Dissolving bodies is a contemporary method of disposing of human remains and has been practiced throughout the years. This research article discussed the impact of readily available corrosive chemicals, such as Hydrochloric acid (HCl), Sulfuric acid (H2SO4), and Expelz™ toilet cleaner, on human bone. Unfortunately, the existing literature on this subject is scarce, with only a few studies conducted on human bones. To address this gap, we conducted an experimental analysis using human sternum bone fragments. These samples were subjected to immersion in different acids, namely HCl and H2SO4, at two concentrations (10

Extraction of best quality deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from cells or tissues is usually the first step in molecular biology. DNA or ribonucleic acid (RNA) plays a crucial role for diagnostics, forensic investigations, cloning, mutagenesis, sequencing, and epigenetics. Isolation can be done from different types of organisms like bacteria or viruses; tissues, or cells. With recent advances, it has now become possible to isolate DNA from cell free samples, where the nucleic acid present is in trace amounts. The choice of method for isolation depends on various factors including the amount and type of sample available, purity of sample and its purpose. Various studies have been conducted to compare different methods of DNA isolation. It is possible to isolate DNA, RNA, and proteins in a single step using guanidine thiocyanate and phenol. In this chapter, we have discussed the protocols of isolation of DNA and RNA and method of primer designing and phylogenetic analysis.

The growing field of soil microbial forensics provides the legal answer to how microorganisms play a crucial role in criminal investigations. It is an advanced crossdisciplinary science capable of offering significant physical evidence with considerable interest in criminal investigations, environmental crime, and counterterrorism. Microbial forensics of soil consists of different techniques to identify and evaluate microbial abundance, their complexity, and their interaction with soil and surrounding objects. The present review highlights various microbial analysis techniques such as Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, Temperature/Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis, Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis, Length Heterogeneity PCR, Phospholipid-derived fatty acids, Fluorescence in situ hybridization, Stable-isotope probing and metagenomics using nextgeneration sequencing. This article also summarises the challenges faced in soil microbial forensics, various statistical approaches, reference databases commonly used in forensic soil studies, and different methodological approaches used in forensic laboratories. Literature was studied using various online bibliographic databases like Google Scholar, Web of Science, Pub Med, Scopus, and several other search engines. Conclusive evidence generated by this paper signifies the importance of soil microbes to assist forensic scientists and researchers in selecting adequate methods to differentiate soil samples. The present comparative study concluded that targeted molecular analysis of microbes as a forensic soil typing tool has a lot of potential and should be investigated further.

The threat of a nuclear attack has increased in recent years highlighting the benefit of developing additional therapies for the treatment of victims suffering from Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS). In this work, we evaluated the impact of a PEGylated thrombopoietin mimetic peptide, JNJ-26366821, on the mortality and hematopoietic effects associated with ARS in mice exposed to lethal doses of total body irradiation (TBI). JNJ-26366821 was efficacious as a mitigator of mortality and thrombocytopenia associated with ARS in both CD2F1 and C57BL/6 mice exposed to TBI from a cobalt-60 gamma-ray source. Single administration of doses ranging from 0.3 to 1 mg/kg, given 4, 8, 12 or 24 h post-TBI (LD70 dose) increased survival by 30–90% as compared to saline control treatment. At the conclusion of the 30-day study, significant increases in bone marrow colony forming units and megakaryocytes were observed in animals administered JNJ-26366821 compared to those administered saline. In addition, enhanced recovery of FLT3-L levels was observed in JNJ-26366821-treated animals. Probit analysis of survival in the JNJ-26366821- and saline-treated cohorts revealed a dose reduction factor of 1.113 and significant increases in survival for up to 6 months following irradiation. These results support the potential use of JNJ-26366821 as a medical countermeasure for treatment of acute TBI exposure in case of a radiological/nuclear event when administered from 4 to 24 h post-TBI.

IntroductionLeiomyosarcomas (LMS) involving the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a clinically rare entity, accounting for approximately 0.5% of all adult sarcomas.Case presentationA 67-year-old male presented to the emergency department with mild back and lower abdominal pain. During the workup, a computed tomography scan without contrast showed an area of decreased attenuation within the liver adjacent to the intrahepatic IVC. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the involvement of the retro-hepatic IVC; biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of LMS. Given the location of the involvement of the retro-hepatic IVC, liver explantation was deemed necessary for adequate tumor resection. The superior extension of the tumor toward the heart necessitated Cardio-Pulmonary (CPB). The patient successfully underwent a complex surgical procedure involving liver explantation with ex vivo back-table resection of the retro-hepatic LMS, replacement of the retro-hepatic vena cava with a ringed Gore-Tex graft, liver re-implantation, and hepatic vein-atrial reconstruction under cardiopulmonary bypass. There were no intraoperative or post-op complications.DiscussionThe role of vascular reconstruction of the IVC varies depending on the level and extent of the tumor, with options ranging from primary repair, ligation, or reconstruction dictated. Surgical resection with negative margins remains the treatment of choice due to the lack of efficacy of adjuvant therapies. Importantly, liver explantation offers a chance for complete surgical resection and reconstruction. Similarly, the complex nature of the tumor necessitated a pioneering approach involving direct hepato-atrial venous anastomosis.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in which the hepatic veins were anastomosed directly to the right atrium while also replacing the native vena cava with a separate graft.

The analysis of degenerative diseases has revealed genetic heterogeneity and this appears to contribute towards an increase in the complexity of disease with influences from environmental factors. Worldwide Genetic studies have identified various common and non-synonymous alleles with AMD across the geographically distributed population. With the advancement in technology, the biological contribution of rare alleles and “Junk DNA” in AMD has been suggested. The biological significance of intronic, rare alleles, and transposons in degenerative diseases can provide the necessary information to assess the evolution of the complexity of AMD pathology.

Soil contains diverse and complex natural elements having physical, chemical, mineralogical and biological components. Soil being a transferable physical component (it can be transferred from one location to another with the help of shoes, tires, clothes, tools etc.), acts as a tool of forensic investigation to correlate a specific crime scene with criminal suspects. A variety of techniques and combinations of methods can be used to discriminate soil from different geographical locations. The present review highlights various analytical techniques (ATR-FTIR, pyGC-MS, SEM-EDX, ICP-MS/OES and XRD) for soil analysis (colour comparison, texture and particle size determination, density gradient methods and organic matter estimation) and discusses some of the famous cases solved with soil trace evidence. The objective of the present study is to provide an overview of the importance of soil as physical evidence in forensic science based on literature analysis that will help forensic scientists and researchers to select appropriate methods to discriminate different soil samples. This article reviews various analytical techniques used to differentiate soils and provides compiled information regarding soil as trace evidence in order to help academicians, researchers and forensic soil scientists.

Radiation injury will result in multiorgan dysfuntion leading to multiorgan failure. In addition to many factors such as radiation dose, dose rate, the severity of the injury will also depend on organ systems which are exposed. Here, we report the protective property of gamma tocotrienol (GT3) in total as well as partial body irradiation (PBI) model in C3H/HeN male mice. We have carried out PBI by targeting thoracic region (lung-PBI) using Small Animal Radiation Research Platform, an X-ray irradiator with capabilities of an image guided irradiation with a variable collimator with minimized exposure to non-targeted tissues and organs. Precise and accurate irradiation of lungs was carried out at either 14 or 16 Gy at an approximate dose rate of 2.6 Gy/min. Though a low throughput model, it is amenable to change the field size on the spot. No damage to other non-targeted organs was observed in histopathological evaluation. There was no significant change in peripheral blood counts of irradiated mice in comparison to naïve mice. Femoral bone marrow cells had no damage in irradiated mice. As expected, damage to the targeted tissue was observed in the histopathological evaluation and non-targeted tissue was found normal. Regeneration and increase of cellularity and megakaryocytes on GT3 treatment was compared to significant loss of cellularity in saline group. Peak alveolitis was observed on day 14 post-PBI and protection from alveolitis by GT3 was noted. In irradiated lung tissue, thirty proteins were found to be differentially expressed but modulated by GT3 to reverse the effects of irradiation. We propose that possible mode of action of GT3 could be Angiopoietin 2-Tie2 pathway leading to AKT/ERK pathways resulting in disruption in cell survival/angiogenesis.

Purpose: AMD genetic studies have revealed various genetic loci as causal to AMD pathology. We have described the genetic complexity of Indian AMD by describing the interaction of genotypes and subsequent changes in protein expression under the influence of environmental factors. This can be utilized to enhance the diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy in AMD patients. Design: Genotype association was studied in 464 participants (AMD = 277 & controls = 187) for eight genetic variants and their corresponding protein expression Methods: SNP analysis and protein expression analysis was carried out in AMD and controls in tandem with longitudinal assessment of protein levels during the course of AMD pathology. ANCOVA and contrast analysis were used to examine the genotypic interactions and corresponding alterations in protein levels. In order to identify the important genetic variants Logistic Regression (LR) modeling was carried out and to authenticate the model Area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUROC) were also computed. Results: We have found genetic variants of rs5749482 (TIMP-3), rs11200638 (HTRA1), rs769449 (APOE) and rs6795735 (ADAMTS9) to be associated with AMD, concomitant with significant alterations of studied proteins levels. Analysis also revealed that the genetic interaction between APOE-HTRA1 genotypes and changes in LIPC levels (> 6 pg/ug) by one unit change in SNP, play a crucial role in AMD. LR model suggested that the seven factors (including both genetic and environmental) can be utilized to predict the AMD cases with 88% efficacy and 95.6% AUROC. Conclusion: Results suggest that diagnostic and therapeutic strategy for Indian AMD must include estimation of genetic interaction and concomitant changes in expression levels of proteins under influence of environmental factors.

Introduction: Handwriting is a complex process. It needs a lot of efforts and practice to learn. It is executed by fingers, hand, wrist, forearm, arm, and brain. No two people can compose precisely the same.

DNA level similarities within the human race may have far-reaching consequences, but environment is a major factor determining the final outcome of genetics. It is therefore mostly agreed that individual population study should be an integral part of any major research programme. Asia is the most populated continent on Earth, and with the immense diversity that it holds, it is essential to identify unique patient populations for efficient genetic eye research. Consanguineous marriages are common in many Asian countries, and their consequences hold prevalence in the field of medical genetics. Novel ocular pathways have been suggested by ocular genetic conditions thus far unique to the region. Population-specific genetic intervention is important for better diagnosis and management of eye diseases. Each population is accompanied by a unique patient data set and needs elaborate and well divided study. Area wise description of patient population in Asia for genetic eye research has been provided in the following chapter.

In the field of forensic dentistry, various radiographic techniques have been used for age estimation. The coronal pulp cavity index (CPCI) indicates a reduction in the pulp chamber with age as a result of secondary dentin deposition. The study was conducted on 416 radiovisiographs (RVGs) with the aim to correlate CPCI with chronological age. Digital dental radiographs of four teeth from every subject were taken after written consent. Teeth selected for RVGs in the present study were maxillary canine, maxillary second premolar, mandibular canine, and mandibular first premolar. Two linear measurements were taken for each tooth: one was the tooth crown height (CH) and the second was the coronal pulp height (CPH). Coronal pulp cavity index was calculated for each tooth. Data was statistically analyzed. ANOVA was used to show the strength of the relation between CPCI and chronological age. This study represents the first pilot investigation of this method in a Haryana population. A strong negative linear relationship was found between CPCI and chronological age. Age of an individual can be estimated with a good degree of accuracy using population and sex-specific regression equations. The maxillary second premolar was reported as the most reliable indicator of age in both males as well as females.

IntroductionIn the field of forensic science, identification of the unknown is the primary task to be done by forensic experts. Age assessment is one of the most important biological parameters of identification. The durability of teeth makes them one of the most suitable evidence for age estimation.AimThe present study was performed to develop and validate new teeth specific multiple regression models for age estimation based on Kvaal’s modified measurements (KMM) and to check whether this approach leads to statistically comparable and reproducible results or not.Material and MethodSample comprised of 1280 RVGs of 4 teeth per subject (maxillary canine, maxillary second premolar, mandibular canine, and mandibular first premolar) collected from 320 individuals (160 males and 160 females) having the age range 15–54 years. Thirteen radiographic measurements (3 vertical and 10 horizontal) were performed on all radiographs using computer-aided software (Adobe Photoshop). Various ratios from these vertical as well as horizontal measurements were calculated. These ratios were subjected to multiple regressions. Developed multiple regression models were validated for their accuracy on a different set of 80 RVGs obtained from another 20 subjects of known age. Comparative analysis was done to check the difference between the mean chronological age and estimated age.ResultsIt was found that the pulpal width showed a better correlation with the chronological age when contrasted with vertical ratios. The concordance correlation coefficient was used to check the intraobserver reproducibility of measurements. The multiple regression models were established. The determination coefficients (r2) of the models for all the studied tooth varies from 0.331 to 0.631 with SEE varies from 6.27 to 7.89 years. Results of the present study suggested a significant negative correlation between chronological age and variables. Maxillary second premolar demonstrated the most noteworthy value of r2.ConclusionThe results of the present study give an inference for the feasibility of this technique. Our study indicates that the width measurements are age-dependent variable in adults as these ratios showed a better correlation with age. High resolution of RVGs has improved the age estimation error rate.

Background: Dental age estimation methods are one of the most advocated and widely accepted approaches in forensic anthropology. Aim: This is an analytical study to assess pulp/tooth area ratio of 2 maxillary and 2 mandibular monoradicular teeth and to correlate pulp/tooth area ratio with chronological age. Methodology: The study was performed on a sample of 480 Radiovisiographs (RVGs) of subjects having the age range from 15-54 years. Two radiographic measurements were done on each radiograph with the help of imaging software Adobe Photoshop, CS6. One is pulp area (PA) and another one is tooth area (TA). The ratio of pulp/tooth area (PA/TA) was calculated and tabulated in Microsoft excel sheet. Data was analyzed using statistical software. Findings: One way ANOVA was done to compare mean PA/TA ratio amongst all the selected teeth. The inter-group comparison of mean PA/TA ratio was done using the Post-hoc bonferroni test. Significant negative correlation of age with PA/TA ratio was reported for the over-all sample. The mean PA/TA was significantly more among maxillary 2nd premolar in comparison to maxillary canine. Conclusion: Present study is an attempt to correlate the chronological age with pulp/tooth area ratio using monoradicular teeth only. The study can be further carried out using monoradicular as well as multiradicular teeth on a larger sample size

Forensic odontology nowadays became a developing science and is of fantastic importance to society. It's necessary that dental practitioners must have knowledge of forensics. The aim of study was to evaluate the present status of consciousness of forensics among the dental practitioners of Rohtak city and surrounding areas. Study was conducted among 100 randomly selected dentists practicing in Rohtak and the surrounding areas. Data was collected in a custom fashion by way of a questionnaire comprising 21 questions regarding knowledge of forensic dentistry. 36.5% of the dental practitioners don't have a notion that DNA analysis can be performed from tooth pulp, about 85% dental practitioners were not aware that they might testify as a professional witness at the court of law enforcement. Ninety six percent practitioners haven't managed any forensic case during their practice. The number of dentists having an instruction for the collection, preservation and presentation of dental evidence in court is even less than 1 percent. It had been concluded from the analysis that dental practitioners from the Rohtak along with other surrounding areas don't possess the adequate knowledge of forensic odontology.

Introduction: Age estimation of adult individuals represents an important part of forensic anthropology, forensic medicine, forensic osteology, and forensic dentistry. Teeth proved to be a perfect anatomical tool for age estimation. The study was performed with aim to evaluate the coronal pulp cavity index (CPCI) using radiographic approach and to correlate the CPCI with the real age, i.e. chronological age of the individuals. Material and Methods: CPCI was radiographically evaluated using radiovisiographs (RVGs) of 320 individuals (160 males and 160 females) having age range of 15-54 years. The sample comprised of 1280 RVGs of 4 teeth per individual (maxillary canine, maxillary second premolar, mandibular canine, and mandibular first premolar). Two radiographic measurements were performed on all radiographs. One is coronal pulp height and another one is height of crown (coronal height). CPCI for each radiograph was calculated and correlated with the chronological age of the study individuals using statistical software SPSS (Version 21). Results: Intra-observer agreement of CPCI measurements was almost perfect. The accuracy of regression models, when applied to different set of radiograph samples, was within acceptable range of differences in the forensic anthropology. Discussion and Conclusions: All the selected teeth showed a strong negative correlation with the chronological age. However, all selected teeth do not have equal applicability for age estimation suggesting that further evaluation on different samples for teeth specific regression models for age estimation.