Vol 11, No 2 (2025)

BACKGROUND: Panel forensic medical examinations are among the methods used by Russian investigative authorities for preliminary inquiries and criminal investigations into inadequate obstetric care. Forensic histological analysis of archival autopsy materials and placental tissue is a critical component of panel forensic medical examinations when investigating intrauterine fetal death.

AIM: The work aimed to analyze panel forensic medical examinations in stillbirth cases and determine the need for forensic histological examination of archival autopsy materials and placental tissue based on current scientific approaches.

METHODS: An observational, single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted using archival records from the Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination of Stavropol Territory. Inclusion criteria: cases of panel forensic medical examinations related to intrauterine fetal death (both antenatal and intranatal).

RESULTS: The study included panel forensic medical examinations of intrauterine fetal death cases (n = 68) from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2022. In 79.4% of cases (n = 54), the examinations were initiated by investigators from the Investigative Committee; in 16.2% (n = 11), by investigators/officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs; and in 4.4% (n = 3), by judges. In 86.7% of cases, the examinations were conducted as part of preliminary inquiries. The causes of stillbirth were antenatal fetal death in 57.4% (n = 39), intranatal fetal death in 39.7% (n = 27), and congenital abnormalities in 2.9% (n = 2). In 97.1% (n = 66) of panel examinations involving intrauterine fetal death, histologists performed forensic histological examination of autopsy material and the placenta.

CONCLUSION: The analysis showed that 39.1% of panel forensic medical examinations in obstetrics and gynecology were related to stillbirth. To improve the quality of expert examinations in this area, forensic histological examinations of autopsy material and the placenta are required. Improving the methodology for panel forensic medical examinations in stillbirth is a pressing issue that necessitates interdisciplinary collaboration among forensic medical experts, pathologists, obstetricians-gynecologists, and neonatologists.

BACKGROUND: Establishing the postmortem interval of a deceased individual with the highest possible accuracy is critical for the objective investigation of criminal homicide. It is well known that instrumental error in measuring a parameter used in calculations is one of the primary sources of error in any computational method. However, in body temperature-based methods for estimating postmortem interval, the accuracy of temperature measurement adequate for forensic medicine has not been established.

AIM: The work aimed to develop practical recommendations for selecting a measuring instrument for postmortem examination based on the impact of body temperature measurement accuracy and environmental factors on the error in calculated postmortem interval.

METHODS: Using the phenomenological mathematical model by Henssge et al., changes in postmortem body temperature were predicted in various diagnostic zones (brain, liver, rectum) at ambient temperatures of 0 °C and 20 °C. The method’s instrumental error was calculated for these conditions using thermometers with accuracies of 1 °C, 0.1 °C, and 0.01 °C. The results were expressed as both absolute and relative errors (%), which were calculated as the ratio of error to the postmortem interval at which it was obtained.

RESULTS: The highest relative errors were reported during the early phase of postmortem cooling and during the stage of temperature equalization between the body and the environment. In all cases, using thermometers with an accuracy of 1 °C resulted in a relative error of more than 15% of the postmortem interval value. Moreover, the use of thermometers with an accuracy of 0.1 °C or 0.01 °C ensured a relative instrumental error of no more than 5% throughout the modeling period (2–24 hours).

CONCLUSION: According to biomedical research guidelines, satisfactory results can only be achieved when body and ambient temperatures are measured with an accuracy of 0.1 °C or 0.01 °C. For practical convenience, we implemented the algorithm for calculating the instrumental error in postmortem interval estimation in the form of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

Knowing the vehicle’s speed at the moment of collision with a pedestrian is essential for investigators and law enforcement officers to lawfully and accurately interpret the driver’s actions and contributing factors during a traffic accident. However, only a few objective methods for determining vehicle speed are applicable in expert practice.

This article examines the current state of this issue based on a review of contemporary Russian and international scientific sources. Existing methods are examined based on their core principle. It is shown that objective assessment of a vehicle’s speed at the moment of impact with a stationary obstacle (a pedestrian) is a complex task that requires the use of several approaches with varying degrees of applicability. Further research is needed into the morphological analysis of the conditions and circumstances of traffic accidents involving a moving vehicle and a stationary pedestrian, taking into account the design features of modern vehicles. This will contribute not only to a more thorough and objective investigation of road traffic accidents, but also to the advancement of forensic medicine.

Assisted reproductive technologies are now widely available, and the demand for this type of medical service is growing, necessitating legal control in compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

This publication was prompted by criminal investigations conducted by the Investigative Committee of Russia, which commissioned expert examinations to determine the genetic relationship between a surrogate mother and the child she delivered. The article presents a novel methodology for effectively addressing challenging forensic tasks related to determining a newborn’s biological origin.

Three expert examinations used paraffin-embedded blocks and histological sections of placental tissue, along with reference samples of buccal epithelial cells and blood. Microscopic examination of the histological sections was performed to identify placental components.

Molecular genetic techniques were used to identify maternal and fetal DNA in the provided biological samples, as well as for comparative analysis. These included DNA extraction and quantification, real-time polymerase chain reaction, electrophoretic separation of amplification products, and subsequent analysis.

The examinations made it possible to localize and label the maternal and fetal parts of the placenta within the histological blocks. The children’s blood samples and the surrogate mothers’ buccal epithelial cells were genotyped, and genetic profiles of the labeled samples were determined.

In one of the three cases studied, a comparison of the obtained genotypes revealed a discrepancy between the genetic profiles of the child’s blood and the fetal part of the placenta. In the other two cases, the genetic profiles were confirmed to be identical.

This observation underscores the importance of utilizing placental tissue to avoid erroneous conclusions when establishing maternity in cases involving surrogate mothers. This approach allows the experts to confirm that a specific infant was actually born by the surrogate mother in question.

The article discusses the controversial aspects of conducting medical examinations for intoxication. This work is based on a case report on determining the legitimacy of administrative license revocation, which involved a forensic medicine and toxicology expert.

A detailed chronology is provided, from the moment the driver was stopped by a traffic police officer and suspended from driving for an alcohol intoxication test, to the ruling by the magistrates’ court, which was later upheld by the court of cassation.

This case study illustrates errors in interpreting the findings of chemical tests for intoxication, which occur when psychoactive substances are incorrectly identified in human biological fluids. This case of γ-butyrolactone detection in a professional car driver highlights the inadmissibility of unreliable methods for chemical compound identification. Moreover, the paper emphasizes insufficient training of clinical laboratory diagnostics physicians, addresses the issue of an overly mechanistic approach to their work, and proposes potential solutions to the identified shortcomings.

The editorial board informs readers of the retraction of the previously published article, "Identification of markers of ricin-containing object consumption in blood and urine" (Russian Journal of Forensic Medicine. 2024;10(4):529–538. doi: 10.17816/fm11244). The reason for the retraction is the identified violations of biomedical ethics in the study presented in the article. The authors could not confirm the fact that the study protocol was approved by the ethics committee before the study was conducted. Also, the authors could not confirm that the study participants were only those who voluntarily signed (themselves or by the legal representatives) an informed consent form for participation in the study or for using of their medical data for scientific purposes.

The original article has been modified (labeled as retracted) and is not recommended by the Journal's editorial board to be read or used for further research.

The editors regret the possible consequences of publishing the results of the study.