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Journal of Forensic Medicine

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    28 April 2020, Volume 36 Issue 2 Previous Issue    Next Issue
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    Application Prospects of Virtual Autopsy in Forensic Pathological Investigations on COVID-19
    LI Rui*, YIN Kun*, ZHANG Kai, et al.
    2020, 36(2): 149-156.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.001
    Abstract ( 587 )   PDF (932KB) ( 1608 )  
    Autopsy of patients who died of infectious diseases is of significance for public health management. Few forensic autopsies have been performed since the outbreak of the corona virus disease 2019 （COVID-19） due to some limitations, thus forensic pathological examination failed to contribute to  the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. Virtual autopsy has unique advantages in the forensic examination of patients who died of infectious diseases. Accumulated virtual autopsy image data are of great value to the study of the pathological mechanism and diagnosis of COVID-19. This article reviews the relationship between imaging changes and pathology of the COVID-19 as well as the application of virtual autopsy in autopsy of patients who died of infectious diseases, in order to provide reference for performing virtual autopsy in the outbreak of COVID-19.
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    Trial of Chloroquines in the Treatment of COVID-19 and Its Research Progress in Forensic Toxicology
    DUAN Yi-jie*, LIU Qian*, ZHAO Shu-quan, et al.
    2020, 36(2): 157-163.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.002
    Abstract ( 420 )   PDF (943KB) ( 1338 )  
    Chloroquines are the long-established prescription drug, which are often used clinically to treat malaria and connective tissue diseases. Since December 2019, corona virus disease 2019 （COVID-19） outbreaks caused by 2019 novel coronavirus （2019-nCoV） has occurred in China and many countries around the world. Due to the lack of drugs against COVID-19, the disease spreads rapidly and the mortality rate is relatively high. Therefore, specific drugs against 2019-nCoV need to be quickly screened. The antimalarial drug chloroquine phosphate which has already been approved is confirmed to have an anti-2019-nCoV effect and has been included in diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines. However, awareness of the risk of chloroquine phosphate causing acute poisoning or even death should be strengthened. The current dosage recommended in clinical treatment is larger than that in previous treatment of malaria and the period of treatment is longer. Many provinces have required close clinical monitoring of adverse reactions. This paper reviews the pharmacological effects, poisoning and toxicological mechanisms, in vivo metabolism and distribution, and forensic issues of chloroquine drugs, in order to provide help to forensic practice and clinical work.
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    Retrospective Analysis of 61 Cases of Children Died of Viral Pneumonia
    CHEN Xue-bing, DU Si-hao, LU Jian-cong, et al
    2020, 36(2): 164-168.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.003
    Abstract ( 442 )   PDF (923KB) ( 1392 )  
    Objective To retrospectively analyze the forensic pathological postmortem examination and clinical data of children who died of viral pneumonia in identification of cause of death cases and to discuss the clinical characteristics and pathological features of viral pneumonia in children, in order to provide reference to pathological diagnosis of viral pneumonia in children caused by 2019 novel coronavirus （2019-nCoV） infection. Methods Postmortem examination data from 61 cases of children whose causes of death were identified as viral pneumonia in recent years were collected from the Center of Forensic Identification, Southern Medical University. The gender, age, clinical symptoms and pathological features were comparatively analyzed. Results Among the 61 cases of children who died of viral pneumonia, most were within 2 years old （83.61%）, and a large proportion died within 2 weeks after the onset of the disease （91.80%）. Gross changes in postmortem examination included respiratory mucosal hyperemia, pleural effusion, pulmonary swelling, variegated pulmonary pleura and serosa, as well as focal pulmonary hemorrhage and pulmonary edema. A large proportion of sick children had enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes （83.61%） and thymic dysplasia （21.31%）. Histopathological changes included edema of alveoli and interstitial substance, pneumorrhagia，shedding of alveolar epithelial cells, serous and （or） fibrous exudation in the alveoli, formation of viral inclusions, formation of transparent membranes, infiltration of inflammatory cells that mainly consisted of macrophages and lymphocytes in interstitial substance and alveoli. Viral infections often affected the heart and gastrointestinal tract. Conclusion The clinical symptoms of children with viral pneumonia are difficult to notice, and because the immune systems of children are not fully developed and they have poor immunity, they can easily become severely ill and even die. Analyzing the forensic autopsies and the histopathological characteristics could provide reference for pathological diagnosis of viral pneumonia.
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    2020, 36(2): 174-175.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.005
    Abstract ( 158 )   PDF (821KB) ( 720 )  
     
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    Exploring of the Mechanism of Rib Fracture Caused by Landing on Different Parts of the Trunk after Falls from Height Using Finite Element Method
    HU Wen-hu, SHAO Yu, LI Zheng-dong, et al
    2020, 36(2): 181-186.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.007
    Abstract ( 261 )   PDF (5422KB) ( 786 )  
    Objective To study the mechanism of rib fracture caused by landing on different parts of the trunk using finite element method, and to provide some new techniques and new ideas for the reconstruction of the whole process of falls from height. Methods The finite element method was used to study the rib fracture of human security model THUMS4.0 caused by landing on different parts of the trunk. Then the model was compared with actual cases and the mechanism of rib fracture caused by falls from height was analyzed from a biomechanical point of view. Results There were some differences in the stress and strain distribution as well as the rib fracture sites when different parts touched the ground. Ribs on both sides of the body were fractured when the front of the trunk touched the ground, and the fractures were mainly located in the junction of the ribs and costal cartilage and the midaxillary line area. When the right anterior part of the trunk touched the ground, rib fracture occurred first on the side that touched the ground, and rib fractures were mainly located in the area from the right midaxillary line to the posterior axillary line, and junction of ribs on both sides and costal cartilage. When the back of the trunk touched the ground, the fracture sites were mainly located on the back of the ribs on both sides. When the right posterior part of the trunk touched the ground, multiple rib fractures were likely to occur in the parts that touched the ground. The plastic strains were mainly concentrated at the fracture sites, while the von Mises stresses were not only concentrated at the fracture sites, but also at other sites. Conclusion There are some differences in rib fracture location sites and injury mechanisms when different parts of the trunk touch the ground.
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    Relationship between Postmortem Interval and FTIR Spectroscopy Changes of the Rat Skin
    HUANG Jiao, ZHOU Yuan-yuan, DENG Kai-fei, et al.
    2020, 36(2): 187-191.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.008
    Abstract ( 232 )   PDF (1742KB) ( 719 )  
    Objective To infer postmortem interval （PMI） based on spectral changes of the dorsal skin of rats within 15 days postmortem using Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy. Methods The rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation after anesthesia, and then placed at 25 ℃ and relative humidity of 50%. The FTIR spectral data collected from the dorsal skin at PMI points were modeled with machine learning technique. Results There was no significant difference of absorption peak location among all the PMI groups but their peak intensities changed as a function of PMIs. The model for PMI estimation was constructed using partial least squares （PLS） regression, reaching a R2 of 0.92 and a root mean square error （RMSE） of 1.30 d. As shown in variable importance for projection （VIP）, four spectral bands including 1 760-1 700 cm-1, 1 660-1 640 cm-1, 1 580-1 540 cm-1 and 1 460-1 420 cm-1 were determined as important contributions to model prediction. Conclusion Application of the FTIR technique to detect postmortem spectral changes of the rat skin provides a novel proposal for PMI estimation.
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    Function of IL-33 in Wound Age Estimation of Skin Wounds in Mice
    YAO Yi HUANG Jun-jie, JIN Xin,et al.
    2020, 36(2): 192-198.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.009
    Abstract ( 253 )   PDF (6291KB) ( 767 )  
    Objective To explore the application value of interleukin-33 （IL-33） in wound age estimation in forensic practice by observing the sequential changes of IL-33 after skin wound. Methods Skin wound models were generated on the back of mice with a round file of 5 mm in diameter. Skin samples of the same size were taken from the same parts of mice in control group and injury group 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 3 d, 5 d, 7 d and 10 d after skin wound. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining method was applied to observe the morphological changes in the recovering process after skin wound. Western blotting, immunohistochemistry staining and double immunofluorescence staining methods were applied to detect the expression changes of IL-33 in the skin wound samples. Results The results of Western blotting showed that the expression of IL-33 protein decreased slightly at 3 h after skin wound, increased gradually at 6 h after skin wound, and reached the peak value at 3 d, then decreased gradually. Immunohistochemistry staining results showed that faint positive expression of IL-33 was observed in epidermis, hair follicles, sebaceous glands and dermal resident cells of the control group skin. The positive cell rate of IL-33 increased at 3 h after skin wound and reached the peak value at 3 d, then decreased gradually. The results of double immunofluorescence staining showed that the majority of IL-33 positive cells from 1 d to 3 d after wound were macrophages, while the majority of IL-33 positive cells from 5 d to 7 d after wound were myofibroblasts. In addition, the results of HE staining showed that the wound healing process of the skin wound model was consistent with the pathological development law of inflammation. Conclusion IL-33 could become a reference index for wound age estimation of skin wound in forensic practice.
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    Application of Sequential Changes of Dural Thickness and Biomechanical Parameters in Postmortem Interval Estimation
    LI Ming-jie, WANG Jie, XIA Bing, et al.
    2020, 36(2): 199-203.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.010
    Abstract ( 187 )   PDF (1948KB) ( 636 )  
    Objective To study the relations of the dural thickness and the biomechanical parameters with postmortem interval （PMI） of human cadavers, and to explore the feasibility of the two indexes used for PMI estimation. Methods Dural samples were collected at different postmortem intervals of 6 h, 12 h, 18 h, 24 h, 30 h, 36 h, 48 h, 60 h, 72 h, 84 h and 96 h, then fabricated into 4.0 cm×1.0 cm A and B test specimens. The thickness of the A test specimen was measured, and the biomechanical parameters, such as ultimate load, maximum force deformation, tensile strength, elastic modulus and fracture force, were measured. The regression equations of thickness, biomechanical parameters and PMI were fitted respectively, and the difference between the predicted value and actual measured value of PMI was verified by the verification group. The B test specimen was fixed with 10% neutral formaldehyde solution, then tissue sections were prepared to observe its morphological changes. Results From 6 h to 96 h after death, the dural thickness decreased gradually, the collagen fibers gradually changed from clear arrangement to mutual fusion, and the number of nuclei decreased gradually. The dural thickness, ultimate load, tensile strength, elastic modulus and fracture force decreased sequentially, among which the dural thickness, ultimate load, elastic modulus and fracture force had a correlation with PMI （P<0.05）. In the return test, the difference between the predicted value and actual measured value of PMI in the verification group had no statistical significance （P>0.05）. Conclusion The dural thickness, ultimate load, elastic modulus and fracture force change sequentially from 6 h to 96 h after death. The regression equation established by the relationship between the changes and PMI can be used for PMI estimation.
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    Evaluation of 3D Measuring Methods for Body Surface Damage and Scars
    WANG Jin-ming, MI Jing-ya, HU Wen-hu, et al.
    2020, 36(2): 204-209，215.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.011
    Abstract ( 219 )   PDF (1471KB) ( 640 )  
    Objective To assess the accuracy and reliability of the two 3D measuring methods, structured-light scanning and single-camera photogrammetry in forensic body surface damage and scar measurement. Methods The measuring results of 86 injuries by the ruler method, structured-light scanning and single-camera photogrammetry were compared and evaluated. The area measuring results of 13 simulated scars by the structured-light scanning, single-camera photogrammetry, Photoshop lasso pixel method and PDF reading software were compared and evaluated. The time consumed was recorded. The known specification information of the stickers was used as the standard value to compare the measuring accuracy of the ruler method, structural-light scanning and single-camera photogrammetry, and to calculate the root mean square error （RMSE）. The consistency evaluation of intraclass correlation coefficient （ICC） for the repeatability of 3 measuring results obtained by different operators and the same operator. Results The differences in results of the two 3D measuring methods and the ruler method had no statistical significance; the differences between measuring results made by the structured-light scanning, single-camera photogrammetry and PDF reading software and that of the Photoshop lasso pixel method had no statistical significance. The post-processing of the single-camera photogrammetry consumed more time than that of other methods. When the long-distance group （10-40 cm） was measured, the results obtained by the ruler method were shorter than the standard value. The RMSE value results were structured-light scanning < single-camera photogrammetry < ruler method. The ICC value intragroup and intergroup were greater than 0.99. Conclusion Both structured-light scanning and single-camera photogrammetry can be applied in recording and measuring forensic body surface damage. The former has better performance in measurement accuracy and stability, while the latter has better color performance but longer post-processing time.
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    Application of Convolutional Neural Network in Identifying Different Levels of Isokinetic Exercise Efforts
    CHEN Shao-wen, CUI Dan-ni, XIA Qing,et al.
    2020, 36(2): 210-215.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.012
    Abstract ( 130 )   PDF (1734KB) ( 570 )  
    Objective To develop a convolutional neural network （CNN） that can identify isokinetic knee exercises moment of force-time diagrams under different levels of efforts. Methods The 200 healthy young volunteers performed concentric isokinetic right knee flexion-extension reciprocating exercises with maximal effort as well as half the effort at angular velocities of 30°/s and 60°/s twice, respectively, with an interval of 45 min. The moment of force-time diagrams were collected. The 200 subjects were randomly divided into the training set （140 subjects） and the testing set （60 subjects）. The moment of force-time diagrams from subjects in the training set were used to train CNN model, and then the fully trained model was used to predict types of curves from the testing set. Random sampling of subjects along with subsequent development of models were performed 3 times. Results Under the circumstances of isokinetic knee exercises with maximal effort and half the effort, 2 400 moment of force-time diagrams were produced, respectively. Classification accuracy rates of the CNN models after the 3 trainings were 91.11%, 90.49% and 92.08%, respectively, and the average accuracy rate was 91.23%. Conclusion The CNN models developed in this study have a good effect on differentiating isokinetic moment of force-time diagrams of maximal effort exercises from those made with half the effort, which can contribute to identifying levels of efforts exerted by subjects during isokinetic knee exercises.
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    Retention Time and Ion Abundance Ratio of 8 Common Drugs （Poisons） by LC-MS/MS Qualitative Analysis#br#
    MIN Tao, LIU Shao-dan, XIN Guo-bin, et al.
    2020, 36(2): 216-222.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.013
    Abstract ( 271 )   PDF (2467KB) ( 788 )  
    Objective To investigate the maximum allowable deviations of retention time and ion abundance ratio of the 8 common drugs （poisons） from 3 categories, poisons （methamphetamine, morphine, ketamine）, benzodiazepines （estazolam, midazolam, diazepam, clonazepam） and barbiturates （phenobarbital） in blood, by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） in forensic toxicology analysis. Methods The deviations of retention time and ion abundance ratio at 7 low mass concentrations, limit of detection （LOD）, 2LOD, limit of quantitation （LOQ）, 1.5LOQ, 2LOQ, 4LOQ and 6LOQ, were tested by LC-MS/MS after liquid-liquid extraction under the conditions of two chromatographic columns and three chromatographs. Results The deviation of absolute retention time of 98.11% of 8 drugs （poisons） in the blood samples was within the range of ±0.05 min, and that of the relative retention time of 96.21% was within the range of ±0.4%. The maximum deviation of the ion abundance ratio was highly correlated with the mass concentration. When the mass concentration of drugs （poisons） was LOQ or above, more than 95% of the absolute deviation and relative deviation of the ion abundance ratio were in the range of ±25% and ±40%, respectively; when the mass concentration was below LOQ, the range could be expanded to ±35% and ±50%, respectively. Conclusion It is recommended for the determination range of the absolute retention time deviation of 8 common drugs （poisons） to be ±0.1 min and that of the relative retention time deviation to be ±1.0%. The determination range of absolute deviation of the ion abundance ratio should be ±25% when the mass concentration is LOQ or above, and the relative deviation should be ±40%. When the mass concentration is below LOQ, the deviation determination range can be expanded to ±35% and ±50%, respectively.
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    Analysis of Scores of SCL-90 of Patients with Traumatic Subdural Effusion
    XU Ya-jun, WANG Qiang, SU Li,et al.
    2020, 36(2): 223-228.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.014
    Abstract ( 245 )   PDF (1226KB) ( 872 )  
    Objective To investigate the factors affecting changes of Symptom Check List-90 （SCL-90） of patients with traumatic subdural effusion. Methods One hundred and forty-two cases of patients with traumatic subdural effusion from the Center of Forensic Identification, Wannan Medical College collected from 2007—2018 were tested with SCL-90. The differences between SCL-90 results and the national norm and the influences of gender, age, education level, the number of effusion sites and location on SCL-90 results were analyzed. Results The differences between the scores of somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, terror, paranoia and psychosis factors and total mean scores in SCL-90 of traumatic subdural effusion and that of the national norm had statistical significance （P<0.05）. The differences in depression and hostility factor scores between males and females had statistical significance （P<0.05）. The differences in compulsion, anxiety and terror factor scores and total mean scores among different age groups had statistical significance （P<0.05）. The differences in hostility, paranoia and psychosis factors among patients with different degrees of education had statistical significance （P<0.05）. The differences in depression, anxiety, hostility and terror factor scores and total mean scores among single-site group, double-site group and multi-site group had statistical significance （P<0.05）. The differences in somatization, depression and anxiety factor scores and total mean scores between the right cerebral hemisphere group and the left cerebral hemisphere group and bilateral hemisphere group had statistical significance （P<0.05）. Conclusion Traumatic subdural effusion can cause certain psychological changes, which are related to the primary trauma of arachnoid tear as well as the number and location of effusion sites. Attention should be paid to the influence of the above factors during the assessment of psychological symptoms.
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    Application of Eye Tracker in Lie Detection
    GE Fen-fen, YANG Xiao-qing, CHEN Yu-xing,et al.
    2020, 36(2): 229-232，238.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.015
    Abstract ( 655 )   PDF (1167KB) ( 1138 )  
    Objective To investigate the application value of eye tracking in lie detection. Methods The 40 subjects were randomly divided into two groups. The pupil diameter, fixation duration, points of fixation and blink frequency of the subjects in the experimental group in observing target stimulation and non-target stimulation were recorded with eye tracker after they accomplished the mock crime. The eye movement parameters of subjects in the control group were directly collected. The differences in eye movement parameters of the experimental group and the control group in observing target stimulation and non-target stimulation were analyzed by t-test. Pearson coefficient analysis of correlation between eye movement parameters that had differences was conducted. The effectiveness of eye movement parameters to distinguish between the experimental group and the control group was calculated by the receiver operator characteristic （ROC） curve. Results Participants from the experimental group had shorter average pupil diameter, longer average fixation duration and fewer fixation points （P<0.05）, but the differences in blink frequency had no statistical significance. The differences in the above indicators of the control group in observing target stimulation and non-target stimulation had no statistical significance. The average fixation duration showed a negative correlation with fixation points （r=-0.255, P<0.05）; the average fixation duration showed a negative correlation with average pupil diameter （r=-0.218, P<0.05）; the fixation points showed a positive correlation with average pupil diameter （r=0.09, P<0.05）. The area under the curve of average pupil diameter, average fixation duration and fixation points was 0.603, 0.621 and 0.580, respectively. Conclusion The average pupil diameter, average fixation duration and fixation points obtained by the eye tracker under laboratory conditions can be used to detect lies.
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    Accuracy Analysis of Distinguishing the Cooperation Degree during Image Completion Test by Eye Movement Parameters
    LIU Chao, WANG Jun-jie, LI Hao-zhe,et al
    2020, 36(2): 233-238.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.016
    Abstract ( 122 )   PDF (1217KB) ( 619 )  
    Objective To analyze the differences in accuracy of different eye movement parameters in distinguishing the cooperation and non-cooperation during image completion test of patients with mental disorders caused by craniocerebral trauma. Methods One hundred and forty cases of patients with mental disorders caused by craniocerebral trauma who took psychiatric impairment assessments were collected. The 21 pictures from “image completion” of Wechsler intelligence test were used as stimulating pictures, then divided into cooperation group and non-cooperation group according to binomial forced-choice digit memory test and expert opinions. The eye movement parameters of research subjects during completion of images were obtained by the SMI eye-tracker. The accuracy of eye movement parameters in distinguishing the cooperation or non-cooperation of patients with mental disorders caused by craniocerebral trauma in psychiatric impairment assessments were evaluated by the ROC curve. Results During the process of the image completion test, the area under curve （AUC） value of frequency of blink, frequency of fixation, pupil size, frequency of saccade, latency of saccade, average acceleration of saccade, the average and peak longitudinal velocity of saccade was above 0.5. When it comed to a specific stimulating picture, the AUC value of frequency of blink in looking at a specific stimulating picture could be above 0.8, and the AUC value of X axis diameter of pupil size could be above 0.7. Conclusion The accuracy of eye movement parameters in distinguishing the cooperation or disguise of patients with mental disorders caused by craniocerebral trauma is related with the stimulating picture. The accuracy of frequency of blink in distinguishing cooperation and non-cooperation is better than that of other eye movement parameters.
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    Application of Artificial Intelligence Automatic Diatom Identification System in Practical Cases
    ZHOU Yuan-yuan, CAO Yong-jie, YANG Yue, et al
    2020, 36(2): 239-242.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.017
    Abstract ( 261 )   PDF (2292KB) ( 691 )  
    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 98.22% and the precision of diatom identification reached 92.45%. Conclusion The artificial intelligence automatic diatom identification system is able to automatically identify diatoms, and can be used as an auxiliary tool in diatom testing in practical cases, to provide reference to drowning diagnosis.
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    Mitochondrial Damage due to Hypoxia and Its Forensic Significance
    HU Yi-kai, ZHANG Heng, XIAO Bi, et al
    2020, 36(2): 243-248.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.018
    Abstract ( 374 )   PDF (1174KB) ( 878 )  
    Mitochondria are the special organelle in eukaryotic cells. Their main functions are to synthesize energy required for cell activity by oxidative phosphorylation. Most of the oxygen absorbed by the body is consumed in the mitochondria. The precise diagnosis of mechanical asphyxia is one of the difficulties in forensic pathology practice. Forensic pathologists have been trying to find a reliable and sensitive marker for the diagnosis of mechanical asphyxia. Mitochondria are very sensitive to hypoxic environments, and the markers of mitochondrion damage can be used as a basis for the diagnosis of mechanical asphyxia. The purpose of this paper is to review the research progress on mitochondrial damage in hypoxic environments and to explore the possibility of using markers of mitochondrion damage in forensic pathological practice.
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    Research Progress on Automatic Assessment of Bone Age#br#
    ZHAN Meng-jun, ZHANG Shi-jie, CHEN Hu,et al.
    2020, 36(2): 249-255.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.019
    Abstract ( 269 )   PDF (1157KB) ( 681 )  
    Bone age is an important indicator of human growth and development, which can objectively reflect the growth level and maturity of individuals. Traditional manual bone age assessment usually compares the X-ray of the left wrist with the reference standard to obtain the corresponding bone age. This method is time-consuming and its results vary with different observers. In recent years, with the continuous development of computer science, bone age assessment has began to change from traditional manual assessment to automatic assessment. Although there has already been numerous researches on automatic bone age assessment, most of them are still in the experimental stage. This paper reviews related research and progress on automatic bone age assessment at home and abroad in recent years, in order to provide reference and research ideas for relevant researchers.
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    Progress on Copy Number Variation and Its Application in Forensic Medicine
    XU Qian-nan, ZHANG Jia-yi, LI Cheng-tao,et al.
    2020, 36(2): 256-262.  DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.02.020
    Abstract ( 253 )   PDF (1214KB) ( 901 )  
    Recently, researches on copy number variation （CNV） have extended to every field, such as etiological exploration and precise treatment of complex diseases, as well as genetic breeding and evolution. The unique genetic characteristics of CNV have made people gradually believe that it could be used as a biological genetic marker to solve related problems. With the development of detection technology, application of CNV in forensic medicine will increase gradually. In this paper, the concept and development of CNV, as well as its application in forensic medicine are summarized, to provide new ideas for the practical application of CNV in the future.
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