Alexandre Xifró

La proyección social y sanitaria de los Institutos de Medicina Legal en España: más allá de la justicia

The main mission of Spanish Institutes of Legal Medicine (ILMs) is to serve the justice system. We review the potential broader role of the work done by ILMs, with an emphasis on forensic pathology. The relevance of forensic information to increase the quality of mortality statistics is highlighted, taking into account the persistence of the low validity of the external causes of death in the Mortality Register that was already detected more than a decade ago. The new statistical form and reporting system for the deaths under ILMs jurisdiction, as introduced by the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Estadística in 2009, are also described. The IMLs role in the investigation of the following mortality causes and of their determinants is reviewed in detail: traffic accidents, suicide, drugs of abuse, child deaths and sudden deaths. We conclude that an important public role of IMLs is emerging beyond their valuable service to the justice system, mainly through the gathering of data critical to assess and prevent several medical and public health and safety issues of great social impact and through their participation in epidemiologic research and surveillance.The main mission of Spanish Institutes of Legal Medicine (ILMs) is to serve the justice system. We review the potential broader role of the work done by ILMs, with an emphasis on forensic pathology. The relevance of forensic information to increase the quality of mortality statistics is highlighted, taking into account the persistence of the low validity of the external causes of death in the Mortality Register that was already detected more than a decade ago. The new statistical form and reporting system for the deaths under ILMs jurisdiction, as introduced by the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Estadistica in 2009, are also described. The IMLs role in the investigation of the following mortality causes and of their determinants is reviewed in detail: traffic accidents, suicide, drugs of abuse, child deaths and sudden deaths. We conclude that an important public role of IMLs is emerging beyond their valuable service to the justice system, mainly through the gathering of data critical to assess and prevent several medical and public health and safety issues of great social impact and through their participation in epidemiologic research and surveillance.

DYS19, DYS385, DYS389 (I and II), DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393 Haplotypes in a Population Sample from Catalonia (North-East Spain)

Blood samples (n = 224) from healthy unrelated individuals (males) were collected. DNA was extracted by using the phenolchloroform-isoamyl alcohol method (1). Hot-start PCR triplex (Triplex I: DYS19 and DYS389 I/II; Triplex II: DYS390, DYS391 and DYS393) and singleplex (DYS392) amplifications were accomplished with fluorescein labelled primers by the method published by Gene et al. (2). The primers used were those described by Kayser et al. (3) and de Knijff et al. (4). DYS385 locus was analyzed following the method and primers described by EDNAP group (5). Genotypes were analyzed in denaturing 6% polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis, using a monochrome automated laser fluorescence sequencer. The alleles from all loci reported were typed according to the published nomenclatures and the ISFG guidelines for STR analyses. Our group have received the certify of excellence in the Y-STR Haplotyping Quality Assurance Exercise 2000–2001 (http:/www.ystr.org).

Haplotype frequencies of DYS19, DYS389 I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS393 and DYS385 STR loci in Barcelona (North-East Spain)

Abstract We report a Y-chromosome haplotype frequency database obtained from a Barcelona population study. Samples were typed according to the published nomenclature and the ISFG guidelines for short tandem repeat (STR) analyses.