Importance of supravitality in forensic medicine

Madea, Burkhard

doi:10.1016/0379-0738(94)90386-7

Cited by 62 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…However, this method is only useful in the early postmortem phase (~0-36 h postmortem, hpm) [1]. Additional methods for PMI delimitation in this phase involve supravital reactions of tissue [2], such as electrical stimulation of eyelid muscle [3,4] and pharmacological excitability of the iris [3,4]. Further applied methods include the analysis of vitreous potassium and hypoxantine [5], rigor and livor mortis [6], and analyses of biological clock genes [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postmortem degradation of skeletal muscle proteins: a novel approach to determine the time since death

et al. 2015

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Estimating the time since death is a very important aspect in forensic sciences which is pursued by a variety of methods. The most precise method to determine the postmortem interval (PMI) is the temperature method which is based on the decrease of the body core temperature from 37 °C. However, this method is only useful in the early postmortem phase (~0-36 h). The aim of the present work is to develop an accurate method for PMI determination beyond this present limit. For this purpose, we used sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Western blotting, and casein zymography to analyze the time course of degradation of selected proteins and calpain activity in porcine biceps femoris muscle until 240 h postmortem (hpm). Our results demonstrate that titin, nebulin, desmin, cardiac troponin T, and SERCA1 degraded in a regular and predictable fashion in all samples investigated. Similarly, both the native calpain 1 and calpain 2 bands disintegrate into two bands subsequently. This degradation behavior identifies muscular proteins and enzymes as promising substrates for future molecular-based PMI determination technologies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postmortem degradation of skeletal muscle proteins: a novel approach to determine the time since death

et al. 2015

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“…Grellner et al [29] and Madea [30] reported that leucocytes and macrophages are able to migrate during the supravital period, i.e. after cardiac arrest, and show chemotactic activity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Detection and analysis of tracers in experimental drowning

Bajanowski

Brinkmann

Stefanec

et al. 1998

International Journal of Legal Medicine

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In animal experiments, studies on the mechanisms involved in drowning were carried out using latex and gold tracers of defined size and concentration. The tracers were detectable by fluorescence microscopy (latex tracers) and by electron microscopy (gold tracers) in the lungs, kidneys and lymph nodes and were analysed further by X-ray microanalysis using a transmission scanning electron microscope. Tracers with small diameters were shown to penetrate intercellular gaps of the alveolar epithelium and the larger tracers were incorporated into the epithelial and endothelial cells by active pinocytotic mechanisms thus passing through the air-blood barrier. The detection and analysis of tracers in organs of the systemic circulation originating from the immersion fluid can assist in understanding the pathophysiology of drowning and in some selected cases, in making a more definitive diagnosis.

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“…The supravital migration of leucocytes seems possible as long as energy reserves are available providing ATP for cell movement and membrane stability (anaerobic glycolysis in the first 10 h postmortem [10]). Energy rich phosphates and stable cell membranes are prerequisites for the complex mechanisms of chemotaxis and leucocyte migration which are regulated by further factors such as adhesion molecules [4, 7, 12-14, 18, 19, 22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is regarded as one of the most important histological signs of vitality in forensic medicine and can be used for wound age estimation. However, it seems to be possible that in the supravital period -a phase of intermediary life following irreversible circulatory and respiratory arrest with the survival of some tissues [10,11] -the capacity of cell migration is still intact. This could have practical consequences if stimuli in the (early) supravital period were able to induce chemotaxis and simulate local vital phenomena.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interleukin-1? (IL-1?) and N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) as potential inducers of supravital chemotaxis

et al. 1996

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The phenomenon of artificially induced local leucocyte reactions during the supravital period could be of practical importance, but has not yet been comprehensively investigated. For a more detailed evaluation, experiments with the chemotactic agents interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) were performed by subcutaneous injection into various anatomical regions (back, abdomen, limbs) of NMRI-mice (National Medical Research Institute) and pigs 0-5 min after circulatory arrest. Phosphate buffered saline (PBS) without effective components was administered to equivalent areas of the animals as a control. Tissue specimens were collected at 6 h postmortem (mice) and 12-14 h postmortem (pigs), cut into serial sections, stained with H & E and examined under the microscope. A leucocyte reaction did not develop in pigs (n = 10, 30 tissue samples) following injection of FMLP, however, dermal, subcutaneous and perivascular infiltration of leucocytes (in particular mononuclear cells and a few granulocytes) was found in 3 out of 30 tissue specimens in murine experiments. In addition intravascular cell accumulations were detected in 2 out of 30 samples. The injection of IL-1 alpha to mice gave similar results, i.e., aggregations of leucocytes and intravascular cell accumulations in 4 out of 30 and 3 out of 30 tissue samples, respectively. In negative controls no leucocyte reaction was detectable. This shows that potent chemotactic factors such as IL-1 alpha and FMLP administered in the early supravital period can induce moderate local leucocyte reactions in animal models in at least some cases. A clear morphological differentiation between vital and supravital chemotaxis does not seem to be possible. The supravitally stimulated accumulations of leucocytes are interpreted as an aggregation of resident macrophages in combination with a slight migration of blood leucocytes. Presumably, these alterations are restricted to the very early supravital period as long as sufficient energy reserves are available. It must be stated that the observed changes are reactions, not spontaneous actions, so that the general validity of the phenomenon of leucocyte infiltration as a vital parameter is not affected.

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Importance of supravitality in forensic medicine

Cited by 62 publications

References 24 publications

Postmortem degradation of skeletal muscle proteins: a novel approach to determine the time since death

Postmortem degradation of skeletal muscle proteins: a novel approach to determine the time since death

Detection and analysis of tracers in experimental drowning

Interleukin-1? (IL-1?) and N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) as potential inducers of supravital chemotaxis

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