Study of Root Transparency in Different Postmortem Intervals Using Scanning Electron Microscopy.

In the fields of forensics, the identification of human remains is a recurrent problem. The estimated age at death is one of the copious criteria to be evaluated. In adult teeth, the height of the root dentin transparency is used to estimate age.

Age at death estimation by cementochronology: Too precise to be true or too precise to be accurate?

Objectives: Cementochronology based on annual deposition of acellular cementum is acknowledged for its superior performance for estimating age-at-death but is also disregarded because of its suspicious effectiveness. This article aims to provide a standardized framework for the validation of the technique and to define and test cementochronology's performance and limitations.

Materials And Methods: To determine the boundaries of the cementum aging technique, we applied a certified protocol on a sample of 200 healthy canines from individuals of known age, sex, postmortem, and inhumation intervals from anthropological and anatomical collections.

Is bone analysis with μCT useful for short postmortem interval estimation?

The evaluation of the postmortem interval (PMI) is an important consideration in forensic medicine. The time between death and the discovery thereof is extremely important, not only in terms of the legal process, but also for the course of the investigation. At the time of the discovery of human bones, the evaluation of the PMI is extremely difficult.

Domestic Predation of an Elder: A Fatal Dog Attack Case.

We present the case of a 91-year-old woman lived alone at her home with two domestic dogs, that is,, a Labrador Retriever and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and found dead. The investigation of the scene revealed that the Bull Terrier's jawbone and chest were covered with blood. The autopsy revealed multiple, histologically confirmed, life-threatening skin and bone lacerations without scavenging marks.

Technical note: early post-mortem changes of human bone in taphonomy with μCT.

Post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation is an important issue in forensic medicine, particularly for criminal purposes and legal limitation periods. The goal of the present study is to examine the evolution of the trabecular cranial vault bone after 4 weeks of conservation in a controlled environment with micro-tomography (μCT) analyses.Four bone samples were extracted from a fresh human cranial vault (a donation to science according to the French law) and conserved in an air-controlled environment.

Specific patterns of canine scavenging in indoor settings.

Postmortem animal mutilations due to domestic dogs in isolated domestic deaths are taphonomic modifications regularly observed by forensic pathologists. They are rarely described in the literature; however, even though they present specific patterns. Through 41 cases, 10 at the forensic institute in Lille (France) and 31 at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (USA), plus 22 cases from the literature, specific locations and patterns of postmortem scavenging lesions are proposed.

[Performing autopsies of all sudden deaths: a public health prevention strategy].

Introduction: In France, the management of sudden death (including nion-forensic autopsies) among adults could be improved. Thee number of sudden deaths may require a change in practice to promote screening for hereditary diseases. The purpose of this study was to identify areas for improvement and to assess the prevalence of non-forensic autopsies.

Skull wounds linked with blunt trauma (hammer example). A report of two depressed skull fractures--elements of biomechanical explanation.

The lesions of the skull following perforating traumas can create complex fractures. The blunt traumas can, according to the swiftness and the shape of the object used, create a depressed fracture. The authors describe through two clinical cases the lesional characteristic of the blunt traumas, perforating the skull using a hammer.