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Fu Y, Wu Z, Wei Y, Wang X, Zou J, Xiao L, Fan W, Yang H, Liao L. Untargeted and targeted metabolomics analysis of CO poisoning and mechanical asphyxia postmortem interval biomarkers in rat and human plasma by GCMS. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2024; 251:116443. [PMID: 39217704 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2024.116443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 08/20/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Accurate and objective estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) is crucial in forensic practice. This study aimed to infer PMI through equations based on the relationship between PMI and metabolomics biomarkers.Rats were subjected to models representing various temperatures and causes of death, with blood collected at different intervals. Untargeted gas chromatographymass spectrometry metabolomics detection methods were developed, and candidate biomarkers were chosen as co-differentially expressed metabolites in four models. A targeted method was then developed for quantitatively determining candidate biomarkers. Animal tests and human cadaver samples with clearly documented causes of death and time were used to verify the reliability of the regression equation.Results: Unique differential metabolites for CO poisoning deaths included 2,3-butanediol, hypoxanthine, and dehydrated hexanol, while those for mechanical asphyxia deaths comprised propylamine, 1,3-propylene glycol, phosphoric acid, and sorbitol. Pyruvate, glycerol and isoleucine were identified as candidate biomarkers. Human case results demonstrated the method's potential (error rate < 20 %). The findings of this study may offer reference points for estimating PMI and causes of death in forensic practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingqiang Fu
- Department of Analytical Toxicology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China.
| | - Zhigui Wu
- Department of Pharmacy, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, PR China.
| | - Ying Wei
- Department of Analytical Toxicology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China.
| | - Xueyan Wang
- West China hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
| | - Jing Zou
- Department of Analytical Toxicology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China.
| | - Li Xiao
- Department of Analytical Toxicology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China.
| | - Weihao Fan
- Department of Analytical Toxicology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China.
| | - Hong Yang
- Department of Analytical Toxicology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China.
| | - Linchuan Liao
- Department of Analytical Toxicology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China.
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Zhang R, Wang Y, Chen N, Li L, Guo Y, Hu G, Gao Y, Shao S, Gu Z, Wang J, Wang Y. Development and age estimation of the intrapuparial period of Phormia regina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) for postmortem interval estimation. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2024:tjae123. [PMID: 39312473 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjae123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 08/23/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Phormia regina (Meigen, 1826; Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a Holarctic species that rapidly colonizes carcasses and has been used as an indicator for determining the minimum postmortem interval. However, studies using morphological methods to estimate the intrapuparial age of P. regina are lacking. In this study, morphological changes within the puparium were observed under a stereomicroscope at 7 constant temperatures ranging from 16 °C to 34 °C. The intrapuparial period was categorized into 12 substages. Morphological indicators, including compound eyes, mouthparts, antennae, thorax, legs, wings, and abdomen, were recorded in detail. The observed morphological changes were divided into 6-10 substages, and the duration of each substage was also recorded in detail. The results of this study provide primary data for using the intrapuparial morphology of P. regina when pupae are collected at a crime scene and estimating the minimum postmortem interval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruonan Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yinghui Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Na Chen
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Liangliang Li
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yi Guo
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Gengwang Hu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yundi Gao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Shipeng Shao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Zhiya Gu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Jiangfeng Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
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Shao S, Liu S, Li L, Hu G, Zhang Y, Wang Y. Research Status of Sarcosaprophagous Beetles as Forensic Indicators. INSECTS 2024; 15:711. [PMID: 39336679 PMCID: PMC11432003 DOI: 10.3390/insects15090711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2024] [Revised: 09/13/2024] [Accepted: 09/14/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024]
Abstract
In forensic entomology, research focused on sarcosaprophagous flies, but the sarcosaprophagous beetles, as important "forensic indicator species" of late-stage PMI in cadaver decomposition, received less attention. To increase attention on, and use and understanding of, sarcosaprophagous beetles in forensic entomology, this paper presents a bibliometric analysis of the available relevant literature. The occurrence frequency of beetle families and species from succession studies, actual cases, and experiments were calculated and illustrated using graphs. As a result, a total of 14 families and 1077 species associated with carcasses were collected, with Staphylinidae being the most frequently recorded among the families, and Necrobia rufipes (Fabricius, 1781) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) being the most frequently recorded species. In addition, a brief introduction of the cadaver-related beetles of each family is given, and research on the species identification of the immature stages, age estimation of the immature stages, and estimation of the arrival time of sarcosaprophagous beetles are discussed and prospected. This work will aid in the increased use of sarcosaprophagous beetles in forensic science practice in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shipeng Shao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Siqi Liu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Liangliang Li
- Key Laboratory of Evidence Identification in Universities of Shandong Province, Shandong University of Political Science and Law, Jiefang East Road, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Gengwang Hu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yingna Zhang
- Department of Anatomy, Shihezi University School of Medicine, Shihezi 832000, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
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Botteon VW, Gaedke A, Alves VM. Forensic case reports of Dermestes maculatus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) in Santa Catarina state, Southern Brazil. J Forensic Leg Med 2024; 106:102735. [PMID: 39121688 DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Only a few cases describing the activity of dermestids on human corpses have been reported in the literature. Dermestes maculatus is a cosmopolitan beetle associated with carcasses at different decomposition stages, usually colonizing skeletonized and mummified remains. In this study, we presented two forensic case reports of D. maculatus associated with human corpses in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil. In the first case, a human corpse in an advanced stage of decomposition was found hanged in an outdoor urban area. In the other one, a mummified cadaver was found inside of a closed house. In this last case, larvae of D. maculatus were essential to estimate the minimum postmortem interval (PMI) for the first time in Scientific Police of Santa Catarina. Our records highlight the significance of necrophagous beetles in ecological succession and in estimating PMI in cases involving human remains and corpses in advanced stage of decomposition.
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Qu H, Zhang X, Ye C, Ngando FJ, Shang Y, Yang F, Xiao J, Chen S, Guo Y. Combining spectrum and machine learning algorithms to predict the weathering time of empty puparia of Sarcophaga peregrine (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Forensic Sci Int 2024; 361:112144. [PMID: 39018983 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 07/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
The weathering time of empty puparia could be important in predicting the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). As corpse decomposition progresses to the skeletal stage, empty puparia often remain the sole evidence of fly activity at the scene. In this study, we used empty puparia of Sarcophaga peregrina (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) collected at ten different time points between January 2019 and February 2023 as our samples. Initially, we used the scanning electron microscope (SEM) to observe the surface of the empty puparia, but it was challenging to identify significant markers to estimate weathering time. We then utilized attenuated total internal reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) to detect the puparia spectrogram. Absorption peaks were observed at 1064 cm-1, 1236 cm-1, 1381 cm-1, 1538 cm-1, 1636 cm-1, 2852 cm-1, 2920 cm-1. Three machine learning models were used to regress the spectral data after dimensionality reduction using principal component analysis (PCA). Among them, eXtreme Gradient Boosting regression (XGBR) showed the best performance in the wavenumber range of 1800-600 cm-1, with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.20. This study highlights the value of refining these techniques for forensic applications involving entomological specimens and underscores the considerable potential of combining FTIR and machine learning in forensic practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongke Qu
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Xiangyan Zhang
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Chengxin Ye
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Fernand Jocelin Ngando
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Yanjie Shang
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Fengqin Yang
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Jiao Xiao
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Sile Chen
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Yadong Guo
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
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Liu M, Qu Y, Luo Y, Jallow BJJ, Ma Y, Luciano A, Huang J, Cai J, Meng F. HOFE: an interactive forensic entomological database. Database (Oxford) 2024; 2024:baae058. [PMID: 39001614 PMCID: PMC11245407 DOI: 10.1093/database/baae058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
The significance of entomological evidence in inferring the time, location and cause of death has been demonstrated both theoretically and practically. With the advancement of sequencing technologies, reports have emerged on necrophagous insects' nuclear genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes and mitochondrial genomes. However, within the field of forensic entomology, there is currently no available database that can integrate, store and share the resources of necrophagous insects. The absence of a database poses an inconvenience to the application of entomological evidence in judicial practice and hampers the development of the forensic entomology discipline. Given this, we have developed the Home Of Forensic Entomology database, encompassing 10 core functional modules: Home, Browse, Mitochondria, Proteome, JBrowse, Search, BLAST, Tools, Case base and Maps. Notably, the 'Tools' module enables multiple sequence alignment analysis (Muscle), homologous protein prediction (Genewise), primer design (Primer), large-scale genomic analysis (Lastz), Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis, as well as expression profiling (PCA Analysis, Hcluster and Correlation Heatmap). In addition, the present database also works as an interactive platform for researchers by sharing forensic entomological case reports and uploading data and material. This database provides potential visitors with a comprehensive function for multi-omics data analysis, offers substantial references to researchers and criminal scene investigators and facilitates the utilization of entomological evidence in court. Database URL: http://ihofe.com/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandie Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Yihong Qu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Yifei Luo
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Binta J J Jallow
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Yuting Ma
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Afito Luciano
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Jingjing Huang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Endemic Diseases, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
| | - Jifeng Cai
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Endemic Diseases, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
| | - Fanming Meng
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Endemic Diseases, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
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Hodecek J, Fumagalli L, Jakubec P. All insects matter: a review of 160 entomology cases from 1993 to 2007 in Switzerland-part I (Diptera). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 61:400-409. [PMID: 38157316 PMCID: PMC10936168 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjad164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Necrophagous Diptera are the most important group of insects used for the purposes of forensic entomology. While the most utilized fly family in this context is the family Calliphoridae, there are several other families that can be of great importance during real-case investigations. This article analyzes the necrophagous flies of all families recorded from 160 real cases in Switzerland between 1993 and 2007. A total of 56 species belonging to 16 families was identified with Calliphoridae being the most dominant family (90.63% of all cases), followed by Muscidae (26.25%), Sarcophagidae (19.38%), Phoridae (14.38%), and Fanniidae (12.50%). For specimens that were difficult to identify morphologically, a new PCR primer has been specifically designed for the amplification of a short, informative COI barcode in degraded museum samples of forensically important Diptera taxa. The richest family in terms of species was the family Muscidae with 16 species. Fannia fuscula (Fallen) and Fannia monilis (Haliday) were recorded from human cadavers for the first time. The study highlights the importance of different fly families in forensic investigation, enhancing our comprehension of their prevalence and dispersion in real cases in Central Europe. The results pave the way for additional exploration, especially regarding the involvement of less frequently observed species in forensic entomology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiri Hodecek
- Swiss Human Institute of Forensic Taphonomy, University Centre of Legal Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Musée Cantonal de Zoologie, Palais de Rumine, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Luca Fumagalli
- Swiss Human Institute of Forensic Taphonomy, University Centre of Legal Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pavel Jakubec
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Suchdol, Czech Republic
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