Evaluation of a New DNA Extraction Method on Challenging Bone Samples Recovered from a WWII Mass Grave.

Bones and teeth represent a common finding in ancient DNA studies and in forensic casework, even after a long burial. Genetic typing is the gold standard for the personal identification of skeletal remains, but there are two main factors involved in the successful DNA typing of such samples: (1) the set-up of an efficient DNA extraction method; (2) the identification of the most suitable skeletal element for the downstream genetic analyses. In this paper, a protocol based on the processing of 0.

Evaluation of a Set of miRNAs in 26 Cases of Fatal Traumatic Brain Injuries.

In forensic medicine, identifying novel biomarkers for use as diagnostic tools to ascertain causes of death is challenging because of sample degradation. To that aim, a cohort ( = 26) of fatal traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) were tested for three candidate miRNAs (namely, miR-124-3p, miR-138-5p, and miR144-3p). For each case, three FFPE specimens (coup area (CA), contrecoup area (CCA), and the corpus callosum (CC)) were investigated, whereas the FFPE brain tissues of 45 subjects (deceased due to acute cardiovascular events) were used as controls.

The Baron Pasquale Revoltella's Will in the Forensic Genetics Era.

In this article, we describe multiple analytical strategies that were first developed for forensic purposes, on a set of three bone samples collected in 2011. We analyzed a single bone sample (patella) collected from the artificially mummified body of the Baron Pasquale Revoltella (1795-1869), as well two femurs which allegedly belonged to the Baron's mother (Domenica Privato Revoltella, 1775-1830). Likely due to the artificial mummification procedures, the inner part of the Baron's patella allowed the extraction of high-quality DNA yields, which were successfully used for PCR-CE and PCR-MPS typing of autosomal, Y-specific, and mitochondrial markers.

Assessment of the Precision ID Identity Panel kit on challenging forensic samples.

The performance of the Precision ID Identity Panel (Thermo Fisher Scientific) was assessed on a set of 87 forensic samples with different levels of degradation for which a reference sample from the "same donor" or from a "first degree relative" was available. PCR-MPS analysis was performed with DNA input ranging from 1 ng to 12 pg and through 21-26 PCR cycles, in replicate tests, and a total number of 255 libraries were sequenced on the Ion Personal Genome Machine™ (PGM™) System. The evaluation of the molecular data allowed to set a fix threshold for locus call at 50 x which suitably worked even when low amounts of degraded DNA (12 pg) were investigated.

Highly degraded RNA can still provide molecular information: An in vitro approach.

The long-term survival of RNA in postmortem tissues is a tricky topic. Many aged/forensic specimens show, in fact, high rates of null/inconclusive PCR-based results, while reliable outcomes were sometimes achieved from archaeological samples. On the other hand, several data show that the RNA is a molecule that survives even to several physical-chemical stresses.