The dynamics of changes in biochemical markers of the state of tissue in intercostal muscles during the early postmortem period.

AIM: The aim of study was to evaluate structural and biochemical changes in the tissue of intercostal muscles during the early postmortem period (PMP) - 3-13 hours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Absolute and relative values of the concentration of glycogen, acid phosphatase, lactate, lactate degydrogenase, lipofuscin and cholinesterase during the early PMP were determined on 30 human corpses by results of study of the tissue of intercostal muscles. RESULTS: It was proved that the early PMP was characterized by proper biochemical and biophysical changes of the muscular tissue, the most demonstrative of them were as follows: a reduction in the concentration of glycogen and dynamic increases in the concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase and lipofuscin. For all six biochemical markers, representative absolute and relative values of their popstmortem content in homogenates of intercostal muscles depending upon the prescription of death coming were obtained. It was found out that the concentration of glycogen during the analysed time intervals ranged from (7.821±0.0649) mg/g in 3 hours after death coning to (3.204±0.030) mg/g in 13 hours after the coming of death, reliably (p<0.001) differing every 2 hours of PMP. The dynamics in the concentration of lactate were found to be demonstrative and characterized by its progressive (p<0.01) increase within the period of 9 hours from the moment of death coming: from (6.847±0.042) mmol/g after 3 hours to (12.960±0.085) mmol/g after 9 hours. The level of lipofuscin concentration in the analysed time intervals progressively rose too: from (2.258±0.031) U/g in 3 hours to (5.589±0.030) U/g in 13 hours, reliably (p<0.001) differing every 2 hours of PMP. CONCLUSIONS: Paired correlative indices between biochemical and biophysical markers of the state of tissue of intercostal muscles were examined in their systemic relationships and proper system-creating coefficients were determined by six time intervals of the early PMP, in its turn making it possible to substantiate those of them that were criterially significant for increasing the accuracy of diagnosis of prescription of death coming.

Study of structural and biochemical changes in the muscular tissue of the oesophagus for solving the problem of diagnosing the prescription of death coming.

The modern practice and tactics of forensic medical diagnosis require scientific substantiation of informative diagnostic criteria for assessing the prescription of death coming (PDC), first of all during the early postmortem period (PMP). AIM: The aim of the study was an evaluation of the concentration changes of biochemical markers (BCM) in muscular tissue (MT) of the oesophagus during the early postmortem period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MT of the oesophagus within the period of 3-13 hours after the coming of death was studied on 30 human corpses. MT was taken with use of special instruments, MT homogenates were prepared following the standard technique with subsequent determination of BCM content in MT homogenates by the kinetic method using for this purpose test systems. RESULTS: Absolute and relative values of the concentrations of glycogen, acid phosphatase, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, lipofuscin and cholinesterase in MT of the oesophagus in the early PMP (3-13 hours) were determined in 30 human corpses by results of study of the above tissue during different time intervals of the early PMP. Tendencies and regularities in the dynamics of these BCM of the state of the oesophagus were determined by relative values (beginning from 3 hours after the moment of death coming). It is proved that in the interval of 3-5 hours after the coming of death the content of lipofuscin increases by 16.0%, while the concentration of cholinesterase and glycogen decreases by 9.0%, and later - till 9 hours after death coming - these BCM concentrations continue to change according to the above regularities. But in 9 hours after the moment of death coming, side by side with a further decrease in the concentration of glycogen and cholinesterase by 41%, the content of lipofuscin goes on increasing by 57.0%, while the dynamics of changes in the concentration of acid phosphatase are not the same (they decrease). CONCLUSIONS: Absolute and relative values of the concentration of glycogen, acid phosphatase, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, lipofuscin and cholinesterase in MT of the human oesophagus during different time intervals of the early PMP were determined. Tendencies and regularities in the dynamics of changes in BCM of the state of the oesophagus were determined by relative values. It is proved that determinations of such relationships as lipofuscin/glycogen or lipofuscin/cholinesterase within the terms of 9 hours after the moment of death coming are diagnostically significant (and of equal worth).