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Laohavisudhi K, Sriwichaiin S, Attachaipanich T, Wittayachamnankul B, Chattipakorn N, Chattipakorn S. Mechanistic insights into Lipocalin-2 in ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic brain injury: Integrating animal and clinical studies. Exp Neurol 2024; 379:114885. [PMID: 38996863 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2024.114885] [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: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Brain injuries, including strokes and traumatic brain injuries (TBI), are a major global health concern, contributing significantly to both mortality and long-term disability. Recent research has identified lipocalin-2 (LCN2), a glycoprotein secreted by various brain cells, as a key factor in influencing brain injury outcomes. Evidence from animal and clinical studies firmly establishes the pivotal role of LCN2 in driving the inflammatory responses triggered by damage to brain tissue. Furthermore, increased LCN2 promotes cellular differentiation, blood-brain barrier breakdown, and decreases cell viability. Interventions with LCN2 inhibitors attenuated brain injury through a reduction in the inflammation process and enhanced cellular viability. Potential mechanisms of LCN2 involve several pathways including the Janus kinase-2 (JAK2)-signal transducers and the transcription-3 (STAT3) signaling, hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α)-LCN2-vascular endothelial growth factor alpha (VEGFα), and the PKR-like ER kinase (PERK) pathways. LCN2 itself interacts with diverse inflammatory cytokines in TBI and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), resulting in disruption of the blood-brain barrier, increased programmed cell death, and an imbalance in iron homeostasis. Clinical studies have also shown that increased LCN2 level can act as a prognostic biomarker of outcomes following brain injuries. Therefore, this review aims to comprehensively evaluate the role and underlying mechanisms of LCN2 in brain injuries, including stroke and TBI, and explore potential therapeutic interventions targeting LCN2 in these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korsin Laohavisudhi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Sirawit Sriwichaiin
- Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Center of Excellence in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Cardiac Electrophysiology Research Unit, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Neurophysiology Unit, Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Tanawat Attachaipanich
- Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Center of Excellence in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Neurophysiology Unit, Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Borwon Wittayachamnankul
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Nipon Chattipakorn
- Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Center of Excellence in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Cardiac Electrophysiology Research Unit, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Neurophysiology Unit, Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; The Academy of Science, The Royal Society of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Siriporn Chattipakorn
- Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Center of Excellence in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Neurophysiology Unit, Cardiac Electrophysiology Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
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Bohnert S, Reinert C, Trella S, Cattaneo A, Preiß U, Bohnert M, Zwirner J, Büttner A, Schmitz W, Ondruschka B. Neuroforensomics: metabolites as valuable biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid of lethal traumatic brain injuries. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13651. [PMID: 38871842 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64312-0] [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: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a ubiquitous, common sequela of accidents with an annual prevalence of several million cases worldwide. In forensic pathology, structural proteins of the cellular compartments of the CNS in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been predominantly used so far as markers of an acute trauma reaction for the biochemical assessment of neuropathological changes after TBI. The analysis of endogenous metabolites offers an innovative approach that has not yet been considered widely in the assessment of causes and circumstances of death, for example after TBI. The present study, therefore, addresses the question whether the detection of metabolites by liquid-chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis in post mortem CSF is suitable to identify TBI and to distinguish it from acute cardiovascular control fatalities (CVF). Metabolite analysis of 60 CSF samples collected during autopsies was performed using high resolution (HR)-LC/MS. Subsequent statistical and graphical evaluation as well as the calculation of a TBI/CVF quotient yielded promising results: numerous metabolites were identified that showed significant concentration differences in the post mortem CSF for lethal acute TBI (survival times up to 90 min) compared to CVF. For the first time, this forensic study provides an evaluation of a new generation of biomarkers for diagnosing TBI in the differentiation to other causes of death, here CVF, as surrogate markers for the post mortem assessment of complex neuropathological processes in the CNS ("neuroforensomics").
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Bohnert
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Reinert
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Trella
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Cattaneo
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Preiß
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Michael Bohnert
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Johann Zwirner
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Oral Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Andreas Büttner
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
| | - Werner Schmitz
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Ondruschka
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
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Trapé J, Bérgamo S, González-Garcia L, González-Fernández C. Lung cancer tumor markers in serous effusions and other body fluids. Tumour Biol 2024; 46:S99-S110. [PMID: 36502355 DOI: 10.3233/tub-220024] [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] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
From its onset and during its progression, lung cancer may affect various extrapulmonary structures. These include the serous membranes, the pleura and pericardium, and less frequently the central nervous system, with leptomeningeal involvement. In these cases, fluid accumulates in the serous membranes which may contain substances secreted by the tumor. Measuring the concentrations of these substances can provide useful information for elucidating the origin of the fluid accumulation, either in pleural and pericardial effusions or in cerebrospinal fluid. This paper describes the histological types of lung cancer that most frequently affect the serosa and leptomeninges. It also reviews the literature on tumor markers in different fluids and makes recommendations for their interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaume Trapé
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Althaia Xarxa Assistencial Universitària de Manresa, Manresa, Catalonia, Spain
- Tissue Repair and Regeneration Laboratory, Centre for Health and Social Care Research, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Catalonia, Spain
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Silvia Bérgamo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Althaia Xarxa Assistencial Universitària de Manresa, Manresa, Catalonia, Spain
- Tissue Repair and Regeneration Laboratory, Centre for Health and Social Care Research, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Catalonia, Spain
- Doctoral School, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Laura González-Garcia
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Althaia Xarxa Assistencial Universitària de Manresa, Manresa, Catalonia, Spain
- Tissue Repair and Regeneration Laboratory, Centre for Health and Social Care Research, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carolina González-Fernández
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Althaia Xarxa Assistencial Universitària de Manresa, Manresa, Catalonia, Spain
- Gastrointestinal Oncology, Endoscopy and Surgery Research Group, Manresa, Catalonia, Spain
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Zheng M, Zhou M, Lu T, Lu Y, Qin P, Liu C. TMT and PRM Based Quantitative Proteomics to Explore the Protective Role and Mechanism of Iristectorin B in Stroke. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15195. [PMID: 37894877 PMCID: PMC10607092 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015195] [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: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Stroke is a serious disease caused by the rupture or blockage of the cerebrovascular system. Its pathogenesis is complex and involves multiple mechanisms. Iristectorin B is a natural isoflavone that has certain anti stroke effects. In this study, an in vitro stroke injury model of glyoxylate deprivation was established using PC12 cells, which was used to evaluate the anti-stroke activity of Iristectorin B in ejecta stem. The results showed that Iristectorin B, a natural isoflavone derived from Dried Shoot, significantly reduced the damage to PC12 cells caused by oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation, decreased apoptosis, enhanced cell survival and reduced Ca2+, LDH and ROS levels. The results showed that Iristectorin B had a significant protective effect on Na2S2O4-injured PC12 cells, and the mechanism may be related to the protective effect of neurons in the brain. After protein extraction and various analyses were performed, a series of cutting-edge technologies were organically combined to study the quantitative proteome of each group. Differential proteins were then analyzed. According to the protein screening principle, ferroptosis-related proteins were most closely associated with stroke. The differential proteins associated with ferroptosis screened were SLC3A2, TFR1 and HMOX1, with HMOX1 being the most significantly elevated and reduced via dosing. Iristectorin B may act as a protective agent against stroke by regulating ferroptosis, and SLC3A2, TFR1 and HMOX1 may serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers for stroke, providing additional evidence to support the importance of ferroptosis in stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meizhu Zheng
- College of Life Sciences, Changchun Normal University, Changchun 130032, China;
| | - Mi Zhou
- Central Laboratory, Changchun Normal University, Changchun 130032, China (T.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Tingting Lu
- Central Laboratory, Changchun Normal University, Changchun 130032, China (T.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Yao Lu
- Central Laboratory, Changchun Normal University, Changchun 130032, China (T.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Peng Qin
- Central Laboratory, Changchun Normal University, Changchun 130032, China (T.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Chunming Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Changchun Normal University, Changchun 130032, China;
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Tsitsipanis C, Miliaraki M, Paflioti E, Lazarioti S, Moustakis N, Ntotsikas K, Theofanopoulos A, Ilia S, Vakis A, Simos P, Venihaki M. Inflammation biomarkers IL‑6 and IL‑10 may improve the diagnostic and prognostic accuracy of currently authorized traumatic brain injury tools. Exp Ther Med 2023; 26:364. [PMID: 37408863 PMCID: PMC10318605 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2023.12063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is currently one of the leading causes of mortality and disability worldwide. At present, no reliable inflammatory or specific molecular neurobiomarker exists in any of the standard models proposed for TBI classification or prognostication. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess the value of a group of inflammatory mediators for evaluating acute TBI, in combination with clinical, laboratory and radiological indices and prognostic clinical scales. In the present single-centre, prospective observational study, 109 adult patients with TBI, 20 adult healthy controls and a pilot group of 17 paediatric patients with TBI from a Neurosurgical Department and two intensive care units of University General Hospital of Heraklion, Greece were recruited. Blood measurements using the ELISA method, of cytokines IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) and glial fibrillary acidic protein, were performed. Compared with those in healthy control individuals, elevated IL-6 and IL-10 but reduced levels of IL-8 were found on day 1 in adult patients with TBI. In terms of TBI severity classifications, higher levels of IL-6 (P=0.001) and IL-10 (P=0.009) on day 1 in the adult group were found to be associated with more severe TBI according to widely used clinical and functional scales. Moreover, elevated IL-6 and IL-10 in adults were found to be associated with more serious brain imaging findings (rs<0.442; P<0.007). Subsequent multivariate logistic regression analysis in adults revealed that early-measured (day 1) IL-6 [odds ratio (OR)=0.987; P=0.025] and UCH-L1 (OR=0.993; P=0.032) are significant independent predictors of an unfavourable outcome. In conclusion, results from the present study suggest that inflammatory molecular biomarkers may prove to be valuable diagnostic and prognostic tools for TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christos Tsitsipanis
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Marianna Miliaraki
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Elina Paflioti
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Sofia Lazarioti
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Moustakis
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Ntotsikas
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | | | - Stavroula Ilia
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Antonis Vakis
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Simos
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Maria Venihaki
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
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Chen Q, Chen X, Xu L, Zhang R, Li Z, Yue X, Qiao D. Traumatic axonal injury: neuropathological features, postmortem diagnostic methods, and strategies. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2022; 18:530-544. [PMID: 36117238 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-022-00522-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has high morbidity and poor prognosis and imposes a serious socioeconomic burden. Traumatic axonal injury (TAI), which is one of the common pathological changes in the primary injury of TBI, is often caused by the external force to the head that causes the white matter bundles to generate shear stress and tension; resulting in tissue damage and leading to the cytoskeletal disorder. At present, the forensic pathological diagnosis of TAI-caused death is still a difficult problem. Most of the TAI biomarkers studied are used for the prediction, evaluation, and prognosis of TAI in the living state. The research subjects are mainly humans in the living state or model animals, which are not suitable for the postmortem diagnosis of TAI. In addition, there is still a lack of recognized indicators for the autopsy pathological diagnosis of TAI. Different diagnostic methods and markers have their limitations, and there is a lack of systematic research and summary of autopsy diagnostic markers of TAI. Therefore, this study mainly summarizes the pathological mechanism, common methods, techniques of postmortem diagnosis, and corresponding biomarkers of TAI, and puts forward the strategies for postmortem diagnosis of TAI for forensic cases with different survival times, which is of great significance to forensic pathological diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianling Chen
- School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, South Shaitai Road #1023, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Xuebing Chen
- School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, South Shaitai Road #1023, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Luyao Xu
- School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, South Shaitai Road #1023, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, South Shaitai Road #1023, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhigang Li
- Guangzhou Forensic Science Institute & Key Laboratory of Forensic Pathology, Ministry of Public Security, Guangzhou, 510442, China.
| | - Xia Yue
- School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, South Shaitai Road #1023, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
| | - Dongfang Qiao
- School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, South Shaitai Road #1023, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
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Bohnert S, Trella S, Preiß U, Heinsen H, Bohnert M, Zwirner J, Tremblay MÈ, Monoranu CM, Ondruschka B. Density of TMEM119-positive microglial cells in postmortem cerebrospinal fluid as a surrogate marker for assessing complex neuropathological processes in the CNS. Int J Legal Med 2022; 136:1841-1850. [PMID: 35821334 PMCID: PMC9576655 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-022-02863-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Routine coronal paraffin-sections through the dorsal frontal and parieto-occipital cortex of a total of sixty cases with divergent causes of death were immunohistochemically (IHC) stained with an antibody against TMEM119. Samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the same cases were collected by suboccipital needle-puncture, subjected to centrifugation and processed as cytospin preparations stained with TMEM119. Both, cytospin preparations and sections were subjected to computer-assisted density measurements. The density of microglial TMEM119-positive cortical profiles correlated with that of cytospin results and with the density of TMEM119-positive microglial profiles in the medullary layer. There was no statistically significant correlation between the density of medullary TMEM119-positive profiles and the cytospin data. Cortical microglial cells were primarily encountered in supragranular layers I, II, and IIIa and in infragranular layers V and VI, the region of U-fibers and in circumscribed foci or spread in a diffuse manner and high density over the white matter. We have evidence that cortical microglia directly migrate into CSF without using the glympathic pathway. Microglia in the medullary layer shows a strong affinity to the adventitia of deep vessels in the myelin layer. Selected rapidly fatal cases including myocardial infarcts and drowning let us conclude that microglia in cortex and myelin layer can react rapidly and its reaction and migration is subject to pre-existing external and internal factors. Cytospin preparations proved to be a simple tool to analyze and assess complex changes in the CNS after rapid fatal damage. There is no statistically significant correlation between cytospin and postmortem interval. Therefore, the quantitative analyses of postmortem cytospins obviously reflect the neuropathology of the complete central nervous system. Cytospins provide forensic pathologists a rather simple and easy to perform method for the global assessment of CNS affliction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Bohnert
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Wuerzburg, Versbacher Str. 3, 97078, Wuerzburg, Germany.
| | - Stefanie Trella
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Wuerzburg, Versbacher Str. 3, 97078, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Preiß
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Wuerzburg, Versbacher Str. 3, 97078, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Helmut Heinsen
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Wuerzburg, Versbacher Str. 3, 97078, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Michael Bohnert
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Wuerzburg, Versbacher Str. 3, 97078, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Johann Zwirner
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Butenfeld 34, 22529, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Oral Sciences, University of Otago, 310 Great King Street, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand
| | - Marie-Ève Tremblay
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Medical Sciences Building, Victoria, BC V8P5C2, Canada
| | - Camelia-Maria Monoranu
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider Str. 2, 97080, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Ondruschka
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Butenfeld 34, 22529, Hamburg, Germany
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Forensic biomarkers of lethal traumatic brain injury. Int J Legal Med 2022; 136:871-886. [PMID: 35226180 PMCID: PMC9005436 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-022-02785-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
AbstractTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and its accurate diagnosis is an important concern of daily forensic practice. However, it can be challenging to diagnose TBI in cases where macroscopic signs of the traumatic head impact are lacking and little is known about the circumstances of death. In recent years, several post-mortem studies investigated the possible use of biomarkers for providing objective evidence for TBIs as the cause of death or to estimate the survival time and time since death of the deceased. This work systematically reviewed the available scientific literature on TBI-related biomarkers to be used for forensic purposes. Post-mortem TBI-related biomarkers are an emerging and promising resource to provide objective evidence for cause of death determinations as well as survival time and potentially even time since death estimations. This literature review of forensically used TBI-biomarkers revealed that current markers have low specificity for TBIs and only provide limited information with regards to survival time estimations and time since death estimations. Overall, TBI fatality-related biomarkers are largely unexplored in compartments that are easily accessible during autopsies such as urine and vitreous humor. Future research on forensic biomarkers requires a strict distinction of TBI fatalities from control groups, sufficient sample sizes, combinations of currently established biomarkers, and novel approaches such as metabolomics and mi-RNAs.
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