Elucidation of the pathology and development of differential diagnosis of bath-related death: from investigations using various pathological models to practical applications.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K10133
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 58040:Forensics medicine-related
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: Hayashi Takahito 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域医学系, 教授 (40512497)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 入浴死 / 鑑別診断 / 死因究明 / 水チャネル / 熱ショック蛋白

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In order to elucidate the pathology of bath-related deaths and develop a differential diagnosis, genes that fluctuate during drowning by hot water inhalation were comprehensively analyzed using DNA microarrays, and the genes that fluctuated were confirmed using quantitative RT-PCR and also examined using lung samples from forensic autopsy cases. In warm-water drowned mice, 793 genes were found to be altered in 38°C warm-water drowning and 743 genes were altered in 41°C warm-water drowning. Of these, similar results were obtained for water channel aqp5 and heat shock protein hsp90aa/ab in qRT-PCR. Furthermore, similar results were obtained in forensic autopsy samples, suggesting that they may serve as forensic diagnostic markers in cases of drowning in bathtubs.

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Free Research Field

法医病理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で得られた成果によって浴槽内溺死の正確な診断方法の確立につながる可能性がある。これは，死因究明の新たな展開につながる可能性があり法医実務に多大な貢献をするばかりでなく，臨床現場においても浴室内から救急搬送された患者の正確な病態把握，適切な治療（二次予防）にも大きく貢献するものと考える。さらに，これまで嘱望されてきた入浴死の発生予防対策法の確立（一次予防）にもつながる可能性があり，社会への貢献度も極めて大きいといえる。