Biomarker profiling of postmortem blood for diabetes mellitus and discussion of possible applications of metabolomics for forensic casework.

Acute metabolic disorders of diabetes mellitus (DM), such as diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state, and hypoglycemia, are life-threatening and difficult to diagnose postmortem owing to lack of macroscopic and microscopic findings, especially when the medical history of the patient is not available before autopsy. Although various biochemical tests, including ketone bodies and hemoglobin A1c, have been used to diagnose diabetes in the postmortem setting, each marker has some limitations. Consequently, it would be helpful in forensic practice to find new biomarkers reflecting the decedent's history of DM irrespective of whether the DM was being treated.

Estimation of day of death using micro-segmental hair analysis based on drug use history: a case of lidocaine use as a marker.

During investigations of unnatural death, the time of death is generally estimated using anatomical examinations. However, it can be difficult to accurately determine the day of death, because postmortem changes in the body tissues can be greatly affected by the circumstances of the location of the corpse. We recently developed a method to estimate the day of drug ingestion, using micro-segmental hair analysis based on internal temporal markers (ITMs).

Accurate Estimation of Drug Intake Day by Microsegmental Analysis of a Strand of Hair by Use of Internal Temporal Markers.

Background: Segmental hair analysis can be useful for estimating the time of drug intake. However, this estimation is currently only accurate to within several months. We previously conducted microsegmental analysis of a strand of hair to visualize drug distribution at a spatial resolution of 0.

Micro-segmental hair analysis for proving drug-facilitated crimes: Evidence that a victim ingested a sleeping aid, diphenhydramine, on a specific day.

Sleeping aids are often abused in the commission of drug-facilitated crimes. Generally, there is little evidence that a victim ingested a spiked drink unknowingly because the unconscious victim cannot report the situation to the police immediately after the crime occurred. Although conventional segmental hair analysis can estimate the number of months since a targeted drug was ingested, this analysis cannot determine the specific day of ingestion.