Hypothermia markers: serum, urine and adrenal gland catecholamines in hypothermic rats given ethanol

Hirvonen, J.; Huttunen, Pirkko

doi:10.1016/0379-0738(95)01694-e

Cited by 25 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…A great contribution to the knowledge of biochemical changes occurring during hypothermia was revealed in the investigations carried out by Hirvonen et al [48][49][50][51][52]. In a study performed in 1976 concerning 22 fatal cases of accidental or suicidal hypothermia [48], the authors found that histamine and serotonin concentrations in urine tended to be lower in cases of hypothermia than in control cases.…”

Section: Catecholaminesmentioning

confidence: 94%

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Postmortem biochemical investigations in hypothermia fatalities

Palmière

Mangin

2012

Int J Legal Med

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Despite the progress made during the past several decades in forensic pathology, the possibilities for the postmortem diagnosis of hypothermia remains relatively limited. Aside from histology and immunohistochemistry, numerous authors have investigated the postmortem biochemistry of hypothermia fatalities. Several biochemical markers (e.g., glucose, electrolytes, hormones, ketone bodies, and neurotransmitters) and various biological samples (e.g., blood, urine, heart, liver, skeletal muscle as well as pericardial and cerebrospinal fluids) have been proposed as potentially useful markers to improve the insufficient diagnostic efficacy of macroscopic and microscopic findings. The aim of this article is to review the medicolegal literature covering the postmortem biochemical investigations that are associated with hypothermia cases as well as report our own research results on this topic where possible.

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Section: Catecholaminesmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…They also concluded that increased urinary catecholamine levels provided evidence of prolonged agonal stress in hypothermia. However, the adrenaline-to-noradrenaline ratio, proposed by Hirvonen and Huttunen [52] as a diagnostic marker for hypothermia fatalities, did not appear to add further diagnostic elements.…”

Section: Catecholaminesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postmortem biochemical investigations in hypothermia fatalities

Palmière

Mangin

2012

Int J Legal Med

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“…It was demonstrated that plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline values were significantly lower in the hypothermia group than in the control group (Hirvonen and Lapinlampi, 1989). This reaction might be due to cold stress, causing noradrenaline and adrenaline to appear in the blood and urine in the (Hirvonen and Huttunen, 1995;Saukko and Knight, 2004). In addition, cortisol has been reported to remain low in hypothermia (Woolf et al, 1972).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, diagnosis must be based partly on exclusion and by relying on historical information, and it is thought that molecular biological analyses could provide more valuable information (Hirvonen and Huttunen, 1982). Some hormonal changes of the adrenal gland were reported in hypothermia (Hirvonen and Lapinlampi, 1989;Hirvonen and Huttunen, 1995), and we considered it worthwhile to analyze the transcriptome. In this study, the transcriptome of the adrenal gland in hypothermia was analyzed, to evaluate its utility for the diagnosis of hypothermia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA Microarray Analysis of the Mouse Adrenal Gland for the Detection of Hypothermia Biomarkers: Potential Usefulness for Forensic Investigation

Takamiya¹,

Saigusa²,

Dewa³

2013

Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management

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We analyzed the adrenal gland transcriptome of mice killed by hypothermia using DNA microarray technology. A total of 4051 significantly expressed genes were identified; 2015 genes were upregulated and 2036 were downregulated. The FBJ osteosarcoma oncogene was the most upregulated, whereas stearoyl coenzyme A desaturase 3 was the most downregulated. Validation by quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that results obtained by both methods were consistent. In the gene set analysis, significant variations were found in nine pathways, and we suggest that transforming growth factor b and tumor necrosis factor a would be involved in the pathogenesis of hypothermia. Gene functional category analysis demonstrated the most overexpressed categories in upregulated and downregulated genes were cellular process in biological process, binding in molecular function, and cell and cell part in cellular component. The present study demonstrated acute adrenal responses in hypothermia, and we suggest that understanding adrenal mRNA expression would be useful for hypothermia diagnosis. Furthermore, the present microarray data may also facilitate development of immunohistochemical analysis of human cases. In forensic practice, the combination of macroscopic and microscopic observations with molecular biological analyses would be conducive to more accurate diagnosis of hypothermia. Although this study is aimed at forensic practice, the present data regarding more than 20,000 genes of the adrenal gland would be beneficial to inform future clinical hypothermia research. From the viewpoint of adrenal gene activity, they could contribute to elucidating the pathophysiology of hypothermia.

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“…Issues occur with differences in diagnostic practices arising from the nonspecific and subtle nature of findings at autopsy, and the possibility of inflicted injury due to the sometimes bizarre nature of behavior that may occur before death [17][18][19]. Biochemical markers are not currently routinely assessed in these cases [2,20].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%