Bodner,M.; Bastisch,I.; Butler,J.M.; Fimmers,R.; Gill,P.; Gusmao,L.; Morling,N.; Phillips,C.; Prinz,M.; Schneider,P.M.; Parson,W.; The statistical evaluation of autosomal Short Tandem Repeat (STR) genotypes is based on allele frequencies. These are empirically determined from sets of randomly selected human samples, compiled into STR databases that have been established in the course of population genetic studies. There is currently no agreed procedure of performing quality control of STR allele frequency databases, and the reliability and accuracy of the data are largely based on the responsibility of the individual contributing research groups. [Read More]

Miklin-Kniefacz,Silvia; Pitthard,Václav; Parson,Walther; Berger,Cordula; Stanek,Sabine; Griesser,Martina; Ku?ková,Št?pánkaHrdli?ková; The study gives an overview of the tests and analyses undertaken in the past 20 years to establish the presence of blood in the foundation layers of Chinese lacquer artefacts and also shows the development of analytical methods over that period. When undertaking the conservation of lacquer objects it is crucial to know the type of binding medium as this influences the selection of any consolidants that may be required in the treatment. [Read More]

Handle,F.; Erb,H.H.H.; Luef,B.; Hoefer,J.; Dietrich,D.; Parson,W.; Kristiansen,G.; Santer,F.R.; Culig,Z.; The proinflammatory cytokine IL6 is associated with bad prognosis in prostate cancer and implicated in progression to castration resistance. Suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) is an IL6-induced negative feedback regulator of the IL6/Janus kinase (JAK)/STAT3 pathway. This study reveals that the SOCS3 promoter is hypermethylated in cancerous regions compared with adjacent benign tissue in prostate cancer using methylation-specific qPCR. A series of in vitro experiments was performed to assess the functional impact of low SOCS3 expression during anti-androgen treatment. [Read More]

Steger,J.; Arnhard,K.; Haslacher,S.; Geiger,K.; Singer,K.; Schlapp,M.; Pitterl,F.; Oberacher,H.; Forensic toxicology and environmental water analysis share the common interest and responsibility in ensuring comprehensive and reliable confirmation of drugs and pharmaceutical compounds in samples analyzed. Dealing with similar analytes, detection and identification techniques should be exchangeable between scientific disciplines. Herein, we demonstrate the successful adaption of a forensic toxicological screening workflow employing nontargeted LC/MS/MS under data-dependent acquisition control and subsequent database search to water analysis. [Read More]

Turchi,C.; Stanciu,F.; Paselli,G.; Buscemi,L.; Parson,W.; Tagliabracci,A.; To evaluate the pattern of Romanian population from a mitochondrial perspective and to establish an appropriate mtDNA forensic database, we generated a high-quality mtDNA control region dataset from 407 Romanian subjects belonging to four major historical regions: Moldavia, Transylvania, Wallachia and Dobruja. The entire control region (CR) was analyzed by Sanger-type sequencing assays and the resulting 306 different haplotypes were classified into haplogroups according to the most updated mtDNA phylogeny. [Read More]