title: Objective post-mortem diagnosis of chronic alcohol abuse--a review of studies on new markers.
abstract: Identification of chronic excessive alcohol consumption in living and deceased individuals is a fundamental task in forensic pathology. Reliable methods for post-mortem diagnosis of chronic alcohol abuse are required because morphological findings are unspecific and ante-mortem data are often unreliable. In clinical practice, several biochemical markers indirectly demonstrating chronic alcohol abuse are employed, but thus far these methods have not been used in routine post-mortem investigations. We reviewed publications in which these markers have been applied to autopsy material. Based on this review, some of these biochemical parameters are useful in post-mortem diagnostics, although further systematic research is required.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy. juha.rainio@uta.fi
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rainio
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: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D004952:Esters / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D005965:Glucuronates / Q000378:metabolism; D020404:Glycerophospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D006197:Hair / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006917:Hydroxytryptophol / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D014168:Transferrin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004952:Esters; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005965:Glucuronates; D020404:Glycerophospholipids; D014168:Transferrin; C056759:carbohydrate-deficient transferrin; C051521:phosphatidylethanol; D006917:Hydroxytryptophol; C093924:ethyl glucuronide; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid