Ubiquitin immunoreactivity in the midbrain as a marker of stress to motor nervous systems in fatal injury

• Published in: Legal medicine Vol. 7; no. 3; pp. 157 - 163
• Main Authors: Quan, Li, Ishikawa, Takaki, Michiue, Tomomi, Li, Dong-Ri, Zhao, Dong, Zhu, Bao-Li, Maeda, Hitoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.05.2005
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomarkers - metabolism; Case-Control Studies; Female; Forensic Pathology; Human midbrain; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Injury; Injury Severity Score; Male; Mesencephalon - metabolism; Mesencephalon - pathology; Middle Aged; Motor neuron; Motor Neurons - metabolism; Stress response; Stress, Physiological - metabolism; Ubiquitin; Ubiquitin - metabolism; Wounds and Injuries - metabolism; Wounds and Injuries - pathology; Ubiquitin; Immunohistochemistry; Motor neuron; Stress response; Human midbrain; Injury
• ISSN: 1344-6223; 1873-4162
• DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2004.11.004

Previous studies showed an increase in the ubiquitin (Ub)-immunoreactive structures in the midbrain in acute deaths from asphyxiation and in fires in adult subjects. The present study examined the Ub-immunoreactivity in the midbrain as a marker of stress to motor nervous systems in fatal injury cases (over 35 years of age, n=140: blunt injuries, n=82; sharp injuries, n=58), compared with that in control groups ( n=61) including death by strangulation, acute cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases. The intranuclear Ub-immunopositive inclusion of the pigmented dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra (inclusion Ub-index) and the granular ‘dot-like’ Ub-immunoreactivity area (‘dot-like’ Ub-area) in the crus cerebri were analyzed. In blunt injuries, those markers were high in abdomen and back injuries and low in head and chest injuries. The inclusion Ub-index was higher in the crush/pressure injury group than in those with injuries due to impact traffic accidents and falls. ‘Dot-like’ Ub-area was also low in falls. In sharp injury cases, cardiac injury with hemopericardium showed a higher inclusion Ub-index. These findings suggested that the stress to the motor nervous system may be very intense in crush/pressure injury and hemopericardium than in impact injury and fatal hemorrhages, respectively, and in abdomen and back injuries than in head and chest injuries.