Forensic miRNA: potential biomarker for body fluids?

In forensic investigation, body fluids represent an important support to professionals when detected, collected and correctly identified. Through many years, various approaches were used, namely serology-based methodologies however, their lack of sensitivity and specificity became difficult to set aside. In order to sidetrack the problem, miRNA profiling surged with a real potential to be used to identify evidences like urine, blood, menstrual blood, saliva, semen and vaginal secretions. MiRNAs are small RNA structures with 20-25 nt whose proprieties makes them less prone to degradation processes when compared to mRNA which is extremely important once, in a crime scene, biological evidences might be exposed to several unfavorable environmental factors. Recently, published studies were able to identify some specific miRNAs, however their results were not always reproducible by others which can possibly be the reflection of different workflow strategies for their profiling studies. Given the current blast of interest in miRNAs, it is important to acknowledge potential limitations of miRNA profiling, yet, the lack of such studies are evident. This review pretends to gather all the information to date and assessed a multitude of factors that have a potential aptitude to discrediting miRNA profiling, such as: methodological approaches, environmental factors, physiological conditions, gender, pathologies and samples storage. It can be asserted that much has yet to be made, but we pretend to highlight a potential answer for the ultimate question: Can miRNA profiling be used as the forensic biomarker for body fluids identification?

Child sexual abuse: a preliminary study.

In 1997, 52 child victims of sexual abuse were examined at Oporto Institute of Forensic Medicine. The authors analysed the data concerning these cases in an attempt to contribute to the elucidation of child sexual abuse, particularly in the north of Portugal.

Sexual abuse within the marital relationship.

The authors aim to characterise sexual abuse within the marital relationship. They analyzed the reports of the clinical examinations performed at the Institute of Legal Medicine of Oporto on victims of sexual abuse from January 1990 until December 1994. They also randomly interviewed victims of physical abuse at the Institute to determine if sexual abuse was performed by their partners. This study shows that complaints are rarely reported by victims of sexual abuse in marital relationships, and in all the cases studied where sexual abuse was verified it was accompanied by other forms of abuse.