The forensic DNA database constructed based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) technology is an important foundation of modern forensic science and plays an irreplaceable role in public security and social governance in China. With the growing application needs, the limitations of CE-based DNA databases have become increasingly evident, while massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technology provides an opportunity for DNA database iteration. This paper briefly reviews the history of DNA database construction in China during the CE era, explores the valuable experience gained from attempts to apply MPS technology in DNA database exploratory construction, and focuses on key directions for future MPS-based DNA database  upgrading in China. These include achieving compatibility of CE/MPS-STR allele length typing, screening for more new core STR loci, establishing quality control systems for MPS-STR typing detection, deepening complex kinship searches in DNA databases, strengthening Y-STR paternal kinship searches, and advancing the construction of forensic mitochondrial DNA databases. The establishment of an MPS-based DNA database is not merely a technical iteration but also a multidimensional reconstruction and improvement of database structure, data comparison, and quality control. It is expected that these findings will better serve forensic practice in China and contribute Chinese experience to the international construction of forensic DNA databases based on MPS.

Forensic appraisal opinions serve as crucial evidence for fact-finding in environmental adjudication. However, the review of appraisal opinions in environmental adjudication commonly remains superficial. False forensic appraisal significantly undermines the fairness and justice of environmental trials and may cause irreparable harm to the ecological environment and relevant parties. Due to ambiguities concerning whether and how judges should identify false forensic appraisal, and how to link this to accountability mechanisms, false forensic appraisal in environmental adjudication has not been effectively identified or regulated. To address this, the concept and characteristics of false forensic appraisal should be clarified. A system of technical assistance for judges should be established to enhance their ability to identify false appraisal. Furthermore, a coordinated system integrating criminal, civil, and administrative accountability should be established to fully pursue the legal liability of those responsible for false forensic appraisal. These measures would comprehensively strengthen the legal regulation of false forensic appraisal in the field of ecological and environmental adjudication.

The value of China’s Class-I protected Saiga tatarica horn is not uniform in current judicial practice,  ranging from RMB 7 500 to RMB 80 000 for a single horn, resulting in a large gap in conviction and sentencing in different cases. The problem of different punishment for the same crime in the same type of cases across the country affects judicial fairness and justice. The main reasons are that regulations on the value assessment of wildlife products are relatively general, the value assessment methods are lagging behind, and there is insufficient attention to the value assessment of wildlife products such as Saiga tatarica horn. These issues deeply reflect the shortcomings of relying on administrative regulations in the application of criminal law. Since conviction and sentencing models for crimes against wildlife resources are based on the value, it is recommended that in the process of constructing a system of judicial rules for such crimes, full consideration should be given to the uniformity of administrative standards, and research on relevant legal policies related to wildlife product crimes should be strengthened. The supervision function of the procuratorial organs in ecological environment and resource protection should be fully utilized to promote the improvement of the value assessment method for wildlife products. At the same time, the examination of specialized issues in cases should be strengthened, and case-analogous thinking and Big Data technology should be actively used to unify the case handling standards.

The scientific quantification of loss of ecological service functions serves as a crucial technical foundation and a key step in determining compensation amounts for ecological environmental damage cases. By benchmarking against the national standard series “Technical Guidelines for Identification and Assessment of Ecological Environmental Damage”, this study systematically reviews the methodological framework and assessment indicators for quantifying the loss of ecological service functions. The research highlights three major challenges in current judicial practice: controversies over non-use value assessment techniques, divergences in legal application, and gaps in institutional coordination. The study proposes improvement pathways, including establishing a quantification selection matrix at the levels of standard guidance and practical operation, formulating practical guidelines for non-use value assessment, improving explanatory mechanisms for technical investigators and expert jurors in ecological and environmental damage compensation cases, and strengthening funding support systems for quantification work, thereby facilitating the effective translation of scientific conclusions on loss of ecological service functions into judicial opinions.

As a new type of evidence stipulated in the Rules for the Handling of Public Interest Litigation Cases by People’s Procuratorates, the use of expert opinions helps address the difficulties in proving specialized issues in environmental prosecutorial public interest litigation, and can effectively overcome the limitations of judicial cognition and compensate for the lack of professional knowledge in judicial personnel. Empirical analysis shows that the use of expert opinions in environmental prosecutorial public interest litigation has problems such as inconsistent presentation forms of expert opinions, prominent combined use with appraisal opinions, differences in the identities, types, and sources of experts, and low rate of expert appearance in court for cross-examination. To regulate the use of expert opinions and improve their probative power, regulation should be improved from the following aspects: clarifying the relationship between expert opinions and expert assistants’ opinions, defining the order of application between expert opinions and appraisal opinions, unifying the criteria for expert selection, and improving the safeguard mechanisms for expert appearance and cross-examination in court, so as to better serve the practice of prosecutorial public interest litigation.

In February 2021, the undergraduate major of Food, Drug and Environmental Crime Investigation Technology was officially included in the Catalogue of Undergraduate Majors in Regular Higher Education Institutions. Since then, many public security colleges have successively launched this major. However, graduates still have prominent shortcomings in practical skills and knowledge structure related to environmental resource protection crimes, making it difficult for them to quickly adapt to practical work. Therefore, it is necessary to promote the reform of specialized talent training. The article proposes that when determining the training objectives for students in food,drug, and environmental crime investigation, specific job responsibilities and work processes should be used as guidelines, and professional directions should be refined based on talent demand; the course design should match the future career development direction of the Food, Drug, and Environmental Crime Investigation major, and construct a course group driven by theoretical needs; the construction of the curriculum system should follow the principle of circular feedback, with problem-driven changes in teaching strategies; colleges and universities should strengthen cooperation with practical departments, engage in joint scientific research and technological development, and fully implement the application-driven approach to guide teaching practice and solve practical problems. This study aims to provide a theoretical framework for the teaching reform in this major, address talent challenges in practical departments,help to improve the efficiency of combating related crimes, and ensure ecological security and public interest.

Objective 2-(benzylamino)-1-phenylheptan-1-one is a novel synthetic cathinone derivative that has emerged in recent years, and its metabolic pathways and metabolites remain unclear. This study aims to elucidate its in vitro metabolic characteristics and provide theoretical support for new psychoactive substance abuse detection and metabolic research. Methods A human liver microsome in vitro metabolic model combined with ultra performance liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry was employed to systematically analyze the metabolic transformation patterns of 2-(benzylamino)-1-phenylheptan-1-one. Metabolites were identified by comparing accurate molecular weights and fragment ions. Results A total of 30 metabolites were identified, and N-dealkylation, hydroxylation, ketone reduction, and methylation constituted the primary metabolic pathways. Among them, metabolites M5-B(N-dealkylation and ketone reduction), M2-B(N-dealkylation), and M1-B(ketone reduction) exhibited the highest relative abundance. Notably, M1-B and M5-B showed metabolic specificity. To address the risk of false positives caused by cross-reactivity among structural analogs or individual metabolic differences in single-metabolite detection, combined detection of M1-B, M2-B, and M5-B is recommended as a potential biomarker panel. This multi-marker strategy can reduce the risk of misjudgment in forensic identification and provide a basis for subsequent in vivo metabolic studies and detection method development. Conclusion This study is the first to systematically characterize the in vitro metabolic profile of 2-(benzylamino)-1-phenylheptan-1-one, identifying potential metabolic pathways and biomarkers. These findings provide key technical support for developing screening methods in forensic toxicology.

Objective The identification of dissociated fingerprints has a relatively high error rate. To enhance the accuracy and objectivity of identification opinions, this study investigates the key technical aspects of dissociated fingerprint examination and aims to establish standardized procedures and methods. Methods By analyzing and summarizing the feedback results from fingerprint identification proficiency tests conducted between 2018 and 2024, this study identified the primary causes of errors in dissociated fingerprint identification. Considering the characteristics of dissociated fingerprints and the general steps involved in fingerprint identification, five key technical points were outlined: determining the orientation and location of the fingerprint on the evidence, selecting reference points for the fingerprint, ensuring comprehensive comparison with the sample fingerprint, evaluating the consistency of minutiae features, and assessing the sufficiency of the sample fingerprint. The application of these five technical points was further explored through case studies. Results The findings were incorporated into Section 10.1, “Technical Points for dissociated Fingerprint Examination” of the Technical Specification for Forensic Identification of Visible Fingerprint on Questioned Document （SF/T 0142-2023）, providing detailed guidance on the practical application of the five key technical points. Conclusion The research presented in this paper holds significant theoretical and practical value for the procedural examination of dissociated fingerprints. It offers valuable insights for fingerprint examiners to improve their identification capabilities and ensure the quality of forensic evaluations.

Article 39 of The Provision of Civil Evidence promulgated by the Supreme People’s Court in 2019 stipulates that an appraiser who issues an“unclear” appraisal opinion shall bear the costs of appearing in court. Scholars have yet to reach a consensus on the meaning of “unclear” and the standards by which it should be judged, while in practice, the rules governing the allocation of court appearance costs are also applied inconsistantly. Judicial appraisal lies at the intersection of scientific technology and legal practice. To bridge the knowledge gap for judges and correctly determine specialized issues in litigation, judicial decisions often hold high expectations for the certainty of appraisal opinions. However, the scientific nature of appraisals means they inherently tolerate objectively uncertain conclusions. From a unified perspective, the interpretative boundary of the “clarity” of appraisal opinions should be set as compliance with appraisal standards and possessing value for litigation proof. Under the current legislative framework, the “clarity” of appraisal opinions can be further deconstructed into normative, relevance, sufficiency of reasoning, and usefulness. In practice, the “unclear” nature of appraisal opinions can be identified by inversely establishing “clarity” review standards, forming a four-tier review framework: “consistency of expression, specificity of conclusion, sufficiency of reasoning and functionality of proof 

Drug safety is closely related to the life and health of the public. With the rapid development of the pharmaceutical industry, drug disputes, drug quality problems, and drug-related harm incidents are becoming increasingly frequent. However, China has not yet incorporated drug forensic appraisal into the scope of forensic appraisal. Against this background, it is urgent for China to establish a sound drug forensic appraisal system. The inspection and identification of drug quality are also key to determination and sentencing of drug-related illegal and criminal acts, and forensic appraisal can also provide relief for parties’ rights in drug quality cases. Starting with a background analysis and taking the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China as the main framework, this study analyzes the prominent difficulties in constructing China’s drug forensic appraisal system, with a view to providing a useful reference for the construction of such a system in 

Brain death has been widely accepted as a standard of death in the medical field, yet it has not been formally established in China’s legal system. This article examines the practical challenges and judicial disputes in the application of brain death in China’s legal framework, using the scenario of deemed work-related injury as a case study. Through case analysis, it is found that judicial practice often exhibits a cautious expansive interpretation in balancing the protection of labor rights and legal stability, particularly in special cases such as organ donation. However, due to legislative vacancies, such judicial breakthroughs face challenges such as inconsistent medical standards, insufficient authority in forensic appraisal, and internal contradictions within the legal system, making judicial rulings inconsistent. Future legislation should focus on the medical essence, establish a dual death determination system encompassing both cardiac death and brain death, revise relevant legal regulations in a timely manner to clarify the application of brain death in special cases, and promote coordinated development between legal and medical through guiding judicial precedents to achieve the unification of the protection of the right to life and social justice.

The training of young forensic appraisal professionals requires time for development, and the training results should be reflected in the improvement of their actual working ability and performance. Professional title evaluation, as an important reference indicator, has become an important symbol of recognition for young forensic appraisers. Based on a comparative study of the evaluation criteria for associate senior professional titles in the “three provinces and one municipality” of the Yangtze River Delta, it was found that there were regional differences in the evaluation conditions, a lack of scientific rigor in the evaluation conditions, and a disconnect between evaluation requirements and reality. These issues have seriously affected the effectiveness of the professional title evaluation. Based on the characteristics of forensic appraisal activities, several suggestions are proposed to improve the evaluation system for senior professional titles of forensic appraisers, in order to solve the difficulties in title evaluation for appraisers in social appraisal institutions, and to provide recommendations for cultivating high-quality young forensic appraisers and promoting industry development