The professional capacity of forensic appraisal professionals not only relates to continuous education after commencing forensic practicing, but also depends on the quality of the higher education they received. Although a systematic higher education system for forensic science has  preliminarily taken shape in China, non-uniform professional orientations and education  curricula are detrimental to guaranteeing the quality of forensic appraisal professionals. Comparatively, a solid forensic science education programs accreditation system has been established in the United States after 20 years of exploration, which guarantees and enhances the quality of forensic science education. This can provide valuable experience and enlightenment for the development of forensic science education in China. Taking the  opportunity of forensic science being added to the undergraduate professional directory, this paper systematically analyzes the American forensic science education programs accreditation system and comprehensively summerizes its development logic and operation mode. The aim is to provide valuable policy suggestions for promoting the development of forensic science education and improving the quality of forensic appraisal professionals. Firstly, it is essential to establish a national forensic science education programs accreditation system is awaited to be established,  to standardize and guide education construction and guarantee education quality. Secondly, it  is necessary to create a diverse and independent national forensic science education program accreditation commission, which would be beneficial for strengthening the correlation between education and practice. Finally, it is recommended to offer multi-form and multi-deciplinary accreditation standards and processes for forensic science education programs to further enhance the quality of forensic science education.

The French forensic appraisal system takes a typical model of decentralized legislation, with its provisions dispersed across the three major procedural laws, case law and departmental norms. Since 1958, French legislators have established a relatively unified legal framework for forensic appraisal, covering four aspects: the decision-making body, the implementing body, the procedural rules, and evidentiary provisions. Special regulations of biological appraisal system has also been established to safeguard individual dignity and privacy rights. The main reasons for the choice of a decentralized legislative model include four factors: historical traditions, sectoral law structure, the pathway of rule formation, and the excessive legislation phenomenon. The forensic appraisal system constructed in France presents the following basic features: a dualistic legal system of “general + special”, multiple sources of legal norms, strong authority of judges, and detailed procedural rules. Based on this, China’s decentralized legislative model can also establish a robust forensic appraisal system; the legislative approach for forensic appraisal should shift from administrative management to procedural rules; the classification of forensic appraisal should be more detailed and comprehensive; and the biological appraisal should be subject to special regulation.

The improvement of forensic appraisal legislation is fundamental for the sound and unified management system of forensic appraisal in China, but current regulations cannot fulfil this task. On September 7, 2023, the Legislative Plan of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress was released, and the Forensic Appraisal Law was listed as a second category item. The way the main content and framework structure of the Forensic Appraisal Law should be arranged needs comparative research, apart from analysis based on China’s specific circumstances. The achievements of forensic appraisal legislation and reform in the United Kingdom in recent years are of considerable reference value. China currently lacks a genuine legal entity capable of uniformly managing the forensic appraisal industry, and the implementation procedures and quality requirements of forensic appraisal are relatively separated. In future  legislation, efforts should be made to reach common understanding, establish a statutory forensic appraisal regulator, optimize norms of forensic procedures, explore the integration of  quality standards into implementation procedures, and develop forensic appraisal standards based on disciplines rather than administrative departments.

In recent years, extreme heat events have become increasingly frequent worldwide, leading to a significant rise in heatstroke-related mortality. However, the autopsy and histological examinations of heatstroke deaths exhibit nonspecific findings, such as ischemia, congestion, edema of internal organs, and neuronal necrosis. These factors pose substantial challenges to the forensic determination of such cases. With advancements in research, postmortem biochemical analysis, immunohistochemistry, and infrared spectroscopy have shown promise in identifying diagnostic markers for heatstroke deaths. This review discusses the current state of forensic determination of heatstroke deaths, and summarizes recent progress of diagnostic markers based on organ systems. The aim is to provide new insights and references for the forensic diagnosis of heatstroke-related deaths.

With remarkable advances in high-throughput sequencing technology and molecular genetics, research on the genetic mechanisms of drug (toxicant) metabolism have made a leap from single chemical assay to systematic molecular analysis in forensic medicine. The discipline has systematically revealed the effects of toxicant exposure on gene expression regulation, epigenetic modifications, and metabolite abnormalities by integrating genomics, epigenetics, and toxicology. Based on cytochrome P450 (CYP450) gene polymorphisms, this review analyses the differences in sensitivity to the same drug in different individuals and explores the mechanisms that lead to toxicity through abnormal drug metabolism. It further investigates genotypes and allelic variants of genes encoding drug metabolising enzymes to assess risks associated with exposure to chemicals, drugs, and environmental pollutants. Artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning is employed to predict and identify genotypes of various compounds as well as metabolites, enabling in vivo or in vitro gene expression modelling analysis for enhanced accuracy of genotype prediction. By shifting the focus from qualitative toxicant analysis to toxicodynamic mechanisms, this study provides critical insights for determining the cause and manner of death in drug abuse or poisoning-related fatalities. As a detection tool, CYP450 gene polymorphisms are reshaping forensic toxicological identification paradigms, serving as a core driver propelling forensic science into the “molecular era”.

Objective This study aims to evaluate the relationship between aggressive behavior, impulsivity, and the ability to perceive emotional facial expressions in college students. Methods A total of 100 undergraduate students were recruited and assessed using the Modified Overt Aggression Scale （MOAS）, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale-11（BIS-11）, to measure behavioral aggression, aggression traits, and impulsivity, respectively. Based on MOAS scores, participants were divided into an aggression group and a control group. An emotional face recognition paradigm was developed using E-Prime 2.0 and the Chinese facial affective picture system to assess participants’ perception of emotional facial expressions. Group comparisons were conducted using t-tests and repeated-measures ANOVA. Results The results showed that the number of errors in recognizing negative emotional faces （6.32±3.21） was significantly higher than those in recognizing positive （4.42±3.08, F=13.966, P<0.05） and neutral faces （4.24±2.90, F=13.966, P<0.05）. In the aggression group, BIS-11 total scores were negatively correlated with reaction times for negative emotional faces （r=-0.256, P<0.05). Additionally, the aggression group   （1 826.05 ms±768.95 ms） exhibited significantly shorter reaction times for negative emotional faces compared to the control group （2 315.77 ms±1 623.50 ms, F=3.96, P<0.05）. Conclusion These findings suggest that in college students, the ability to perceive negative emotional facial expressions is negatively associated with aggressive behavior and impulsivity. Enhancing the recognition of negative emotional faces may contribute to the reduction of aggressive behaviors in this population.

Objective To analyze the characteristics and causes of inconsistencies between clinical diagnosis and forensic diagnosis of rib fractures, so as to provide reference for the identification of such cases. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 268 cases of rib fractures and disability assessment caused by road traffic accident injuries evaluated at the Institute of Forensic Science, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from 2019 to 2023. Clinical diagnosis and forensic diagnosis were compared in different periods of ≤2 weeks, 4 to 12 weeks, 13 weeks to   6 months, and 6 months to 1 year after injury. The results were statistically analyzed using chi-square test. Results Compared with forensic diagnosis, the inconsistency of early (within 2 weeks) clinical diagnosis reached 45.5%, 21.6% at 4-12 weeks after injury, 34.7% at 13 weeks to 6 months after injury, and 41.3% at 6 months to 1 year after injury. The differences between clinical diagnosis and forensic diagnosis are all statistically significant at different stages  (P<0.01), with the highest inconsistency rate within 2 weeks and the lowest inconsistency rate at 4-12 weeks. Within 2 weeks, the main cause of the inconsistency is missed diagnosis, with a total rate of 40.6%, which is the highest compared to other time periods. After 4-12 weeks, the total missed diagnosis rate gradually increases, reaching a maximum of 31.2% between 6 months to 1 year. Conclusion There are great differences between the clinical diagnosis and the forensic diagnosis of rib fractures. The identification process should incorporate comprehensive imaging data and dynamic multi-temporal observations to ensure accurate judgments.

Objective Instant messaging chat records are important evidence for electronic data forensic appraisal, and their authenticity appraisal often becomes the focus of litigation. In forensic appraisal practice, the existence appraisal of instant messaging chat records is mostly conducted, and the authenticity appraisal is notably absent. Developing methods for verifying the authenticity of chat records can address the current difficulties and pain points in electronic data authentication. Methods This article combines the practice of electronic data forensic appraisal, mainly using QQ and WeChat running on iOS and Android systems as sample materials, to conduct research on the authenticity appraisal technology of chat records, specifically targeting methods to detect and counteract “perfectly forged” chat records. Results By analyzing the operating mechanisms of different versions of instant messaging tools running on different models, iOS and Android devices, a technology for mutually verifying the authenticity or forgery of chat records using operating systems, file systems, and chat record databases was proposed, and an operational method for verifying the authenticity of chat records was summarized. Conclusion Through the “three-dimensional” authenticity appraisal technology of operating systems, file systems, and chat record databases, the authenticity of chat records in instant messaging tools can be accurately determined, and the possibility of forgery can be determined or eliminated, filling the gap in the authenticity appraisal technology for chat records. This holds important theoretical research significance and judicial practical application value for authenticity appraisal.

It is a new paradigm to use the likelihood ratio（LR） to express the same appraisal opinion. Although its basic logic is consistent with the traditional identification way, the two diverge in the appraisal basis and the quantification of the relationship between quantity and quality. The traditional identification is closely related to the formation process of the case evidence system. When resolving whether sequentially encountered objects originate from the same source and assessing probability, it relies on the condition of the identification material, the method and basis of the identification, and the internal logical analysis of cumulative evidentiary value from concordant/disconcordant features. However, there are deficiencies in the expression of quantitative and qualitative science. In the theory of the same identification object, the scientific cognition of the uncertainty across different identification objects remains insufficient. The certainty of identification objects such as DNA and fingerprints is strong, while the uncertainty of identification objects such as habits, tools and footprints is strong, which determines the difference between the expression of the LR applications. Meanwhile, all identification objects increase uncertainty due to formative changes, which also limits the LR implementation. Meanwhile, the requirement of the fact-finders for the appraisal opinion is definitive and actionable, but from the judgment value of LR, it will cause risks and is difficult to be adopted by the fact-finders. Therefore, the practice of forensic science should start from the overall logical structure of the case evidence system and the requirements of the fact-finder, reasonably deploy both the traditional paradigm and the new paradigm of LR, and resolve the conflict between the identification theory and judicial practice, so as to promote the development of forensic science and promote the accurate identification of the case facts.

Several Provisions on Evidence in Civil Litigation promulgated by the Supreme People’s Court in 2019 mandates that cross-examination of appraisal opinions shall be conducted through a structured process. Initially, the parties must submit a written application. Following the appraiser’s written response, if the parties maintain objections, they may request court testimony by. This written response serves as a prerequisite for the appraiser’s in-court testimony. However, in practice, numerous issues may arise in the implementation of this provision, including the ambiguity of the reply letters, the lack of clear rationale for their acceptance, the absence of standardized formats, the poor relevance of the content, and the lack of coordination between the application process and the existing procedures. These issues significantly impede the efficacy of the reply letters. As a reformative measure, the reply letter system aims to enhance the cross-examination of appraisal opinions, offering additional options for judges and litigants. To address these challenges, it is imperative to refine existing laws and regulations while fostering collaboration between the judiciary and appraisal institutions to improve the quality of reply letters.