Primed neutrophil infiltrations into multiple organs in child physical abuse cases: A preliminary study

Physical abuse of the elderly induces a massive primed neutrophil infiltration into the lung and liver through chemotaxis by interleukin (IL)-8, similar to cases of traumatic or hemorrhagic shock. Here, we used immunohistochemical analyses to investigate this infiltration in cases of physically abused children. In addition, we examined the expression of neutrophil elastase (NE) as the inflammatory mediator and α1-antitrypsin (AAT) as the elastase inhibitor. The number of neutrophils in the abuse cases was increased significantly in the heart, lung, liver, and kidney, compared with that of control cases. IL-8-positive cells and NE-positive cells in all organs of abuse cases were significantly greater than those in control cases. Large quantities of oxidized AAT, which fails to inactivate NE and results in tissue damage, was detected in the liver of abuse cases. Neutrophil infiltration showed positive correlation with the degree of systemic accumulation of non-fatal injuries caused by repetitive abusive behavior. Although further investigation using more autopsy samples is necessary, results of our preliminary study indicate that massive neutrophil infiltration induced by IL-8 in multiple organs is a new complementary diagnostic indicator of physical abuse in children. Moreover, the demonstration of NE-positive cells and oxidized AAT provides firm evidence of tissue damage.     

Associations of OCA2-HERC2 SNPs and haplotypes with human pigmentation characteristics in the Brazilian population

Panels composed of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes related to pigmentation, when associated with different phenotypes, may assist in predicting the physical appearance of an individual, being very useful in forensic caseworks. We evaluated the association of seven OCA2-HERC2 SNPs and haplotypes with pigmentation characteristics (eye, skin, hair and freckles) in the highly admixed and phenotypically heterogeneous Brazilian population. All the seven SNPs evaluated presented one allele associated with phenotypes from at least two pigmentation features and the alternative allele associated with the opposite phenotypes from the same trait. The genotypic associations followed the same pattern for all seven SNPs. Nine haplotypes were observed in our sample and eight were associated with at least two pigmentation traits. Such SNPs and haplotypes could be deemed as good predictors for the presence of freckles and for skin, eye and hair pigmentation in the Brazilian population.     

Examining the temporality of vitamin E acetate in illicit THC-containing e-cigarette,or vaping,products from a public health and law enforcement response to EVALI — Utah, 2018-2020

BackgroundIn the summer of 2019, e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) was detected in the United States. Multiple agencies reported illicit tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products containing vitamin E acetate (VEA) as a substance of concern.MethodsAs an expansion of the Utah Department of Health's response to EVALI, the Utah Public Health Laboratory and the Utah Department of Public Safety screened 170 products from 96 seizures between October 2018 and January 2020. Using Pearson's correlation coefficient, we analyzed the temporal correlation of national, and Utah specific case counts, and the percentage of seizures indicating VEA by month.ResultsThe findings indicate strong and significant correlations between seizures indicating VEA and both the national (r = 0.70, p = 0.002) and Utah specific (r = 0.78, p < 0.001) case counts.ConclusionThese findings underscore that VEA should not be added to e-cigarettes, or vaping, products and the importance of collaboration with law enforcement when responding to outbreaks associated with illicit substances.     

DNA transfer: Review and implications for casework

DNA-bearing cellular material can come to be present on a surface by either direct or indirect transfer. Direct transfer includes contact, but also includes activities within the vicinity of an item that may result in the transfer of DNA directly from an individual without any contact, such as speaking, coughing, and sneezing. Indirect transfer of DNA is when DNA from an individual comes to be on an item via an intermediary surface. It is important to consider indirect transfer in the evaluation of trace DNA in casework. The term ‘trace DNA’ in this review refers solely to DNA that cannot be attributed to an identifiable body fluid.This review presents and considers data from trace DNA experiments to establish whether the quantity of DNA recovered from a crime stain and/or the quality of a DNA profile obtained can be used to infer the likely mechanism of transfer. The data show that varied results are obtained from apparently similar trace DNA samples, presumably due to the many factors that affect the detection of trace DNA. The nature and effect of these varying factors and the application of the data to casework is considered generally and with specific reference to DNA transfer to skin, DNA beneath fingernails, ‘wearer DNA’, and various contamination considerations.     

Characterization of 114 insertion/deletion (INDEL) polymorphisms,and selection for a global INDEL panel for human identification

Bi-Allelic Insertions and Deletions (INDELs) are a powerful set of genetic markers for Human Identification (HID). They have certain desirable features, such as low mutation rates, no stutter, and potentially small amplicon sizes that could prove effective in some circumstances. In this study, we analyzed the distribution of 114 INDELs in four North American populations (Caucasian, African American, Southwest Hispanic, and Asian) to estimate their distribution in major global populations. Of the 114 INDELs a primary panel of 38 candidate markers was selected that met the criteria of (1) a minimum allele frequency of greater than 0.20 across the populations studied; (2) general concordance with Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) expectations; (3) relatively low F_ST based on the major populations; (4) physical distance between markers greater than 40 Mbp; and (5) a lack of linkage disequilibria between syntenic markers. Additionally, another 11 supplemental markers were selected for an expanded panel of 49 markers which met the above criteria, with the exception that they are separated at least by 20 Mbp. The resulting panels had Random Match Probabilities that were at least 10⁻¹⁶ and 10⁻¹⁹, respectively, and combined F_ST values of approximately 0.02. Given these findings, these INDELs should be useful for HID.     

DNA transfer: The role of temperature and drying time

It has previously been shown, and reconfirmed here, that biological material on a substrate will transfer readily upon contact with another substrate when wet but hardly when dry. There is however a paucity of data regarding the speed at which body fluids dry and how this may affect its transfer upon contact. Here we conduct transfer experiments at 4 °C, 22 °C and 40 °C at multiple time points during the drying process. The speed at which blood dries is dependent on the temperature, with the drying process complete within 15–60 min. The percentage of deposited DNA transferred upon contact follows an exponential pattern of decline from soon after deposition, decreasing until the sample is dry. There are no differences in transfer rates upon contact among the different temperature conditions within the first 5 min or after 60 min since deposit, but significant variation occurs between these time points. When considering the likelihood of a proposed scenario that incorporates one or more contact situations it is important to consider the timing of the potential transfer event(s) relative to when the biological sample in question was initially deposited. The results of this study will assist the interpretation and evaluation of alternative scenarios involving transfer of biological substances.     

Live birth after blastocyst transfer following only 2 days of progesterone administration in an agonadal oocyte recipient

In oocyte donation cycles where hormone replacement is given to recipients, progesterone administration is necessary to induce the luteal phase and synchronize the endometrium with the embryo stage. Most studies suggest that 5–7 days of progesterone are needed to prepare the endometrium for a day-5 embryo transfer and provide optimal implantation rate. This paper reports a case where an agonadal oocyte recipient received only 2 days of progesterone prior to the embryo transfer of a day-5 embryo. She subsequently had a clinical pregnancy and a live birth.     

Thirty autosomal insertion-deletion polymorphisms analyzed using the Investigator® DIPplex Kit in populations from Iraq,Lithuania, Slovenia,and Turkey

Thirty autosomal insertion-deletion (InDel) polymorphisms were analyzed in four populations from Iraq, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Turkey using the commercial kit Investigator® DIPplex. Genotyping issues were encountered for five of the 30 InDels. They were most probably caused by polymorphisms located in the primer binding sites. Population and forensic parameters were calculated. No significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium or significant linkage disequilibrium were detected. The observed heterozygosities ranged from 33% to 61% depending on the marker and the population. The combined probability of exclusion for the 30 markers was 99.7% in all four populations and the matching probabilities were 1 in 3–4 × 10¹² individuals. The multidimensional scaling plot drawn from F_ST distances showed a good concordance between the relative position of the 15 populations included in the plot and their geographic locations.