Post-mortem interval of human skeletal remains accurately determined by
means of non-destructive techniques
Researchers are developing a useful, versatile model to accurately
determine the post-mortem interval (PMI)

Date:
January 28, 2022
Source:
University of the Basque Country
Summary:
A new study has determined the post-mortem interval of human
skeletal remains using real samples, which has been made possible
by the combination of two non-destructive analytical tools: Raman
spectroscopy and chemometrics. This opens up new avenues for dating
in the field of forensic medicine and anthropology.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A UPV/EHU study has for the first time determined the post-mortem
interval of human skeletal remains using real samples, which has been
made possible by the combination of two non-destructive analytical tools:
Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics. This opens up new avenues for dating
in the field of forensic medicine and anthropology.


==========================================================================
In the field of forensic analysis there is a significant demand
for objectively determining the post-mortem interval (PMI) when human
skeletal remains are discovered. So far, a whole range of techniques have
been used to establish the approximate time that has elapsed since the
death of the individual, but they have significant drawbacks in terms of reliability and accuracy: they provide an approximate interval but not
an exact date; they are relatively invasive techniques, which require
staining or removal of a part of the bone, etc.

"The aim of this research was precisely to come up with a method capable
of determining the relatively accurate post-mortem interval in human
remains by using non-destructive measurements," said Luis Bartolome', technician in the UPV/EHU's SGIker Central Analysis Service (SCAB).

So "we analysed a set of 53 actual human skeletal remains with a known
post- mortem interval provided by the Department of Legal Medicine,
Toxicology and Physical Anthropology of the University of Granada. Using
actual samples for the first time, we built and validated a model by
combining two non-destructive tools: Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics," explained the author of the paper.

"Raman spectra," Bartolome' went on to explain, "contain physico-chemical information on nearly all the components of the sample; however, due
to their complexity, in most cases it is not possible to differentiate
between all the information they contain. Chemometrics is capable
of extracting the parameters of interest from the spectra through
mathematical and statistical methods." "By combining both techniques,
we have been able to build a model in which the Raman spectrum of each
set of skeletal remains analysed is associated with a post-mortem
interval. Relating the spectrum to a time interval is no easy task
and for this we used statistical models and logarithms that allow us
to relate each spectrum to a time. So when we receive human skeletal
remains for which we don't know the time that has elapsed since death,
what we do is an interpolation by inserting these data into the validated model, and that way a relatively accurate post-mortem interval can be obtained," explained Luis Bartolome'. "The data recorded in the model
developed provides valuable, potentially useful, versatile information,"
he stressed.

According to the UPV/EHU researcher, "the combination of both
techniques is a significant achievement for forensic medicine
and anthropology. However, there is always room for improvement
as these types of models perform better the more samples
there are and the more varied they are; the model includes more
heterogeneity and responds more robustly to a wider range of cases." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_the_Basque_Country. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. L. Ortiz-Herrero, B. Uribe, L. Hidalgo Armas, M.L. Alonso,
A. Sarmiento,
J. Irurita, R.M. Alonso, M.I. Maguregui, F. Etxeberria, L.

Bartolom�. Estimation of the post-mortem
interval of human skeletal remains using Raman spectroscopy and
chemometrics. Forensic Science International, 2021; 329: 111087 DOI:
10.1016/ j.forsciint.2021.111087 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220128100735.htm

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