DOCSLIB.ORG

Forensic and Autopsy Microbiology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Forensic and Autopsy Microbiology The role of microbiology in forensic science and post-mortem examinations: a special focus on molecular diagnosis Amparo Fernández©- Rodríguezby author Microbiology Laboratory, Biology Service InstitutoESCMID Nacional Online de Toxicología Lecture Library y Ciencias Forenses (INTCF), Madrid, Spain Glamorous forensic medicine is in the media © by author ESCMID Online Lecture Library © by author ESCMID Online Lecture Library At the same time… The existing paradigm of clinical microbiology is changing For more than 100 years, physicians have relied on isolation and characterization of bacteria to understand disease and develop both patient- specific treatment plans Koch’s postulates link specific microorganisms to specific diseases that remain today the “gold standard” in medical microbiology Isolation of a pathogen microorganism in pure culture from a patient: association with infectious disease © by author However, clinical microbiology laboratories are increasingly moving away from primary isolation of pathogensESCMID to culture independent Online diagnostic testingLecture (CIDT)… Library …CIDT provides multipathogen diagnostic panels with remarkably brief turn-around times. Clinical laboratories are increasingly using CIDT methods and are less likely to conduct primary isolation Autopsy microbiology Determining the cause of death Or predisposing factors to death Applications in forensic / clinical pathology Main goals of forensic microbiology ©Is there by aauthor crime? Attribution: who committed a crime? ComparisonESCMID of strains isolated Online in a victim Lecture to those associated Library with the assailant “Autopsies tell communities why people are dying. Take for example West Nile Virus. When eight New Yorkers died of brain infections in 1999, most everyone assumed they had a common virus. But New York City's medical examiners insisted on autopsies. And, what do you know, they discovered the first U.S. cases of West Nile Virus.” © by author ESCMID Online Lecture Library Something is moving… 2014: Huge number of articles regarding forensic & autopsy microbiology © by author ESCMID Online Lecture Library © by author ESCMID Online Lecture Library Mycological examination of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts in newborn from the forensic medicine‘s point of view. DOSA A. Kiserl Orvostud. 1958 Feb;10(1):1-10. Hungarian. No abstract available. Role of the forensic microbiologist: STI Medico-legal issues On people Person to person STI in Other transmission of children biocrimes Environment infection Bioterrorism Other infections Infants Natural deaths: sudden-unexpected Transplantation Children Paleomicrobiology Forensic Malpractice Adults Microbiologist Judicial complaint Outbreaks © by author investigations Crime scene Violent death ESCMIDTiming the investigation Online Lecture LibraryDrowning death Identification Tracing the purposes perpetrator Forensic microbiology today Water and food Clinical Molecular Environmental microbiology analyses microbiology Soil Plants © by author With the support of other sciences: ESCMID Epidemiology Online LectureForensic Pathology Library Bio-Statistics Biogenetics: Phylogenia Forensic science: Special requirements Contamination© by author issues Preventive measures at the crime scene and autopsy ESCMID Online Lecture Library Chain of custody In developing countries: Causes of death unknown The Problem of Mortality Statistics in Resource Poor Settings: The Upsurge of the Verbal Autopsy © by author ESCMID Online Lecture Library In developed countries Feb. 22, 2010 – “Every year, 48,000 Americans die of infections they caught while in the hospital -- and that's a conservative estimate, a new study finds”. We know what happen in hospitals… Or we don’t? The Vanishing Nonforensic Autopsy Kaveh G. Shojania, M.D., and Elizabeth C. Burton, M.D. N Engl J Med 358;9 february 28, 2008 “Autopsies are performed after less than 10% of all U.S. deaths. At the majority of nonacademic institutions, few or no autopsies are ever performed”. Proposed © by author alternatives minimally invasive postmortem ESCMID Online Lectureless accurate? Library investigations, such as needle specialized resources or personnel biopsy or endoscopy, and radiology Statistics talk about less clinical autopsies What about deaths out of the hospital? 16% unexpected deaths in young people: infectious origin “Most deaths occurred out of hospital. Approximately one- third of the subjects © by author were found dead in bed.” ESCMID Online Lecture Library Sudden unexpected deaths Need of molecular analyses Emerging Infectious Diseases • www.cdc.gov/eid • Vol. 22, No. 3, March 2016 11 (42%) of 26 fatal cases had been misdiagnosed or undiagnosed and were reclassified as IMD after rPCR showed meningococcal DNA in all available specimens PCR: taken postmortem. © by authorrespiratory tract central nervous system ESCMID Online ValidationLecture to use it in fixed Library tissues from post- mortem samples Outbreaks forensic studies: survivors and deceased First outbreak of a GAS disease in a child day-care centre in Spain © by author PFGE FoodESCMID-borne outbreaks Online Lecture Library NGS: complete genome 100 Salmonella Bareilly • 2011/12: Outbreak in US • Isolates from natural sources, and from unrelated historically and geographically disparate foods. • Pathogen genomes were© by linked author to geography • Phylogenetic analysis of WGS data revealed a common originESCMID for outbreak Online strains: Lecture Library • Patients in Maryland and New York were infected from sources originating at a facility in India. Food-borne Outbreaks PulseNet • CDD: Plans are underway to transition to routine Whole Genome Sequencing for Shiga toxin– producing E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter FDA Foods Program: © by authorGenomeTrakr WGS network and database >12000 food-borne pathogens publically ESCMID Online Lecture Libraryavailable Using Genomics to Identify the Source of an Outbreak • WGS is a precise forensic tool • coupled with epidemiological analysis, enables new opportunities to investigate outbreaks • Tracing global food© -byborne author contamination events back to their source. ESCMID Online Lecture Library Violent death Is that one a violent death or a natural one? Clinical-forensic microbiology Assessing bacterial markers of water the cause of faecal pollution: © by author faecal coliforms death and faecal Timing the streptococci Drowning death Also AeromonasESCMID Online Lecture Library Quantification of 3 intestinal bacterial genera by quantitative PCR (qPCR) group- specific primers targeting 16S rRNA genes • Bacteroides and Lactobacillus relative abundances declined exponentially with increasing PMI • Bifidobacterium did© not by change author significantly: BacteroidesESCMID and Online Lactobacillus Lecture abundances Library could be used as quantitative indicators of PMI. Crime attribution: linking the assailant with the victim &/or the crime scene Sexual Assault: STI Bioterror: Identifying strains Identifying the type of Tracing the fluid: microbioma perpetrator © by author Environmental Fungi matching Soils Microbial ESCMID OnlineComparison Lecture Library Forensic genetics Crime scene investigation Identification of biological fluids: semen, blood stains, saliva, vaginal fluid Human Identification: Aproximately 10 pg nuclear DNA Mixtures female/male 40/1 © by author ESCMIDMicrobial Online Forensics Lecture applications Library? Identifying the type of fluid In the context of forensic casework, inferring the type(s) of cell material present in an evidentiary sample is only of value when accompanied by information regarding the possible donor of the cells © by author ESCMID Online Lecture Library Identifying the type of fluid Human microRNA markers PCR DNA Metilation Pattern of bacteria characteristic of vaginal fluid © by author ESCMID Online Lecture Library Real-time PCR panel for Species of Lactobacillus Microarray analysis of a sample: to detect multiple species from various genera Probes for species: (1) only detected in vaginal samples (2) detected in all or the majority of vaginal samples (3) less common in vaginal samples© but by frequently author found on other body sites. It will render a microbial flora pattern that is probably best analysed in a probabilisticESCMID approach Online resulting Lecture in support Library for hypothesis A or B (body site A versus B). The salivary microbiome for differentiating individuals: proof of principle • Potential for bacteria found in the salivary microbiome to be used to differentiate individuals. • Combination of 16S rRNA + rpoB: to maximise coverage of the salivary microbiome increasing the power of differentiation (identification). • Streptococcus, (Firmicutes), one of the most abundant aerobic genera found in saliva and targeting Streptococcus rpoB • Samples from the same person© group by together author regardless of time of sampling. It is ESCMIDpossible to distinguishOnline Lecture two people Library using the bacterial microbiota present in their saliva • Microbial communities show unique structure and composition based on surface type, the identity of the person interacting with the surface, and geographic location. • It is possible to infer individual identities based on the microbial community associated with their smart phone surface © by author • it is less likely that this assemblage could be used to track where that person has been recently located in space due to theESCMID rapid turnover Online of the surface Lecture-associated Library microbial
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sleuths BEHIND the Scenes for PATHOLOGISTS, the UNUSUAL IS the USUAL
    ON THE COVER sleuths BEHIND THE scenes FOR PATHOLOGISTS, THE UNUSUAL IS THE USUAL. BY HOWARD BELL ennifer Boland’s path to pathology began during her sec- ond year of medical school at Washington University in St. Louis. Boland would take study breaks by looking at Jspecimen slides and images, learning to identify them. “Pathology is a visual science. I found it more enjoyable than memorizing notes,” she recalls. After a surgical pathology elective during her clinical rotations, she was hooked. “In medicine it can be hard to find the field you love,” says Boland, who is now a pathologist at Mayo Clinic. “I was lucky enough to find it.” Boland began practicing at Mayo three years ago, after com- pleting a pathology residency as well as pulmonary and surgical pathology fellowships there. She specializes in pulmonary and bone and soft-tissue pathology. Her particular expertise is in lung and chest sarcomas. “They’re a rare and interesting set of tumors,” she says. “Very few are diagnosed in this country each year.” Like many Mayo pathologists, she spends about half her time evaluating specimens from around the world for Mayo Medical Laboratories and the other half evaluating specimens from Mayo patients. Depending on case complexity, she evaluates around 25 to 50 specimens each day. “I like the mystery-solving of pathol- ogy,” she says. Boland is one of 332 pathologists who practice in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. Often thought of as either white-coated geeks hunched over microscopes or sexy swashbucklers who spend more time solving crimes than analyzing specimens (thanks to TV), pathologists 20 | MINNESOTA MEDICINE | OCTOBER 2014 ON THE COVER OCTOBER 2014 | MINNESOTA MEDICINE | 21 ON THE COVER are sleuths working behind the scenes to ogy, Boland says, adding that many don’t years for neuropathology).
    [Show full text]
  • Medicolegal Death Investigation Forensic Pathology: Forensic
    Medicolegal Death Investigation Forensic Pathology: Forensic pathology is a specific practice of medicine and subspecialty of pathology that directs its efforts to the examination of dead persons (and sometimes live persons) to provide an opinion concerning the: • cause, mechanism, and manner of disease, injury, or death; • identification of persons; • significance of biological and physical evidence; • correlation and/or reconstruction of wounds, wound patterns, and sequences. Forensic pathology is an integral component of comprehensive medicolegal death investigation. Forensic pathology applies techniques of pathology to the needs and protection of public health, Homeland Security (surveillance and mass disaster operations), public safety, quality assurance, education in medicine, research, jurisprudence, and the administration of justice. The highest goal of forensic pathology is the development of strategies to prevent injury, disease, and death. Forensic Pathologists: Forensic pathologists should be physicians specially trained in forensic pathology and board-certified by the American Board of Pathology or a non- USA trained pathologist with equivalent certification. The practicing forensic pathologist is licensed as a physician in one or more states and is skilled in conducting death investigations, interpreting injuries in both fatal and non-fatal cases, performing medicolegal examinations, determining disease/injury causation to an appropriate degree of medical certainty, and determining cause and manner of death. Forensic pathologists
    [Show full text]
  • Forensic Biology 205 Administration Building • 419-372-2015
    Fall 2020 Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science Specialization in Forensic Biology 205 Administration Building • 419-372-2015 BG Perspective (BGP) Requirements FSCI Major Core Requirements (38 Hrs.) Must complete at least 1 course in each of the following: Hrs Grade English Composition and Oral Communication 4 BIOL 2040 Concepts in Biology I Course Credits 4 BIOL 2050 Concepts in Biology II 4 BIOL 3310 Human Anatomy & Physiology Quantitative Literacy 4 BIOL 3320 Human Anatomy & Physiology II _____________________________ ________ 3 CHEM 1770 Intro to Forensic Science 3 CRJU 4400 Law, Evidence, & Procedures in Must Complete at least 2 courses in each of the following: Forensic Science Humanities and the Arts 3 CRJU 4510 Criminal Justice Ethics 3 MATH 2470 Fund. of Statistics 5 PHYS 2010 or 2110 University Physics I 5 PHYS 2020 or 2120 University Physics II Natural Sciences - at least one Lab Science required FSCI Forensic Biology Specialization Requirements (16 hrs.) Social and Behavioral Sciences 4 BIOL 3500 Genetics 3 BIOL 4080 Molecular Biology 3 BIOL 4230 OR FSCI 4230 Forensic Biology Complete total required BGP credit hours by selecting courses from any 3 BIOL 4240 OR FSCI 4240 Forensic DNA Analysis of the above categories: 3 FSCI 4890 Internship OR FSCI 4990 Capstone Additional Requirements (25-26 Hrs.) These courses also fulfill the requirements for a minor in chemistry. Consult with an advisor about declaring the minor. University Requirements Designated courses in Humanities and the Arts and the Social and Behavorial Sciences
    [Show full text]
  • Cognitive Human Factors and Forensic Document Examiner Methods and Procedures Author(S): Mara L
    The author(s) shown below used Federal funding provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to prepare the following resource: Document Title: Cognitive Human Factors and Forensic Document Examiner Methods and Procedures Author(s): Mara L. Merlino, Chandler Al Namer, Taleb Al Namer, La’Quida Smith, Veronica Blas Dahir, Charles Edwards, Derek L. Hammond Document Number: 254581 Date Received: March 2020 Award Number: 2015-DN-BX-K069 This resource has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. This resource is being made publically available through the Office of Justice Programs’ National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Cognitive Human Factors and Forensic Document Examination Methods and Procedures 1 Cognitive Human Factors and Forensic Document Examiner Methods and Procedures Final Summary Overview NIJ Award Number 2015-DN-BX-K069 Principal Investigator: Mara L. Merlino Research Assistants: Chandler Al Namer, Taleb Al Namer, La’Quida Smith Kentucky State University Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 Subaward Principal Investigator: Veronica Blas Dahir Research Assistants: Charles Edwards University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada 89557 Expert Consultant: Derek L. Hammond U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory Forest Park, Georgia Acknowledgements: Bryan J. Found, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department Adrian Dyer, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Kentucky State University: Piarre Easley, Robert Olson University of Nevada, Reno: Mauricio Alvarez, J. Guillermo Villalobos, Denise Schaar Buis, Emily Wood, Chris Swinger, Chris Sanchez, Katherine Caufield Submitted to the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Curated Materials
    PATHOLOGY RESOURCES TO DOWNLOAD Looking for more information or mentorship in Pathology? Send an email to: [email protected] for announcements on future pathology open houses hosted by the APC! QUICK LINKS TO DOWNLOAD: PDF RESOURCES WITH MORE LINKS! • Follow Pathology & Pathologists: www.dropbox.com/s/olq2dvuptrxcgli/Pathology_People%2BOrganizations.pdf?dl=0 • Watch Pathology Videos: www.dropbox.com/s/jor8en7g1y4soaf/Pathology_VideosToWatch.pdf?dl=0 • Free Memberships & Awards: www.dropbox.com/s/6erz3nh2ndngi16/Pathology_StudentOpportunities.pdf?dl=0 OTHER DOWNLOADABLE PDF RESOURCES ABOUT PATHOLOGY • Top 5 Pathology Myth Busted Flier (cap.org) https://documents.cap.org/documents/pathology-five-myths-busted-flier.pdf • Pathology 101 for Medical Students (cap.org) https://documents.cap.org/documents/pathology-101-for-medical-students.pdf • Overview of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology (cap.org) https://documents.cap.org/documents/overview-anatomic-clinical-pathology-medical-students.pdf • The Road to Becoming a Biomedical Physician Scientist (asip.org) www.asip.org/ASIP/assets/file/careers/TheRoad.pdf SALARIES, JOB MARKET, WORKFORCE TRENDS, AND CAREERS IN PATHOLOGY From APC’s Journal – Academic Pathology • Pathology: A Satisfying Medical Profession: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2374289516661559 • Opportunity: Newly Created Physician-Scientist Research Pathway by the American Board of Pathology: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2374289516632240 • The Pathology Workforce and Clinical Licensure: The Role of the PhD Clinical Laboratorian in the United States: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2374289518775948 • Entry of Graduates of US Pathology Residency Programs Into the Workforce: Cohort Data Between 2008 and 2016 Remain Positive and Stable: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2374289520901833 From ASCP’s Magazine – The Pathologist • Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Forensic Pathology Large Coroner Offices Function Similar to a and the Type of Cases That Will Be Not Just for Popular TV Shows Medical Examiner Office
    Victor Weedn forensic pathologists, and in some states, on coroners, who often lack training Health & Medicine ︱ coroners are appointed. Typically, a and need not heed the advice of the coroner is not a licensed physician and medical examiner. cannot perform an autopsy, so they act as medicolegal death investigators – HOW RELEVANT ARE but they retain the legal ability to sign MEDICOLEGAL DEATH the death certificate. All coroners are INVESTIGATIONS TODAY? county-based and most are rural. A few State statutes define the type of system Forensic pathology large coroner offices function similar to a and the type of cases that will be Not just for popular TV shows medical examiner office. investigated. Most deaths are natural and wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Norris_(medical_examiner) the patient’s doctor will certify the death Medical examiner’s offices are headed without the need for investigation, but Forensic pathology is one orensic pathology is not your implementation of collapsible steering by board-certified forensic pathologist deaths that are not under the care of a of the most exciting and average medical specialty. Made wheel columns. professionals. Forensic pathology requires physician often require a comprehensive fascinating specialties in all of Fpopular by crime scene investigation Charles Norris was the 1st Chief Medical Examiner more training and education than a family medicolegal death investigation for medicine. Dr Victor W. Weedn, TV shows over the decades, from Quincy, THE ORIGINS OF of the City of New York, in office 1918–1935. practitioner. Medical examiner offices may accurate designation of cause and Chief Medical Examiner for M.E. in the 1970s to Coroner in 2019, the FORENSIC PATHOLOGY be at city, county, regional, or state level.
    [Show full text]
  • Associate of Science to B.S. in Forensic Biology
    Guilford College Bi-Lateral Transfer Agreement Proposal Guilford Technical Community College ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE TO B.S. IN FORENSIC BIOLOGY GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOUNDATIONS ENGL 102 ENG 111 = ENGL 102 (3T) Historical Perspectives ENG 112 = ENGL 150 + HIST 131 = HIST 103 (6T) Foreign Language SPA 111 = SPAN 101 (3T) Quantitative Literacy MAT 152 = MATH 112 (4T) EXPLORATIONS – BREADTH Arts MUS 110 = MUS 111 (3T) Business and Policy Studies BUS 110= BUS 120 (3T) Humanities ENG 232 = ENGL 226 (3T) Natural Science BIO 112 = BIOL 112 (4T) Social Science ECO 251=ECON 222 (3T) EXPLORATIONS – CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES Intercultural REL 110 = REL 150 (3T) Social Justice/Environmental Responsibility PHI 240= PHIL 111 (3T) Diversity in the U.S. ENG 232 = ENGL 226 INTERDISCIPLINARY CAPSTONE COURSE IDS 400-level One approved Guilford course MAJOR: FORENSIC BIOLOGY BIO 111 = BIOL 111 Int. Biol.: Molecules & Cells (4T) BIOL 245 Introduction to Forensic Science BIOL 246 Forensic Chemistry BIOL 313 Cell Biology BIOL 341 Human Anatomy and Physiology I Two courses from: BIOL 115 General Botany BIOL 342 Human Anatomy and Physiology II BIOL 434 Biochemistry BIOL 443 Genetics CHM 151=CHEM 111 Chemical Principles I (4T) CHM 152=CHEM 112 Chemical Principles II (4T) PHYS 211 College Physics I PHYS 212 College Physics II One course from MATH 115 Elementary Functions MATH 271=MATH 121 (4T) MATH 122 Calculus II MATH 123 Accelerated Calculus ELECTIVES: MAT 172 = MATH 150 (4T) PED 110= SPST 109 (2T) ACA 122= GST 150 (1T) One Guilford elective at 4 credit hours One Guilford elective at 4 credit hours One Guilford elective at 4 credit hours One Guilford elective at 3 credit hours Students must satisfy all General Education, major, and minor requirements and complete a minimum of 128 credits with at least a “C” (2.0) average in order to earn a baccalaureate degree.
    [Show full text]
  • BIOLOGY (Forensic Science Concentration), B.S. 40 Courses of Three Or More Credits and 3 One-Credit PE Courses
    Name: ______________________________________ BIOLOGY (Forensic Science Concentration), B.S. 40 courses of three or more credits and 3 one-credit PE courses GENERAL EDUCATION CORE MAJOR BASIC REQUIREMENTS (2 courses and 3 one- (16 required courses) credit PE courses) Composition and Rhetoric BI 151: Introductory Biology I EN 103 Composition and Rhetoric I BI 152: Introductory Biology II EN 104 Composition and Rhetoric II BI 255: Molecular Biology Physical Education Courses BI 330: Genetics PE 100 BI/CH 305: Forensic Toxicology PE ____ BI 355: Human Structure and Function I PE ____ BI 356: Human Structure and Function II BI 455: Research Seminar MODES OF THINKING (3 courses) CH 101: General Chemistry I Literature (Select one) CH 102: General Chemistry II EN 110, EN 112, EN 115 CH 231: Organic Chemistry I Mathematics (Satisfied by Major – MA 121) CH 232: Organic Chemistry II Natural Science (Satisfied by Major) MA 121: Calculus I Philosophy MA 122: Calculus II PL 109 PH 201: Gen. Phys. I: Mechanics and Heat Social Sciences (Satisfied by Required PH 202: Gen. Phys. II: Wave Phenomena and Electives) Electromagnetism CULTURAL LITERACY (6 courses) Humanities I and II. Preferably select a set (e.g., REQUIRED ELECTIVES HI 201/202). However, a combination (e.g., PO (6 courses) 201 + HI 214) is acceptable. Hum. I: HI 201, PO 201, HI 213 CJ 109: Crime and Society Hum. II: HI 202, PO 202, HI 214, HI 262 CJ 208: Crime Lab Humanities III: Great Works of Art & Music CJ 260: Law Enforcement (See Master Schedule of Day Classes) CJ 360: Forensics and Criminal
    [Show full text]
  • Forensic Entomology: the Use of Insects in the Investigation of Homicide and Untimely Death Q
    If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. Winter 1989 41 Forensic Entomology: The Use of Insects in the Investigation of Homicide and Untimely Death by Wayne D. Lord, Ph.D. and William C. Rodriguez, Ill, Ph.D. reportedly been living in and frequenting the area for several Editor’s Note weeks. The young lady had been reported missing by her brother approximately four days prior to discovery of her Special Agent Lord is body. currently assigned to the An investigation conducted by federal, state and local Hartford, Connecticut Resident authorities revealed that she had last been seen alive on the Agency ofthe FBi’s New Haven morning of May 31, 1984, in the company of a 30-year-old Division. A graduate of the army sergeant, who became the primary suspect. While Univercities of Delaware and considerable circumstantial evidence supported the evidence New Hampshin?, Mr Lordhas that the victim had been murdered by the sergeant, an degrees in biology, earned accurate estimation of the victim’s time of death was crucial entomology and zoology. He to establishing a link between the suspect and the victim formerly served in the United at the time of her demise. States Air Force at the Walter Several estimates of postmortem interval were offered by Army Medical Center in Reed medical examiners and investigators. These estimates, Washington, D.C., and tire F however, were based largely on the physical appearance of Edward Hebert School of the body and the extent to which decompositional changes Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland. had occurred in various organs, and were not based on any Rodriguez currently Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role and Impact of Forensic Evidence in the Criminal Justice System, Final Report
    The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and prepared the following final report: Document Title: The Role and Impact of Forensic Evidence in the Criminal Justice System, Final Report Author: Tom McEwen, Ph.D. Document No.: 236474 Date Received: November 2011 Award Number: 2006-DN-BX-0095 This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federally- funded grant final report available electronically in addition to traditional paper copies. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Institute for Law and Justice, Inc. 1219 Prince Street, Suite 2 Alexandria, Virginia Phone: 703-684-5300 The Role and Impact of Forensic Evidence in the Criminal Justice System Final Report December 13, 2010 Prepared by Tom McEwen, PhD Prepared for National Institute of Justice Office of Justice Programs U.S. Department of Justice This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • A Simplified Guide to DNA Evidence Introduction
    A Simplified Guide To DNA Evidence Introduction The establishment of DNA analysis within the criminal justice system in the mid-1980s revolutionized the field of forensic science. With subsequent refinement of DNA analysis methods in crime laboratories, even minute amounts of blood, saliva, semen, skin cells or other biological material may be used to develop investigative leads, link a perpetrator or victim to a crime scene, or confirm or disprove an account of the crime. Because of the accuracy and reliability of forensic DNA analysis, this evidence has also become an invaluable tool for exonerating individuals who have been wrongfully convicted. The successes of DNA evidence in criminal trials has captured more than headlines, however—it has captured the public’s imagination as well. Jurors now increasingly expect DNA evidence to be presented in a wider array of cases, even when other types of evidence may be more valuable to the investigation. Principles of DNA Evidence DNA is sometimes referred to as a “genetic blueprint” because it contains the instructions that govern the development of an organism. Characteristics such as hair color, eye color, height and other physical features are all determined by genes that reside in just 2% of human DNA. This portion is called the coding region because it provides the instructions for proteins to create these features. The other 98% of human DNA is considered non- coding and the scientific community has only recently begun to identify its functions. Forensic scientists, however, use this non-coding DNA in criminal investigations. Inside this region of DNA are unique repeating patterns that can be used to differentiate one person from another.
    [Show full text]
  • DUKE UNIVERSITY School of Medicine Pathologists' Assistant
    DUKE UNIVERSITY School of Medicine Pathologists’ Assistant Program Department of Pathology Academic Programs The Department of Pathology at Duke University offers a wide array of training programs to fit individual requirements and goals. The Residency Training program is an ACGME approved program and is available as an Anatomic Pathology/Clinical Pathology combined program, a shorter Anatomic Pathology only program, or an Anatomic Pathology/Neuropathology program. Subspecialty fellowships in Cytopathology, Dermatopathology, Hematopathology, Medical Microbiology, and Neuropathology are also ACGME approved. These programs provide the highest quality of graduate medical education by drawing on the depth and breadth of faculty expertise in the Department in all aspects of anatomic and clinical pathology and the availability of a wide variety of often complex clinical cases seen at Duke University Health System. For medical students interested in a career in Pathology predoctoral fellowships, internships and externships are available. Research Training in Experimental pathology can be obtained through Pre- and postdoctoral fellowships of one to five years. All predoctoral fellows are candidates for the Ph.D. degree in pathology. The Ph.D. is optional in postdoctoral programs, which provide didactic and research training in various aspects of modern experimental pathology. A two year NAACLS accredited Pathologists’ Assistant Program leads to a Master of Health Science degree, certifies graduates to sit for the ASCP Board of Certification examination, and leads to exciting career opportunities in a variety of anatomic pathology laboratory settings. Pathologists’ assistants are analogous to physician assistants, but with highly specialized training in autopsy and surgical pathology. This profession was pioneered in the Duke Department of Pathology more than 45 years ago, and is one of only eleven such programs in existence today.
    [Show full text]