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International Journal of Legal Medicine

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01.05.2011 | ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Evaluation of the agonal stress: can immunohistochemical detection of ubiquitin in the locus coeruleus be useful?

verfasst von: Michel H. A. Piette, Stéphanie E. P. Pieters, Els A. De Letter

Erschienen in: International Journal of Legal Medicine | Ausgabe 3/2011

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Abstract

The determination of the survival time after a crime as well as the concomitant physical and mental load of the victim is an important task for the forensic pathologist. The heat shock protein, ubiquitin, exerts an essential role in the cellular response to stress. We aimed to investigate the usefulness of the ubiquitin expression in the locus coeruleus as a marker for the evaluation of agonal stress. Is the amount of ubiquitin in this brain locus an indication of the length and/or intensity of the agonal period following various causes of death? The immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of ubiquitin is examined in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded slides of the human locus coeruleus (n = 48). The evaluation of the IHC staining is blindly performed, prior to the study of the medico-legal files. According to the length of agony, a division into subgroups is made. Three possible IHC staining patterns are observed: a staining of the neuronal nucleus or the cytoplasm or both. In addition, the number of neurons with ubiquitin expression per μm² is calculated in each locus coeruleus. Significant differences in the number of ubiquitin-immunoreactive neurons are noticed with respect to the length of the agony: A higher density of positive neurons is seen in case of a pronounced and extended death struggle.

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Titel: Evaluation of the agonal stress: can immunohistochemical detection of ubiquitin in the locus coeruleus be useful?
verfasst von: Michel H. A. Piette
Stéphanie E. P. Pieters
Els A. De Letter
Publikationsdatum: 01.05.2011
Verlag: Springer-Verlag
Erschienen in: International Journal of Legal Medicine / Ausgabe 3/2011
Print ISSN: 0937-9827
Elektronische ISSN: 1437-1596
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-010-0434-8

Springer Medizin

Evaluation of the agonal stress: can immunohistochemical detection of ubiquitin in the locus coeruleus be useful?

Abstract

Neu im Fachgebiet Rechtsmedizin

Molekularpathologische Untersuchungen im Wandel der Zeit

Vergleichende Pathologie in der onkologischen Forschung

Gastrointestinale Stromatumoren

Personalisierte Medizin in der Onkologie

Springer Medizin

Abstract

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