"Analysis of skeletons exhumed with a known bio anthropological profile for establishing the best anthropological parameters to be applied to the brazilian population in forensic anthropological examinations"

• Grant number: 12/12344-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): April 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Marco Aurelio Guimarães
• Grantee: Raffaela Arrabaça Francisco
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Anthropology is the study of human beings. It covers social practices, language and communication, archeology and evolution, physical and biological attributes of human groups. Forensic Anthropology can already refer to any subarea mentioned when applied in the interest of justice. In practice of human remains analysis, partially skeletonized or skeletonized in the context of a research. The Legal Medicine Center, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (CEMEL/FMRP-USP) has a Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology (LAF), which together with the University of Sheffield (UK) has established an investigation protocol of the identity of human remains in police cases. Since 2005, the work of this laboratory allowed the generation of new data on the characteristics of bones found without identification in Ribeirão Preto and region and has allowed a rate of identifications in more than 30% of cases, given that the social and scientific relevance. Rationale: The protocol used in the LAF-CEMEL is based on European standards of information/American whose measurements and observations were based on data obtained from defined populations and not blended (Caucasian, African or Indian/Eastern) distinct from the population. As in Brazil there is a recognized miscegenation, becoming an urgent study to establish population parameters suitable for bones analyzes in our country, to improve the results. Furthermore, the anthropological forensic examination is still a method strictly necessary for screening and identifying human prior to the application of molecular methods which, although very precise and specific in the sample, are expensive due to the poor quality of the samples and presence of contaminants and inhibitors of the PCR reactions. Objectives: 1 - Estimate the bio anthropological profile of 120 bones, among these, 90 will be exhumed for administrative purposes the cemetery BomPastor of Ribeirão Preto and 30 will come from bones referred to the LAF/CEMEL and identified, in order to facilitate a possible identification, by analyzing the following variables of the protocol LAF-CEMEL: sex, age, stature, ancestry and manual dexterity, as well as identify and describe dental characteristics, anatomical variations and pathologies; 2 - Compare the results obtained with the actual ante-mortem information recorded the buried individuals and sent to the LAF/CEMEL; 3 - compare the obtained data with the international standards already used to verify that what is obtained in this Brazilian population differs significantly or not to the point to justify the composition of new references for anthropological forensic analysis; 4 - Collect a sample of bone / tooth for DNA analysis in cases that may need clarifications on specific parameters. Ethical issues: The identities of all exhumed will be kept confidential. The commitments of the institutions involved were properly obtained. The project was approved by the Ethics Committee. Perspectives: Getting Brazilian anthropological parameters to improve the quality of anthropological forensic examinations for improvement in rates of identification, creating social benefit and scientific quality.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FRANCISCO, RAFFAELA ARRABACA; EVISON, MARTIN PAUL; DA COSTA JUNIOR, MOACYR LOBO; PANTOZZI SILVEIRA, TERESA CRISTINA; SECCHIERI, JOSE MARCELO; GUIMARAES, MARCO AURELIO. Validation of a standard forensic anthropology examination protocol by measurement of applicability and reliability on exhumed and archive samples of known biological attribution. Forensic Science International, v. 279, p. 241-250, OCT 2017. (12/12344-3)

MELLO, RAFAEL BARRIOS; REGIS SILVA, MARIA REGINA; SEIXAS ALVES, MARIA TERESA; EVISON, MARTIN PAUL; GUIMARAES, MARCO AURELIO; FRANCISCO, RAFAELLA ARRABACA; ASTOLPHI, RAFAEL DIAS; MIAZATO IWAMURA, EDNA SADAYO. Tissue Microarray Analysis Applied to Bone Diagenesis. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 7, JAN 4 2017. (12/24918-4, 12/12344-3, 13/17901-0)