Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41051498›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of legal medicine2026

The impact of age and insects factors on cadaver microbial communities and application to postmortem interval Estimation.

Sile Chen, Yang Xia, Xiangyan Zhang, Jian Zhao, Sheng Hu, Fan Yang, Zhe Deng, Chengxin Ye, Hai Wu, Xingchun Zhao and 1 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in International journal of legal medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Sile Chen *Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.
Yang Xia *Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.
Xiangyan ZhangDepartment of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.
Jian ZhaoGuangzhou Forensic Science Institute & Key Laboratory of Forensic Pathology, Ministry of Public Security, Guangzhou, 510442, China.
Sheng HuInstitute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, 100038, China.
Fan YangInstitute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, 100038, China.
Zhe DengSchool of Automation, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.
Chengxin YeDepartment of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.
Hai WuDepartment of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.
Xingchun ZhaoInstitute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, 100038, China. fzhaoxchun@126.com.
Yadong GuoDepartment of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China. gdy82@126.com.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 82471922Open Projects of the Key Laboratory of Forensic Pathology of the Ministry of Public Security GAFYBL202401
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microbial communities are critical drivers of mammalian carcass decomposition in natural ecosystems. Many studies have attempted to establish a microbial clock to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI); however, several obstacles remain to be solved. This study examines how age and insect activity influence microbial dynamics and emphasizes the role of 'rupture' in the decay. Notably, microbial diversity exhibited more pronounced shifts in immature cadavers, while insect activity suppressed overall diversity. Conversely, older age and insect colonization promoted the dominance of the Pseudomonadota phylum. We constructed random forest models (MAE: 0.62-0.95 days, R²: 0.976-0.987) for PMI estimation. These findings provide novel insights into refining PMI estimation in forensic contexts. Future research will further investigate the mechanisms behind these changes. Additionally, it will explore how other factors influence the decay, improving the accuracy and applicability of PMI estimation in various contexts.

Indexed as

InsectaMicrobiotaPostmortem ChangesAge FactorsAnimalsCadaverFeeding BehaviorFemaleForensic EntomologyForensic PathologyHumansMaleAge factorsForensic scienceInsect activityMicrobial successionPostmortem interval estimationRandom forest model

Identifiers

PMID41051498

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.