title: Post-mortem stability and redistribution of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT).
abstract: Post-mortem diagnosis of chronic alcohol abuse is a challenge for forensic experts due to the lack of pathognomonic morphological findings and often also inadequate background information. Objective methods demonstrating chronic excessive alcohol consumption would therefore be a useful tool for forensic pathologists. In clinical practice, several markers of chronic alcohol abuse have recently been introduced, among which carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is the most accepted, but the use of these markers in autopsy has not yet been established. We examined post-mortem stability and possible post-mortem redistribution of CDT and compared two analytical methods, capillary zone electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography. According to our results, CDT remains stable for an appreciable time after death. The results further indicate that CDT is not subject to major post-mortem redistribution.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, Catholic University of Sacred Heart School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rainio
authors.forename: Giorgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Paoli
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Druid
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kauppila
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Giorgio
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bortolotti
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tagliaro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary; D005260:Female; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D014168:Transferrin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014168:Transferrin; C056759:carbohydrate-deficient transferrin