Fatal hypothermia related vacuolation of hormone-producing cells in the anterior pituitary.
We found small cytoplasmic vacuoles in the hormone-producing cells of anterior pituitary in hypothermic death. The vacuoles were found in approximately 40% of anterior pituitary cells both in males and females that had died from cold (n=31) while the detection rate was lower than 1% (P <0.001) in the other causes of death (n=180: fire death, n=25; fatal injury, n=24; asphyxia, n=24; poisoning, n=8; natural diseases, n=103). The detection rate in hypothermic death was the highest in ACTH cells (about 65%), followed by gonadotrophs (about 43%), and the lowest in TSH cells (about 16%) (P <0.001). These findings suggest that the cytoplasmic vacuoles in the anterior pituitary cells may be the most closely related to cold exposure among the above-mentioned cause of death, providing a supplementary evidence for determining the causes of death.
Ishikawa
T
T
Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, Osaka 545-8558, Japan. takaki@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
Miyaishi
S
S
Tachibana
T
T
Ishizu
H
H
Zhu
B-L
BL
Maeda
H
H
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010908:Pituitary Hormones, Anterior / Q000378:metabolism*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000378:metabolism; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000473:pathology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology
D010908:Pituitary Hormones, Anterior; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D013972:Thyrotropin