Red Flower's Journal of Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology

Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Section 274, adulterating milk with hazardous chemicals including hydrogen peroxide is a punishable crime. This caustic chemical poses significant health risks, particularly to children, causing corrosive harm to their developing bodies. The law explicitly targets those who endanger public health by adulterating food or drink intended for sale, imposing strict penalties to deter such malicious practices. Ensuring the safety and integrity of consumables, especially milk, is crucial for protecting innocent children and maintaining public trust.

Acute airway obstruction or choking is reportedly commoner in children than adults. Most commonly aspirated material among the children is either vegetable matter or inorganic objects such as a toy.Foreign body aspiration (FBA)amounts to the fourth leading cause of death occurring at either home or community places, in the United States of America.The death rate in cases of FBA in adults is seven times higher among people of age >65 years than in children, though the prevalence of it is less. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) including ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular such as stroke account for 17.7 million deaths. Such a case where the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease was much eminent, turned out to be of choking on autopsy is discussed in this case report.

The hookah use among present day generation creates an alarming need considering its negative health effects. Hookah tobacco (also known as water pipe tobacco, maassel, shisha, narghile, or argileh) is a type of combustible tobacco that is smoked with a hookah (waterpipe). It is popular among the youths as these hookah smokers smoke at hookah lounges as well as in private homes, bars, cafes and restaurants. In all the f lavored products of tobacco, nicotine is the most potent and one of the addictive drug present including hookah tobacco. The concentration show a variation although the average nicotine content ranges between 1.8–6.3%of 3.4 mg/g tobacco depends upon the brand. In this article efforts have been made to highlight the toxic effects of Flavored Hookah abuse among youths.

DNA analysis is used in forensic investigations to identify individuals and solve crimes. Important pieces of evidence are frequently found at crime scenes, including bloodstains. However, both the quantity and the quality of the extracted DNA can vary depending on the conditions in which bloodstains are exposed before analysis, such as different temperatures. This study, to evaluate the genome potential for performing short tandem repeat (STR) analysis on bloodstains collected from three different temperature settings: -200, 40, and room temperature. The study will evaluate how temperature affects DNA extraction and typing. Previous studies have demonstrated that burns and high heat can cause DNA to degrade and lower DNA quantities in bloodstains. Additionally, research has shown that even after being heated to specific temperatures, cleaned bloodstains can still produce sufficient DNA for analysis. This research will help to clarify the challenges and limitations involved in conducting STR analysis on bloodstains exposed to a range of temperatures by examining the effects of various temperatures on DNA quantity and quality in bloodstains. The results will help investigators in the forensic field increase DNA recovery techniques and raise the accuracy of DNA profiling in criminal investigations.

The advancement of forensic DNA analysis has revolutionized criminal investigations, providing crucial evidence for identifying suspects and establishing their involvement in various crimes. The extraction of DNA from blood stains is a fundamental step in forensic investigations, enabling the profiling of individuals for identification and genetic analysis. The objective of this research is to evaluate and compare the DNA extraction methods on different fabric types, which is cotton, and silk. Blood stains were spotted in both the cloths and incubated for a certain period of time. After which, DNA extraction was done using phenol chloroform method. The quality and quantity of the extracted DNA are assessed using established techniques such as Gel electrophoresis and qPCR amplification. The results of the experiments indicate variations in the efficiency of DNA extraction methods depending on the fabric type. Ideally both the fabrics have shown similar pattern of DNA recovery but Cotton fabrics demonstrate higher DNA recovery rates, of DNA recovery but Cotton fabrics demonstrate higher DNA recovery rates, compared to silk fabric but this is non-significant. In conclusion, provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with DNA extraction from blood stains on different fabrics for forensic investigation profiling. The research findings contribute to the advancement of forensic DNA analysis and offer practical guidance for forensic scientists to optimize their methods when handling blood-stained fabric evidence. Further research and development in this field will undoubtedly strengthen the forensic community’s ability to solve crimes and administer justice with greater accuracy and reliability.

Background: The present study is an attempt to estimate stature from the measurements of Foramen Magnum using postmortem multidetector computed tomography (PMCT) in the North Indian population. Foramen Magnum Length (FML) and Foramen Magnum Breadth (FMB) measurements for every skull were taken using the PMCT of 100 North Indian people. Materials and Method: PMCT examination was performed using a 16-slice MSCT spiral scanner, Cannon Medical Systems, results were evaluated with the Vitrea software v.6.9.1. The images were viewed using Multiplanar Reconstruction and Volume Rendering technique (MPR-VRT). STAT, FML, andFMB were measured and analyzed Results: The study population comprised 57 males and 43 females with a mean age of 38.3 years, respectively. Regression analysis was used in stature estimation from FML and FMB. The standard error of estimate (SEE) of the FML was 6.18 and FMB was 6.64 for the combined population while SEE ranged from 4.77 to 5.21 cm for the male population and 6.18 to 6.30 cm for the female population respectively. Conclusions: This study is the first to provide a metric and statistical analysis of the Foramen Magnum measurements in Northern India using PMCT and concluded that stature estimation is highly possible with minimum SEE from the Foramen Magnum measurements. Furthermore, the equations derived to estimate stature in this study can be considered as an alternative to solve forensic cases, in scenarios where only an isolated skull is retrieved and no long bones are available, which are considered better predictors to date.

NA

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy plays a crucial role in forensic sciences by providing detailed chemical information about substances present in biological samples such as blood. NMR spectroscopy is a versatile tool in forensic sciences, offering non destructive and high-resolution analysis of biological samples like blood. Machine learning tools are increasingly employed in forensic investigations to enhance data analysis, pattern recognition, and decision-making processes. These tools aid in processing vast amounts of forensic data efficiently and uncovering hidden insights from complex datasets. Its ability to provide detailed chemical information aids in substance identification, quantitative analysis, and understanding of NMR data interpretation, making it invaluable in criminal investigations and forensic pathology.