2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
A novel forensic method for diagnosing drowning using immunohistochemistry and surfactant blood biochemistry
| Project/Area Number |
26460888
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Legal medicine
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| Research Institution | Jikei University School of Medicine |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
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| Keywords | 溺死 / 法医診断 / サーファクタント |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
A pilot study was performed to explore a novel forensic method for diagnosing fresh water drowning, especially bathtub deaths which are a frequent cause of mortality among elderly Japanese. Serum levels of surfactant proteins A (SP-A) and D (SP-D) were compared among blood specimens obtained from the left ventricle, right ventricle, femoral artery, and femoral vein. In drowning cases, both serum SP-A and SP-D levels within the left ventricular blood were noticeably higher than those found within right ventricular blood, compared with control cases.
Immunostaining using anti-surfactant apoprotein A antibody were performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of lungs, kidneys and livers obtained from drowning and control cases; however, no significant between-group differences were realized.
This pilot study was limited by its small cohort size; therefore, further studies are needed to determine the utility of this novel method for diagnosing fresh water drowning.
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| Free Research Field |
法医病理学
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