Forensic Context

A study in humans demonstrated that the miR-362-3p is significantly upregulated in serum from patients with mild traumatic brain injury at baseline compared to controls, with expression progressively reducing at 24 and 48 hours post-injury, and it was also differentially expressed between mTBI patients and those with other injuries, identifying it as a sensitive and specific biomarker for monitoring the post-trauma period [Polito et al. DOI:10.1007/s11033-020-05386-7]. In a forensic context using human bloodstains, massively parallel sequencing revealed the miR-362-3p showed the greatest reduction in expression (89.79%) in bloodstains compared to fresh blood, indicating its expression profile is significantly altered upon blood drying [Fang et al. DOI:10.1016/j.fsigen.2018.10.001].