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Takasu S, Matsumoto S, Iwadate K. Prominent black esophagus, Wischnewsky spots, and black duodenum in a fatal hypothermia case with an underlying diabetic ketoacidosis. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2024:10.1007/s12024-024-00837-0. [PMID: 38867122 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-024-00837-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Hypothermia can occur in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and these two conditions can exacerbate each other. Fatal hypothermia and DKA have overlapping features and findings such as Wischnewsky spots (WS), black esophagus, basal subnuclear vacuolization in the renal tubule, dehydration, and increased acetone levels. Therefore, it may be challenging to differentiate or clarify the context of these two conditions. Herein, we report a case of a 49-year-old man with type 1 diabetes who was found lying in his house in mid-winter. He experienced cardiopulmonary arrest 10 h after the initial discovery and died at the hospital. On autopsy, florid left cardiac blood was observed. Black discoloration of the distal part of the esophageal mucosa, widespread WS in the gastric mucosa, and black discoloration of the duodenal mucosa were observed. Histologically, neutrophil infiltration in the esophageal mucosa, neutrophil infiltration and bleeding in the gastric mucosa, basal subnuclear vacuolization and Armanni-Ebstein lesion in the renal tubule epithelium in the kidney, and hyalinization of the islets of Langerhans were observed in the pancreas. Blood acetone and β-hydroxybutyrate levels were 538 µg/mL and 8947 µmol/L, respectively. Glycated hemoglobin A1c and glucose levels were 16.2% and 883 mg/dL, respectively, while C-reactive protein level was 3.64 mg/dL. In conclusion, obnubilation due to DKA was assumed to be the underlying cause of hypothermia, and the combination of these two conditions led to the outcome of death. The concurrent presence of these conditions likely contributed to the conspicuous mucosal findings in the upper gastrointestinal tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shojiro Takasu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8, Nishi-shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.
| | - Sari Matsumoto
- Department of Forensic Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8, Nishi-shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Kimiharu Iwadate
- Department of Forensic Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8, Nishi-shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
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Liu Z, Meng H, Huang J, Kwangwari P, Ma K, Xiao B, Li L. Acute carbon monoxide poisoning with low saturation of carboxyhaemoglobin: a forensic retrospective study in Shanghai, China. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18554. [PMID: 34535720 PMCID: PMC8448847 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97436-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a common cause of death, leading to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Features of the CO poisoning with low carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels remain to be characterized. This study collected a total of 307 CO poisoning cases from Shanghai Public Security Bureau, an official organization that handles the most complicated and life-threatening cases across Shanghai municipality in China, and regrouped these cases into three categories: group 1, 10% < COHb% < 30% (n = 58); group 2, 30% ≤ COHb% < 50% (n = 79); group 3, COHb% ≥ 50% (n = 170). Epidemiological, demographic, and forensic aspects of the CO poisoning cases, particularly those with low COHb levels, were analyzed. Our results showed that group 2 and 3 were mostly observed in younger victims (≤ 30 years), while group 1 equally distributed to all age groups (p = 0.03). All the CO poisoning from group 2 and 3 occurred in enclosed spaces, whereas cases from group 1 died additionally in outdoor spaces (p = 0.01). 81.03% of group 1 cases died in fire circumstances, while only 45.57% from group 2 and 30.59% from group 3 were fire-related (p = 0.00). Accordingly, group 1 was mostly related with fire burns, while group 2 or 3 were largely associated with gas leakage (p = 0.00). A combination with alcohol, but not other psychotropic drugs, associated with significant higher levels of blood COHb% in fire-unrelated (p = 0.021) but not fire-related cases (p = 0.23). Five extremely low COHb% (< 30%)-related poisoning deaths were negative of any cardiopulmonary pathology and psychoactive substances. In conclusion, CO poisoning with low COHb% significantly associates with fire circumstances and outdoor spaces and has no age preference. Further diagnostic markers mandates to be identified in order to avoid disputes in cases of extremely low COHb%-related poisoning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Liu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, 131 Dongan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Hang Meng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Public Security Bureau, 803 North Zhongshan Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai, 200083, China
| | - Juntian Huang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, 131 Dongan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Pascal Kwangwari
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, 131 Dongan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Kaijun Ma
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Public Security Bureau, 803 North Zhongshan Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai, 200083, China
| | - Bi Xiao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Public Security Bureau, 803 North Zhongshan Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai, 200083, China.
| | - Liliang Li
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, 131 Dongan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Shida A, Ikeda T, Tani N, Morioka F, Aoki Y, Ikeda K, Watanabe M, Ishikawa T. Cortisol levels after cold exposure are independent of adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0218910. [PMID: 32069307 PMCID: PMC7028257 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We previously showed that postmortem serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were significantly higher in cases of hypothermia (cold exposure) than other causes of death. This study examined how the human hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and specifically cortisol, responds to hypothermia. Human samples: Autopsies on 205 subjects (147 men and 58 women; age 15-98 years, median 60 years) were performed within 3 days of death. Cause of death was classified as either hypothermia (cold exposure, n = 14) or non-cold exposure (controls; n = 191). Cortisol levels were determined in blood samples obtained from the left and right cardiac chambers and common iliac veins using a chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay. Adrenal gland tissues samples were stained for cortisol using a rabbit anti-human polyclonal antibody. Cell culture: AtT20, a mouse ACTH secretory cell line, and Y-1, a corticosterone secretory cell line derived from a mouse adrenal tumor, were analyzed in mono-and co-culture, and times courses of ACTH (in AtT20) and corticosterone (in Y-1) secretion were assessed after low temperature exposure mimicking hypothermia and compared with data for samples collected postmortem for other cases of death. However, no correlation between ACTH concentration and cortisol levels was observed in hypothermia cases. Immunohistologic analyses of samples from hypothermia cases showed that cortisol staining was localized primarily to the nucleus rather than the cytoplasm of cells in the zona fasciculata of the adrenal gland. During both mono-culture and co-culture, AtT20 cells secreted high levels of ACTH after 10-15 minutes of cold exposure, whereas corticosterone secretion by Y-1 cells increased slowly during the first 15-20 minutes of cold exposure. Similar to autopsy results, no correlation was detected between ACTH levels and corticosterone secretion, either in mono-culture or co-culture experiments. These results suggested that ACTH-independent cortisol secretion may function as a stress response during cold exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Shida
- Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Tomoya Ikeda
- Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
- Forensic Autopsy Section, Medico-legal Consultation and Postmortem Investigation Support Center (MLCPI-SC), Osaka, Japan
| | - Naoto Tani
- Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
- Forensic Autopsy Section, Medico-legal Consultation and Postmortem Investigation Support Center (MLCPI-SC), Osaka, Japan
| | - Fumiya Morioka
- Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yayoi Aoki
- Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kei Ikeda
- Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
| | - Miho Watanabe
- Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
- Laboratory of Clinical Regenerative Medicine Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Health and Medical Science Innovation laboratory, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Takaki Ishikawa
- Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
- Forensic Autopsy Section, Medico-legal Consultation and Postmortem Investigation Support Center (MLCPI-SC), Osaka, Japan
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Lisbona CF, Hamnett HJ. Epidemiological Study of Carbon Monoxide Deaths in Scotland 2007-2016,. J Forensic Sci 2018; 63:1776-1782. [DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Forés Lisbona
- Forensic Medicine & Science; School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing; University of Glasgow; University Place, Glasgow G12 8QQ U.K
| | - Hilary J. Hamnett
- Forensic Medicine & Science; School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing; University of Glasgow; University Place, Glasgow G12 8QQ U.K
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Ju HK, Nam GM, Min JS, Pyo JS, Kang JS. Characterization of Carbon Monoxide Fatalities by Metabolomics. ANAL LETT 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/00032719.2015.1124110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Yajima D, Asari M, Okuda K, Maseda C, Yamada H, Ichimaru C, Matsubara K, Shiono H, Iwase H, Makino Y, Shimizu K. An objective approach using three indexes for determining fatal hypothermia due to cold exposure; statistical analysis of oxyhemoglobin saturation data. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2015; 17:451-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2015.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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