Hervet Tania, Teresiński Grzegorz, Hejna Petr, Descloux Emilienne, Grouzmann Eric, Palmiere Cristian
University Center of Legal Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, 4 chemin de la Vulliette, 1000, Lausanne 25, Switzerland.
Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2016 Jun;12(2):163-9. doi: 10.1007/s12024-016-9764-2. Epub 2016 Mar 26.
The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of catecholamines and their O-methylated metabolites in vitreous humor samples in identifying antemortem cold exposure and fatal hypothermia in the forensic casework.
A total of 80 autopsy cases (40 hypothermia fatalities and 40 cases in which hypothermia as the main or contributory cause of death was excluded) were selected for this study. Catecholamines and their O-methylated metabolites were measured in urine and vitreous humor samples collected at autopsy.
Urine catecholamine and their O-methylated metabolite concentrations were significantly higher in hypothermia-related deaths. On the other hand, measurements in vitreous humor samples did not reveal statistically significant differences between hypothermia-related deaths and controls.
Globally considered, our findings seem to suggest that, contrary to urine catecholamines and their O-methylated metabolites, vitreous levels of these compounds appear to be of limited value in characterizing human antemortem stress reactions due to cold exposure and can hardly be used in the forensic setting to support the diagnosis of hypothermia.
本研究旨在评估玻璃体液样本中儿茶酚胺及其O-甲基化代谢产物在法医案件工作中识别生前冷暴露和致命性体温过低方面的诊断价值。
本研究共选取了80例尸检案例（40例体温过低死亡案例以及40例排除体温过低作为主要或次要死因的案例）。在尸检时收集的尿液和玻璃体液样本中测量儿茶酚胺及其O-甲基化代谢产物。
与体温过低相关的死亡案例中，尿儿茶酚胺及其O-甲基化代谢产物浓度显著更高。另一方面，玻璃体液样本的测量结果显示，与体温过低相关的死亡案例和对照组之间没有统计学上的显著差异。
总体而言，我们的研究结果似乎表明，与尿儿茶酚胺及其O-甲基化代谢产物不同，这些化合物的玻璃体液水平在表征因冷暴露引起的人体生前应激反应方面价值有限，在法医环境中几乎无法用于支持体温过低的诊断。
