A survey of case studies on the use of forensic three-dimensional printing in England and Wales.

3D printing has rapidly developed and been applied in forensic science due to its use in creating demonstrations for courts of law. Much of the literature on this specific topic has focused on the use of 3D printed models in academia, the potential influence on a jury, and its use as a long-term documentation process, but with few actual forensic case examples. This paper offers an insight into the development of 3D printing in forensic practice and how 3D printing is currently being used in the criminal justice system in England and Wales.A series of case reports were gathered from multiple police forces and forensic practitioners in the UK to identify how 3D printing was being used. These discussions established who was requesting 3D printed exhibits, what type of technologies were being utilised, what type of exhibits were being printed, and resulting feedback for the use of 3D printed material within a criminal case. As a result, this research demonstrates the current use of 3D printing in England and Wales, discussing the associated cases that have been known to incorporate 3D prints. Likewise, this work explores the limitations that have been encountered by forensic practitioners and identifies a series of research questions that should be considered in future investigations.

Functional Analysis of Anuran Pelvic and Thigh Anatomy Using Musculoskeletal Modelling of Phlyctimantis maculatus.

Using their abundant musculature, frogs are able to exhibit outstanding behavioural versatility. However, understanding the dynamic motion of their 30 + hindlimb muscles, with multi-joint action, and curved pathways, is challenging. This is particularly true in walking, a relatively understudied, but complex frog gait. Building on prior musculoskeletal modelling work we construct and analyse a 3D musculoskeletal model of the spine, pelvis, and hindlimb of Phlyctimantis maculatus (previously known as Kassina maculata) to simulate the natural motion of muscle pathways as joints rotate during locomotion. Combining experimental kinematics and DICE-CT scan data we use several simulations conducted in MuJoCo to decouple femur and pelvic motions, generating new insights into the functional mechanics of walking in frogs. Outputs demonstrate pelvic lateral rotation about the iliosacral joint influences moment arm magnitude in the majority of hindlimb muscles. The extent of pelvic influence depends on femoral angle which changes muscle function in some instances. The workflow presented here can be used to help experimentalists predict which muscles to probe with in vivo techniques towards a better understanding of how anuran musculoskeletal mechanics enable multiple behaviours.

A prospective study of basal insulin concentrations in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts.

OBJECTIVES: Hypoglycaemia is a common cause of morbidity in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts but the aetiology is unknown. The hypothesis of this study was that dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts would have significantly higher insulin concentrations than dogs without congenital portosystemic shunts. The main objective of the study was to compare peripheral glucose and insulin concentrations between dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts and dogs without congenital portosystemic shunts. METHODS: Peripheral serum insulin and plasma glucose concentrations were measured in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts and without congenital portosystemic shunts and compared both between groups as well as to reference intervals derived from healthy dogs. RESULTS: Congenital portosystemic shunts were diagnosed in 41 dogs. Forty-eight dogs hospitalised with other conditions acted as controls. Serum insulin concentrations were mildly elevated (Ä40 µU/mL) in seven dogs and were markedly elevated in two dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts, yet mild hypoglycaemia (3·3 mmol/L) was detected in only one of these dogs. Four dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts showed fasting hypoglycaemia, yet insulin concentrations were within or below the reference interval in three. There was no difference between the median insulin concentration of dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts and without congenital portosystemic shunts. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Hyperinsulinaemia is infrequently observed in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts. The aetiology of hypoglycaemia in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts merits further investigation.

A comparison of factors that influence survival in dogs with adrenal-dependent hyperadrenocorticism treated with mitotane or trilostane.

BACKGROUND: Trilostane is a recognized treatment for canine pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH); however, its efficacy in dogs with adrenal-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADH) is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To examine factors that might influence survival in the medical management of ADH, with particular emphasis on treatment selection. ANIMALS: Thirty-seven animals referred to 4 centers over a period of 12 years that had been diagnosed with ADH and treated with either trilostane (22/37), mitotane (13/37), or both (2/37). METHODS: Retrospective analysis of clinical records. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the survival times of 13 dogs treated only with mitotane when compared with 22 dogs treated only with trilostane. The median survival time for animals treated with trilostane was 353 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 95-528 days), whereas it was 102 days (95% CI 43-277 days) for mitotane. Metastatic disease was detected in 8 of 37 dogs. There was a significantly lower probability of survival for dogs with metastatic disease when compared with those without metastatic disease (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The choice of medical treatment for ADH may not have a major effect on survival times. However, the presence of metastatic disease considerably decreases survival time regardless of the choice of medical treatment.

Metabolism of cyclamate and its conversion to cyclohexylamine.

Since cyclamates were first introduced in the early 1950s, arguments have raged over the potential carcinogenicity of this artificial sweetener. Concern over the safety of cyclamates arises from observations that some individuals and experimental animals can metabolize cyclamate to cyclohexylamine and that cyclohexylamine has been shown to produce testicular atrophy in experimental animals. This study examines the absorption, excretion, and metabolism of cyclamate, particularly its conversion to cyclohexylamine. In addition, the potential toxicity and pharmacology of cyclohexylamine are discussed.

Response of the upper respiratory tract of the rat to white spirit vapour.

The threshold limit value (TLV) adopted by industry for white spirit is that of Stoddard's solvent and is currently set at 100 ppm (525 mg/m3). Exposure of rats to atmospheres containing an average of 214 mg/m3, 4 h/day, for 4 consecutive days resulted in irritation of the membranes lining the upper respiratory tract but only minimal signs of lung injury. Histopathological changes were observed in the nasal cavity, trachea and larynx and included loss of cilia, mucous and basal cell hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia. These results suggest that in man exposure to white spirit at or around the TLV may result in irritation of the upper respiratory tract.

Studies on the effect of feeding nitrite and secondary amines to Wistar rats.

1. When 1 000 mg/l sodium nitrite are added to drinking-water, nitrosamines are formed in the stomachs of Wistar rats at levels greater than the background only if the concentrations of added DMA or pyrrolidine exceed 1 000 mg/kg. Once this concentration is exceeded there is a rapid increase in nitrosamine formation up to 2 000 mg/kg added amine; however, for pyrrolidine, the rate of increase of NPy decreases when the dietary level of amine exceeds 2 000 mg/kg. This threshold level of 1 000 mg/kg amine is one which is rarely reached in normal human dietary patterns. 2. Due to the presence of this threshold it is unrealistic to extrapolate from high experimental dietary concentrations of secondary amines to those found in practice when considering nitrosamine formation in vivo. 3.The concentration of dietary amine has a greater influence on nitrosamine formation in the stomachs of rats than does the concentration of nitrite in drinking-water (up to 1 000 mg/l). This finding is in contradiction to the current kinetic theory of nitrosamine formation, in which formation is predicted to be proportional to the square of the nitrite concentration.