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Chen T, Sun M, Li B, Wang Y, Zhang J, Xu C, Yu Y, Yuan L, Wu Y. Identifying hypothermia death in a mouse model by ATR-FTIR. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:1179-1186. [PMID: 38191742 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03156-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
The identification of hypothermia death (HD) is difficult for cadavers, especially the distinction from death due to alternative causes. A large number of studies have shown that brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays critical roles in thermoregulation of mammals. In this study, BAT of mice was used for the discrimination of HD using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). A modified mouse HD model conducted by Feeney DM was used in this study to obtain infrared spectra of BAT. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to establish discrimination models. The PLS-DA and OPLS-DA models exhibit prominent discriminative efficiency, and the accuracy of HD identification using fingerprint regions and ratios of absorption intensity is near 100% in both the calibration and validation sets. Our preliminary study suggests that BAT may be an extremely effective target tissue for identification of cadavers of HD, and ATR-FTIR spectra combined with chemometrics have also shown potential for cadaver identification in forensic practice in a fast and accurate manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tangdong Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, The Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Mao Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, The Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Bowen Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, The Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Yufeng Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, The Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, The Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Changwei Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, The Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Yawen Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, The Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Lijuan Yuan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, The Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
- Department of General Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710038, China.
| | - Yuanming Wu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, The Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
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Huang W, Zhao S, Liu H, Pan M, Dong H. The Role of Protein Degradation in Estimation Postmortem Interval and Confirmation of Cause of Death in Forensic Pathology: A Literature Review. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1659. [PMID: 38338938 PMCID: PMC10855206 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
It is well known that proteins are important bio-macromolecules in human organisms, and numerous proteins are widely used in the clinical practice, whereas their application in forensic science is currently limited. This limitation is mainly attributed to the postmortem degradation of targeted proteins, which can significantly impact final conclusions. In the last decade, numerous methods have been established to detect the protein from a forensic perspective, and some of the postmortem proteins have been applied in forensic practice. To better understand the emerging issues and challenges in postmortem proteins, we have reviewed the current application of protein technologies at postmortem in forensic practice. Meanwhile, we discuss the application of proteins in identifying the cause of death, and postmortem interval (PMI). Finally, we highlight the interpretability and limitations of postmortem protein challenges. We believe that utilizing the multi-omics method can enhance the comprehensiveness of applying proteins in forensic practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weisheng Huang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 13 Hangkong Road, Hankou, Wuhan 430030, China; (W.H.)
| | - Shuquan Zhao
- Faculty of Forensic Pathology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China;
| | - Huine Liu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 13 Hangkong Road, Hankou, Wuhan 430030, China; (W.H.)
| | - Meichen Pan
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 13 Hangkong Road, Hankou, Wuhan 430030, China; (W.H.)
| | - Hongmei Dong
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 13 Hangkong Road, Hankou, Wuhan 430030, China; (W.H.)
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3
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Zhang M, Wang N, Guo XS, Wang LL, Wang PF, Cao ZP, Zhang FY, Wang ZW, Guan DW, Zhao R. Candidate biomarkers in brown adipose tissue for post-mortem diagnosis of fatal hypothermia. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:61-72. [PMID: 36175800 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-022-02897-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Post-mortem diagnosis of fatal hypothermia (FHT) is challenging in forensic practice because traditional morphological and biochemical methods lack specificity. Recent studies have reported that brown adipose tissue (BAT) is activated during cold-induced non-shivering thermogenesis in mammals, but BAT has not been used to diagnose FHT. The aim of this study was to identify novel biomarkers in BAT for FHT based on morphological changes and differential protein expression. Two FHT animal models were created by exposing mice to 4 or -20 °C at 50% humidity. Morphologically, the unilocular lipid droplet content was significantly increased in BAT of FHT model mice compared with that of control mice. Proteomics analysis revealed a total of 283 and 266 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between the 4 or -20 °C FHT subgroups and control group, respectively. In addition, 140 proteins were shared between the FHT subgroups. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the shared DEPs were mainly enriched in pathways associated with metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and thermogenesis. Further screening (|log2FC| > 1.6, q-value (FDR) < 0.05) identified GMFB, KDM1A, DDX6, RAB1B, SHMT-1, CLPTM1, and LMF1 as candidate biomarkers of FHT. Subsequent validation experiments were performed in FHT model mice using classic immunohistochemistry and western blotting. RAB1B and GMFB expression was further verified in BAT specimens from human cases of FHT. The results demonstrate that BAT can be used as a target organ for FHT diagnosis employing RAB1B and GMFB as biological markers, thus providing a new strategy for the post-mortem diagnosis of FHT in forensic practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Zhang
- Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
- Collaborative Laboratory of Intelligentized Forensic Science (CLIFS), Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Remote Forensic Consultation Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Judicial Civilization, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Ning Wang
- Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
- Collaborative Laboratory of Intelligentized Forensic Science (CLIFS), Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Remote Forensic Consultation Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Judicial Civilization, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang-Shen Guo
- Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
- Collaborative Laboratory of Intelligentized Forensic Science (CLIFS), Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Remote Forensic Consultation Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Judicial Civilization, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin-Lin Wang
- Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
- Collaborative Laboratory of Intelligentized Forensic Science (CLIFS), Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Remote Forensic Consultation Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Judicial Civilization, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng-Fei Wang
- Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
- Collaborative Laboratory of Intelligentized Forensic Science (CLIFS), Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Remote Forensic Consultation Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Judicial Civilization, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhi-Peng Cao
- Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
- Collaborative Laboratory of Intelligentized Forensic Science (CLIFS), Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Remote Forensic Consultation Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Judicial Civilization, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Fu-Yuan Zhang
- Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi-Wei Wang
- Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Da-Wei Guan
- Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
- Collaborative Laboratory of Intelligentized Forensic Science (CLIFS), Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Remote Forensic Consultation Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Judicial Civilization, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Zhao
- Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, 110122, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
- Collaborative Laboratory of Intelligentized Forensic Science (CLIFS), Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
- Remote Forensic Consultation Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Judicial Civilization, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
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4
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Zhang K, Liu R, Tuo Y, Ma K, Zhang D, Wang Z, Huang P. Distinguishing Asphyxia from Sudden Cardiac Death as the Cause of Death from the Lung Tissues of Rats and Humans Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:46859-46869. [PMID: 36570197 PMCID: PMC9773813 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c05968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The ability to determine asphyxia as a cause of death is important in forensic practice and helps us to judge whether a case is criminal. However, in some cases where the deceased has underlying heart disease, death by asphyxia cannot be determined by traditional autopsy and morphological observation under a microscope because there are no specific morphological features for either asphyxia or sudden cardiac death (SCD). Here, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to distinguish asphyxia from SCD. A total of 40 lung tissues (collected at 0 h and 24 h postmortem) from 20 rats (10 died from asphyxia and 10 died from SCD) and 16 human lung tissues from 16 real cases were used for spectral data acquisition. After data preprocessing, 2675 spectra from rat lung tissues and 1526 spectra from human lung tissues were obtained for subsequent analysis. First, we found that there were biochemical differences in the rat lung tissues between the two causes of death by principal component analysis and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), which were related to alterations in lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. In addition, a PLS-DA classification model can be built to distinguish asphyxia from SCD. Second, based on the spectral data obtained from lung tissues allowed to decompose for 24 h, we could still distinguish asphyxia from SCD even when decomposition occurred in animal models. Nine important spectral features that contributed to the discrimination in the animal experiment were selected and further analyzed. Third, 7 of the 9 differential spectral features were also found to be significantly different in human lung tissues from 16 real cases. A support vector machine model was finally built by using the seven variables to distinguish asphyxia from SCD in the human samples. Compared with the linear PLS-DA model, its accuracy was significantly improved to 0.798, and the correct rate of determining the cause of death was 100%. This study shows the application potential of FTIR spectroscopy for exploring the subtle biochemical differences resulting from different death processes and determining the cause of death even after decomposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Zhang
- Department
of Forensic Pathology, College of Forensic Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Ruina Liu
- Department
of Forensic Pathology, College of Forensic Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Ya Tuo
- Department
of Biochemistry and Physiology, Shanghai
University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai 201318, People’s Republic of China
| | - Kaijun Ma
- Shanghai
Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Institute of Criminal Science
and Technology, Shanghai Municipal Public
Security Bureau, Shanghai 200042, People’s Republic
of China
| | - Dongchuan Zhang
- Shanghai
Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Institute of Criminal Science
and Technology, Shanghai Municipal Public
Security Bureau, Shanghai 200042, People’s Republic
of China
| | - Zhenyuan Wang
- Department
of Forensic Pathology, College of Forensic Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Ping Huang
- Shanghai
Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Service Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai 200063, People’s Republic of China
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Wang G, Wu H, Yang C, Li Z, Chen R, Liang X, Yu K, Li H, Shen C, Liu R, Wei X, Sun Q, Zhang K, Wang Z. An Emerging Strategy for Muscle Evanescent Trauma Discrimination by Spectroscopy and Chemometrics. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113489. [PMID: 36362276 PMCID: PMC9658611 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Trauma is one of the most common conditions in the biomedical field. It is important to identify it quickly and accurately. However, when evanescent trauma occurs, it presents a great challenge to professionals. There are few reports on the establishment of a rapid and accurate trauma identification and prediction model. In this study, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and microscopic spectroscopy (micro-IR) combined with chemometrics were used to establish prediction models for the rapid identification of muscle trauma in humans and rats. The results of the average spectrum, principal component analysis (PCA) and loading maps showed that the differences between the rat muscle trauma group and the rat control group were mainly related to biological macromolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids and carbohydrates. The differences between the human muscle trauma group and the human control group were mainly related to proteins, polysaccharides, phospholipids and phosphates. Then, a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to evaluate the classification ability of the training and test datasets. The classification accuracies were 99.10% and 93.69%, respectively. Moreover, a trauma classification and recognition model of human muscle tissue was constructed, and a good classification effect was obtained. The classification accuracies were 99.52% and 91.95%. In conclusion, spectroscopy and stoichiometry have the advantages of being rapid, accurate and objective and of having high resolution and a strong recognition ability, and they are emerging strategies for the identification of evanescent trauma. In addition, the combination of spectroscopy and stoichiometry has great potential in the application of medicine and criminal law under practical conditions.
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6
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Alkhuder K. Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy: a universal analytical technique with promising applications in forensic analyses. Int J Legal Med 2022; 136:1717-1736. [PMID: 36050421 PMCID: PMC9436726 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-022-02882-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Contemporary criminal investigations are based on the statements made by the victim and the eyewitnesses. They also rely on the physical evidences found in the crime scene. These evidences, and more particularly biological ones, have a great judicial value in the courtroom. They are usually used to revoke the suspect’s allegations and confirm or refute the statements made by the victim and the witnesses. Stains of body fluids are biological evidences highly sought by forensic investigators. In many criminal cases, the success of the investigation relies on the correct identification and classification of these stains. Therefore, the adoption of reliable and accurate forensic analytical methods seems to be of vital importance to attain this objective. Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) is a modern and universal analytical technique capable of fingerprint recognition of the analyte using minimal amount of the test sample. The current systematic review aims to through light on the fundamentals of this technique and to illustrate its wide range of applications in forensic investigations. ATR-FTIR is a nondestructive technique which has demonstrated an exceptional efficiency in detecting, identifying and discriminating between stains of various types of body fluids usually encountered in crime scenes. The ATR-FTIR spectral data generated from bloodstains can be used to deduce a wealth of information related to the donor species, age, gender, and race. These data can also be exploited to discriminate between stains of different types of bloods including menstrual and peripheral bloods. In addition, ATR-FTIR has a great utility in the postmortem investigations. More particularly, in estimating the postmortem interval and diagnosing death caused by extreme weather conditions. It is also useful in diagnosing some ambiguous death causes such as fatal anaphylactic shock and diabetic ketoacidosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled Alkhuder
- Division of Microbial Disease, UCL Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, 256 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8LD, UK.
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