Facial growth parameters in Down syndrome: Review of the literature and forensic application for missing persons age progression.

Purpose: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) show growth trajectories which deviate from standard ones due to variations in the growth of facial structures. Studying the effect of aging on the faces of DS individuals is necessary to obtain an accurate result through age progression, a technique based on the study of physiognomic features and used in cases of missing persons. Here we present scientific publications that delve into the rhythms of aging and morphological characteristics of facial features in DS individuals to enable appropriate age progression in cases of missing DS individuals.

Forensic International Dental Database (FIDBv2) for adult age-at-death estimation in multiple forensic contexts: Strengthening the operationalization of the Lamendin criteria in a global scope model.

The aim of this study is to validate the FIDBv2 online procedure for adult age-at-death estimation using root dentine translucency (RDT) and periodontal retraction (PR) of single-rooted teeth in a worldwide sample. The sample includes 4810 teeth of 2559 individuals from 16 countries of America, Europe and Asia. Bias and inaccuracy between documented (DA) and estimated ages (EA) were calculated.

Applications of forensic anthropology methodology: accuracy of virtual face reproductions performed on the Tenchini collection.

Facial reproduction validation uses the methodology typical of forensic anthropology to confirm the accuracy of three-dimensional reproductions of faces. Achieving high accuracy in virtual facial reproductions is still under study. In the present paper, the Tenchini collection, which contains wax reproductions of prisoners' faces and their skulls, was used.

The forensic imaging technique of age progression used within missing people cases: The Italian Missing Children association realizing age progression for Missing Child Kenya.

The age progression technique allows to update identification photos of individuals who have been missing for years. This method is based on the study of the facial variation and on the dynamics of facial growth. Knowledge about changes in the distribution of facial fat and the tone of the cartilage allows realistic predictions of the facial appearance after many years.

Father figure: Study of the age progression process from old pictures and its value in forensic sciences.

The application of age progression to the search for missing persons demonstrates its usefulness in being able to reconstruct the aged face based on the current age of a person who has been missing for many years. Age progression takes into account facial physiognomic elements and their changes over time. Based on these premises, the present study aims to investigate the evolution of somatic features, from childhood to adulthood, of one of the authors' father using photos at different ages of him.

Purkait's triangle revisited: role in sex and ancestry estimation.

Identification of unknown remains recovered from marine and terrestrial locations is a significant humanitarian problem. This investigation proposes a simple method applicable to fragmentary femora for a more refined level of ancestry and/or sex estimation. To that end, we re-examined Purkait's triangle which involves three inter-landmark distances between the traction epiphyses and the articular rim of femoral head.

Identification of a decedent in a 103-year-old homicide case using forensic anthropology and genetic genealogy.

Anthropologists are often the custodians of long-term unidentified human remains though their positions as curators of university or museum skeletal collections. Various factors decrease the solvability of these legacy cases including the passage of time, the loss of provenience for specific cases, and lack of documentation or case records. While anthropologists can contribute important information toward identification, it is often necessary to explore novel and cross-disciplinary strategies to resolve difficult cold cases.

Application of Aspartic Acid Racemization for Age Estimation in a Spanish Sample.

Correct age-at-death estimation in adult individuals is one of the challenges of forensic investigation. Forensic anthropology macroscopic techniques are non-invasive methods for this purpose. However, several methods need to be applied to accurately estimate age, and the difference between chronological and predictive age may still be around ±10 years.

Lag time of modern bomb-pulse radiocarbon in human bone tissues: New data from Brazil.

Radiocarbon analysis with reference to the modern bomb-curve was conducted using 68 bone samples of a vertebral body, femoral diaphysis, occipital bone, and parietal bone of 17 adults from Brazil. All individuals were born in 1963, thus analysis focused on the correlation with atmospheric values during the more recent, falling portion of the curve. Ages at death ranged from 43 to 54 years with representation of both sexes.

Age estimation of individuals aged 5-23 years based on dental development of the Indonesian population.

Dental development can be used to estimate age for forensic purposes. However, most of the currently available methods are less reliable for the Indonesian population due to population variability. This study presents a new method and evaluates other methods that utilize dental development to estimate the age of Indonesian people.

Fragment analysis in forensic anthropology.

Anthropological analysis of fragmentary evidence can be challenging but diverse methods allow substantial information to be gleaned. Scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy enables determination if bone and/or tooth tissue is present. Protein radioimmunoassay or DNA analysis can establish the species present.

Root Dentin Translucency and Forensic International Dental Database: Methodology for estimation age-at-death in adults using single-rooted teeth.

Estimation of the age-at-death in adults is essential when the identification of deceased persons with unknown identity is required in both humanitarian and judicial contexts. However, the methodologies and the results obtained can be questioned. Various efforts have been developed to adjust procedures to specific populations, always seeking the precision and accuracy of the methodologies.

Evaluation of ancestry from human skeletal remains: a concise review.

Ancestry assessment represents a major component of forensic anthropological analysis of recovered human remains. Interpretations of ancestry, together with other aspects of the biological profile, can help narrow the search of missing persons and contribute to eventual positive identification. Such information can prove useful to authorities involved in the identification and investigative process since many lists of missing persons have a reference to this parameter.

The impact of scavenging: perspective from casework in forensic anthropology.

Forensic anthropology casework frequently encounters evidence of animal scavenging associated with fragmentation and loss of skeletal material. Published research demonstrates that patterns of destruction in bone can suggest the size and type of animal involved. This study analyzes 107 cases reported on by the first author at the Smithsonian Institution to investigate patterns of scavenging in forensic anthropology casework.

Craniofacial photographic superimposition: New developments.

Craniofacial superimposition is a technique used in the field of forensic anthropology to assist in the analysis of an unknown skull. The process involves superimposing an image of the recovered skull over an ante mortem image of the suspected individual. In the past two decades, there has been a decline in the application due to the development of molecular analysis as a more precise and accurate identification technique.

Photogrammetry vs CT Scan: Evaluation of Accuracy of a Low-Cost Three-Dimensional Acquisition Method for Forensic Facial Approximation.

Photogrammetry is a three-dimensional acquisition method potentially applicable to the forensic field. This possibility requires the verification of its accuracy. In this study, 3D volumes of skulls are generated to compare the photogrammetry versus the CT scan.

Complex Nature of Hominin Dispersals: Ecogeographical and Climatic Evidence for Pre-Contact Craniofacial Variation.

Coordinate data analysis of ancient crania from the New World reveals complexity in interpretation when addressing ancient population dispersals. The results of this study generally support a geographic patterning for the New World; however, it also revealed a much more complex and multifactorial mechanism shaping craniofacial morphology that should be considered when investigating ecogeographic models for hominin dispersals. We show that craniofacial variation is not the result of a single mechanism but is a much more complex interaction of environmental and microevolutionary forces.

"The big sleep: Elucidating the sequence of events in the first hours of death to determine the postmortem interval".

Recent developments on postmortem interval estimation (PMI) take an advantage of the autolysis process, pointing out to the analysis of the expression of apoptosis and autophagy genes towards this purpose. Oxidative stress plays a role in this signaling as a regulatory mechanism and/or as a consequence of cell death. Additionally, melatonin has been implicated on apoptosis and autophagy signaling, making melatonin a suitable target for PMI determination.

Contributions of forensic anthropology to positive scientific identification: a critical Review.

This review covers previous and current literature on the impact of forensic anthropologists on the positive scientific identification of human remains and aims to provide an understanding of what information a forensic anthropologist can contribute to an investigation. Forensic anthropologists looking to identify human remains study traits of the skeleton and any orthopedic devices present. In order to obtain a positive scientific identification, evidence that is both sufficiently unique to the individual and comparable to available antemortem data from that individual must be found.

Estimation of age in forensic anthropology: historical perspective and recent methodological advances.

Estimation of age represents a central focus of forensic anthropological analysis of human skeletal remains and of the living. Advances registered in recent research include the topics of taphonomic impact, new anatomical areas of interest, histology, population variation, the dental pulp chamber, technology, mathematical approaches, biochemical analysis and techniques specifically targeting the living. This article reviews the historical development of age estimation methods and considers likely future directions.

Forensic anthropology in the global investigation of humanitarian and human rights abuse: Perspective from the published record.

Forensic anthropologists have played key roles in the historical development of forensic science applications to global humanitarian and human rights issues. These anthropological initiatives can be traced back to the Smithsonian seminar organized by T. D.