18 documents found, page 1 of 2
The power of DNA and fingerprint databases
Oliveira, Manuela; Moreira, Sara; Dinis-Oliveira, Ricardo Jorge; Correia, Pedro; Criado Alonso, Maria Begoña; Madureira-Carvalho, ÁureaBackground: Recent advancements in various scientific fields (e.g., next-generation DNA sequencing, AI-driven biometrics, rapid DNA, enhanced fingerprint systems, cloud-based digital forensics) resulted in the emergence of different branches within Forensic Sciences, which provide comprehensive support to the justice system [1-3]. The present work specifically focuses on two areas of criminalistics: Forensic Ge...
Cyberattacks on critical infrastructures: the role of Forensic Sciences in prev...
Morgado, Miguel; Malafaya, Carla; Oliveira, Manuela; Fernandes, Luís; Madureira-Carvalho, Áurea; Azevedo, RuiBackground: Critical infrastructures (e.g., national security, energy systems, transport systems/supply chain, health, and telecommunications) (fig. 1) have been the target of constant cyber-attacks that debilitate the population's sense of security and have had profound economic, social, and public safety impacts [1,2]. Also, cyber-physical systems in smart cities face complex challenges that require robust cy...
Forensic Sciences and refugee children: identification and family reunification...
Morgado, Maria; Madureira-Carvalho, Áurea; Oliveira, Manuela; Marques Fernandes, LuísBackground: Armed conflicts, ethnic persecution, and humanitarian disasters (Fig. 1) have led to the displacement of millions of people, including many children who, during these journeys, are often separated from their parents or guardians [1-3]. Forensic sciences have proved to be fundamental in identifying unaccompanied minors and reuniting families, using techniques such as forensic genetics, biometrics, an...
The role of Forensic Anthropology in identifying human commingled remains: a li...
Lacerda, Ivo; Rodrigues, Joaquim; Morais Caldas, Inês; Madureira-Carvalho, Áurea; Oliveira, ManuelaBackground: Forensic Anthropology is a critical tool in war crimes investigations, particularly in analyzing mass graves where human remains are often commingled and fragmented. It enables victims' identification while supporting human rights violations documentation [1-3]. This review focuses on the Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI), a central method for analyzing such remains. Objective: To examine the role...
Forensic Anthropology: assessing reliability and sources of bias
Rodrigues, Joaquim; Lacerda, Ivo; Caldas, Inês; Madureira-Carvalho, Áurea; Oliveira, ManuelaBackground: Forensic anthropology is critical in human identification, mainly in extreme situations (e.g., mass disasters when other methods fail or in criminal cases where the victim's body is in an advanced decomposition state) [1]. Forensic anthropology has legal and medico-legal implications for individuals’ identification. The methods used ensure that the conclusions are coherent, reliable and subject to b...
INNOMINATE – Digital catalog and tools of the identified skeleton collection of...
Godinho, Maria João; Madureira-Carvalho, Áurea; Caldas, Inês; Azevedo, RuiBackground: The University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS) - CESPU houses the XXI CEIC - XXI Century Identified Skeletal Collection; it holds over a hundred human remains undergoing or awaiting full processing – cleaning, documentation, and proper storage. All data are documented in printed templates during processing, including information on osteological material presence, absence, preservation status, me...
Moral harassment in the security forces: is it worrying?
Cerdeira Campos Costa, Sandra; S. Azevedo, Rui M.; Peixoto, Bruno; Madureira-Carvalho, ÁureaBackground: Moral Harassment is a set of continuous violent acts that cause psychological and/or physical harm to victims [1]. In Portugal, it was only in the 1990s that was considered, and it currently has a major impact on society, in public and private institutions [2, 3], which led to legislation, protecting victims and penalizing aggressors [4]. Objective: Obtain knowledge to identify, prevent, and reduce ...
Freshwater and estuarine diatom composition and seasonal variation: influence o...
Torres-Portugal, Mariana; Madureira-Carvalho, Áurea; Couto, Cristina; Ribeiro, CláudiaBackground: Diatoms are unicellular microalgae common in aquatic systems. Different species and communities are characteristic of the ecosystems where they are found, allowing temporal and local associations to be made. Additionally, they do not occur naturally in the human body. Therefore, diatoms can provide relevant information in forensic investigation situations, i.e., determining the cause of death by dro...
In vitro and in silico evaluation of psilocybin and psilocin’s interaction with...
Machado Brito-da-Costa, Andreia; Carvalho, Mariana; Dinis-Oliveira, Ricardo Jorge; Madureira-Carvalho, Áurea; F. Sousa, Sérgio; Dias da Silva, DianaBackground: Psilocybin is a hallucinogen produced by “magic mushrooms”, being rapidly metabolized in the organism into psilocin [1, 2]. A scientific gap exists regarding the possible interactions between psilocybin/psilocin and CYP450 enzymes. Given their biological importance, and since the binding of drugs to CYP450 enzymes can interfere with the metabolism of other substrates leading to drug-drug interaction...
In vitro and in silico evaluation of 5-MeO-DMT, LSD, and mescaline’s interactio...
Machado Brito-da-Costa, Andreia; Carvalho, Mariana; Dinis-Oliveira, Ricardo Jorge; Madureira-Carvalho, Áurea; F. Sousa, Sérgio; Dias da Silva, DianaBackground: 5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and mescaline are classic hallucinogens known for their recreational use, which increased in the last decades. Despite some available data on the metabolism of these drugs [1-3], a scientific gap exists regarding their possible interactions with CYP450 enzymes. Nevertheless, this information is of crucial relevance to pr...