Wastewater analysis for nicotine,cocaine,amphetamines,opioids and cannabis in New York City

According to current surveys and overdoses data,there is a drug crisis in the USA.Wastewater-based epidemiology(WBE)is an evolving discipline that analyses wastewater samples to detect drugs and metabolites to estimate drug consumption in a certain community.This study demonstrates how drug relative presence could be tracked by testing wastewater,providing real-time results,in different boroughs in New York City throughout 1 year.We developed and fully validated two analytical methods,one for 21 drugs and metabolites,including nicotine,cocaine,amphetamines,opioids and cannabis markers;and another for the normalization factor creatinine.Both methods were performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)using positive electrospray ionization,achieving a limit of quantification of 5–10 ng/L for drugs and metabolites,and 0.01 mg/L for creatinine.These methods were applied to 48 one-time grab wastewater samples collected from six wastewater treatment plants in New York City(Manhattan,The Bronx,Queens and Brooklyn),eight different times throughout 2016,before and after major holidays,including Memorial Day,4th of July,Labour Day and New Year’s.In this study,the drug group normalized concentrations present in the wastewater samples,in decreasing order,were cocaine,nicotine,opioids,cannabis and amphetamines.When looking at individual compounds,the one with the highest normalized concentration was benzoylecgonine(BE),followed by cotinine,morphine and 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol(THCCOOH).To estimate community use,these concentrations were multiplied by the corresponding correction factor,and the most present were THCCOOH,followed by BE,cotinine and morphine.When comparing the treatment plants by drug group(nicotine,cocaine,amphetamines,opioids and cannabis),samples collected from The Bronx had the highest normalized concentrations for nicotine,cocaine and opioids;The Bronx and Manhattan for cannabis;and Manhattan and Queens for amphetamines.In most of the cases,no effect due to holiday was observed.This study provides the first snapshot of drug use in New York City and how that changes between key calendar dates employing wastewater analysis.

Vitality and wound-age estimation in forensic pathology:review and future prospects

Determining the age of a wound is challenging in forensic pathology,but it can contribute to the reconstruction of crime scenes and lead to arrest of suspects.Forensic scholars have tended to focus on evaluating wound vitality and determining the time elapsed since the wound was sustained.Recent progress in forensic techniques,particularly high-throughput analyses,has enabled evaluation of materials at the cellular and molecular levels,as well as simultaneous assessment of multiple markers.This paper provides an update on wound-age estimation in forensic pathology,summarizes the recent literature,and considers useful additional informa-tion provided by each marker.Finally,the future prospects for estimating wound age in foren-sic practise are discussed with the hope of providing something useful for further study.

Sudden cardiac death caused by myocarditis in persons aged 1-49 years:a nationwide study of 14 294 deaths in Denmark

Myocarditis is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the young.However,Information on nationwide burden of SCD caused by myocarditis (SCD-myocarditis) is sparse.For this study all deaths among persons in Denmark aged 1-35years in 2000-2009 and 36-49years in 2007-2009 (27.1 million person-years) were induded.Autopsy reports,death certificates,discharge summaries,and nationwide registries were used to identify all cases of SCD-myocarditis.In the 10-year study period,there were 14294 deaths,of which we identified 1 363 (10%) SCD.Among autopsied SCD (n=753,55%),cause of death was myocarditis in 42 (6%) cases corresponding to an SCD-myocarditis incidence of 0.16 (95%CI: 0.11-0.21) per 100000 person-years.Males had significantly higher incidence rates of SCD-myocarditis compared to females with an incidence rate ratio of 2.2 (95%CI:1.1-4.1).Myocarditis was not registered as cause of death In any of the non-autopsied SCD (n=610,45%).In conclusion,after nationwide unselected Inclusion of 14294 deaths,we found that 6% of all autopsied SCD was caused by myocarditis.No cases of SCD-myocarditis were reported in the non-autopsied SCD,which could reflect underdiagnosing of myocarditis in non-autopsied SCD.Furthermore,our data suggest a female protection towards SCDmyocarditis.

Sports-related sudden cardiac death due to myocardial diseases on a population from 1-35 years: a multicentre forensic study in Spain

This is a multicentre forensic study that identifies all sports-related sudden deaths (SRSDs) in young people,due to myocardial diseases (MDs) that occurred in a large area of Spain.The aim of the study is to assess the epidemiology,causes of death,and sport activities associated with these fatalities.This is a retrospective study based on forensic autopsies performed in the provinces of Biscay,Seville,Valencia and in the jurisdiction covered by the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences in Madrid (Spain).The retrospective study encompasses from 2010 to 2017.All sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs) in persons 1-35years old were selected.The total number of SCDs were divided into death occurred during exercise (SRSD) and death during rest,sleep or normal activities (non-SRSD).Each of these two groups was subdivided according to the cause of death into MD (primary cardiomyopathies and myocarditis) and non-MD.Clinic-pathological,toxicological and genetic characteristics of SRSD due to MD were analysed.Over the 8-year study period,we identified 645 cases of SCD in the young: 75 SRSD (11.6%) and 570 non-SRSD (88.4%).MD was diagnosed in 33 (44.0%) of the SRSD and in 112 (19.6%) of the non-SRSD cases.All cases of SRSD due to MD were males (mean age (24.0±7.6) years) practicing recreational sports (85%).SRSDs were more frequent in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) (37%) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) (24%),followed by myocarditis (15%) and idiopathic left ventricular hypertrophy (ILVH) (9%).Only in five cases of SRSD the MD responsible of death (HCM) had been diagnosed in life.Cardiovascular symptoms related to the disease were present in other seven patients (six of them with ACM).Postmortem genetic studies were performed in 15/28 (54%) primary cardiomyopathies with positive results in 12 (80%) cases.The most frequent sports disciplines were football (49%) followed by gymnastics (15%) and running (12%).In Spain,SRSD in young people due to MDs occurs in males who perform a recreational activity.Compared with control group we observed a strong association between MDs and exertion.One in three SRSDs are due to cardiomyopathy,especially ACM,which reinforces the need for preparticipation screening to detect these pathologies in recreational sport athletes.Further studies are warranted to understand the causes and circumstances of sudden death to facilitate the development of preventive strategies.

Research progress of aconitine toxicity and forensic analysis of aconitine poisoning

Chinese herbal medicines have been extensively used in China and other countries for cen-turies.Aconitine,a diterpenoid alkaloid extracted from Aconitum plants,has anti-inflamma-tory and analgesic activities,but can also induce severe arrhythmia and neurotoxicity.Aconitine poisoning accidents caused by misuse,suicide,or homicide have been reported in recent years.In China,fatal aconitine poisoning can occasionally happen on account of acci-dental ingestion of some wild plants or consumption of herbal decoction made from the roots of Aconitum plants.However,it is rather difficult for forensic experts to find the specific results in present forensic autopsy of aconitine-induced death.To further clarify its potential risk following the widespread application of aconitine,toxicological characteristics and pharmacokinetics of aconitine are reviewed.Moreover,gastrointestinal,neurological,and car-diovascular symptoms were observed frequently in aconitine poisoning cases.In addition,the review also aims at providing some convincing evidences for forensic experts to identify unexplained death with postmortem examination.

Research progress in the estimation of the postmortem interval by Chinese forensic scholars

The determination of time since death or the postmortem interval(PMI)is one of the most important and frequently asked questions in forensic medicine.Medicolegal scholars and forensic pathologists around the world have studied the estimation of PMI extensively in the past,and many novel methods and advanced technologies have now been applied in the field.For several centuries,Chinese forensic examiners have also worked on the estimation of the PMI,and there are a large number of excellent studies published in Chinese rather than in English,and these are not easily accessible or known internationally.Therefore we have conducted a review of relevant studies published by Chinese forensic scholars in the last few decades.The scope of this review is to provide a concise summary of the current progress in the estimation of PMI by Chinese forensic researchers using molecular biology,spectroscopic technology,entomological methods,energy changes,thanatochemistry and other methods.

Recent applications of isotope analysis to forensic anthropology

Isotope analysis has become an increasingly valuable tool in forensic anthropology case-work over the past decade. Modern-day isotopic investigations on human remains have integrated the use of multi-isotope profiles (e.g. C, N, O, H, S, Sr, and Pb) as well as iso-topic landscapes ("isoscapes") from multiple body tissues (e.g. teeth, bone, hair, and nails) to predict possible region-of-origin of unidentified human remains. Together, data from various isotope analyses provide additional lines of evidence for human identification, including a decedent's possible region-of-birth, long-term adult residence, recent travel history, and dietary choices. Here, we present the basic principles of isotope analysis and provide a brief overview of instrumentation, analytical standards, sample selection, and sample quality measures. Finally, we present case studies that reflect the diverse applications of isotope analysis to the medicolegal system before describing some future research directions. As shown herein, isotope analysis is a flexible and powerful geolocation tool that can provide new investigative leads for unidentified human remains cases.

DNA recovery and analysis from skeletal material in modern forensic contexts

The generation of a DNA profile from skeletal remains is an important part of the identifica-tion process in both mass disaster and unidentified person cases. Since bones and teeth are often the only biological materials remaining after exposure to environmental conditions, intense heat, certain traumatic events and in cases where a significant amount of time has passed since the death of the individual, the ability to purify large quantities of informative DNA from these hard tissues would be beneficial. Since sampling the hard tissues for gen-etic analysis is a destructive process, it is important to understand those environmental and intrinsic factors that contribute to DNA preservation. This will serve as a brief introduction to these topics, since skeletal sampling strategies and molecular taphonomy have been dis-cussed in depth elsewhere. Additionally advances in skeletal DNA extraction and analysis will be discussed. Currently there is great variation in the DNA isolation methods used by laboratories to purify DNA from the hard tissues;however, a standardized set of short tan-dem repeat (STR) loci is analyzed by many US laboratories to allow for comparisons across samples and jurisdictions. Recent advances have allowed for the generation of DNA profiles from smaller quantities of template DNA and have expanded the number of loci analyzed for greater discriminatory power and predictions regarding the geographic ancestry and phenotype of the individual. Finally, utilizing databases and expanding the number of com-parison samples will be discussed in light of their role in the identification process.

Modern post-mortem imaging:an update on recent developments

Modern post-mortem investigations use an increasing number of digital imaging methods,which can be collected under the term“post-mortem imaging”.Most methods of forensic imaging are from the radiology field and are therefore techniques that show the interior of the body with technologies such as X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging.To digitally image the surface of the body,other techniques are regularly applied,e.g.three-dimensional(3D)surface scanning(3DSS)or photogrammetry.Today’s most frequently used techniques include post-mortem computed tomography(PMCT),post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging(PMMR),post-mortem computed tomographic angiography(PMCTA)and 3DSS or photogrammetry.Each of these methods has specific advantages and limitations.Therefore,the indications for using each method are different.While PMCT gives a rapid overview of the interior of the body and depicts the skeletal system and radiopaque foreign bodies,PMMR allows investigation of soft tissues and parenchymal organs.PMCTA is the method of choice for viewing the vascular system and detecting sources of bleeding.However,none of those radiological methods allow a detailed digital view of the body’s surface,which makes 3DSS the best choice for such a purpose.If 3D surface scanners are not available,photogrammetry is an alternative.This review article gives an overview of different imaging techniques and explains their applications,advantages and limitations.We hope it will improve understanding of the methods.

Forensic odontology in DVI:current practice and recent advances

Forensic odontology frequently plays a significant role in identification of the victims of multi-fatality disasters,but not in all.It depends on adequate dental remains surviving the disaster and on the availability of dental records to be successful.This paper describes current practice in the techniques of identification in forensic odontology and outlines recent advances that are moving into the mainstream.

COVID-19 research:pandemic versus“paperdemic”,integrity,values and risks of the“speed science”

Scientific integrity is a learned skill.When researchers and students learn integrity in laboratories or in the classroom,they are empowered to use similar principles in other aspects of their lives.This commentary reviews the concepts related to scientific integrity at a time when science faces important challenges related to the increase number of articles produced regarding research on coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)has ignited another parallel viral pandemic,with science ranging from robust studies to dishonest studies being conducted,posted,and shared at an unprecedented rate.A balance is needed between the benefits of the rapid access to new scientific data and the threat of causing panic or erroneous clinical decisions based on mistakes or misconduct.The truth is that the“scientific research has changed the world”but now,and more than ever,“it needs to change itself”.A pandemic with a“paperdemic”will be even more complicated to manage if it progresses in an uncontrolled manner and is not properly scrutinized.

Pathology of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in the young Indian population

Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is of great concern in young adults because of its potential to cause great incapacitation.This arena of cardiology has gained importance in South Asian countries,particularly India due to increased prevalence that is related to traditional risk factors,altered life styles and inherent risk factors.In this study,we sought to evaluate,at autopsy,the pathology of atherosclerotic CAD in young patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD).A 10-year retrospective autopsy-based study was carried out in a large tertiary-care centre and patients aged ≤45 years with IHD were selected.Out of 545 autopsied cases of IHD,95 patients (17.4%) were young.Among these 95 patients,84 (88.4%) had IHD related to atherosclerotic CAD;the youngest patient was 18years old.Predictably there was sole involvement of left anterior descending artery and the presence of fibrous plaques.Irrespective of the plaque morphology,the commonest complication was thrombosis produced by plaque erosion seen in 36.9% of patients.Acute coronary insufficiency was noted in 52 patients (61.9%),while healed infarctions were surprisingly noted in 28 patients (33.3%).Screening for IHD in the young population may help to improve prognosis by detecting subclinical disease,although more studies are necessary to establish reference limits for this young population.Additional research must also focus on treatment concerns that are specific to young patients.

Monodisperse silica nanoparticle suspension for developing latent blood fingermarks

Traditional fingermark developing methods are unsuitable for developing and extracting latent blood fingermarks on dark surfaces at crime scene because of their ineffectiveness or tedious operation procedures.In the present work,an effective and simple method was developed to serve this purpose using a suspension of monodisperse silica nanoparticles(MSNs).A suspension of 0.1 g/mL of MSNs was prepared by dispersing MSNs ultrasonically into an ethanol solution containing 1.0%Tween 80 and then uniformly sprayed onto the latent blood fingermarks on black plastic bags.Approximately 20 s later,ethanol was sprayed to clean the superfluous developing liquid.After the ethanol had evaporated,the latent fin-germarks became visible as a result of the photonic crystal effect produced by the MSNs that had adsorbed to the fingermark ridges.The developed fingermarks were then photo-graphed using a digital camera under a white or monospectral light source,revealing fine ridges and clear fingermark details.This novel,simple and effective method uses the pho-tonic crystal effect of MSNs to develop latent blood fingermarks without the need for sur-face functionalization and conjugation to dye or fluorescently label molecules.The method can detect latent blood fingermarks that have been retained on a black plastic bag surface for at least 30 d.Given the simplicity and effectiveness of the developed method,MSNs may be a useful alternative material for use in developing latent fingermarks.Further research on the topic is warranted.

Assessment of cognitive dysfunction in traumatic brain injury patients:a review

Traumatic brain injury(TBI)is one of the major causes of human mortality and morbidity in the world.Brain injury could affect the core of a person’s being–their thinking,memory,personality and behaviour.Electrophysiological markers from the human electroencephalogram and brain imaging provide a rich source of data which helps to elucidate specific processing impairments in TBI patients.To assess the cognitive and social function in traumatic brain injury patients,this review will focus on some of methods for assessing the disabling cognitive and social function deficits induced by TBI.There are many new technologies available to address TBI and recognition related questions.Integration of the various techniques will help to facilitate our comprehending of TBI,cognitive function and social function,and improve treatment and rehabilitation.

Research advances in forensic diatom testing

In forensic practice,it is difficult to determine whether a dead body in the water resulted from drowning or from disposal after death.Diatom testing is currently an important supporting technique for the determination of death by drowning and of drowning sites,even though it is a time-consuming and laborious task.This article reviews the development of diatom testing over the decades and discusses a new method for the potential application of deep learning in diatom testing.

Current state and progress of research on forensic biomechanics in China

Forensic biomechanics gradually has become a significant component of forensic science.Forensic biomechanics is evidence-based science that applies biomechanical principles and methods to forensic practice,which has constituted one of the most potential research areas.in this review,we introduce how finite element techniques can be used to simulate forensic cases,how injury criteria and injury scales can be used to describe injury severity,and how tests of postmortem human subjects and dummy can be used to provide essential validation data.This review also describes research progress and new applications of forensic biomechanics in China.

Forensic odontology identification response to terrorist attacks in Paris November 2015

The terrorist attacks of November 2015 led to the immediate death of 129 victims admitted to the Legal and Forensic Medicine Institute of Paris,including 41 unidentified.During the Disaster Victim Identification(DVI)operations,22 bodies were examined by the postmortem(PM)dental team with the aim of establishing PM odontograms.At the same time,the dental expert in the antemortem(AM)unit collected a large number of dental files,progressively filtered as the list of missing persons became reduced.Feedback from these events has highlighted the difficulties of implementing the DVI chain principles in a legal framework,published the day before the attacks,and also the technical complexity of collecting dental data on a week end of terror.The return on experience after this event has represented a paradigm shift on previous methods of DVI in Paris and even more in France.Indeed,the victim identification procedure was redesigned,integrating new technical means such as a CT scan directly on spot,allowing the extraction of maxillofacial data as soon as possible in order to support the PM dental examination team.Moreover,the National Dental Council proceeded to the overall remodeling of the dental identification unit,which is composed of trained members,from local,regional and national aspects.These forensic experts are dedicated,at the request of the legal authorities,to DVI operations and deployed throughout the country capable of managing AM and PM data.This unit aims also to share experiences and awarenessraising among health professionals and investigators in order to optimize a better submission of AM elements and also to enhance the major interest of odontology as a primary identifier in disaster.

The increase of firearm-related violence in Sweden

Firearm-related violence is common in our contemporary world and causes serious harm to humans as well as to the society.One of the countries in which firearm-related violence is increasing is Sweden and its most southern region,Skane,in which Malmo,Sweden’s third largest city,is highly affected.If not contained and limited,Sweden risks becoming more and more violent.

Current status of hair analysis in forensic toxicology in China

Hair analysis has been mainly used to document drug use history in abusers,drug-facilitated crime cases,doping control analysis and postmortem toxicology in the fields of forensic toxicology,clinical toxicology,and doping control.Hair analysis has also gained more attention in the last 30 years in China.Relevant technology has been promoted as more research has appeared concerning hair analysis,and consensus has been sought among forensic toxicologists regarding aspects such as hair decontamination treatment,detection of abused substances in hair,segmental hair analysis and interpretation of analytical results.However,there are still some limitations in the estimation of drug intake time and frequency by segmental hair analysis due to the different growth cycles evident within a bundle of hairs,the drug incorporation mechanism and sampling errors.Microsampling and imaging mass spectrometry(iMS)technology based on a single hair may be a good choice to estimate drug intake time more accurately.Analysis of hair root samples may also be used to document acute poisoning in postmortem toxicology,and the analysis of the hair shaft can document long-term use of drugs depending on the length of the hair being evaluated.

Determination of amphetamines,ketamine and their metabolites in hair with high-speed grinding and solid-phase microextraction followed by LC-MS

A novel hair sample pre-treatment method based on high-speed grinding and solid-phase microextraction(SPME)had been applied for the determination of amphetamines,ketamine and their metabolites in hair samples by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry(LC-MS).A 20mg sample of hair was ground with 2 mL of saturated sodium carbonate solution using a high-efficiency hair grinder with 70 Hz osillation for 2min at 4℃.After centrifuging,1.5mL of the supernatant was transferred and treated with SPME by direct immersion(DI-SPME).The target analytes extracted by fibre were desorbed and analysed using LC-MS.Under the optimum conditions,a recovery of 90.2%-95.8%was obtained for all analytes.The analytical method was linear for all analytes in the range from 0.2 to 10 ng/mg with the correlation coefficient ranging from 0.9985 to 0.9993.The detection limits for all analytes were estimated to be 0.067 ng/mg.The accuracy(mean relative error)was within±6.9%and the precision(relative standard error)was less than 6.8%.The combination of high-speed grinding of hair and SPME had the advantages of being easy to perform,environment-friendly and high in detection sensitivity.The proposed method offered an altermative ana lytical approach for the sensitive detection of drugs in hair samples for forensic purposes.