Delayed, in vivo hepatic post-mortem autolysis

Morphometric Indicators of Liver Acini of Deceased Newborns Depending on the Time of Death

We studied morphometric changes in the liver acini of dead newborns depending on the duration of the postmortem period. Autopsy samples of the liver tissue from 49 dead newborns were divided into 7 groups depending on the time of death. Liver tissue samples were taken from the upper and lower areas of the liver in the supine position of newborns; paraffin sections were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The morphometric analysis of histological preparations revealed a progressive decrease in the mean size of the liver plates (trabeculae) and, conversely, an increase in the area of sinusoids with increasing the duration of the postmortem period; these changes were due to the postmortem redistribution of the blood and autolysis processes. More significant changes were noted in acinar zone 3 of the lower part of the liver. The revealed intra-acinar features of postmortem changes should be taken into account for their differential diagnosis with pathological processes that developed during life, in particular, the signs of congestion and peliosis of the liver.

[Characteristics of structural morphological changes of the liver depending on the prescription of death coming]

The purpose of the work is to analyze the literature data devoted to the study of postmortem morphological changes in liver tissue and their use to determine the prescription of death. Postmortem changes are based on the processes of postmortem redistribution of blood and autolysis, the speed and severity of development of which depends primarily on the lifetime pathology, as well as external temperature and humidity during storage of the corpse. The onset of biological death naturally entails the development of postmortem changes in the liver, manifested by a decrease in temperature, violations of the structure of organelles, cells and organ tissue as a whole. The determination and evaluation of developing postmortem morphological changes is necessary both for differential diagnosis with lifetime-developed pathological processes, and for determining the prescription of death coming. This necessitates research to study the features of the development of postmortem changes and to develop ways to assess them to determine the prescription of death coming.

DNA barcoding in mammals

DNA barcoding provides an operational framework for mammalian taxonomic identification and cryptic species discovery. Focused effort to build a reference library of genetic data has resulted in the assembly of over 35 K mammalian cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences and outlined the scope of mammal-related barcoding projects. Based on the above experience, this chapter recounts three typical methodological pathways involved in mammalian barcoding: routine methods aimed at assembling the reference sequence library from high quality samples, express approaches used to attain cheap and fast taxonomic identifications for applied purposes, and forensic techniques employed when dealing with degraded material. Most of the methods described are applicable to a range of vertebrate taxa outside Mammalia.

Time- and temperature-dependent autolysis of urinary bladder epithelium during ex vivo preservation

Morphological and functional preservation of urinary bladder epithelium-urothelium after extirpation from an organism enables physiological studies of that tissue and provides the basis for successful organ transplantations. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal temperature for maintaining urothelium in ex vivo conditions. Mouse urinary bladders were kept at the three temperatures usually used for maintaining tissue during transportation: at the temperature of melting ice (1°C), at room temperature (22-24°C), and at the body temperature of most mammals (37°C). Autolytic structural changes were followed with electron microscopy, while destruction of cytoskeleton and intercellular junctions was observed by immunolabeling. The first ultrastructural changes, swelling of mitochondria and necrosis of individual cells, became evident 30 min after extirpation if the tissue was kept at 1°C. After 60 and 120 min in ex vivo conditions, the most severe changes with increasing plasma membrane ruptures were detected at 1°C, while at room temperature only mild changes were detected. At 37°C, the extent of ultrastructural changes was between those of the other two experimental temperatures. Autolytic destruction of cytoskeleton and intercellular junctions was not observed before 2 h after extirpation. After 4 h, severe degradation of cytokeratin 20 and microtubules were found at 1°C and 37°C, while being almost undisturbed at room temperature. On the other hand, the reduction of desmoplakin and ZO-1 labeling was more evident at 37°C than at 1°C and room temperature. These findings provide evidence that room temperature is most appropriate for short ex vivo preservation of urothelial tissue.

Ultrastructural changes during in situ early postmortem autolysis in kidney, pancreas, liver, heart and skeletal muscle of rats

Many morphological studies of the postmortem interval were carried out under conditions in which the tissue was incubated in vitro after extirpation. However, the extirpation affects cell viability. We examined the ultrastructural changes in the kidney, pancreas, liver, heart and skeletal muscle of male Wistar rats occurring postmortem in situ. In each organ, cell edema (cell swelling), appearance of amorphous dense deposits in the mitochondria, loss of glycogen granules, dilation of the endoplasmic reticulum, clumping and margination of nuclear chromatin, and/or condensation of nuclear chromatin were observed, but the duration of the period of ultrastructural change was organ specific. Most of the ultrastructural changes occurred earlier in kidney. In hepatocytes, the morphological degeneration occurred later than in the renal tubule epithelium and earlier than that in the myocardium. Of the five organs we examined, skeletal muscle showed the greatest delay in postmortem change. In the distal tubule epithelium and pancreatic acinar cells, two forms of nuclear change were seen: one resembled necrotic change and the other resembled apoptotic change. The effect of lysosomes and hydrolytic enzymes was not as great as previous findings.

Morphogenesis of postmortem hepatocyte vacuolation and liver weight increases in Sprague-Dawley rats

Accurate interpretation of microscopic changes in tissues is critical in hazard identification and risk assessment. To address a possible confounder, the effects of postmortem interval on hepatocyte vacuolation and liver weight were studied in fasted and nonfasted Sprague-Dawley rats. Male and female rats (5/sex/interval) were euthanized with CO2, weighed, and necropsied either immediately or after remaining in the closed CO2 chamber for 5, 10, or 25 minutes after respirations ceased. The liver was removed, weighed, and fixed for light microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy. The liver weight and liver to body weight ratio increased significantly in both male and female rats. Postmortem hepatocellular vacuolation was more prominent in males than in females. Both fasted and nonfasted males were similarly affected, however, fasted females were affected more than nonfasted females at the 25-minute interval. Ultrastructurally, intracytoplasmic vacuoles in hepatocytes and/or endothelial cells contained electron-lucent material that was morphologically similar to plasma in sinusoidal spaces. Results of our study suggest that hepatocyte vacuoles were formed in a postmortem time-dependent manner as a result of plasma influx into the cytoplasm. This change was associated with hepatic sinusoidal congestion and increases in liver weight. Males were more sensitive than females to postmortem hepatocyte vacuolation.