Evaluation of postmortem serum and cerebrospinal fluid levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone with special regard to fatal hypothermia.
The aim of the present study was to undertake, during routine forensic work, a comprehensive analysis of the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and to examine hypophyseal TSH immunopositivity in relation to the cause of death, with particular regard to fatal hypothermia. Medicolegal autopsy cases (n=120; within 48 h postmortem; survival time, <24 h), including cases of blunt injury (n=9), sharp instrument injury (n=8), fire fatality (n=18), mechanical asphyxiation (n=10), drowning (n=21), poisoning (n=6), hypothermia (n=10), and acute ischemic heart disease (n=38), were examined. Serum and CSF TSH concentrations were measured using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. TSH immunoreactivity in adenohypophysis was quantitatively analyzed. Serum and CSF TSH levels were significantly lower in cases of hypothermia than in the other groups (p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively). TSH immunopositivity in adenohypophysis was significantly lower in cases of hypothermia, but exhibited a large case-to-case variation for poisoning. These observations suggest that a decrease in serum and CSF TSH levels in hypothermia is related to hypothalamic adenohypophyseal dysfunction.
Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, 545-8585 Osaka, Japan. takaki@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
Takaki
T
Ishikawa
Tomomi
T
Michiue
Dong
D
Zhao
Ayumi
A
Komatsu
Yoko
Y
Azuma
Li
L
Quan
Marianne
M
Hamel
Hitoshi
H
Maeda
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000378:metabolism; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D055815:Young Adult
D013972:Thyrotropin