Estimation of short-term postmortem interval utilizing core body temperature: a new algorithm

Nelson, Eric L.

doi:10.1016/s0379-0738(99)00216-9

Cited by 24 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…To estimate the time since death, or postmortem interval (PMI), as precisely as possible is a central, yet very complex aspect in forensic pathology [1]. Most of the available methods to date, such as the comparison of body core and environmental temperature [2], analysis of rigor and livor mortis [3], or the assessment of supravital phenomena [4], are more or less restricted to specific circumstances of death, dependent on the stage of decay or limited to certain postmortem timeframes. However, in early-stages postmortem, a combination of these approaches allows a more reliable estimation of the PMI [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A field study to evaluate PMI estimation methods for advanced decomposition stages

et al. 2020

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Estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the major tasks and a continuous challenge in forensic pathology. It is often an exclusion process of available methods, which ultimately can lead to an unsatisfactory outcome due to poor reliability. This problem is most acute in the late PMI, when decomposition proceeds and some methods (such as rigor, livor, and algor mortis) are no longer applicable. Several methods, such as forensic entomology, skeletal muscle protein degradation, and the study of body decomposition by application of a morphological scoring, are expected to provide further information; however, all have certain limitations and weaknesses. Availability of a toolbox of methods allows a case-specific selection of the most appropriate one(s), or eventually provides improvements in the overall accuracy and precision of the PMI estimation by merging and combining methods. To investigate practical (field) application, eventual interferences, and/or synergetic effects, as well as the robustness of these methods towards specific influencing factors, a field study was conducted, using eight pig cadavers of different body weights and physical coverage, left to decompose under natural conditions for 16 days. Morphological changes during decomposition were assessed using the total body score (TBS), muscle samples were collected to analyze protein degradation, and insect colonization was evaluated. The results reveal strengths and current limitations of all tested methods, as well as promising synergistic effects, and thus, provide a baseline for targeted future research.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A field study to evaluate PMI estimation methods for advanced decomposition stages

et al. 2020

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“…amino acids, neurotransmitters) in body organs and muscles [48], hypoxanthine in the vitreous humour or cerebrospinal fluid [49,50,51] and potassium in the vitreous humour [52,53,54]. Physical indicators and sample sites include: microwave probe to the skin [55], infrared tympanic thermography and temperature of the ear [56,57], and temperature of the eye and body core [58,59,60].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accurate predictions of postmortem interval using linear regression analyses of gene meter expression data

Hunter

Pozhitkov

Noble

2017

Forensic Science International

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In criminal and civil investigations, postmortem interval is used as evidence to help sort out circumstances at the time of human death. Many biological, chemical, and physical indicators can be used to determine the postmortem interval - but most are not accurate. Here, we sought to validate an experimental design to accurately predict the time of death by analyzing the expression of hundreds of upregulated genes in two model organisms, the zebrafish and mouse. In a previous study, the death of healthy adults was conducted under strictly controlled conditions to minimize the effects of confounding factors such as lifestyle and temperature. A total of 74,179 microarray probes were calibrated using the Gene Meter approach and the transcriptional profiles of 1063 genes that significantly increased in abundance were assembled into a time series spanning from life to 48 or 96h postmortem. In this study, the experimental design involved splitting the transcription profiles into training and testing datasets, randomly selecting groups of profiles, determining the modeling parameters of the genes to postmortem time using over- and/or perfectly-defined linear regression analyses, and calculating the fit (R) and slope of predicted versus actual postmortem times. This design was repeated several thousand to million times to find the top predictive groups of gene transcription profiles. A group of eleven zebrafish genes yielded R of 1 and a slope of 0.99, while a group of seven mouse liver genes yielded a R of 0.98 and a slope of 0.97, and seven mouse brain genes yielded a R of 0.95 and a slope of 0.87. In all cases, groups of gene transcripts yielded better postmortem time predictions than individual gene transcripts. The significance of this study is two-fold: selected groups of gene transcripts provide accurate prediction of postmortem time, and the successfully validated experimental design can now be used to accurately predict postmortem time in cadavers.

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“…The cooling rates of bodies remains an inexact science, owing to a number of variables such as body surface area, insulation, microclimate, and an initial warming of the body (Hutchins 1985; Nelson 2000). One overly simplistic calculation, the “rule of thumb” for body cooling, is that a body generally cools at 1C/hr plus 3 hr (Stipanits and Henssge 1985; Henssge 1988).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Robust Immunohistochemical Staining of Several Classes of Proteins in Tissues Subjected to Autolysis

Maleszewski

Fox-Talbot

et al. 2007

J Histochem Cytochem.

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Despite the common use of immunohistochemistry in autopsy tissues, the stability of most proteins over extended time periods is unknown. The robustness of signal for 16 proteins (MMP1, MMP2, MMP3, MMP9, TIMP1, TIMP2, TIMP3, AGER, MSR, SCARB1, OLR1, CD36, LTF, LGALS3, LYZ, and DDOST) and two measures of advanced glycation end products (AGE, CML) was evaluated. Two formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human tissue arrays containing 16 tissues each were created to evaluate 48 hr of autolysis in a warm or cold environment. For these classes of proteins, matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors, scavenger receptors, and advanced glycation end product receptors, we saw no systematic diminution of signal intensity during a period of 24 hr. Analysis was performed by two independent observers and confirmed for a subset of proteins by digital analysis and Western blotting. We conclude that these classes of proteins degrade slowly and faithfully maintain their immunohistochemistry characteristics over at least a 24-hr time interval in devitalized tissues. This study supports the use of autopsy tissues with short postmortem intervals for immunohistochemical studies for diseases such as diabetic vascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, and other pathological states. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http://www.jhc.org. Please visit this article online to view these materials.

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Estimation of short-term postmortem interval utilizing core body temperature: a new algorithm

Cited by 24 publications

References 7 publications

A field study to evaluate PMI estimation methods for advanced decomposition stages

A field study to evaluate PMI estimation methods for advanced decomposition stages

Accurate predictions of postmortem interval using linear regression analyses of gene meter expression data

Robust Immunohistochemical Staining of Several Classes of Proteins in Tissues Subjected to Autolysis

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