A. argyi, providing theoretical support for the identification and molecular-assisted breeding of A. argyi germplasm resources.
Artemisia/classification* ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Genetic Variation ; Expressed Sequence Tags ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; DNA, Plant/genetics* ; Genetic Markers

PURPOSE: Polytrauma is still a challenge for health care organizations. Today, the search for factors to reduce lethality continues. This study aims to describe the causes of death associated with polytrauma in 1 year. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed autopsy data of trauma deaths in Moscow for the whole of 2017. We identified victims with polytrauma, taking into account the Berlin definition as the main inclusion criteria with penetrating and blunt trauma. Each forensic report had information about the pre-hospital and hospital stages of treatment and autopsy data. The exclusion criteria for this study were: isolated injury, forensic reports not related to the examination of entire corpses, and autopsy studies of children (<18 years old). Statistical analysis was performed according to basic principles, including a comparison of groups using the Chi-squared test with Bonferroni comparison test and Fisher's exact test. The critical level of significance (p value) in testing statistical hypotheses in this study was taken as 0.05. RESULTS: We analyzed 2337 forensic medical examinations of victims who died of trauma in Moscow in 2017, of which 41.5% (n = 969) were polytrauma deaths. Most of the victims (65.4%, n = 634) died on the scene, and only 30.0% were admitted to the hospital. The most frequent cause of death was bleeding (72.0%, n = 698), followed by traumatic brain injury (43.8%, n = 424). They accounted for the first peak (78.4%, p = 0.005) of deaths, occurring in the first hours. Then these causes of death in the first peak go down in a few hours, and the second peak of mortality appears in 3 - 7 days (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This is the largest full-year autopsy study of polytrauma victims. Our data show that the main cause of polytrauma death is massive bleeding, with a lethality peak in the first hours after injury. The time distribution of polytrauma deaths has a bimodal pattern - the second period of polytrauma deaths occurs in 3 - 7 days.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Moscow/epidemiology* ; Autopsy ; Multiple Trauma/mortality* ; Adult ; Adolescent ; Middle Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cause of Death ; Young Adult ; Infant ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over

Descurainiae Semen Lepidii Semen, also known as Tinglizi, originates from Brassicaceae plants Descurainia sophia or Lepidium apetalum. The former is commonly referred to as "Southern Tinglizi(Descurainiae Semen)", while the latter is known as "Northern Tinglizi(Lepidii Semen)". To scientifically and accurately identify the origin of Tinglizi medicinal materials and traditional Chinese medicine products, this study developed a specific DNA mini-barcode based on chloroplast genome sequences. By combining the DNA mini-barcode with DNA metabarcoding technology, a method for the qualitative and quantitative identification of Tinglizi medicinal materials and Chinese patent medicines was established. In this study, chloroplast genomes of Southern Tinglizi and Northern Tinglizi and seven commonly encountered counterfeit products were downloaded from the GenBank database. Suitable polymorphic regions were identified to differentiate these species, enabling the development of the DNA mini-barcode. Using DNA metabarcoding technology, medicinal material mixtures of Southern and Northern Tinglizi, as well as the most common counterfeit product, Capsella bursa-pastoris seeds, were analyzed to validate the qualitative and quantitative capabilities of the mini-barcode and determine its minimum detection limit. Additionally, the mini-barcode was applied to Chinese patent medicines containing Tinglizi to authenticate their botanical origin. The results showed that the developed mini-barcode(psbB) exhibited high accuracy and specificity, effectively distinguishing between the two authentic origins of Tinglizi and commonly encountered counterfeit products. The analysis of mixtures demonstrated that the mini-barcode had excellent qualitative and quantitative capabilities, accurately identifying the composition of Chinese medicinal materials in mixed samples with varying proportions. Furthermore, the analysis of Chinese patent medicines revealed the presence of the adulterant species(Capsella bursa-pastoris) in addition to the authentic species(Southern and Northern Tinglizi), indicating the occurrence of adulteration in commercially available Tinglizi-containing products. This study developed a method for the qualitative and quantitative identification of multi-origin Chinese medicinal materials and related products, providing a model for research on other multi-origin Chinese medicinal materials.
DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Drug Contamination ; Genome, Chloroplast ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the ethnic origin of Chuanqing people, one of the largest unidentified ethnic groups in Guizhou, China, and analyze its genetic relationships with surrounding populations. METHODS: Based on a self-developed microhaplotype system, we conducted genotyping and analyzed the genetic distribution of microhaplotype loci and their forensic applicability in Chuanqing population in Guizhou Province. Using the microhaplotype data from different intercontinental populations and previously reported data from Han population living in Guizhou Province, we systematically investigated the genetic background of Chuanqing people through population genetic approaches, including genetic distance estimation, principal component analysis, and phylogenetic tree construction. RESULTS: Among the studied population, the number of haplotype per microhaplotype ranged from 6 to 25. The average expected heterozygosity (He), observed heterozygosity (Ho), power of discrimination (PD), and probability of exclusion (PE) were 0.8291, 0.8301, 0.9387, and 0.6593, respectively. The cumulative power of discrimination (CPD) and cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) for these 33 loci were 1-2.62×10^-41 and 1-7.64×10^-17, respectively. Population genetic analyses revealed that the Chuanqing population had close genetic relationships with the East Asian populations, especially the local Guizhou Han population, Beijing Han population and the Han populations living in southern China. CONCLUSIONS The 33 microhaplotypes exhibit high levels of genetic diversity in the Guizhou Chuanqing population, highlighting their potentials for both forensic identification and parentage testing. The Han populations might have contributed a significant amount of genetic material to the Chuanqing population during the formation and development of the latter.
Humans ; China/ethnology* ; Ethnicity/genetics* ; Forensic Genetics/methods* ; Genetics, Population ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Phylogeny ; East Asian People/genetics*

Sodium nitrite (SN, NaNO2) is a water-soluble, white-yellow crystalline powder with broad applications in food preservation, automotive maintenance, and animal control. It is a strong oxidizing agent that can oxidize hemoglobin iron (Fe) to its oxidized state, leading to methemoglobin formation. An increasing trend of suicide cases by SN ingestion has been reported globally following its popularization in online suicide forums providing detailed instructions of its use solely or as part of a “suicide kit.” We report a case of a 21-year-old male who was found continuously vomiting, with blood per orem and cyanosis of the mouth and digits. Within minutes of the onset of symptoms, the patient lost consciousness and was pronounced dead on arrival at the nearest emergency room. Autopsy findings showed lip erosions, hemorrhage, and perioral and peripheral cyanosis. Internal examination showed characteristic bright red muscle discoloration, dark brown arterial blood, red-brown congested visceral organs, and hyperemic esophageal and gastric mucosa. Methemoglobin studies from sampled arterial blood showed elevated levels (17.5%). Further investigation of the decedent’s belongings, social media posts, and recent online purchases reinforced the intentional sodium nitrite ingestion. While there are plenty of reported SN poisoning in suicide cases internationally, limited reports have been published locally. Death by SN poisoning is preventable with Methylene blue. The role of forensic pathologists through autopsy may be the last chance to detect such cases. The lack of systemic death investigation, experts, and local laboratories to reliably detect the signs of SN poisoning may have affected the low detection rate of cases locally. Further reporting of cases can raise the awareness of medical professionals that is fundamental to the ultimate saving of lives.

Human ; Male ; Young Adult: 19-24 Yrs Old ; Sodium Nitrite ; Suicide ; Poisoning ; Forensic Pathology ; Autopsy

We report the case of a 33-week-old female fetus born with craniorachischisis to a gravida 5, para 4 (3104) mother with no previous history of conceiving a child with a neural tube defect. Craniorachischisis is characterized by anencephaly and an open defect extending from the brain to the spine and is the most severe and fatal type of neural tube defect. Although the cause of neural tube defects is hypothesized to be multifactorial and is usually sporadic, the risk is increased in neonates born to mothers with a family history or a previous pregnancy with neural tube defect, both of which are not present in the index case. This case is unique in that only during the fifth pregnancy did the couple conceive a child with a neural tube defect, emphasizing that folic acid supplementation, the sole preventive measure proven to decrease the risk of neural tube defects, remains to be important in the periconceptual period for all women of childbearing age.
Autopsy ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Neural Tube Defects ; Neural Tube Defects

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