[The post mortem alterations of myofibrilar proteins and adenosintriphosphatase activities of the skeletal muscles (author's transl)]

Postmortem activity of lactate and malate dehydrogenase in human liver in relation to time after death

Changes in the activity of lactate (EC 1.1.1.27, LDH) and malate (EC 1.1.1.37, MDH) dehydrogenases were measured in tissue extracts of human liver kept at 5 different temperatures until 35 days after death. The investigated activities decreased in proportion to time of storage which enabled an estimation of time after death by statistical analysis of the data.

Recapillarization of tenotomized skeletal muscles after delayed tendon suture. I. Experimental study

The investigation was under taken to study the long-term effect of tendon suturing on the capillarization of guinea-pig crural muscle after Achilles tenotomy. The results indicate that the capillary density has been greatly decreased by the tenotomy. The recapillarization and the time of restitution of the crural muscle are influenced by the interval between tenotomy and tendon suture.

[Experimental examinations on forensic determination of time of death by electrofocusing of soluble muscle protein (author's transl)]

Proteolytic changes in the muscles of cadaver are demonstrable by putrefaction experiment with the electrofocusing on polyacrylamide gels. These changes can--within a narrow limit--be used in the determination of time of death at a stage when the early signs of death are not suitable any more. A fraction with a pI-value of 7.2 appears as a proteolytic fission at 30 degrees C not earlier than the second day after death. This fraction can be detected at 20 degrees C from the fifth to the sixth day p.m. At 10 degrees C it will not be detectable until the ninth day p.m. At a pH-range between 6.9 and 7.7, at 30 degrees C and 8 days after death, or at 20 degrees C and 9 days after death, only a relatively stable fraction is detectable with a pI-value between 6.9 and 7.0.

[Investigations to determine the time of death, late post mortem, by means of electrophoresis of inner organs (author's transl)]

In CAF-electrophoresis, extracts of cardiac muscle and of kidney tissue, after storage at 4 degrees C, show a roughly linear increase of the equivalent to the Albumin fraction. This increase depends on the time elapsed and is explained by the relatively high stability of this fraction compared to organ proteins, which appear in the globulin region. Thus, a sort of internal standard exists and can be used as a parameter for the determination of the post mortem period. Hepatic tissue is less suitable for this kind of investigations as the relation of the post mortem period and the values of the relative concentration of the fraction do not show the linearity found in cardiac muscle and kidney tissue. Splenic tissue shows no distinct trend and the findings are of little value. The present investigations were arranged in such a way that taking the order of magnitude for the equivalent of the Albumin fraction as a guideline led to a determination of the maximum post mortem period, i.e., the maximum period of time the body lay after the hour of death. The tables of this paper show the figures for the individual organs.

Investigation of the short-time autolysis of rat hearts by means of SDS. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and electron microscopy

The short-time autolysis of hearts was regarded as a model of ischaemic heart failure. Therefore, isolated rat hearts were subjected to 30--120 min autolysis in a Locke solution at 37 degrees C. Electron microscopic examinations and myofibrillar preparations were made from the autolysed heart ventricles. The myofibrillar proteins were resolved by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. After 30 min autolysis the amount of a protein of 192,000 daltons greatly increased. At the same time on the electron micrographs the focal destruction of filament destruction on the A filament area and the mitochondrial structure altered too. After 60 min autolysis another protein of 36,400 daltons appeared. On the electron micrographs the focal desintegration of Z membranes and the focal destruction of I filaments can be observed. After 120 min autolysis further proteolytic products could not be detected by gel electrophoresis but on the electron micrographs the destruction of Z membranes and I filaments became more pronounced.