• Title/Summary/Keyword: forensic medicine

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Usefulness of Data Mining in Criminal Investigation (데이터 마이닝의 범죄수사 적용 가능성)

  • Kim, Joon-Woo;Sohn, Joong-Kweon;Lee, Sang-Han
    • Journal of forensic and investigative science
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    • v.1 no.2
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    • pp.5-19
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    • 2006
  • Data mining is an information extraction activity to discover hidden facts contained in databases. Using a combination of machine learning, statistical analysis, modeling techniques and database technology, data mining finds patterns and subtle relationships in data and infers rules that allow the prediction of future results. Typical applications include market segmentation, customer profiling, fraud detection, evaluation of retail promotions, and credit risk analysis. Law enforcement agencies deal with mass data to investigate the crime and its amount is increasing due to the development of processing the data by using computer. Now new challenge to discover knowledge in that data is confronted to us. It can be applied in criminal investigation to find offenders by analysis of complex and relational data structures and free texts using their criminal records or statement texts. This study was aimed to evaluate possibile application of data mining and its limitation in practical criminal investigation. Clustering of the criminal cases will be possible in habitual crimes such as fraud and burglary when using data mining to identify the crime pattern. Neural network modelling, one of tools in data mining, can be applied to differentiating suspect's photograph or handwriting with that of convict or criminal profiling. A case study of in practical insurance fraud showed that data mining was useful in organized crimes such as gang, terrorism and money laundering. But the products of data mining in criminal investigation should be cautious for evaluating because data mining just offer a clue instead of conclusion. The legal regulation is needed to control the abuse of law enforcement agencies and to protect personal privacy or human rights.

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Analysis of the Case with Serial Killer Young Cheol Yoo (유영철 연쇄살인사건 분석)

  • Lee, Jin-Dong;Lee, Sang-Han
    • Journal of forensic and investigative science
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.32-51
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    • 2007
  • Serial violent crimes have occurred more frequently. Additional attention is paid to relevant areas in which discussions has also increased. This study analyzed Young-cheol Yoo, serial killer case. Two of Yoo's crimes were studied for modus operandi. The cases selected were the premeditated break-in homicide of upper-class elderly people and the impulsive homicide of the Hwanghak-Dong street vendor. Crime motives, targets, times, places, means and methods were analyzed. Profiling techniques in Young-cheol Yoo cases were evaluated and the problems discovered during investigation were discussed. The followings are the findings of the analysis of the serial killer Yoo cases. Yoo exhibited a hatred toward the rich, the elderly, and women as well as a fear of diseases and death. Yoo's crime targets were the elderly residing in wealthy houses, street vendors and prostitutes. The numbers of victims were: 3 men and 5 women victims in 4 homicide cases involving the elderly residents in wealthy houses; one man in 1 street vendor homicide case 11 women in 11 prostitute homicide cases, so total 20 persons were murdered in 16 cases. The time of the crimes were between 10 am and noon in the homicide cases of the elderly and very late at night or early in the morning in the prostitute homicide cases. Means and methods facilitated include the use of a knife as a threat and a hammer made by Yoo to strike the head and face of victims. In the homicide cases involving the elderly, he attempted to disguise the crime scene as a burglary or committed arson to destroy the evidence; in the prostitute homicide cases, bodies were mutilated and buried in secret. 1) Generally each serial killer case has different characteristics, motives, and purposes; while some serial killer cases involve similar methods, others use different methods. Unlike other crimes, serial killers' characteristics and tastes are very different, so it is difficult to explain serial killings based on a specific model. It is important to accurately capture modus operandi of each serial killing and for detectives to familiarize themselves with them. The process of tracing and use of imagination which follows a serial killer's psychology and thought must be used to find out what kind of thoughts pushed the killer to commit the crime. In order to investigate and research difficult subjects such as serial killing, various methods, skills, and relevant knowledge should be studied, and institutional endeavors should go hand in hand with individual efforts.

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An Analysis of the National Suicide Rate in Korea during 2005 (2005년 전국 자살실태 분석)

  • Kim, Gi-Jeong;Kwak, Jyung-Sik
    • Journal of forensic and investigative science
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.5-22
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    • 2007
  • From the numerous social problems generated by the unbalanced social development and the social trend of belittling life overall, we found the causes of suicide getting worse in its seriousness day by day. In reality, the problem has been approached in a collateral level in contrast with other social problems. There have been an active involvement in studying the definition, causes and ways of prevention of suicide theoretically until now. However, different from other social problems, it is almost impossible to treat or fix the problem of suicide. Only ways to treat or fix the problem is when the suicide has ended in failure. Thus, this study intends to examine the suicide rate among the total accidents during the year 2005, perform the analyses on the actual causes according to the relations such as the means of suicide, occupation, age group, educational background, etc. In order to present a solution to the issue of suicide becoming serious each day. Among the total accidents in 2005, the suicide rate came out to be approximately 52.4%. Among the result, 52.4%, male with 69% resulted higher than female with 31%, which appears to be related to the social functions. While men tends to take more active(80%) means of suicide like jumping off, poison, hanging, etc., women tends to take more passive(60%) means of suicide like sleeping pills, slitting wrist, etc. In terms of the cause, pessimism, illness, denial, mental disorder, etc resulted more than 75%, and there were many cases of suicide after exhibiting the signs of depression. Also there were higher suicide rate of the unemployed engaged in direct labor with educational background lower than college level related to the pessimism regarding the family living cost. We were able to determine the recent increase in the suicidal tendency of the educated people higher than the college level and the retired people with depression caused by the sudden change in social status. Overall there are several reasons for suicide, however, in most cases the signs of depression were exhibited until the final suicide, which tells us the serious psychological problem of suicide. Assuming that the current development of suicide will continue in future, the result of this study will guide the corresponding social policies, be utilized in preparing the insurance or management at the national level dealing with the real social problems that are not just a conflict of an individual, but could spread like a fad and become much bigger than the present by the continuous support at the environmental, social and political levels, and be utilized as the basic data to establish the research plan.

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High Expression of HIF-1α, BNIP3 and PI3KC3: Hypoxia-Induced Autophagy Predicts Cholangiocarcinoma Survival and Metastasis

  • Thongchot, Suyanee;Yongvanit, Puangrat;Loilome, Watcharin;Seubwai, Wanchana;Phunicom, Kutcharin;Tassaneeyakul, Wichittra;Pairojkul, Chawalit;Promkotra, Wisuttiphong;Techasen, Anchalee;Namwat, Nisana
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.14
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    • pp.5873-5878
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    • 2014
  • Hypoxia and autophagy are known to facilitate tumor progression. We here aimed to investigate the role of hypoxia-associated autophagy in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) survival and metastasis. Immunostaining of hypoxic-responsive proteins (HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and BNIP3) and a key regulator of autophagy (PI3KC3) were examined in CCA tissues and their expression levels were compared with clinicopathological parameters. A hypoxia mimicking condition ($CoCl_2$ treatment) was also tested regarding CCA cell functions. Our results showed that HIF-$1{\alpha}$ (66%), BNIP3 (44%) and PI3KC3 (46%) showed strong staining in human CCA tissues. Positive expression of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ (p=0.033), BNIP3 (p=0.040) and PI3KC3 (p=0.037) was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis. HIF-$1{\alpha}$ was well associated with BNIP3 (r=0.3, p<0.01) and PI3KC3 (r=0.2, p<0.01). The survival rates of patients who were positive with HIF-$1{\alpha}$ (p=0.047) or co-expressed HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and BNIP3 (p=0.032) or HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and PI3KC3 (p=0.043) were significantly greater than in the negative groups. CCA cells treated with $CoCl_2$ showed an increase in HIF-$1{\alpha}$, BNIP3, PI3KC3 and LC3-II, with increased cell migration and pFAK levels. These data suggest that hypoxia associated autophagy enhances CCA metastasis, resulting in a poor prognosis of CCA.

Study on Medical Records In ${\ulcorner}$the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms${\lrcorner}$ ("삼국사기(三國史記)"에 기록된 의약내용(醫藥內容) 분석)

  • Shin, Soon-Shik;Choi, Hwan-Soo
    • Journal of The Association for Neo Medicine
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.35-54
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    • 1997
  • We tried to observe the features of ancient medical practice by analysing the records related to medicine in the book, ${\ulcorner}$the Historical Records of the Three Kingdom${\lrcorner}$ of which content includes the features of medicine in mythology, plague, delivery of twins, drugs, medical system, shamanism, constitutional medicine, psychiatry, forensic medicine, deformity, a spa, medical phrase, health and welfare work, religion, death. physiological anatomy, Taoist medicine, acupuncture, the occult af of transformation and etc. Our initial concern was about where to draw line as of medical field and we defined medicine in more broad meaning. The book ${\ulcorner}$the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms${\lrcorner}$ describes the world of mythology by way of medicine which is not clearly a conventional one. There appears records of birth of multiple offsprings 7 times in which cases are of triplets or more. Delivering multiple offsprings were rare phenomenon though such fertility was highly admired. This shows one aspect of ancient country having more population meant more power of the nation. Of those medical records conveyed in that book includes stories of childbirth such as giving birth to a son after praying, giving birth to Kim Yoo-shin after 20 months after mother's dream of conception, and a song longing for getting a laudable child. Plagues were prevalent throughout winter to spring season and one can observe various symptoms of plagues in the record. Of these epidemic diseases, cold type might have been more common than the heat one. Appearance of epidemic diseases frequently coincided with that of natural disasters that this suggests a linkage between plague and underlying doctrine on five elements' motion and six kinds of natural factors. There exists only a few names of diseases such as epidemic disease, wind disease, and syndrome characterized by dyspnea. Otherwise there appeared only afflictions that were not specified therefore it remains cluless to keep track of certain diseases of prevalence. Since this ${\ulcorner}$Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms'${\lrcorner}$ wasn't any sort of medical book, words and terms used were not technical kind and most were the ones used generally among lay people. Therefore any mechanisms of the diseases were hardly mentioned. Some of medicinal substances such as Calculus Bovis, Radix Ginseng, Gaboderma Luciderm, magnetitum were also in use in those days. 53 kinds of dietary supplies appears in the records and some of these might have been used as medicinal purpose. Records concerning dicipline of one's body includes activities such as hunting, archery, horseback riding etc. In Shilla dynasty there were positions such as professor of medicine, Naekongbong(內供奉), Kongbong's doctor(供奉醫師), Kongbong's diviner(供奉卜師). As an educational facility, medical school was built at the first year of King Hyoso's reign and it's curricula included various subjects as ${\ulcorner}$Shin Nong's Herbal classic${\lrcorner}$, ${\ulcorner}$Kabeul classic of acupuncture and moxbustion${\lrcorner}$, ${\ulcorner}$The Plain Questions of the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine${\lrcorner}$, ${\ulcorner}$Classic of Acupuncturer${\lrcorner}$, ${\ulcorner}$The Pulse Classic${\lrcorner}$, ${\ulcorner}$Classic of Channels and Acupuncture Points${\lrcorner}$ and ${\ulcorner}$Difficult Classic${\lrcorner}$. There were 2 medical professors who were in charge of education. To establish pharmacopoeia, 2 Shaji(舍知), 6 Sha(史), 2 Jongshaji(從舍知) were appointed. In Baekje dynasty, Department of Herb was maintained. Doing praying for the sake of health, doing phrenology also can be extended to medical arena. Those who survived over 100 years of age appear 3 times in the record, while 98 appears once. The earliest psychiatrist Nokjin differentiated symptoms to apply either therapies using acupuncture and drug or psychotherapy. There appears a case of rape, a case of burying alive with the dead, 8 cases of suicide that can characterize a prototype of forensic medicine. Deformity-related records include phrases as follow: 'there seems protrudent bone behind the head', 'a body which has two heads, two trunks, four arms.', 'a body equipped with two heads' In those times spa can be said to be used as a place for he리ing, convalescence, and relaxation seeing the records describing a person pretended illness and went to spa to enjoy with his friends. Priest doctors and millitary surgeons were in charge of the medical sevice in the period of the Three Kingdoms by the record written by Mookhoja(墨胡子) and Hoonkyeom(訓謙). Poor diet and regimen makes people more vulnerable to diseases. So there existed charity services for those poor people who couldn't live with one's own capacity such as single parents, orphans, the aged people no one to take care and those who are ill. The cause of affliction was frequently coined with human relation. There appeared the phenomenon of releasing prisoners and allowing people to become priests at the time of king's suffering. Besides, as a healing procedure, sutra-chanting was peformed. There appears 10 cases of death related records which varies from death by drowning, or by freezing, death from animals, death from war, death from wightloss and killing oneself at the moment of spouse's death and etc. There also exist certain records which suggest the knowledge of physiology and anatomy in those times. Since the taoist books such as ${\ulcorner}$Book of the Way and Its Power(老子道德經)${\lrcorner}$ were introduced in the period of Three Kingdoms, it can be considered that medicine was also influenced by taoism. Records of higher level of acupuncture, records which links the medicine and occult art of transformation existed. Although limited, we could figure out the medical state of ancient society.

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Detection of Fragment Length Polymorphism of the VNTR Loci D1S80 and D2S123 by PCR Amplification, PAGE and Silver Staining

  • Nam, Hyun-Suk;Kim, Eun-Hee;Yoon, Wan-Hee;Lee, Kong-Joo
    • BMB Reports
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    • v.28 no.4
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    • pp.359-362
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    • 1995
  • The highly polymorphic variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) loci in the human genome are informative markers for the genetic characterization of individuals in the paternity test and forensic science as well as for the study of human disease. In this study, VNTR loci D1S80 and D2S123 have been amplified by PCR and the amplified length polymorphic alleles were detected with a discontinuous vertical PAGE system and silver staining. For explicit DNA typing, PCR optimization, in which amplification efficiencies are similar over a wide range of allele sizes, non-specific amplifications are minimal, and new longer alleles have high amplification efficiency, has been performed by changing the PCR reaction buffer composition and thermal cycling conditions. It turned out that adding an appropriate amount of Tween 20 and NP40 to the PCR reaction buffer and raising the annealing temperature to $68^{\circ}C$ in thermal cycling made it possible for optimal VNTR loci amplification. A modified PAGE system for VNTR separation was established. Under these conditions, new longer alleles in the 01580 locus were discovered and 025123 pattern changes in colorectal tumors were observed. These technical tips are valuable for detecting various amplified fragment length polymorphisms.

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DNAchip as a Tool for Clinical Diagnostics (진단의학 도구로서의 DNA칩)

  • 김철민;박희경
    • Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems Conference
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    • 2004.04a
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    • pp.97-100
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    • 2004
  • The identification of the DNA structure as a double-stranded helix consting of two nucleotide chain molecules was a milestone in modern molecular biology. The DNA chip technology is based on reverse hybridization that follows the principle of complementary binding of double-stranded DNA. DNA chip can be described as the deposition of defined nucleic acid sequences, probes, on a solid substrate to form a regular array of elements that are available for hybridization to complementary nucleic acids, targets. DNA chips based on cDNA clons, oligonucleotides and genomic clons have been developed for gene expression studies, genetic variation analysis and genomic changes associated with disease including cancers and genetic diseases. DNA chips for gene expression profiling can be used for functional analysis in human eel Is and animal models, disease-related gene studies, assessment of gene therapy, assessment of genetically modified food, and research for drug discovery. DNA chips for genetic variation detection can be used for the detection of mutations or chromosomal abnormalities in cnacers, drug resistances in cancer cells or pathogenic microbes, histocompatibility analysis for transplantation, individual identification for forensic medicine, and detection and discrimination of pathogenic microbes. The DNA chip will be generalized as a useful tool in clinical diagnostics in near future. Lab-on-a chip and informatics will facilitate the development of a variety of DNA chips for diagnostic purpose.

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An Innovative Fingerprinting Procedure for Human Identification

  • Kim, Young-Sam;Yoon, Kwang-Sang;Eom, Yong-Bin;Seo, Joong-Seok;Kim, Jong-Bae
    • Biomedical Science Letters
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    • v.15 no.3
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    • pp.187-197
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    • 2009
  • Fingerprinting is a frontier technique that is the most frequently applied for human identification throughout the world. All citizens over 17 year old living in the Republic of Korea must be fingerprinted to obtain a certificate of resident registration. In Korea, for this reason, human identification through fingerprints has been far better developed and used efficiently both in crime scene investigation and in confirmation of an unidentified body. Scientific approaches have been made to accurately extract the metamorphosed fingerprints in various environments. Because most of the studies on fingerprinting have been accomplished with biometric techniques, researches on restoration of human dermal tissue and taking custody data after collecting fingerprints have been comparatively undermined. In this study, a newly innovative method for fingerprint extraction was developed using the polyester film with print powders and the high temperature-moisturizing method. Compared to the conventional fingerprinting method of paper with ink, minutiae numbers of fingerprints were greatly increased in polyester film with print powders after restoration of fingertips by high temperature-moisturization. This newly developed procedure would be an efficient fingerprinting technique which could be utilized in scientific investigation and in personal identification in the future. Furthermore, the new method for restoration and extraction of fingerprints are easy and inexpensive to practice for a number of human identification.

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The Potential Roles of Cyclooxygenase-2 and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 in Cytomegalovirus-Infected Atherosclerotic Aorta and Coronary Artery

  • Eom, Yong-Bin
    • Biomedical Science Letters
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    • v.9 no.3
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    • pp.123-131
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    • 2003
  • Inflammation appears to have a major role in the development of atherosclerosis. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is involved in the inflammatory response via the generation of prostanoids that, in turn, are involved in the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This study hypothesized that a vascular infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) may induce a chronic inflammatory reaction and activated inflammatory cells may express inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9). To confirm the hypothesis, the immunohistochemical stains for CMV late antigen, COX-2, MMP-9, macrophage, and T-lymphocyte were performed on CMV-infected atherosclerotic lesions. The immunoreactivity for COX-2 and MMP-9 was evident in all cases of atherosclerosis along with plaques, mainly in macrophages/foamy cells, intimal and medial smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells of the intima. Within the intima, the increased immunoreactivity for COX-2 and MMP-9 was colocalized to the area stained with CMV late antigen. Sections from control specimens showed no immunoreactivity for CMV late antigen, COX-2 and MMP-9. These data seem to support the hypothesis that CMV may participate in a pathogenetic mechanism for atherogenesis or progression of atherosclerosis.

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The High Temperature-Moisturizing Method for Obtaining Quality Postmortem Fingerprints from Decomposed Fingers

  • Kim, Young-Sam;Park, Hee-Chan;Eom, Yong-Bin
    • Biomedical Science Letters
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    • v.13 no.4
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    • pp.369-374
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    • 2007
  • A fingerprint is an impression of the friction ridges of all or any part of the finger. A friction ridge is a raised portion of the epidermis on the palmar (palm and fingers) or plantar (sole and toes) skin, consisting of one or more connected ridge units of friction ridge skin. There are two fundamental principles underlying the use of fingerprints as a means of identifying individuals - immutability and uniqueness. Friction ridges develop on the fetus in their definitive form before birth. Ridges are persistent throughout life except for permanent scarring. Ridge patterns and the details in small areas of friction ridges are unique and never repeated. Friction ridge patterns vary within limits, which allow for classification. We developed the high temperature-moisturizing method to obtained quality postmortem impressions from decomposing friction ridge skin. This technique is a simple procedure that uses boiling water to recondition the skin. This reconditioning process enhances detail present on the fingers and exposes ridge detail not visible to the naked eye. Therefore, we can recover the quality fingerprints, even from the worst decomposed bodies.

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