Publications by authors named "Aurelio Luna"

Article Synopsis
  • - This study investigates how midregional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) and cortisol levels in body fluids relate to the severity of acute pulmonary edema (APE) in deceased individuals.
  • - Researchers analyzed samples from 92 corpses, finding a significant increase in MR-proADM as APE severity progressed, with distinct classifications of APE severity based on set criteria.
  • - The findings suggest a correlation between cortisol and MR-proADM levels, highlighting the potential for these biomarkers to aid in understanding the physiological mechanisms of death in postmortem investigations.
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Lipids are a large group of natural compounds, together with proteins and carbohydrates, and are essential for various processes in the body. After death, the organism's tissues undergo a series of reactions that generate changes in some molecules, including lipids. This means that determining the lipid change profile can be beneficial in estimating the postmortem interval (PMI).

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In forensic autopsies, examining the wounds is one of the most critical aspects to clarify the causal relationship between the cause of death and the wounds observed on the corpse. However, on many occasions, it is difficult to differentiate antemortem injuries from post-mortem injuries, mainly when they occur very close to the moment of death. At present, various studies try to find biomarkers and clarify the molecular mechanisms involved in a wound due to the high variability of conditions in which they occur, thus being one of the most challenging problems in forensic pathology.

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Lately, number of divorces is increasing, nevertheless, a parents' divorce can become a traumatic problem for paediatric patients. Consequently, the aim of this study was to analyze the ethical conflicts that appear in the relationship between physician/parents/son/daughter, and more specifically those that a divorce generates. A descriptive study was developed through a survey composed by 39 items.

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The paper presents the procedure followed to fully solve a forensic case which occurred in Southeastern Spain through the collaboration of specialists from different scientific areas belonging to two different government institutions, a public University and the Guardia Civil. Entomological evidence was required to estimate the PMI in order to settle the perimortem circumstances. Piophila megastigmata (Diptera: Piophilidae) is reported for the first time from a forensic case in Spain, enhancing the interest of its presence in corpses to estimate the PMI.

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A procedure based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed for the analysis of benzodiazepines (nordiazepam, oxazepam, lormetazepam, lorazepam, clonazepam, bromazepam and alprazolam) in postmortem human ribs. Powdered bone samples, including marrow remains inside, with the internal standard diazepam-d5 were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis with 100 μL of β-glucoronidase and were incubated in sodium hydroxide for 1 h in a 70°C oven. Samples underwent liquid phase extraction and ethyl acetate was used as eluent.

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In this study quetiapine and pregabalin were analyzed in human bones. A method previously developed for the determination of antidepressants in human bone was tested for the analysis of these two substances. Bones were pulverized and subjected to the extraction protocol, and after undergoing solid-phase extraction, samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

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A method based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is described for the determination of bisoprolol and atenolol in human bone. After the addition of lobivolol as internal standard, pulverized samples were incubated in acetonitrile for 1 h under ultrasounds. After adjusting the pH of the samples to 6, they were centrifuged, and the supernatants were subjected to solid phase extraction.

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Introduction: The Child-Pugh and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores are widely used to predict the outcomes of liver transplant (LT). Both have similar prognostic values in most cases, although their benefits might differ in some specific conditions. The aim of our study was to analyze the influence of pre-transplant ascites and encephalopathy in post-transplant liver rejection development and survival in alcohol cirrhosis (AC) patients undergoing LT to determine the usefulness of the Child-Pugh score for the assessment of prognosis in such patients.

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Introduction: The molecular mechanisms underlying alcoholic liver fibrosis and cirrhosis are not completely understood. Hepatic fibrosis involves the interplay of diverse cells and factors, including hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), Kupffer, NK cells, and T-lymphocyte subsets. Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are membrane receptors involved in mediation between NK and activated HSCs, regulating NK cell function through their interaction with HLA-I molecules.

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Article Synopsis
  • Proteomic techniques are being applied to forensic bone samples to estimate the postmortem interval, which is critical for forensic sciences.* -
  • Current methods are effective only in early postmortem stages; this study focused on bone remains, which are often challenging due to decomposition.* -
  • By analyzing 40 femur bones, researchers identified 32 proteins that can help estimate the time of death within a 5 to 20-year range, potentially aiding other forensic techniques.*
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Greater attention is focusing on the motivations of subjects recruited for research protocols, especially in vulnerable populations. Although addiction is a highly stigmatized condition, very little research has focused on the factors influencing the decision to participate of patients with an addiction. Our aim is to gather further evidence in relation to the motivations of people with Substance Use Disorders (SUD), comparing their reasoning and willingness to participate in a hypothetical research study of 53 subjects with DSM-5 diagnoses of SUD and 50 controls.

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Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze alcoholic cirrhosis in women who were to undergo liver transplant, including their biochemical and clinical characteristics, main complications, survival rates, and main causes of death compared with men with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Materials And Methods: Our study included 400 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, which we divided according to sex and viral infections. Biochemical parameters and the presence and degree of ascites and encephalopathy, liver function status, and liver rejection and survival rates were analyzed from 1 to 10 years and the main cause of death at 10 years.

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A substantial challenge faced by forensic medicine is determining the postmortem interval (PMI) of skeletonized remains. Currently, the luminol method is of limited forensic usefulness, since it uses qualitative and subjective methods to estimate PMI by the naked eye assessing the degree of chemiluminescence (CL) emitted by bone remains, a technique which is not sensitive enough to distinguish between historical or forensically significant time intervals. The aim of the present study was to use a direct and accurate measurement of the CL by luminol technique in relative light units (RLU) using a luminometer to establish this method as a possible complementary and low cost tool for the determination of the PMI for distinguishing between remains of medical-legal (<20 years) and historical (≥20 years) interest in 102 femur remains with a range of PMI between 15 and 64 years.

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Estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) is an important goal in forensic medicine and continues to be one of the most difficult tasks of the forensic investigator. Few accurate methods exist to determine the time since death of skeletonized human remains due to the great number of intrinsic and external factors that may alter the normal course of postmortem change. The purpose of this research was to assess the usefulness of various biochemical parameters, such as nitrogenous bases (adenine, guanine, purines, cytosine, thymine, pyrimidines, hypoxanthine and xanthine), DNA and Collagen Type I peptides to estimate PMI.

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Informed consent is a key element of ethical clinical research. Those with mental disorders may be at risk for impaired consent capacity. Problems with procedures may also contribute to patient's ´difficulties in understanding consent forms.

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The present study aimed to establish rates of exposure to physical or sexual violence (PSV) prior to imprisonment for prisoners in Spain and to explore whether people exposed to PSV access mental health treatment during imprisonment. In a sample of 2484 male and 225 female prisoners, socio-demographic variables, exposure to PSV prior to imprisonment and mental health treatments during imprisonment were assessed. Frequencies were calculated as per cent values with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

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Many studies have focused on advanced directives. However, the type of treatment that citizens would choose in critical health situations and whether their decision varies with their sociodemographic characteristics and their experiences of life both within and outside the family context, are unknown. This study analyzes the factors associated with choosing or refusing life support treatment in hypothetical situations of differing clinical complexity.

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Background: Informed consent is a key element of ethical clinical research. Addicted population may be at risk for impaired consent capacity. However, very little research has focused on their comprehension of consent forms.

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Forensic pathology often uses osteobiography, which involves biological profiles based on a determination of the age, sex, constitution, pathological states and other anomalies (paleopathology) of subjects for identification purposes. In this paper, proteins were analysed in bone remains. A total of 45 long bones from 45 different cadavers (29 males, 16 females) with a mean age of 66.

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Establishing the postmortem interval is a very complex problem in Forensic Science despite the existence of several macro- and microscopic methods. In the case of ocular methods, most are based on an evaluation of the biochemical components of the vitreous humour 24-36h after death, but, to our knowledge, there are no studies on the relationship between lens and the postmortem interval. Since the lens is protected between the vitreous humour and the aqueous humour inside the eyeball, postmortem changes are assumed to start later in the lens.

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