This paper presents updated recommendations of the Study Group on Forensic Age Diagnostics for age estimations in living individuals in criminal proceedings. In order to increase the diagnostic accuracy and to improve the identification of age-relevant developmental disorders, a physical examination, an X-ray examination of the left hand, as well as a dental examination including the determination of the dental status and an X-ray of the dentition should be performed in each case. If the skeletal development of the hand is completed, an additional radiological examination of the clavicles should be carried out. Minimum requirements for reference studies are defined and recommendable studies are listed. Instructions for the examination and the preparation of expert reports are presented. The committee of the study group organizes annual proficiency tests for quality assurance.

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To study the effect of postoperative confinement to bed on respiratory muscle fatigue, 31 male subjects (age, 34–66 years) undergoing coronary artery revascularization were examined. Fatigue of both respiratory muscles (musculi intercostales externi) and leg muscles (musculus gastrocnemius) was determined by electromyography prior to and 7 and 12 days after operation. Additionally, oscillatory resistance to breathing and phase angle were measured. Pre- and postoperative routine lung function tests were performed. A comparison between preoperative and postoperative measurements reveals that respiratory as well as leg muscle fatigue occurred at higher loads during the preoperative and the second postoperative than during the first postoperative determination. After surgery vital capacity, total lung capacity, 1-second capacity, and, to a lower extent, thoracic gas volume were diminished, while specific airway conductance, oscillatory resistance to breathing, phase angle, residual volume, and relative 1-second capacity remained unchanged. The constancy of the latter parameters indicates that neither airway obstruction nor a significant restriction of the lung and/or thorax occurred due to surgery. Therefore, the increase of respiratory muscle fatigue after surgery may more probably be attributed to a lack of training of respiratory muscles which may contribute to limitation of ventilation in bedridden patients

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