Cecchi Rossana, Camatti Jessika, Schirripa Maria Laura, Ragona Monica, Pinelli Silvana, Cucurachi Nicola
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2024 Aug 15. doi: 10.1007/s12024-024-00874-9.
Postmortem interval (PMI) is a challenging issue in forensic practice. Although postmortem biomarkers of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are recognised as an emerging resource for PMI estimation, their role remains controversial. This study aims to evaluate postmortem concentrations of three TBI biomarkers (GFAP, NSE and S100B) in two matrices (cerebrospinal fluid and vitreous humor), in order to find out if these markers could be adopted in PMI estimation. Thirty-five deceased individuals with known PMI who underwent forensic autopsy at the University of Parma were examined. Matrices were collected during autopsy, then biomarker concentrations were determined through the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical significance of the data in relation to PMI was studied. The correlation of biomarkers with PMI, examined with samples divided into six groups according to the number of days elapsed since death, was not statistically significant, although S100B in cerebrospinal fluid showed an increasing trend in cases from 1 to 5 days of PMI. Comparison between cases with 1 day of PMI and those with 2 or more days of PMI showed a statistically significant correlation for GFAP and NSE in cerebrospinal fluid. GFAP and NSE in cerebrospinal fluid represent appropriate biomarkers in PMI estimation to distinguish cases with one day of PMI from those with two or more days of PMI. The current study was limited by the scarcity of the cohort and the narrow spectrum of cases. Further research is needed to confirm these observations.
死后间隔时间（PMI）在法医学实践中是一个具有挑战性的问题。尽管创伤性脑损伤（TBI）的死后生物标志物被认为是一种新兴的PMI估计资源，但其作用仍存在争议。本研究旨在评估两种基质（脑脊液和玻璃体液）中三种TBI生物标志物（GFAP、NSE和S100B）的死后浓度，以确定这些标志物是否可用于PMI估计。对35名在帕尔马大学进行法医尸检且已知PMI的死者进行了检查。在尸检过程中收集基质，然后通过酶联免疫吸附测定法测定生物标志物浓度。研究了数据与PMI的统计学显著性。根据死亡后的天数将样本分为六组，对生物标志物与PMI的相关性进行了研究，结果显示无统计学显著性，尽管脑脊液中的S100B在PMI为1至5天的病例中呈上升趋势。PMI为1天的病例与PMI为2天或更长时间的病例之间的比较显示，脑脊液中的GFAP和NSE具有统计学显著相关性。脑脊液中的GFAP和NSE是PMI估计中的合适生物标志物，可用于区分PMI为1天的病例和PMI为2天或更长时间的病例。本研究受到队列数量稀少和病例范围狭窄的限制。需要进一步研究来证实这些观察结果。
