title: Pulmonary immunohistochemistry and serum levels of a surfactant-associated protein A in fatal drowning.
abstract: To evaluate the immunohistochemical distribution and serum levels of a pulmonary surfactant-associated protein A (SP-A) in fatal drowning with regard to the pulmonary alveolar injury, 53 autopsy cases were investigated. SP-A was membranously or linearly demonstrated in varying intensities on the intra-alveolar interior surface and on the interface of the intra-alveolar effusion. A high score of intra-alveolar aggregates of SP-A was significantly more frequently observed in freshwater than saltwater drowning. The left/right ratios of cardiac blood SP-A level were significantly high both in fresh- and saltwater drowning, showing no relationship to aggregated SP-A scores. Immunohistochemical score and serum level of SP-A were independent of the lung weight or pleural effusion. These observations suggest a partial difference of pulmonary pathophysiology depending on the immersion medium in fatal drowning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Abeno, Japan. baolizhu@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Bao-Li
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.forename: Dong-Ri
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Masaki Q
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji