Sex assessment using the radius bone in a French sample when applying various statistical models.

Sex estimation of skeletal remains is one of the most important tasks in forensic anthropology. The radius bone is useful to develop standard guidelines for sex estimation across various populations and is an alternative when coxal or femoral bones are not available.The aim of the present study was to assess the sexual dimorphism from radius measurements in a French sample and compare the predictive accuracy of several modelling techniques, using both classical statistical methods and machine learning algorithms.A total of 78 left radii (36 males and 42 females) were used in this study. Sixteen measurements were made. The modelling techniques included a linear discriminant analysis (LDA), flexible discriminant analysis (FDA), regularised discriminant analysis (RDA), penalised logistic regression (PLR), random forests (RF) and support vector machines (SVM).The different statistical models showed an accuracy of classification that is greater than 94%. After selection of variables, the accuracies increased to 97%. The measurements made at the proximal part of the radius (sagittal and transversal diameters of the head, and sagittal diameter of the neck), at distal part (maximum width of the distal epiphysis) and of the entire bone (maximum length) stand out among the various models.The present study suggests that the radius bone constitutes a valid alternative for sex estimation of skeletal remains with comparable classification accuracies to the pelvis or femur and that the non-classical statistical models may provide a novel approach to sex estimation from the radius bone. However, the extrapolation of the current results cannot be made without caution because our sample was composed of very aged individuals.

Death From Butane Inhalation Abuse in Teenagers: Two New Case Studies and Review of the Literature.

The ready availability of butane makes butane abuse frequent. Fatalities are rare. This study presents two cases of death by butane overdose. The postmortem analyses were carried out using headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. It revealed femoral blood butane concentrations of 18 and 22 mg/L, respectively, as well as specific combinations of adjuvants in each victim. In one of the victims, brain and fatty tissue also contained butane, pointing to chronic consumption. The originality of this study is to show that the identification of specific combinations of adjuvants can be helpful for identifying the brand of deodorant used. Also, sampling the skin and mucosa can help identify the method of drug delivery. The histological examination documented both the direct toxic effect of the gas on the respiratory mucosa and signs of chronic abuse. Volatile substance intoxications should be systematically considered in case of sudden death in a teenager.