Forensic molecular pathology: its impacts on routine work, education and training.
The major role of forensic pathology is the investigation of human death in relevance to social risk management to determine the cause and process of death, especially in violent and unexpected sudden deaths, which involve social and medicolegal issues of ultimate, personal and public concerns. In addition to the identification of victims and biological materials, forensic molecular pathology contributes to general explanation of the human death process and assessment of individual death on the basis of biological molecular evidence, visualizing dynamic functional changes involved in the dying process that cannot be detected by morphology (pathophysiological or molecular biological vital reactions); the genetic background (genomics), dynamics of gene expression (up-/down-regulation: transcriptomics) and vital phenomena, involving activated biological mediators and degenerative products (proteomics) as well as metabolic deterioration (metabolomics), are detected by DNA analysis, relative quantification of mRNA transcripts using real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), and immunohisto-/immunocytochemistry combined with biochemistry, respectively. Thus, forensic molecular pathology involves the application of omic medical sciences to investigate the genetic basis, and cause and process of death at the biological molecular level in the context of forensic pathology, that is, 'advanced molecular autopsy'. These procedures can be incorporated into routine death investigations as well as guidance, education and training programs in forensic pathology for 'dynamic assessment of the cause and process of death' on the basis of autopsy and laboratory data. Postmortem human data can also contribute to understanding patients' critical conditions in clinical management.
Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, 545-8585 Osaka, Japan; Forensic Autopsy Section, Medico-legal Consultation and Postmortem Investigation Support Center (MLCPI-SC), c/o Osaka City University Medical School, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, 545-8585 Osaka, Japan. Electronic address: legalmed@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp.
Hitoshi
H
Maeda
Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, 545-8585 Osaka, Japan; Forensic Autopsy Section, Medico-legal Consultation and Postmortem Investigation Support Center (MLCPI-SC), c/o Osaka City University Medical School, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, 545-8585 Osaka, Japan; Division of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, 683-8503 Tottori, Japan.
Takaki
T
Ishikawa
Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, 545-8585 Osaka, Japan; Forensic Autopsy Section, Medico-legal Consultation and Postmortem Investigation Support Center (MLCPI-SC), c/o Osaka City University Medical School, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, 545-8585 Osaka, Japan.
Tomomi
T
Michiue
D001671:Biochemistry; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D053803:Forensic Genetics; D049429:Forensic Pathology / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D015870:Gene Expression; D005819:Genetic Markers; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards; D055432:Metabolomics; D008829:Microbiology; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D040901:Proteomics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012699:Serology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
D015415:Biomarkers; D005819:Genetic Markers; D012333:RNA, Messenger
Forensic pathology; Molecular autopsy; Molecular biology; Omic science; Pathophysiology of death; Violent death