title: [Immunohistochemical distribution of single-stranded DNA in the brain in medico-legal autopsy cases of carbon monoxide intoxication].
abstract: To evaluate apoptotic neuronal damage by carbon monoxide (CO) in medico-legal autopsy cases, we investigated the immunohistochemical distribution of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) as a marker of apoptosis and programmed cell death in the brain. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded brain tissue specimens, including cerebral cortex of frontal lobe, substantia nigra of the midbrain and pallidum, from medico-legal autopsy cases of fire fatality (n=63), including cases with blood carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) of a lower (<60%) and a higher (>60%) level (n = 39 and 24, respectively), and CO intoxication without burns (n = 6) were examined, in comparison with acute ischemic heart disease (IHD, n = 29) and asphyxiation due to strangulation (AS, n= 14). In the pallidum, neuronal immunopositivity for ssDNA was significantly higher in fire fatality with a higher COHb level than in IHD (p<0.0001), and CO intoxication cases showed significantly higher positivity than other groups excluding fire fatality with a higher COHb level (p< 0.05). In cases without cardiopulmonary resuscitation, ssDNA-positivity in the pallidum mildly correlated to COHb concentrations (r = 0.31, p<0.05), and the positivity was significantly higher in higher COHb (>60%) cases than in lower COHb (<30%) cases. In the cerebral cortex and substantia nigra of the midbrain, neuronal ssDNA-positivity showed no significant findings with regard to the cause of death and COHb concentration. These findings suggest that CO causes selective neuronal damage in the pallidum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School.
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Michiue
authors.forename: Takaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.forename: Dong-Ri
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jian Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chiemi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maeda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis; D001344:Autopsy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000032:analysis*; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin