Demonstration of hemoglobin in the kidney of battered children.
We examined specimens of renal tissue taken from 40 cadavers of children (18 battered and 22 non-battered children) by an immuno-peroxidase technique using anti-human hemoglobin (Hb) or anti-human myoglobin (Mb) antiserum. Hb was detected in the proximal tubular cells of the kidney of six battered children who had sustained severe or moderate external injuries, whereas Mb was not found. In contrast, Mb was detected and Hb was not found in the renal tubules of one child who had died from a traffic accident. In other cases including 13 cases of children who died from a sudden bout of physical violence or some other impulsive act and 4 cases of children who had died from malnutrition, neither Hb nor Mb was found in the kidney. Our findings appear to indicate that large quantities of Hb were released from the multiple lesions of the battered children, entered the circulation and were deposited in the kidneys. It thus seems that the immunohistochemical detection of Hb in the kidney may be useful for evidencing the extensive antemortem bruises which are often found in battered children.
Ogata
M
M
Department of Legal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
Kubo
S
S
Kitamura
O
O
Nakasono
I
I
Fukunaga
T
T
Tatsuno
Y
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D001497:Battered Child Syndrome; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male
D006454:Hemoglobins