Relationship between N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide concentration and heart-type fatty acid-binding protein in postmortem urine.

The clinical use of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and blood concentrations of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (HFABP) is well-established in diagnosing heart conditions. However, their applicability in forensics is controversial due to postmortem changes. NT-proBNP and HFABP are excreted in the urine due to their small molecular weights and may be found in postmortem urine samples; however, their correlation has not been evaluated.

Postmortem pericardial fluid sLOX-1 levels and LOX-1 immunostaining in forensic specimens: Relation to cause of death.

Lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) is the endothelial receptor for oxidized LDL. This receptor's extracellular domain is released into the blood as soluble LOX-1 (sLOX-1) and has been linked to ischemic heart disease (IHD), cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs), obesity, and diabetes. We recently reported that sLOX-1 fluid levels in postmortem pericardial fluid were comparable to clinical values in live patients and that significant increases in sLOX-1 were observed in patients with IHD.

Effectiveness of Rapid Antigen Testing in Forensic Cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection, Including Delta Variant.

The polymerase chain reaction is indispensable for diagnosing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in forensic cases. However, studies regarding the effectiveness of rapid antigen testing (RAT) in forensic cases remain limited. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy of RAT compared with reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for confirming SARS-CoV-2 infection (including the delta variant).