title: Forensic application of VEGF expression to skin wound age determination.
abstract: An immunohistochemical study combined with morphometry was carried out to examine the time-dependent expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) using 53 human skin wounds with different wound ages (groups I: 0-12 h, II: 1-4 days, III: 7-14 days and IV: 17-21 days). In the human wound specimens aged 4-12 h, neutrophils recruited at the wound showed no positive signals for VEGF. With an increase in wound ages of > or =7 days, granulation tissue and angiogenesis were observed, with the migration of macrophages and fibroblasts of which the cytoplasm expressed VEGF-positive reactions. Morphometrically, the average VEGF-positive ratio was highest in group III, followed by that of group IV. In groups III and IV, 13 out of 26 wound samples had VEGF-positive ratios of more than 50%. However, all of the wound samples in groups I and II showed VEGF-positive ratios of less than 50%. With regard to the practical applicability and forensic validity, these observations suggest that a VEGF-positive ratio of more than 50% possibly indicates a wound age of 7 days or more.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, 811-1 Kmiidera, 641-8509 Wakayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Tatsunori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takayasu
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Eisenmenger
authors.forename: Toshikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D049429:Forensic Pathology / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A