Determination of cause of death and estimation of survival period by the use of immunohistochemical markers of glial cells

1.短存活期患者星形胶质细胞的变化：观察了多例死亡患者星形胶质细胞的变化，尤其是胞核固缩。本文对48例因上吊、勒死、溺水、失血等死亡病例的福尔马林固定脑进行了检查。用抗胶质纤维酸性蛋白(GFAP)的抗体进行免疫组织化学染色。27例发现AC核固缩。27例中生存时间<1小时的有25例。其中，所有死于勒死的病例均发现核固缩。此外，在因失血过多而死亡的病例中，存活少于1小时的所有病例均可检测到固缩，而存活超过1小时的病例则无一例。因此，AC核固缩的检测对估计生存时间有一定的参考价值。AC核固缩的多个切片检测：1例因失血死亡而存活数分钟的AC核固缩，可见于胼胝体和大脑白质的切片，而在脑干和大脑皮层的切片中未见。另一方面，在枪击致死的一例中，穹隆核固缩见于各个脑区，包括胼胝体、大脑白质、脑干和小脑。神经胶质细胞变化的研究：CNPase染色切片仅在生存期短的颅脑损伤病例中可见少突胶质细胞核固缩。在RCA1染色切片中，生存期短的小胶质细胞未见变化。

1. Changes of astrocytes (AC) in cases of short survival period: Changes of AC, especially pyknosis of the nucleus, in cases of death due to several cases were investigated. The formalin-fixed brains from 48 cases of death due to hanging, strangulation, drowning, ex-sanguination and so on were examined. Paraffin-embedded sections from the corpus callosum were immunostained by the use of an antibody against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Pyknosis of the nucleus of AC was detected in 27 cases. 25 out of these 27 cases were those of less than 1 hour of survival. Among them, nuclear pyknosis were found in all cases of death due to strangulation. Further, in cases of death due to exsanguination, pyknosis was detected in all cases with less than 1 hour of survival, whereas in no cases with more than 1 hour of survival. Therefore, it is suggested that detection of nuclear pyknosis of AC should be useful for estimation of survival period.2. Detection of nuclear pyknosis of AC in several sections: In a case of a few minutes of survi val with death due to exsanguination, pyknosis of the nucleus of AC was found in sections from the corpus callosum and cerebral white matter, whereas not in those from brain stem nor cere bellum. On the other hand, in a case of instantaneous death due to gunshot, pyknosis of the nucleus of AC was found in all sections from the corpus callosum, cerebral white matter, brain stem and cerebel lum.3. Investigation of changes of glial cells: Nuclear pyknosis in oligodendrocytes was found only in head injury cases of short survival period in CNPase-stained sections. No changes of micro glia were found in cases of short survival period in RCA1-stained sections.