Category Archives: Forensic radiology

Includes VIRTUAL AUTOPSY and VIRTOPSY.
Computed tomography, CT scans or x-rays used in lieu of (or to assist) post mortems.
Journal articles will include experimental studies, case studies.
EXCLUDES case studies where patient had a CT scan PRIOR to death.

Conference Alert: Annual International Conference on Forensic Science – Criminalistics Research (FSCR)

9 – 10 December 2013, Singapore

This conference aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and scholars all over the world to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects of Forensic Criminalistics.  The conference theme will cover, Criminalistics, Criminal Justice, Criminology, Crime Scene Investigation and Forensic Sciences.

Click here for Call for Papers

Click here to link to Conference Website

Challenges encountered in surgical management of spine trauma in morbidly obese patients

(Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group 21 May 2013) Physicians in Australia describe the logistic, medical, and societal challenges faced in treating spine trauma in morbidly obese patients. Based on a case series of six patients injured in high-speed motor vehicle accidents, the authors categorize difficulties faced in the care of morbidly obese patients from on-scene immobilization and medical transport through spinal imaging, surgery, and postoperative care.

[Note: Article may be of some relevance to mortuary work]

Read EurekAlert Summary

Request a copy of the article (QH Staff only)

Leicester forensic pathology expert appointed head of international radiology autopsy group

InLoughborough University of Leicester 18 May 2013

A world-leading forensic pathologist at the University of Leicester has become the head of an international radiology and imaging group.   Professor Guy Rutty MBE, Chief Forensic Pathologist at the University’s East Midlands Forensic Pathology Unit and expert in non-invasive autopsies, will lead the International Society of Forensic Radiology and Imaging (ISFRI).    The organisation aims to strengthen and develop the field of forensic radiology and imaging worldwide, promoting best practice and developing international quality standards and guidelines.

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The 11th Indo Pacific Association of Law, Medicine and Science Congress 2013

INPLAMS 2013;  7th   to  10th October 2013
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

INPLAMS 2013is a major international gathering that will analyze the latest developments in the related fields of forensic science, forensic medicine and  pertinent issues related to both medicine and law. Topics will encompass Forensic Pathology (including anthropology, neuropathology, odontology radiology and photography0, Clinical Forensic Medicine, Forensic DNA, Drugs and Toxicology, Criminalistics and various legal aspects.

Preconference workshops will be held on a range of topics including forensic electron microscopy, pediatric forensic pathology, forensic radiology, forensic histology and clinical forensic medicine.

Visit website for further information

Iceman Ötzi had bad teeth

(University of Zurich 9 April 2013) For the first time, researchers from the Centre for Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich together with colleagues abroad have been able to provide evidence of periodontitis, tooth decay and accident-related dental damage in the ice mummy ‘Ötzi’. The latest scientific findings provide interesting information on the dietary patterns of the Neolithic Iceman and on the evolution of medically significant oral pathologies.

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Read online – Manual of Forensic Odontology (5th edition)

Senn, David R. and Weems, Richard A. (2013). CRC Press.

Advances in forensic odontology have led to improvements in dental identification for individual cases as well as in disaster victim identification (DVI). New and updated technologies mean advances in bitemark analysis and age estimation. Growth in the field has strengthened missing persons’ networks leading to more and faster identifications of unidentified individuals. A product of the American Society of Forensic Odontology , the Manual of Forensic Odontology, Fifth Edition provides comprehensive and up-to-date information involving all facets of forensic dentistry and explores critical issues relating to the scientific principles supporting the field’s evaluations and conclusions. New information in the Fifth Edition includes Scientific principles and the need for more and better research in the field Oral and maxillofacial radiographic features of forensic interest Forensic pathology and its ties to forensic odontology New techniques and improved technologies for age estimation Advances in bitemark evidence management Animal bitemarks National and international forensic dental organizations Tips for becoming involved in forensic odontology The manual has been an important source of forensic dentistry information for more than 20 years. This new edition is edited by a past president of the American Board of Forensic Odontology and a past Chair of the Odontology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Expanded and enhanced with extensive color illustrations, this volume is designed to provide essential information based on sound scientific principles for experienced forensic odontologists and for those new to the discipline.

Table of contents (Access is for QH staff only)

Chapter 1. History of Forensic Odontology
Chapter 2. Forensic Pathology
Chapter 3. Science and Forensic Odontology
Chapter 4. Dental identification
Chapter 5. Dental, oral and maxillofacial radiographic features of forensic interest
Chapter 6. Disaster victim identification
Chapter 7. Missing and unidentified persons
Chapter 8. Dental age estimation
Chapter 9. Bitemarks
Chapter 10. Animal bitemarks
Chapter 11. Abuse and violence
Chapter 12. Jurisprudence and expert witness testimony
Chapter 13. Organized forensic dentistry
Chapter 14. Becoming involved in Forensic Odontology

 

Virtual autopsy: does it spell the end of the scalpel?

The Observer Mark Honigsbaum 23 February 2013

Anyone who has spent any time in a courtroom knows how easy it is for a skilled defence lawyer to plant doubt in the mind of a jury. Even in a relatively straightforward case, such as a hit and run, jurors are frequently presented with such a confusing array of photographic and forensic evidence that it is very difficult to know what has taken place and who may be at fault.
But what if there was a kind of technology that could reconstruct the crime scene in 3D and match it to other forensic imaging data? Furthermore, what if this technology could see through skin, bone and even soft tissue to detect bullet fragments overlooked by traditional pathologists equipped only with a scalpel and the human eye?
That is the promise of virtual autopsy – or “virtopsy” – a radical new approach to forensic imaging developed in Switzerland that is fast winning converts in Britain and elsewhere.

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What’s new – March 2013

Please note: the following information is provided for Queensland Health staff only.


Books

  • Get that government job: the secrets to winning positions with selection criteria (2nd ed.) / Dawn Richards Request this item
  • Statistics and chemo metrics in analytical chemistry (6th ed.) / J. M. Miller & J. C. Miller  Request this item
  • Forensic Science evidence: can the law keep up with science / Donald E. Shelton  Request this item
  • Planning and positioning in MRI / Anne Bright Request this item
  • Practical statistics for the analytical scientist: a bench guide (2nd ed.) / S. L. R. Ellison, V. J. Barwick & T. J. Duguid Farrant Request this item
  • Emerging & re-emerging infectious diseases Request this item

eBooks (ForensicNetBase)


Journals

Journal of Forensic Radiology and Imaging now available online. A username and password is required to access this via ScienceDirect. Contact the library for these details.

Content (volume 1)  includes:

  • Sudden death in a man with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: postmoretem radiology and autopsy findings
  • CT findings in two nail gun suicides
  • Forensic imaging of the living: a short stab at long distance
  • much more.

ePrints
Staples, Megan and Doyle, Christine J and Graham, Rikki M A and Jennison, Amy V (2013) Molecular epidemiological typing of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains from Australian patients. Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 75 (3). pp. 320-324. ISSN 0732-8893

Li, Xiujuan and Huang, Bixing and Eglezos, Sofroni and Graham, Trudy M and Blair, Barry and Bates, John R (2012) Identification of an optimized panel of variable number tandem-repeat (VNTR) loci for Listeria monocytogenes typing. Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 75 (2). pp. 203-206. ISSN 0732-8893

A reminder that we would appreciate any output of your research or investigations from your work within FSS. Staff who receive Federal funds via the Research & Development team MUST provide a copy of their research output to Information & Research Services. You can email fss_eprints@health.qld.gov.au to discuss your requirements or to deposit content.


Read online – Forensic science advances and their application in the judiciary system

Kobilinsky, L. (ed), (2011) CRC Press.

This volume examines how new cutting edge forensic techniques are currently being applied or have the potential to be applied in judicial proceedings. Examples include new applications of Raman spectroscopy, quantum chemistry, lithium in DNA analysis, and the burgeoning area of toxicogenetics. In each case legal issues are addressed, including the such as admissibility of evidence resulting from these techniques. A comparison between the American Judiciary system and the European system is included. Contributors offer their expertise from scientific and legal perspectives.

Click on the links below to read the full text. Links to the content below are only available to staff on a QH networked computer.

Chapter 1: Scientific evidenceChapter 2: Trends in legal aspects of methamphetamine
Chapter 3: New frontiers in molecular forensics
Chapter 4: Quantum chemical calculations applied to systems of forensic interest
Chapter 5: DNA
Chapter 6: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Chapter 7: Role of pharmacogenetics in forensic toxicology
Chapter 8: Virtual autopsy
Chapter 9:  Forensic anthropology and human identification in criminal matters
Chapter 10: Postmortem chemistry
Chapter 11: The recent evolution of animal cruelty law and veterinary forensic medicine

Bravest parents face their hardest task

The Courier Mail Kate Kyriacou February 08, 2013

…Yesterday marked the end of a three-week process to determine whether police had gathered enough evidence to send Cowan, 43, to trial on five charges – murder, child stealing, deprivation of liberty, indecent treatment of a child and interfering with the corpse.
…The committal hearing painted an intricate picture of Queensland’s biggest criminal investigation – an inquiry that involved scores of police, forensic scientists and other experts, hydrologists, channel morphologists, geomorphologists, animal behaviourists, DNA experts and more.

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