ABSTRACT
At present, epigenetic markers have been extensively studied in various fields and have a high value in forensic medicine due to their unique mode of inheritance, which does not involve DNA sequence alterations. As an epigenetic phenomenon that plays an important role in gene expression, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) act as key factors mediating gene silencing, participating in cell division, and regulating immune response and other important biological processes. With the development of molecular biology, genetics, bioinformatics, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, ncRNAs such as microRNA (miRNA), circular RNA (circRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), and P-element induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNA (piRNA) are increasingly been shown to have potential in the practice of forensic medicine. NcRNAs, mainly miRNA, may provide new strategies and methods for the identification of tissues and body fluids, cause-of-death analysis, time-related estimation, age estimation, and the identification of monozygotic twins. In this review, we describe the research progress and application status of ncRNAs, mainly miRNA, and other ncRNAs such as circRNA, lncRNA, and piRNA, in forensic practice, including the identification of tissues and body fluids, cause-of-death analysis, time-related estimation, age estimation, and the identification of monozygotic twins. The close links between ncRNAs and forensic medicine are presented, and their research values and application prospects in forensic medicine are also discussed.
Subject(s)
MicroRNAs , RNA, Long Noncoding , Humans , Male , MicroRNAs/genetics , RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics , RNA, Circular , Piwi-Interacting RNA , RNA, Untranslated , Forensic MedicineABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to test the applicability of the age estimation methods of Fazekas and Kósa [1] and Molleson and Cox [2] in Western Mediterranean non-adults and to develop accurate and rapidly applied formulas for their age estimation, using a sample of 149 non-adults of known sex and age from the cemetery of San José in Granada (Spain). Measurements have been taken of the maximum length and width of each ilium for application of the formulas of Fazekas and Kósa [1] and Molleson and Cox [2]. There has been no significant intra- or inter-examiner variation in measurements. The documented age of the individuals has been underestimated with the Fazekas and Kósa method and overestimated with Molleson and Cox. Based on these findings, new formulas are proposed for the age estimation of non-adults in Western Mediterranean populations.
Subject(s)
Age Determination by Skeleton/methods , Ilium/growth & development , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Forensic Anthropology , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Regression AnalysisABSTRACT
La edad es un indicador de maduración somática dental, de importancia clínica en Odontología para la planificación del tratamiento de pacientes en crecimiento. El método de Demirjian es el más ampliamente difundido para estimar la edad dental. Con este método se han realizado numerosos estudios en diferentes grupos étnicos, analizándose niños europeos, asiáticos y americanos, entre otros. Estos resultados sugieren posibles diferencias en los patrones de maduración dental entre las diferentes poblaciones. El objetivo del presente estudio fue correlacionar la edad dental, utilizando el método de Demirjian, con la edad cronológica de acuerdo al género en un grupo de niños que acudieron al Centro Radiológico "Innova" ubicado en Cuenca - Ecuador en el período 2012 2014, siendo este estudio de tipo descriptivo, retrospectivo y analítico, en donde se seleccionó una muestra estratificada por edad y genero incluyendo 362 radiografías, de las cuales 205 son de género femenino y 157 de género masculino. Se obtuvo un coeficiente de correlación inter- clase, como medida de correlación entre edad dental y cronológica, de 0,830 en el género femenino y 0,801 en el género masculino. En general el método de Demirjian tendió a subestimar la edad dental en niñas y en niños de manera similar. En conclusión, los resultados obtenidos en el presente trabajo no coinciden con numerosos lugares del mundo, es decir la edad dental en este grupo fue levemente menor tanto en las niñas como en los niños que la muestra original franco canadiense. El rango obtenido, de la edad dental no es similar a la edad cronológica pero el grado de correlación entre ambas es el adecuado para aplicar en nuestra población, presentándose de igual manera de acuerdo al género por lo que se elaboró una tabla estándar para la población Cuencana. Consideramos que el método de Demirjian es aplicable a esta muestra de niños utilizando la base de datos planteada en la presente investigación
Age is an indicator of dental somatic maturation, of clinical importance in dentistry for planning the treatment of growing patients. The Demirjian method is the most widely disseminated to estimate dental age. With this method, numerous studies have been carried out in different ethnic groups, analyzing European, Asian and American children, among others. These results suggest possible differences in dental maturation patterns between different populations. The aim of the present study was to correlate the dental age, using the Demirjian method, with the chronological age according to gender in a group of children who attended the Radiological Center "Innova" located in Cuenca-Ecuador in the period 2012 - 2014, This study was descriptive, retrospective and analytical, in which a sample stratified by age and gender was selected, including 362 radiographs, of which 205 are female and 157 male. An inter-class correlation coefficient was obtained, as a measure of correlation between dental and chronological age, of 0.830 in the female gender and 0.801 in the male gender. In general, Demirjian's method tended to underestimate dental age in girls and boys in a similar way. In conclusion, the results obtained in the present work do not coincide with many places in the world, that is, the dental age in this group was slightly lower in both girls and boys than the original Franco - Canadian sample. The obtained range of dental age is not similar to the chronological age but the degree of correlation between both is adequate to apply in our population, presenting itself in the same way according to gender, so a standard table for the population was elaborated Cuencana. We consider that the Demirjian method is applicable to this sample of children using the database proposed in the present investigation.
Subject(s)
Humans , Child , Adolescent , Tooth/growth & development , Age Determination by Teeth/methods , Radiography, Panoramic , Epidemiology, Descriptive , Retrospective Studies , Ecuador/epidemiology , Age and Sex DistributionABSTRACT
Estimation of age-at-death is an integral part of the identification process of individuals in many forensic odontology cases where their identity cannot be determined by visualization or other ways. Dental age estimation in the adult is more challenging as most of the dentition is completely developed by 18 years of age. This study employs a mesio-distal (MD) pulp-to-tooth ratio taken at the neck of lower third molars (LM3) to provide an estimation of age at the time of radiographic imaging based on the well-known fact that pulp volume tends to decrease with advancing age due to continued apposition of secondary dentine throughout adulthood. A total of 155 Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) radiographs of LM3s for a random sample of 155 Jordanian Arabs (80 females, 75 males; age range= 18-58 years, mean age= 28.2 years, SD =10.0 years) were used. Both pulp and tooth MD diameters were measured at the neck. MD pulp-to-tooth ratios for LM3s were linearly regressed against age. Statistically significant negative association was found between an individual's age at the time of imaging and the MD pulp-to-tooth ratio taken at the neck. Specifically, the strength of the association is r= -0.361, which means only 13.0 % of the variation in age can be explained by the MD pulp-to-tooth ratio taken at the neck. Therefore, it was concluded that MD pulp-to-tooth ratio taken at the neck of LM3s is not a reliable predictor of chronological age in adults, possibly due to the large variation in the timing of LM3 development.
La estimación de la edad es una parte integral del proceso de identificación de los individuos, en muchos casos en odontología forense donde la identidad no puede ser determinada por visualización u otras formas. La estimación de la edad dental en el adulto es aún más difícil ya que la mayor parte de la dentición se desarrolla completamente a los 18 años de edad. Este estudio emplea una relación mesio-distal (MD) de pulpa a diente tomada a nivel del cuello de los terceros molares inferiores (LM3) para proporcionar una estimación de la edad en el momento de la imagen radiográfica basada en que el volumen de pulpa tiende a disminuir con el avance de la edad debido a la continua posición de la dentina secundaria a lo largo de la edad adulta. Se examinaron un total de 155 radiografías de LM3 en una muestra aleatoria de 155 árabes jordanos (80 mujeres, 75 varones), rango de edad = 18-58 años, edad media = 28,2 años, DE = 10,0 años. Específicamente, la fuerza de la asociación es r=0,361, lo que significa que sólo el 13,0 % de la variación en la edad puede explicarse por la proporción pulpa-a-diente.