Revisión sobre las nuevas perspectivas de datación cadavérica desde el necrobioma / Review of cadaveric dating methods and new perspectives from the necrobiome

Hoy en día existen numerosas estrategias desde un punto de vista científico que ayudan a esclarecer los casos forenses, entre ellas la datación cadavérica. La ausencia de métodos fiables cuantitativos para estimar el intervalo post mortem explica el incremento de nuevas líneas de investigación prometedoras con dicha finalidad. Tras la aparición de las nuevas técnicas de secuenciación masiva y bioinformáticas, surge también el estudio del necrobioma como un área novedosa y poco estudiada dentro de las ciencias forenses, que se ha llegado a denominar «microbiología forense». En esta revisión se realiza un breve recorrido por las técnicas y procedimientos existentes de datación cadavérica, centrándose en la utilidad del tanatomicrobioma, o conjunto de microorganismos presentes en el momento de la muerte, que podría ser un método prometedor para la estimación del intervalo post mortem en el futuro. (AU)

Nowadays there are numerous scientific strategies that helping to clarify forensic cases, including time since death. The absence of reliable quantitative methods to estimate the post-mortem interval explains the increase in promising new lines of research for this purpose. After the appearance of the new techniques of massive sequencing and bioinformatics, also arises the study of the necrobiome through a new and little studied area within the forensic sciences, Forensic Microbiology. In this review, a tour of the existing techniques and procedures of cadaveric dating is made, which includes new cutting-edge techniques in different areas of knowledge and also mentions the utilities of Forensic Microbiology, where the thanatomicrobiome, present from the moment of death, according to recent studies, points to be a promising method for estimating the post-mortem interval in the future. (AU)

[Classifications in forensic medicine and their logical basis].

The objective of the present study was to characterize the main requirements for the correct construction of classifications used in forensic medicine, with special reference to the errors that occur in the relevant text-books, guidelines, and manuals and the ways to avoid them. This publication continues the series of thematic articles of the authors devoted to the logical errors in the expert conclusions. The preparation of further publications is underway to report the results of the in-depth analysis of the logical errors encountered in expert conclusions, text-books, guidelines, and manuals.

[The concept of "forensic medicine"].

The analysis of the definition of forensic medicine and its evolution during the past 300 years is presented. The special character of forensic medicine, its subject-matter, scope of research, procedures, goals and targeted application of forensic medical knowledge are discussed. The original definition of the notion of "forensic medicine" is proposed.

Estudio médico-legal del homicidio en la provincia de Sevilla (2004-2007). Especial referencia a los homicidios de mujeres en el contexto de violencia de género / Medico-legal study of the homicide in the province of Seville (2004-07). Special reference to the female victims inside the gender violence

Este estudio retrospectivo analiza los 57 homicidiosocurridos en la provincia de Sevilla durante unperiodo de cuatro años (2004-2007).Se han estudiado diversas variables relacionadascon los mismos obteniéndose los siguientes resultados: latasa media de homicidios ha sido de 0.77 por 100.000habitantes; el arma blanca es el método más utilizadoseguido por el arma de fuego, contusiones y asfixia mecánica;las víctimas son en su mayoría varones (relaciónhombre/mujer 2:1) con una edad media de 46 ± 21.2años; el mayor número de casos se registra en fines desemana (sábado y domingo) y durante el mes de octubre.El análisis toxicológico de las víctimas detectó etanol enel 47.4%, benzodiacepinas en el 14%, cocaína en el 12.3%,opiáceos en el 10.5% y tetrahidrocannabinol en el 8.8%.Se ha hecho una valoración más detallada de loscasos de homicidio dentro del contexto de violencia degénero dada su alta incidencia en nuestro país. En 18 de19 casos, las mujeres murieron a manos de su pareja,ex-pareja o familiar en primer grado.Los resultados han sido comparados con estudiossimilares realizados tanto en el ámbito nacional comointernacional

This retrospective study analyzes the 57 homicidesoccurred in the province of Seville in a period of fouryears (2004-2007).Some variables related with the homicides havebeen studied with the following results: the meanhomicide rate was 0.77 per 100.000 inhabitants; sharpinjury was the most frequent mechanism followed by shotgun, contusions and mechanical asphyxia; victims are inmajor part of cases males (male/female ratio 2:1) with amean age of 46 ± 21.2 years; homicides are morefrequents in weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and duringOctober. Toxicological analysis of the victims showedethanol in 47.4%, benzodiazepines in 14%, cocaine in12.3%, opium derivatives in 10.5% andtetrahydrocannabinol in 8.8%.A detailed analyses was also carried out in the casesof homicides occurred in the setting of gender violencedue to its high prevalence in our country. In 18 out of 19cases, women died in the hands of her couple, ex-couple,or first-degree relative.Results have been compared with similar nationaland international studies

Degüello homicida / Homicidal incised wounds of the throat

El degüello es la herida incisa que con más frecuencia provoca lesiones mortales; no obstante es la menos usual en nuestro medio. El mayor problema que plantea el degüello desde el punto de vista médico forense es el diagnóstico diferencial entre el homicidio y el suicidio. La dirección, profundidad, localización y el número de las heridas tienen gran importancia para ayudar a reconocer la etiología. En este número presentamos un caso de degüello homicida y se describen las lesiones más características que presentaba

Throat cut is the incise wound that most frequently causes mortal injuries; nevertheless is the less common in our means. The main problem of throat cut in forensic setting is de differential diagnosis between suicide and homicide. The direction, depth, site and number of the injuries have particular importance in helping us to recognize the ethiology. In this paper we present a case of homicidal incised wounds of the throat and the most characteristic injuries are described

Comparison of Turkish Injury Scale (TIS) with the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS).

According to the Turkish Penal Code, Section 456, an assailant is punished in a correlation to the severity of the victim's injury. In this study, the injury scale used in Turkey in the basis code 456 is compared with Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). For this aim, a total of 984 cases out of the total amount reported at the Traumatology Section of the Turkish Council for Forensic Medicine were randomly selected and evaluated retrospectively. In all, 40.7% of injuries were caused by blunt trauma, whereas 59.3% were caused by a penetrating trauma. According to the Turkish Injury Scale (TIS), 40.3% of the cases were scored to be of a first degree of injury, 15.6% as second degree and 44.1% as third degree. When compared, the score points 3, 4 and 5 in the AIS were seen to be nearly equivalent to the TIS of third degree. From this point of view, in the modified AIS 91.1% of first degree of injury, 51.2% of second degree and 97.2% of third degree of injury are harmonious with TIS. Generally, 83.2% of the cases are harmonious with the AIS system. The purpose of this study is to determine what was the source of differences and to focus on particular traumatic lesions in order to determine a possible rearrangement of the Turkish Injury Scale.

The origin of evidence.

Forensic science is an applied science based on the laws of physics and chemistry. Over time, a set of fundamental concepts has developed that apply specifically to a forensic analysis. Traditionally, five concepts have been articulated: transfer, identification, individualization, association between source and target, and reconstruction. We suggest that an additional sixth concept, the idea that matter must divide before it can be transferred, is necessary to complete the paradigm. Divisible matter is particularly useful in describing physical match evidence. Additionally, we propose a paradigm that logically divides into scientific principles that govern the generation of evidence, and processes that pertain to the recognition, analysis, and interpretation of evidence. The principles of divisible matter and transfer pertain to the generation of evidence before and during the crime event; the processes of identification, classification or individualization, association, and reconstruction describe the practice of forensic science starting with the recognition of an item as evidence.

Child sexual abuse accommodation evidence: the travails of counterintuitive evidence in Australia and New Zealand.

The author advances a taxonomy of expert evidence in relation to the responses of sexually abused children to their assaults. He analyses a series of Australian and New Zealand cases in the context of Summit's publicly stated recent views on the use to which Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome ("CSAAS") can be put. He argues that expert evidence that goes further than dispelling myths or disabusing triers of fact of misperceptions generally held within the community should not be permitted. He contends that CSAAS is an illegitimate description of such information and that such "syndrome evidence" should not be permitted, particularly before juries. He maintains, moreover, that further rigour will be (and should be) required of prosecutors and mental health professionals alike if such counterintuitive evidence is to be admitted. This will entail proof of the existence of community misunderstanding of the phenomenon, establishment that the field of expertise from which child sexual abuse accommodation evidence emanates is sufficient for the purpose, as well as proof of the expert's expertise in the field. However, he argues against abandoning attempts to use counterintuitive evidence merely on the basis of a number of adverse Australasian determinations, whose reasoning is dependent on the quality of the evidence hitherto advanced and the overly limited perceptions of the evidential framework within which such evidence should be evaluated.