Correlation between the Ki-67 antigen in the brainstem and physiological data on sleep apnea in SIDS victims.
BACKGROUND
The Ki-67 antigen appears in all human proliferating cells during late G1, S, M and G2 phases of the cell cycle, but is consistently absent in the Go phase (noncycling) cells. The correlation between Ki-67 in the brainstem and sleep apnea in victims of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) was investigated to elucidate cell kinetics in the brainstem of this condition, which is still the main cause of postneonatal infant death.


METHODS
Twenty-six cases of SIDS occurred among 38 infants dying under 6 months of age in a cohort of 27,000 infants studied prospectively to characterize their sleep-wake behavior. All the infants had been recorded during one night in a pediatric sleep laboratory some 3 to 12 weeks before death. The frequency and duration of sleep apnea were analyzed. At autopsy, brainstem material was collected and immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 was carried out. The density of Ki-67-positive neurons was measured semiquantitatively. Correlation analyses were carried out between the density of Ki-67-positive neurons and the data on sleep apnea.


RESULTS
Except in two cases in SIDS victims and in one control, the detection of Ki-67 was negative. No correlation analysis between the Ki-67 and of sleep apnea was found.


CONCLUSIONS
There were no abnormal cell kinetics detected by the demonstration of Ki-67 antigen in the brainstems of SIDS victims.
Sawaguchi
Toshiko
T
Department of Legal Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan. tsawagu@research.twmu.ac.jp
Patricia
Franco
F
Kadhim
Hazim
H
Groswasser
Jose
J
Sottiaux
Martine
M
Nishida
Hiroshi
H
Kahn
Andre
A
D001933:Brain Stem / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D017286:Polysomnography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016683:Supine Position
D019394:Ki-67 Antigen