Several studies have evaluated the parameters of normality of the sella turcica (ST), which is important to face different craniofacial syndromes that may affect this structure. Therefore, this research summarized the scientific evidence on the role of ST in the sex estimation of non-syndromic individuals. The research protocol was registered (Prospective International Registry of Systematic Reviews # CRD42021256469), followed by an electronic search in six databases (PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, and LIVIVO) and gray literature (Google Scholar and OpenGrey). Meta-analysis of linear (width, length, height, and diameter) and volumetric measurements, in addition to an assessment of risk of bias (RoB) and certainty of evidence, were performed. After the screening of 986 articles, 13 were evaluated by meta-analysis (1 307 males and 1 231 females). In subgroup analysis, females had lower values for width (lateral radiograph; -0.67 mm; P = 0.040), length (computed tomography; -0.23 mm; P = 0.020), and diameter (computed tomography; -0.27 mm; P < 0.001) compared to males. There was no statistically significant difference regarding height (P = 0.95), area (P = 0.72), and volume (P = 0.21). Most studies exhibited moderate RoB, and the certainty of evidence of the outcomes was very low. In this review, significant differences were observed between the sexes for the length and diameter of the ST; however, the heterogeneity of the studies must be considered.
UNASSIGNED: Studies from different geographic regions evaluated the morphology of ST according to sex and showed this anatomical structure as an important indicator of dimorphism.Meta-analysis showed shorter ST length and diameter in women.Subgroup analysis found lower ST width in women based on lateral skull radiographs.Subgroup analysis found smaller lengths and diameters in women based on CT scans.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the pattern of deaths in detention in Northern Tunisia as well as the causes of death.
METHODS: The authors conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study including all the casualties of death in detention examined in the legal medicine Department in the main teaching hospital from 2005 to 2019. The department covers 10 out of the 11 governorates of Northern Tunisia and 13 prisons.
RESULTS: Of a total of 197 casualties, only 2 were females. The mean age was 45.39 ± 14.43 years. A known medical history was reported in 63.5%, mainly cardiovascular disease, mental health disorders and diabetes. Half of the deaths occurred at the hospital. A total of 53 victims spent less than one year in custody before their death. Most deaths occurred due to disease-related causes (78.7%; n = 155); among these, 69 victims died from cardiovascular disease. Suicide accounted for 3.6% of the casualties and homicides for four cases.
CONCLUSIONS: Several missing data regarding the details of the detention circumstances as well as the absence in some cases of the toxicological and histopathology analysis results, which could bias the study findings.
CONCLUSIONS: Death in detention in Northern Tunisia involved mainly males between their 30s and their 50s who died mainly from cardiovascular or pulmonary disease. These results underscore the importance of empowering the penitentiary health system.
CONCLUSIONS: To the best of the authors\' knowledge, this study is one of largest studies with regard to the number of decedents and the number of prisons from the Arab countries allowing to draw a pattern of casualties of death in prison.

Gel blasters are currently imported and marketed as children\'s toys in Australia. Gel blasters closely imitate the appearance of many genuine firearms of all types and are designed to propel small hydrated gel balls of approximately 7-8 mm in diameter, by means of compressed air or gas. They are considered illegal in all states of Australia except Queensland but these items aren\'t specifically written into most state firearms legislation. However, to be considered as children\'s toys, they must not exceed the recommended kinetic energy (KE) of 2500 J/m2 as outlined in the Australian/New Zealand Standard Safety of Toys - Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties (Safety of Toys ASNZS ISO 8124.1:2019) [1]. The aim of this study was to determine if a range of gel blasters would conform to the Australian & New Zealand Standard and have projectiles with kinetic energy of less than 2500 J/m2. Utilising the testing procedure outlined in ASNZS ISO 8124.1:2019 (Australian/New Zealand Standard Safety of Toys - Part 1: Safety Aspects related to Mechanical and Physical Properties (Safety of Toys ASNZS ISO 8124.1:2019) [1]), a range of gel blasters were tested. In addition, a number of NERF™ toys and airsoft firearms were tested to provide reference between an accepted child\'s toy and items considered to be a firearm, such as airsoft firearms. A NERF™ toy (commonly referred to as a blaster) fires a foam projectile at very low velocities through direct spring/striker impact to the rear of the dart, battery-powered motorised flywheel, or by compressed air generated by a small piston inside a cylinder. Airsoft firearms are designed to fire hard plastic balls (typically 6 mm in diameter) and can achieve velocities upwards of 90 m/s with the potential to cause injuries to soft tissue. Results showed the KE per unit area of pellets fired from airsoft firearms significantly exceeded the recommended 2500 J/m2 ranging from approximately 10,620 J/m2 to 69,650 J/m2. Twenty of the twenty-four gel blasters tested (83 %) exceeded 2500 J/m2, with values ranging between 2112 J/m2 and 42,645 J/m2. NERF™ toys were found to be notably under 2500 J/m2, ranging from approximately 1230 J/m2 to 2129 J/m2. The results suggest that the majority of gel blasters (items of seizures) tested, currently being imported and marketed as children\'s toys in Australia, easily exceed 2500 J/m2 as outlined in the ASNZS ISO 8124.1:2019 and are not safe to be marketed and sold as children\'s toys. Reinforcing the position of most jurisdictions, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Canberra made the following statement in 2019: \'ACT (Australian Capital Territory) Policing is reminding the public that replica firearms known as gel blasters are illegal in the ACT\'. Taking the results determined throughout this research and the statement by AFP into consideration, gel blasters should not be exempt from control under Firearms Legislation because they are claimed to be toy.

Forensic chemistry plays a crucial role in aiding law enforcement investigations by applying analytical techniques for the analysis of evidence. While bloodstains are frequently encountered at crime scenes, distinguishing between peripheral and menstrual bloodstains presents a challenge. This is due to their similar appearance post-drying. Raman spectroscopy has emerged as a promising technique capable of discriminating between the two types of bloodstains, offering invaluable probative information. Moreover, estimating the time since deposition (TSD) of bloodstains aids in crime scene reconstruction and prioritizing what evidence to collect. Despite extensive research focusing on TSD estimations, primarily in peripheral bloodstains, a crucial gap exists in determining the TSD of menstrual bloodstains. This study demonstrates how Raman spectroscopy effectively analyzes biological samples like menstrual blood, showing similar aging patterns to those of peripheral blood and provides proof-of-concept models for determining the TSD of menstrual blood. While this work shows promising results for creating a universal model for bloodstain age determination, further testing with more donors needs to be conducted before the implementation of this method into forensic practice.

Identification of a person by general group characteristics does not lose its relevance over a long period. An analysis of publications (2000-2023) devoted to the possibilities of using the sternum to determine gender and age showed a fairly large amount of work on this topic, with very promising results. The trend in the development of this area is the use of modern methods of medical imaging. This becomes the starting point for conducting such studies on the territory of the Russian Federation and developing a methodology that includes the Russian population, taking into account their population characteristics.
Отождествление личности по общегрупповым признакам не теряет актуальности на протяжении длительного периода. Анализ публикаций (2000—2023), посвященных возможностям использования грудины для установления пола и возраста, показал достаточно большой объем наработок по данной тематике с перспективными итогами. Тренд развития этого направления — использование современных методов медицинской визуализации — становится отправной точкой для проведения подобных исследований на территории Российской Федерации с целью разработки методики опознания неустановленного лица с учетом популяционных особенностей российского населения.

Death from general hypothermia is one of the leading causes in the structure of violent death in the Russian Federation.
OBJECTIVE: To clarify and supplement the complex of differential diagnostic macro- and microscopic signs of a fatal acute general cold trauma received when person is in the air and water.
METHODS: The conclusions of forensic medical experts on the bodies of people who died from hypothermia in the air and in water (by 150 observations) were analyzed. Methods of descriptive statistics, calculation of the frequency ratio of signs\' occurrence were used.
RESULTS: The article provides quantitative assessment of occurrence (detection) rate of diagnostically significant signs established with the help of traditional methods of expert examination. A new classification of diagnostic death signs from hypothermia taking into account their differential diagnostic significance and reflecting the conditions of a person\'s stay in the air and water in the pre-mortem and post-mortem periods, as well as terminal period mechanisms is proposed.
CONCLUSIONS: The established complexes of signs provide an objective basis for determining death cause in non-obvious conditions when cold exposure is expected to be one of the most damaging factors.
В Российской Федерации смерть от общего переохлаждения организма занимает одно из ведущих мест в структуре насильственной смерти.
UNASSIGNED: Уточнить и дополнить комплекс дифференциально-диагностических макро- и микроскопических признаков смертельной острой общей холодовой травмы, полученной в условиях нахождения человека на воздухе и в воде.
UNASSIGNED: Проанализированы заключения судебно-медицинских экспертов в отношении трупов людей, умерших от переохлаждения на воздухе и в воде (по 150 наблюдений). Применяли методы описательной статистики, вычисление соотношения частот встречаемости признаков.
UNASSIGNED: Дана количественная оценка частоты встречаемости (выявляемости) диагностически значимых признаков, устанавливаемых с помощью традиционных методов экспертного исследования. Предложена новая классификация диагностических признаков смерти от переохлаждения, учитывающая их дифференциально-диагностическую значимость и отражающая условия пребывания человека на воздухе или водной среде в премортальном и постмортальном периоде, а также механизмы терминального периода.
UNASSIGNED: Установленные комплексы признаков представляют объективную основу для установления причины смерти в условиях неочевидности, когда одним из повреждающих факторов предполагается холодовое воздействие.

The constant increase in the number of neurotraumas in the country leads to an increase in forensic examinations of a persons. In Russia, about 600 thousand people receive craniocerebral injuries annually, of which 50 thousand die, others are potentially will be in forensic examination during or after treatment. With an increase in the total number of such examinations, the number of erroneous conclusions is expected to increase. If it is impossible for the radiologist included in the commission to review the results of computed tomography of the head performed in the hospital, the experts are forced to use the data that are recorded in the medical documents. The present study revealed the percentage of erroneous interpretations in such descriptions, systematized typical errors, calculated the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of computed tomography in craniocerebral injury.
Постоянное увеличение числа нейротравм в стране приводит к увеличению судебно-медицинских обследований и экспертиз живых лиц. В России ежегодно черепно-мозговую травму получают около 600 тыс. человек, из них 50 тыс. погибают, другие являются потенциально подэкспертными. С увеличением общего числа такого рода экспертиз ожидаемо возрастает и количество ошибочных выводов. При невозможности пересмотра рентгенологом, включенным в состав комиссии, результатов компьютерной томографии головы, выполненной в стационаре, эксперты вынуждены использовать данные, зафиксированные в медицинских документах. В результате настоящего исследования выявлен процент ошибочных интерпретаций в таких описаниях, систематизированы типовые ошибки, произведен расчет чувствительности, специфичности и точности компьютерной томографии при черепно-мозговой травме.

One of the main tasks in expertise of living persons is to determine the harm caused to human health. According to the regulations, only harm to human health caused by an injury and causally related with it is taken into account in the forensic examination of a living person. The establishment of a causal link allows to assess correctly the harm severity caused to human health. In this respect, the study of the effect of biological damaging factor on human body (cause) and the result of this interaction (effect) is a new step in modern science. The article presents the analysis of data from the reports of the Russian Reference Center on monitoring of enteric infection agents for 2016-2021; the results of examinations of subjects who suffered from acute enteric infections for 2018-2019 to study causal links in forensic medicine in cases of acute intestinal infections.
Одной из основных задач в экспертизах живых лиц является определение вреда, причиненного здоровью человека. Согласно нормативным документам, при производстве судебно-медицинской экспертизы в отношении живого лица учитывается только вред, причиненный здоровью человека, вызванный травмой и причинно с ней связанный. Установление причинно-следственной связи позволяет правильно дать оценку тяжести вреда, причиненного здоровью человека. В этом отношении изучение воздействия биологического повреждающего фактора на организм человека (причины) и результата этого взаимодействия (следствия) является новым витком в современной науке. В статье представлен анализ данных из отчетов Российского референс-центра по мониторингу возбудителей кишечных инфекций за 2016—2021 гг.; результатов экспертиз лиц, перенесших острые кишечные инфекции за 2018—2019 гг. с целью изучения причинно-следственной связи в судебной медицине в случаях острых кишечных инфекций.

The article presents the results of analysis of 482 forensic biological and forensic cytological expertises on cases of sexual crimes. A presence of different types of such crimes has been noted. Expertises\' effectiveness when examining content of vagina, oral cavity and rectum, impression smears and lavages from suspects\' genital organs, subungual content of victims and suspects and other objects has been determined. The dependence of expertises\' effectiveness on the terms of object removal has been noted. The article presents a number of objects\' examination methods (luminescent-microscopic spermatozoids\' identification, diagnosis of cells origin from mucous membranes of the vagina and oral cavity, determination of group belonging of specific cells in specimens, diagnosis of fecal masses presence) allowing to improve expertises\' quality.
В статье представлены результаты анализа 482 судебно-биологических и судебно-цитологических экспертиз по делам о половых преступлениях. Отмечена встречаемость разных видов таких преступлений. Определена результативность экспертиз при исследовании содержимого влагалища, ротовой полости и прямой кишки, мазков-отпечатков и смывов с половых органов подозреваемых, подногтевого содержимого потерпевших и подозреваемых и иных объектов. Отмечена зависимость эффективности экспертиз от сроков изъятия объектов. Представлен ряд методик исследования объектов (люминесцентно-микроскопическое выявление сперматозоидов, диагностика происхождения клеток из слизистых оболочек влагалища и ротовой полости, определение групповой принадлежности конкретных клеток в препаратах, диагностика наличия кала), позволяющих повысить качество экспертиз.

The article is devoted to legal and forensic medical problems of postmortem donation. The substantive provisions of postmortem donation, as well as normative legal documents regulating the processes of organs harvesting from deceased persons for subsequent transplantation and governing the work of transplantologists and forensic medical experts have been considered. The practical examples illustrating the essence and nature of the problem of postmortem forensic medical expertise of persons with absent organs has been given and the importance of the participation of a forensic medical expert involved in the decision-making process on possibility (or impossibility) of the corpse\'s organs and tissues explantation without prejudice to the further expert examination has been emphasized. The authors pay particular attention to the inadequacy of the legal framework, including the lack of a clear understanding of the legal status of the person holding the position of forensic medical expert, who provides an expert opinion on the organs\' explantation.
Статья посвящена правовым и судебно-медицинским проблемам посмертного донорства. Рассмотрены основные положения посмертного донорства, а также нормативно-правовые документы, регламентирующие процессы по изъятию органов от умерших лиц для последующей их трансплантации и регулирующие работу трансплантологов и судебно-медицинских экспертов. Приведены примеры из практики, иллюстрирующие суть и характер проблемы проведения посмертной судебно-медицинской экспертизы лиц с отсутствующими органами, и сделан акцент на важности участия судебно-медицинского эксперта, привлеченного к процессу принятия решения о возможности (или невозможности) эксплантации органов и тканей трупа без ущерба дальнейшего проведения экспертизы. Авторы обращают особое внимание на несовершенство правовой базы и в том числе на отсутствие четкого понимания о юридическом статусе лица, занимающего должность судебно-медицинского эксперта, который дает заключение об эксплантации органов.