Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology

Like fingerprints, lip prints are completely one-of-a-kind. Lip wrinkles come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, but this review will focus on the differences between the sexes. There are forensic and non-forensic uses for lip prints. Chelioscopy is a powerful method for solving crimes by examining physical evidence left at the site. Greek chelioswich, meaning “lip’’ is where the term “cheiloscopy’’ originates. Both destructive and nondestructive techniques are used to categorize samples. There are numerous classifications that may be applied to lip prints due to their distinctive wrinkling and shape patterns; for instance, the clauco martin santos, Suzuki, and tsuchihashi classifications. Reviewing a large population, we find that both sexes share a preponderance of type IV groove patterns, that male and female lip prints exhibit no discernible variation over time, and that lip prints from the third gender display strikingly different characteristics.

Background: The mortality rate of road traffic accidents (RTAs) is high in India. RTAs lead to disability and mortality in young adults in the country. It is a global problem as approximately 1.24 million deaths occur annually worldwide because of RTAs. India lacks an organized system of trauma care to attend to trauma cases immediately at the accident site.

Objective: The present study attempted to identify the impediments of auto rickshaw drivers to provide first responder care to RTA victims.

Materials and Methods: The study used a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design after institutional ethics clearance. The sample size was 1040, with a confidence level of 95% on the literature review knowledge score. A convenient  sampling method was used for sample selection.

Results: A majority (n = 335; 32.2%) of the participants belonged to the age group between 41 and 50 years and were educated up to secondary school (n = 551; 53.0%). A majority of the participants (n = 345; 33.2%) exhibited 16–30 years of driving experience. Among the participants,602 (57.9%) exhibited experience in administering first aid.Of the total participants, 898 (86.3%) reported that legal issues and inadequate community support and resources were the major barriers to administering first aid, whereas 888 (85.4%) participants reported psychological problems as the major barrier. Additionally, attitude toward first aid was the barrier for 814 (78.3%) of the participants, whereas poor knowledge was the barrier for 589 (56.6%) for providing first aid care.

Conclusion: The present study identified the various barriers faced by the participants in providing first responder care to RTA victims and exhibited the significance of providing training to common people which will be contributed to SDG 3 and 4.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide and 2nd common cancer after cervix in India. Presence of p53 gene alteration like loss of function p53 mutants correlate with poor prognosis and tend to be more frequent in high grade, large size, node positive, and in estrogen-progesterone receptor negative (ER-, PR-) tumors, suggesting that mutant p53 may become increasingly critical for breast cancer progression.

Aims: To determine the frequency of expression of p53 immunostaining (IHC) in breast carcinomas and to correlate its relationship with tumor size, histological grade, lymph node status and with hormonal receptors status wherever possible.

Materials and Methods: Sixty-five breast carcinoma cases were studied for various clinicopathological parameters like tumor size, histological type, grade, axillary lymph node status, lympho vascular invasion,in situ component,Nipple areola complex,deep resected margin involvement, Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPIG) and subjected to p53 immunostaining. 37 out of 65 cases were studied for ER, PR, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2/ neu) antibodies. p53 expression was correlated with known prognostic factors. Furthermore, autopsy studies can be used as supplement to know the disease reservoir.

Results: p53 positivity was found in 72.3% of breast carcinomas with significant association between p53 expression with histological grade (p-value = 0.013) and Nottingham Prognostic Index Groups (NPIG) (p-value = 0.011). No significant correlation was seen between p53 expression and tumor size, lymph node status, hormonal receptor (ER, PR) status and HER2/neu expression.

Conclusion: Our study revealed thatthe higher the tumor grade,the higher the p53 expression and its association with NPIG. Thus, p53 can be considered as a prognostic marker and useful for management.

BACKGROUND: Autopsies play an important role in aiding the judicial system.ForensicMedicine is the bridge that connects medical knowledge and the law together and Autopsies are the vital part in this link. In order to create better efficiency in the judiciary, strengthening and sharing knowledge is important on both the Forensic Expert’s and the Lawyer’s view. The attitude or perception of autopsies is equally important as much as the knowledge about the same. AIMS: The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge and attitude of law students about and towards medico legal autopsy and to identify the reasons if any and suggest some corrective measures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross sectional prospective study done in a Law College in Mangalore, with a sample size of 140 undergraduate law students using a semi-structured questionnaire distributed online. RESULTS: Response rate was 98.57% with a female to male ratio of 1.8:1; mean age of the participants came to 24.52 years. 40% of participants knewwhatis an autopsy and why autopsies are done. 12% knew about exhumation while 66.7% were aware about the need for a complete autopsy. 44.2% said autopsies are beneficial and 31.9% participants said it does not harm socioreligious norms and were in favor of conducting an autopsy of their kin, if it was necessary. CONCLUSION: Most participants have a positive outlook towards medico-legal autopsies although further enhancement on knowledge on the same is needed.

BACKGROUND: Forensic age determination has evolved to be intriguingly significant and relatesto the challenges originating from globalisation as a result of a growing amount of foreignnationals with questionable birth date information and to identify victims who are unknown.

AIM: Aim of this research was to evaluate the estimation of age through visualisationof periodontal ligament (PDL) around fully mineralised lower third molars in the Chennai population, and also to assess the 18-year age threshold using PDL visibility.

MATERIALS AND METHOD: The research was a retrospective analysis that involved 100 OPGs (orthopantomographs) from the archives of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology from 2021 to 2022 were analysed to determine PDL present around the mandibular third molars. Grading each mandibular third molar was done by two observers.IBM SPSS version 23 was used to statistically evaluate the gathered data.

RESULTS: Among 100 study subjects, the mean age group was found to be 24.2 years. The frequency distribution of age was inferred from that of the study participants, 15% were under the age of 18, and 85% were above the age of 18. Males and girls with both lower third molars on the left and right had grades of stage 1 (34%), stage 2 (31%), and stage 3 (20%) at the age of 18. The 18-year threshold can be established by using periodontal ligament visibility, according to our findings, starting from Stage 1. The relationship between the variables was examined using the Chi square test, which produced a very significant p value of 0.00.

CONCLUSION: Radiographic age evaluation was a simple, repeatable, non-invasive technique that can be applied to both living and deceased people. Our research indicated that less than 18 years old was the minimal age for Stage 0 in both males and females. At the onset of stages , 2, and 3, all males and females were at least eighteen years old. Stages 1, 2, or 3 indicate that the person is older than 18. Thepopulace of Chennai would benefit from this innovative method of age estimation for use in forensics.

CONTEXT: The conditions causing sudden death may be inherited and requires screening and counselling of the next of kin. In cases of death due to myocardial ischemia, identifying the early stages of myocardial pathology becomes difficult in postmortem as the gross changes do not appear for 24 to 48 hours following the ischemic damage to the heart. Hence, there is a need for a screening tool to identify the diseased part of the heart. AIMS: To determine the applicability of ultraviolet light for the detection of cardiac pathology at autopsy. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st January 2021 to 30th June 2022. METHODS AND MATERIALS: There were 200 cases in which there were 153 (76.5%) males and 47 (23.5%) females. All cases that were subjected to the medico-legal autopsy of more than 30 years old were included in our study. The cases were divided into 5-year intervals of age. Gross findings of the heart, if any were noted. The heart was dissected using the inflow-outflow method. The internal and external surfaces of the heart were seen under wood’s lamp fluorescence. Sections from areas that showed fluorescence under ultraviolet light were taken and subjected to histopathology examination. The specimen was processed, and a histopathology slide was prepared and examined. Routine haematoxylin & eosin staining was done. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: After the collection and compilation of data, statistical tests were applied to analyze the data. The mean and standard deviation (SD) were calculated for quantitative data, and for qualitative data, the proportion was calculated. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 software. RESULT: A significant relationship was observed between heart pathology in correlation to age and sex. The sensitivity of wood’s lamp was also found to be significant in fluorescent positive cases. By identifying discrepancies between gross, fluorescence, and microscopic findings, our findings suggest that histopathology has a major impact on the interpretation of heart pathology and determining the cause of death at autopsy. CONCLUSION: In this study, we have worked on a new aspect of the diagnostic property of ultraviolet light (UV) extending to recent and acute myocardial infarction besides old myocardial infarction that can aid pathologists in gross heart examination, especially in more guided sampling for histopathological examination. Histopathological studies provide the most accurate clues to better understand cardiac pathology.

BACKGROUND: Age is regarded as an important factor in various medical examination related to criminal procedures such as assault, sexual offence, kidnapping and in civil matters like succession of property, marriage, employment and so on. Fusion of epiphyses of bones is considered as one of the methods for age estimation. AIMS: To study the stages of epiphyseal union of radius and ulna at the wrist joint in males and females. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present radiological study was carried out in a tertiary health care centre in coastal Odisha over a period of two years. The epiphyseal union at the wrist joint among 124 subjects (70 males and 54 females) among the adolescent population between 13 to 19 years have been studied to assess the skeletal maturity. RESULTS: Our study concluded that complete epiphyseal union of lower end of radius in case of males occurs at 18-19 yrs. The complete epiphyseal union of lower end of radius in case of females occurs at 17-18 yrs. The complete epiphyseal union of lower end of ulna in both the sexes occurs at 18-19 yrs. The epiphyseal union around the wrist joint occurs earlier in females than males among the adolescents. CONCLUSION: It is recommended to have separate age chart for different geographic regions as many factors like nutrition, genetic, climatic conditions etc. may affect the process of epiphyseal union.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on all cases of deaths due to hanging autopsied at the mortuary of Pravara Rural Hospital, Loni, a rural region in Western Maharashtra, India. The study was conducted over a period of 4 years, two years retrospective (record based) from September 2012 to August 2014 and two years prospective from September 2014 to August 2016. Data was being collected from medico-legal autopsy records of hanging victims. The cases were studied to know the socio-demographic profile of the victims. The cases represented approximately 3.73% of all autopsy cases. Majority of the victims were male (83.67%) belonging to the age group of 21-30 years (57.14%). Most of the victims (46.94%) were laborers by occupation. The most common motive behind suicidal hanging was financial crisis (34.69%) followed by family problems (16.33%). To reduce the rate of suicides, awareness has to be created by appropriate education and by influencing the media in their portrayal of suicidal news. Counselling centers should also be established in rural areas to help the victims.