Biochemical serotonin and histamine determinations were applied to the reconstruction of three suspected homicide cases. To distinguish between ante-mortem and post-mortem wounds and to time the ante-mortem injuries the concentrations of free histamine and serotonin in the wound samples and in the control samples from neighbouring intact skin were examined. The results of these biochemical determinations allowed a reconstruction of the events and one of the three cases was shown to be suicide instead of homicide. The methods can be used at least during the first 4--5 days after death and sometimes even longer. This allows for international cooperation when investigating and reconstructing complicated cases of death.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Biochemical composition of coronary arteries in Finnish children.

To study the early features of atherosclerosis, we analyzed coronary artery intima medias from 63 boys and 30 girls who were newborn to 15 years old at the time of accidental death. Fatty streaks were found in five boys and one girl and, with one exception, were not present until the second decade of life. From birth there was a continuous increase in esterified cholesterol (EC) and a two- to threefold rise in free cholesterol and phospholipid. DNA, total protein, and collagen tended to rise after the first decade. The content of hyaluronic acid remained fairly constant, but sulphated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) rose during the second decade; the highest increases were in dermatan and chondroitin sulphates. The content of arterial EC showed significant positive correlations with those of GAGs, but associations with the contents of DNA, total protein, and collagen were not significant. As judged by the observed gradual increase in arterial EC and a change in its fatty acid composition, there is a continuous increase with age in LDL-derived EC in the arterial wall. The mechanism of this accumulation is unknown, but the findings provide circumstantial evidence to support the concept that arterial GAGs may cause retention of plasma-derived lipids, which may subsequently be altered and internalized by the intimal cells.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Glycosaminoglycans and apolipoproteins B and A-I in human aortas. Chemical and immunological analysis of lesion-free aortas from children and adults.

To study changes in the contents of plasma lipoproteins in human arteries with age and the relationship of lipoproteins with other arterial constituents, we analyzed the contents of apolipoproteins B (apo B) and A-I (apo A-I), free and esterified cholesterol, and glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in lesion-free aortic intimas of 30 children and adults. The content of apo B increased significantly with age, whereas that of apo A-I remained relatively constant. Apo B and apo A-I had significant positive correlations with the content of chondroitin sulphates A + C (CS A + C), which comprised 35% to 47% of the aortic GAG. The correlations remained significant after correction for the effect of age. Aortic apo B, but not apo A-I, also showed significant positive correlations with the contents of intimal free and esterified cholesterol. The results indicate that: considerable amounts of apo B and apo A-I can be found in lesion-free aortic intimas; there is an age-related rise in the content of apo B and a fall in the ratio of apo A-I to apo B, which are unfavorable developments in the light of current views on atherogenesis; the contents of the apolipoproteins are proportional to that of CS A + C, which might have a role in the retention of lipoproteins in the arteries.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of metabolic activity in aortic vein grafts in rats by histochemical examination of hydrolases.

The metabolic pattern of aortic vein grafts in rats was studied by estimating histochemically the activity of the hydrolytic enzymes alfa-esterase, aminopeptidase, adenosine triphosphatase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase. The enzyme activity was lowest in the 16 hour and 1 day old grafts, and recovery was noted at three days. Five days after transplantation the enzyme activities were higher than in the non-transplanted veins. The rapid increase in enzymatic activity found in histochemical studies on wound healing was not seen in these vein grafts. At four weeks some grafts showed intimal thickening the activity of which did not exceed that of the other layers of the graft wall. At the end of the observation period of sixteen weeks most of the grafts showed intimal thickening, and this layer stained intensely especially for ATPase. The staining pattern of most of the grafts at sixteen weeks resembled that of the aortic media.

Acid Phosphatase↗

PubMedDate not supplied