The Persistence of Sperm and the Development of Time Since Intercourse (TSI) Guidelines in Sexual Assault Cases at Forensic Science Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.

The persistence of sperm using confirmatory microscopic analysis, the persistence of sperm with tails, time since intercourse (TSI) analysis, and results from the acid phosphatase (AP) reaction from approximately 5581 swabs taken from circa 1450 sexual assault cases are presented. The observed proportions of sperm in the vagina and anus declines significantly after 48 h TSI, and sperm on oral swabs were observed up to 15 h TSI. The AP reaction as a predictor of sperm on intimate swabs is questioned.

The sensitivity and specificity of the RSID-saliva kit for the detection of human salivary amylase in the Forensic Science Laboratory, Dublin, Ireland.

We demonstrate here that the RSID-saliva test can be used as a test for human salivary alpha-amylase on samples routinely examined in forensic casework. We show that the RSID-saliva test detects salivary alpha-amylase at lower concentrations than the Phadebas Quantitative test, that the RSID-saliva test does not cross-react with forensically important human fluids and that the RSID-saliva test can be successfully integrated into the whole swab semen extraction method.

Efficient delivery of small interfering RNA for inhibition of IL-12p40 expression .

Background: RNA interference is an evolutionary conserved immune response mechanism that can be used as a tool to provide novel insights into gene function and structure. The ability to efficiently deliver small interfering RNA to modulate gene expression may provide new therapeutic approaches to currently intractable diseases.

Methods: , siRNA targeting IL-12p40 was delivered to the murine macrophage cell line (J774A.

Heat shock protein derived from a non-autologous tumour can be used as an anti-tumour vaccine.

Antigenic cross-reactivity between certain tumours has allowed the development of more widely applicable, major histocompatibility complex-disparate (allogeneic) whole-cell vaccines. This principle should also allow heat shock proteins (hsp) derived from certain tumours (and carrying cross-reactive antigens) to be used as vaccines to generate anti-tumour immunity in a range of cancer patients. Here, hsp70 derived from gp70-antigen+ B16 melanoma generated cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte-mediated immune protection in BALB/c mice against challenge with gp70-antigen+ CT26 colorectal tumour cells.