title: Is zinc a reliable biochemical marker of chronic alcoholism in the overall context of a medico-legal autopsy?
abstract: The purpose of our investigation is to appreciate the usefulness of zinc determination in the human body with regard to the tracing of chronic alcoholism at forensic autopsies. The analysis of zinc was performed in vitreous humour and in skeletal muscle. Our results tend to prove that, in post-mortem material, zinc is not a suitable marker of chronic alcoholism. Furthermore one has to take into account the frequent contamination during collection and storage of the samples and also the post-mortem increase of zinc in the vitreous humour due to autolysis.
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001344:Autopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015032:Zinc