Publications by authors named "Patrick Dieltjes"

The data management, interpretation and comparison of sets of DNA profiles can be complex, time-consuming and error-prone when performed manually. This, combined with the growing numbers of genetic markers in forensic identification systems calls for expert systems that can automatically compare genotyping results within (large) sets of DNA profiles and assist in profile interpretation. To that aim, we developed a user-friendly software program or DNA eXpert System that is denoted DNAxs.

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Exploring technological limits is a common practice in forensic DNA research. Reliable genetic profiling based on only a few cells isolated from trace material retrieved from a crime scene is nowadays more and more the rule rather than the exception. On many crime scenes, cartridges, bullets, and casings (jointly abbreviated as CBCs) are regularly found, and even after firing, these potentially carry trace amounts of biological material.

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Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a key molecule of innate immunity. Binding of MBL to carbohydrates present on pathogens activates the lectin pathway of complement activation, resulting into opsonization and anti-microbial protection. Three frequently occurring single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are described in the coding region of the MBL2 gene that are associated with abnormal polymerization of the MBL molecule, decreased serum concentrations of high molecular weight MBL, and strongly impaired function.

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