Part-Per-Billion Level Chemical Sensing with a Gold-Based SERS-Active Substrate.

We used surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for the rapid and sensitive detection and quantification of caffeine in solution. Such a technique incorporated into a portable device is finding wide applications in trace chemical analysis in various fields, including law enforcement, medicine, environmental monitoring, and food quality control. To realize such applications, we are currently developing portable and handheld trace chemical analyzers based on SERS, which are integrated with a sensor embedded with activated gold nanoparticles in a porous glass matrix.

Forensic bone age estimation of adolescent pelvis X-rays based on two-stage convolutional neural network.

In the forensic estimation of bone age, the pelvis is important for identifying the bone age of teenagers. However, studies on this topic remain insufficient as a result of lower accuracy due to the overlapping of pelvic organs in X-ray images. Segmentation networks have been used to automate the location of key pelvic areas and minimize restrictions like doubling images of pelvic organs to increase the accuracy of estimation.

[Identification of Synthetic Cannabinoid New Psychoactive Substances 4F-MDMB-BUTINACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA].

Objective To establish a method that combines a series of techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectrum （FTIR）, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）, high resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy （NMR） for identification of unknown substances. Methods The unknown samples （off-white powder and yellow crystal） seized in the actual cases were detected by FTIR, GC-MS （methanol as solvent）, high resolution mass spectrometry （methanol as solvent） and NMR （deuterated methanol as solvent）. Results The mass spectrum characteristic ions of the main components in the samples measured by GC-MS were 219 （base peak）, 363, 307, 304, 275, 145, 131 and 213 （base peak）, 357, 301, 298, 269, 185, 171, 145 and 131, respectively.

Rapid quantitation of three synthetic cathinones in urine by magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction combined with DART-HRMS.

For the rapid quantitation of three synthetic cathinones, namely 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)pentan-1-one (4-Cl-α-PVP), 1-(4-methylphenyl)-2-(methylamino)pentan-1-one (4-MPD), and 1-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)-2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)pentan-1-one (β-TH-naphyrone), in urine, a new method was established using magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction (MDSPE) combined with direct analysis in real time and high-resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS). Methcathinone-D3 and proadifen (SKF525A) were used as the internal standards. Hydrophobic magnetic adsorbents were used and consisted of hydrophobic functional group (divinylbenzene) and hydrophilic functional group (vinylpyrrolidone) at a ratio of 3 : 1, and NaHPO//NaOH buffer (0.

[Advances in biodegradation of macrolide antibiotics].

Macrolide antibiotics are a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics with the macrolide as core nucleus. Recently, antibiotic pollution has become an important environmental problem due to the irregular production and abuse of macrolide antibiotics. Microbial degradation is one of the most effective methods to deal with antibiotic pollution.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress-related secretory proteins as biomarkers of early myocardial ischemia-induced sudden cardiac deaths.

Early myocardial ischemia-induced sudden cardiac deaths (EMI-SCD) remain a great diagnostic challenge for forensic pathologists due to no gross or non-specific histological pathology. The goal of this study was to assess whether three secretory proteins, related with cellular endoplasmic reticulum stress, can be applied in forensic diagnosis of EMI-SCD. These markers included LMAN2, CAPN-1, and VCP and were compared with two clinically used markers (CK-MB and cTnI).

Determination of Azide Ions in Blood by Pentafluorobenzyl Derivation Followed by GC-MS.

Objective To establish a method for determination of the azide ions in blood by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） following pentafluorobenzyl derivatization. Methods A blood sample of 0.2 mL was placed into a 10 mL glass test tube, and the internal standard sodium cyanide, derivatization reagent pentafluorobenzyl bromide and catalyst tetradecyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride were added in turn.

An entropy driven catalytic reaction powered DNA motor for simultaneous detection of ochratoxin A and chloramphenicol in food.

An entropy driven catalytic reaction powered DNA motor was proposed for simultaneous detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) and chloramphenicol (CAP) in food. The dumbbell hairpin structure was formed by the two aptamers of OTA and CAP. The dumbbell hairpin can be opened by the interaction of OTA and CAP with their aptamers.

Calculation of the Paternity Index for STR with tri-allelic patterns in paternity testing.

The calculation of the paternity index (PI) value of common bi-allelic genotypes at STR loci has been standardized in paternity cases. However, for tri-allelic patterns, a rare category of genotyping aberration in forensic practice, the statistical analysis in paternity testing remains disputed. The Type 1 tri-allelic pattern generally results from somatic mutation in the early stage of individual development.

[Progress of researches on the involvement of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase in regulation of parasite-host immune interactions].

Indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO) is an important immunoregulatory enzyme, which mediates immune effects by depleting tryptophan and producing multiple metabolites. Recently, the studies on the immune function of IDO have been mostly restricted in tumors and autoimmune diseases. Nevertheless, there are few studies pertaining to the role of IDO in parasitic diseases, notably in parasite-host immune interactions.

Model for the prediction of mechanical asphyxia as the cause of death based on four biological indexes in human cardiac tissue.

Determination of mechanical asphyxia as the cause of death has always been difficult for forensic pathologists, particularly when signs of asphyxia are not obvious on the body. Currently, depending on only physical examination of corpses, pathologists must be cautious when making cause-of-death appraisals. In a previous study, four biomarkers-dual-specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1), potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily J member 2 (KCNJ2), miR-122, and miR-3185-were screened in human cardiac tissue from cadavers that died from mechanical asphyxia compared with those that died from craniocerebral injury, hemorrhagic shock, or other causes.

Evaluation of one-step RT-PCR multiplex assay for body fluid identification.

The discrimination of body fluid stains provides crucial evidence during the investigation of criminal cases. Previous studies have demonstrated the practical value of mRNA profiling in body fluid identification. Conventional strategy of mRNA profiling entails reverse transcription and PCR amplification in two separate procedures with different buffer systems.

Concordance and characterization of massively parallel sequencing at 58 STRs in a Tibetan population.

Background: Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) is a promising supplementary method for forensic casework in short tandem repeats (STRs) genotyping, owing to several advantageous features in comparison to traditional capillary electrophoresis (CE). However, the application of MPS in casework requires accessible datasets from the worldwide population to enrich the allele frequencies of sequence-based STR genotypes.

Methods: In this study, we report the characterization of sequence-based allele frequencies of 58 STRs from a Tibetan population comprising 120 unrelated individuals using the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit.

An efficient method for building a database of diatom populations for drowning site inference using a deep learning algorithm.

Seasonal or monthly databases of the diatom populations in specific bodies of water are needed to infer the drowning site of a drowned body. However, existing diatom testing methods are laborious, time-consuming, and costly and usually require specific expertise. In this study, we developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based system as a substitute for manual morphological examination capable of identifying and classifying diatoms at the species level.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of (Fagaceae).

A. Gray is an evergreen oak species native to East Asia, and it plays a vital role in mountain ecosystems. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast genome of based on sequencing data.

A "turn-on" and proximity ligation assay dependent DNA tweezer for one-step amplified fluorescent detection of DNA.

A "turn-on" and proximity ligation assay dependent DNA tweezer was proposed for one-step amplified fluorescent detection of DNA. Target DNA can anneal with capture probe to form an entire long sequence. The formed long sequence can circularly open the hairpin, resulting the "turn-on" of DNA tweezers.

Correction to: DNA typing from skeletal remains: a comparison between capillary electrophoresis and massively parallel sequencing platforms.

The name of an author was misspelled. The correct spelling is "Linlin Gao" instead of Linin Gao.

Application of Artificial Intelligence Automatic Diatom Identification System in Practical Cases.

Objective To discuss the application of artificial intelligence automatic diatom identification system in practical cases, to provide reference for quantitative diatom analysis using the system and to validate the deep learning model incorporated into the system. Methods Organs from 10 corpses in water were collected and digested with diatom nitric acid; then the smears were digitally scanned using a digital slide scanner and the diatoms were tested qualitatively and quantitatively by artificial intelligence automatic diatom identification system. Results The area under the curve （AUC） of the receiver operator characteristic （ROC） curve of the deep learning model incorporated into the artificial intelligence automatic diatom identification system, reached 98.

DNA typing from skeletal remains: a comparison between capillary electrophoresis and massively parallel sequencing platforms.

Skeletal remains encountered frequently in forensic applications are a challenging specimen, since their DNA is usually degraded due to harsh conditions, limiting the utilization of skeletal DNA. Forensic scientists have tried various methods to extract DNA from skeletal remains of low quantity and poor quality or improve detecting technology for more information from compromised DNA. Compared with traditional capillary electrophoresis (CE), massively parallel sequencing (MPS) is more sensitive to shorter fragments, able to detect allele sequences for variations from core motif or flanking regions, and able to detect more markers with a higher discrimination power.

A 16-plex Y-SNP typing system based on allele-specific PCR for the genotyping of Chinese Y-chromosomal haplogroups.

Y-chromosomal SNP (Y-SNP), with its stable inheritance and low mutation, can provide Supplementary information in forensic investigation. While commonly used Y-chromosomal STR haplotypes show their limitations, typing of Y-SNP would become a powerful complement. In this study, a 16-plex Y-SNP typing system based on allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) was developed to discriminate four dominant Y-chromosomal haplogroups (C-M130, D-CTS3946, N-M231, and O-M175) and 12 predominant sub-haplogroups of O-M175 (O1a-M119, O1a1a1a-CTS3265, O1b-M268, O1b1a2-Page59, O2-M122, O2a1-L127.

Development of a multiplex system for the identification of forensically relevant body fluids.

Currently, mRNA profiling is widely investigated for forensic body fluid identification, while it is still required to advance the approach for those casework samples of limited quantity or low quality. The inclusion of circular RNAs (circRNAs) can facilitate the detection of mRNA markers in forensic body fluid identification. In this study, a multiplex assay for forensic body fluid identification (F18plex assay) was developed by incorporating 14 tissue-specific mRNA markers with circRNAs expression, 2 mRNA markers with high abundance and 2 housekeeping markers for the discrimination of the most common forensic body fluids, including blood, menstrual blood, saliva, vaginal secretion, semen and urine.

Identification of the miRNA-3185/CYP4A11 axis in cardiac tissue as a biomarker for mechanical asphyxia.

Death by mechanical asphyxia is one of the most difficult conclusions to make in forensic science, especially in corpses displaying slight or no trauma to the surface of the body. Therefore, death by mechanical asphyxia is difficult to prove in medico-legal practice. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding RNAs involved in the regulation of numerous physiological and pathological cellular processes.