Sturner W Q, Lynch H J, Deng M H, Gleason R E, Wurtman R J
Office of State Medical Examiners, Providence, RI 02904.
Forensic Sci Int. 1990 Mar;45(1-2):171-80. doi: 10.1016/0379-0738(90)90234-p.
To examine a possible relationship between pineal function and the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), samples of whole blood, ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or vitreous humor (VH) were obtained at autopsy from 68 infants (45 male, 23 female) whose deaths were attributed to either SIDS (n = 32, 0.5-5.0 months of age; mean +/- S.E.M., 2.6 +/- 0.2 months) or other causes (non-SIDS, n = 36, 0.3-8.0 months of age 4.3 +/- 0.3 months). The melatonin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. A significant correlation was observed for melatonin levels in different body fluids from the same individual. After adjusting for age differences, CSF melatonin levels were significantly lower among the SIDS infants (91 +/- 29 pmol/l; n = 32) than among those dying of other causes (180 +/- 27; n = 35, P less than 0.05). A similar, but non-significant trend was also noted in blood (97 +/- 23, n = 30 vs. 144 +/- 22 pmol/l, n = 33) and vitreous humor (68 +/- 21, n = 10 vs. 81 +/- 17 pmol/l, n = 15). These differences do not appear to be explainable in terms of the interval between death and autopsy, gender, premortem infection or therapeutic measures instituted prior to death. Diminished melatonin production may be characteristic of SIDS and could represent an impairment in the maturation of physiologic circadian organization.
为研究松果体功能与婴儿猝死综合征（SIDS）之间的可能关系，对68例死亡婴儿（45例男性，23例女性）进行尸检时采集了全血、脑室脑脊液（CSF）和/或玻璃体液（VH）样本，这些婴儿的死亡原因要么是SIDS（n = 32，年龄0.5 - 5.0个月；平均值±标准误，2.6±0.2个月），要么是其他原因（非SIDS，n = 36，年龄0.3 - 8.0个月，4.3±0.3个月）。通过放射免疫分析法测定褪黑素浓度。观察到同一个体不同体液中的褪黑素水平存在显著相关性。在调整年龄差异后，SIDS婴儿的脑脊液褪黑素水平（91±29 pmol/l；n = 32）显著低于死于其他原因的婴儿（180±27；n = 35，P < 0.05）。血液（97±23，n = 30 vs. 144±22 pmol/l，n = 33）和玻璃体液（68±21，n = 10 vs. 81±17 pmol/l，n = 15）中也观察到类似但不显著的趋势。这些差异似乎无法用死亡与尸检之间的间隔、性别、死前感染或死亡前采取的治疗措施来解释。褪黑素分泌减少可能是SIDS的特征，并且可能代表生理昼夜节律组织成熟的受损。
