• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.359-369
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• 2016

DNA methylation is emerging as an attractive marker providing investigative leads to solve crimes in forensic genetics. The identification of body fluids that utilizes tissue-specific DNA methylation can contribute to solving crimes by predicting activity related to the evidence material. The age estimation based on DNA methylation is expected to reduce the number of potential suspects, when the DNA profile from the evidence does not match with any known person, including those stored in the forensic database. Moreover, the variation in DNA implicates environmental exposure, such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption, thereby suggesting the possibility to be used as a marker for predicting the lifestyle of potential suspect. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of DNA methylation variations and the utility of DNA methylation as a forensic marker for advanced investigative leads from evidence materials.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.11
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• pp.546-553
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• 2017

Aging is a natural and gradual process in human life. It is influenced by heredity, environment, lifestyle, and disease. DNA methylation varies with age, and the ability to predict the age of donor using DNA from evidence materials at a crime scene is of considerable value in forensic investigations. Recently, many studies have reported age prediction models based on DNA methylation from various tissues and body fluids. Those models seem to be very promising because of their high prediction accuracies. In this review, the changes of age-associated DNA methylation and the age prediction models for various tissues and body fluids were examined, and then the applicability of the DNA methylation-based age prediction method to the forensic investigations was discussed. This will improve the understandings about DNA methylation markers and their potential to be used as biomarkers in the forensic field, as well as the clinical field.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.125-130
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• 2021

Purpose: The dental age estimation of children is performed using dental maturity. Postmortem missing of the anterior teeth or the distortion of image of the anterior teeth in panoramic radiographs can make it difficult to analyze the development of the anterior teeth. This pilot study was conducted to derive a new age estimation method based only on the developmental stage of mandibular posterior teeth. Methods: This study was conducted using panoramic radiographs of 650 subjects aged 3 to 15 years old. The dental developmental stages of the lower left first premolar, second premolar, first molar and second molar were evaluated according to the Demirjian's criteria. The intra-/inter-observer reliability was evaluated, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed including the developmental stage of each tooth as an independent variable. Results: The intra-/inter-observer reliability was 0.9626 and 0.8877, respectively, and showed very high reproducibility. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed for males and females, and the age calculation table was derived by obtaining the intercept and the coefficient according to the development stage of each tooth. The coefficient of determination (r²) of the age calculation method was 0.9634 for male and 0.9570 for female subjects, and the mean difference between chronological age and estimated dental age was -0.42 and -0.21, respectively. Conclusions: This pilot study evaluated the developmental stages of four lower posterior teeth in the Korean group according to Demirjian's criteria, and derived age estimation method. The accuracy was lower than when more teeth were used, but it will be useful to estimate age of children when the anterior teeth are difficult to accurately analyze.

• The Korean Journal of Legal Medicine
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.153-158
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• 2018

Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of human infections, and it is also a commensal that colonizes the nose, axillae, vagina, throat, or skin surfaces. S. aureus has increasingly been recognized as a cause of severe invasive illness, and individuals colonized with this pathogen are subsequently at increased risk of its infections. S. aureus infection is a major cause of skin, soft tissue, respiratory, bone, joint, and endovascular disorders, and staphylococcal bacteremia may cause abscess, endocarditis, pneumonia, metastatic infection, foreign body infection, or sepsis. The authors describe a case of a fisherman who died of sepsis on a fishing boat during sailing out for fish. The autopsy shows paravertebral abscess, pus in the pericardial sac, infective endocarditis with vegetation on the aortic valve cusp, myocarditis, pneumonia and nephritis with bacterial colonization, and also liver cirrhosis and multiple gastric ulcerations.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.545-553
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• 2012

Determination of the type and origin of the body fluids found at a crime scene can give important insights into crime scene reconstruction by supporting a link between sample donors and actual criminal acts. For more than a century, numerous types of body fluid identification methods have been developed, such as chemical tests, immunological tests, protein catalytic activity tests, spectroscopic methods and microscopy. However, these conventional body fluid identification methods are mostly presumptive, and are carried out for only one body fluid at a time. Therefore, the use of a molecular genetics-based approach using RNA profiling or DNA methylation detection has been recently proposed to supplant conventional body fluid identification methods. Several RNA markers and tDMRs (tissue-specific differentially methylated regions) which are specific to forensically relevant body fluids have been identified, and their specificities and sensitivities have been tested using various samples. In this review, we provide an overview of the present knowledge and the most recent developments in forensic body fluid identification and discuss its possible practical application to forensic casework.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.977-983
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• 2023

Due to the development of the domestic economy and science, the people's standard of living has increased. Accordingly, we want to improve the quality of life. In other words, we guarantee human rights and pursue dignity and value as human beings. Therefore, the medical field extends human life and helps maintain a healthy life. The social medicine that protects human rights is forensic medicine. Forensic medicine identifies deaths and analyzes the cause using forensic radiology images. Forensic radiology is the acquisition and provision of medical images by the radiographer. Therefore, the radiographer must have expertise by completing forensic science-related courses. Recently, medical and nursing schools have opened and operated various subjects such as forensic medicine and forensic nursing. However, the Department of Radiology science is the only school that offers courses related to forensic science. For the future development and exploration of the radiographer and department of radiology science, forensic education should be considered. For this purpose, we investigated the necessity and demand for forensic education in the department of radiology science undergraduate and graduate schools. The department of radiology science students' awareness of forensic science was found to be 2.977 points, but the need for forensic science education for the radiographer was high at 3.759 points. In addition, current students' demand for forensic science courses was high at 84.1%, with the majority responding that it was necessary to open and operate the course. This study was able to determine the demand for forensic science-related subjects among the department of radiology science undergraduate and graduate students, and there is a need to explore diversity and expertise in education. We hope that it will be used as basic data for the development of forensic medicine and radiology science.

• Journal of forensic and investigative science
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2006

In the era of Joseon Dynasty there was a national system of postmortem investigation with literatures of postmortem inspection. The author reviewed the postmortem findings in the literature(Shinjumoowonrok) to compare with recent knowledges of forensic medicine. Characteristics of old system of postmortem investigation was three instance investigation system and was carried out only with a postmortem inspection without autopsy. The postmortem findings described in the old literature were about various kinds of death, such as cases of suicide and homicide and natural and unnatural death. Most of postmortem findings in the Shinjumoowonrok were accurate and reasonable in the aspect of recent knowledges of forensic medicine.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.153-158
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• 2015

In order to find out a method to improve awareness of biomedical laboratory science about forensic medicine education and suggest a plan for invigoration, we carried out a survey targeting 100 students of biomedical laboratory science of Daegu Health College in Daegu region and implemented their awareness and requirement forensic medicine subject, which suggested very high awareness of most of the students about forensic medicine as a result. Out of 100 respondents, in the result of survey for students' awareness of forensic medicine, 94 (94%) answered that they were aware of it, We could find that they have high expectation from forensic medicine, and current biomedical laboratory science showed very high awareness and requirement for forensic medicine education. Therefore, rather than focusing only on core courses required for medical technologist, it is necessary to set up a program to introduce forensic subjects for expansion of professional areas and activation which can promote employment of medical technologists.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.512-519
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• 2022

As a technique mainly hiring in forensic investigation field to identify the descents, craniofacial reconstruction (CFR) is also used in archaeology to create the faces from ancient or medieval human remains, when there is little information about his/her appearance. Eung-Cheok Ko (1531-1605) was a writer and scholar in the mid Joseon period. In January of 2019, His mummified body was found at Gumi, Kyeonsangbuk-do, Korea. The remains were anthropologically examined, and archaeological CFR was also requested for this case. This report reveals the case's facial reconstruction process and his portrait that is drawn based on the 3-dimensional CFR result.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.75-93
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• 2019

Background: Since 2010, Korea has maintained a DNA database of those convicted of or awaiting trial for certain crimes. There have been proposals to expand the list of crimes included in this database, or conversely, omit certain crimes if they are committed during protests. An understanding of the feelings of the public as we consider the ethical, legal, and social aspects of a DNA database and as revisions to laws are made is required. Methodology: Questions related to the DNA database were included in the nationally representative Korean Academic Multimode Open Survey (KAMOS) panel (June-August 2016). Results: Of 2,000 randomly selected panel members, 1,013 respondents participated in this survey, including 89.2% who supported the existence of a criminal DNA database. The current system of storing DNA profiles until a suspect's acquittal or a convict's death was supported by 79.5% of respondents. In addition, 70.8% of respondents agreed with the expansion of crime categories included in the criminal database. Many (93.4%) respondents favored genetic testing and data storage to determine the identity and cause of death for people who die of unnatural causes. Some differences in attitude related to social class were noted, with those who self-identified as members of the upper class more likely to support the database and its expansion to include additional crimes than those who self-identified as middle or lower class. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Koreans generally support the criminal DNA database.