Publications by authors named "Saki Kodama"

The diatom test is one of the methods used to diagnose drowning in forensic autopsies. Metagenomic diatom analysis may reveal where a drowning occurred. We evaluated whether metagenomic diatom analysis could be used to infer waters, watersheds, and geographic locations using 166 water samples from 64 locations (freshwater: 55; seawater: 9).

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Although several studies have measured urea nitrogen (UN) and creatinine (Cr) concentrations in postmortem serum and pericardial fluid, no recent antemortem biochemical data have been available for forensic autopsy, thereby making the evaluation of the accuracy of postmortem data difficult. This study compared antemortem (from emergency room results before the declaration of death) and postmortem serum UN and Cr concentrations, as well as postmortem serum and pericardial fluid values, in 51 forensic autopsy cases (postmortem interval within 87 hours). Postmortem UN concentrations were strongly correlated with antemortem data.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explores the effects of drowning water temperature on the T1 and T2 relaxation times of lung tissues using an MRI, focusing on how temperature influences these measurements.
  • Mice were used as models for drowning, submerged in water at varying temperatures (8-45 °C), and differences in T1 relaxation time were noted based on water temperature and lung location after death.
  • The findings suggest that T1 relaxation time varies with temperature and can aid forensic pathologists in assessing drowning cases, while T2 relaxation time remains mostly constant despite drowning conditions.
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Biochemical markers undergo postmortem changes that complicate diagnostic measurement. C-reactive protein (CRP) is one marker that is known to be useful in postmortem specimens, with high levels reported in forensic cases of sepsis, trauma, and ketoacidosis. In the present study, we included 30 cases (17 males and 13 females) that underwent forensic autopsy within 80 h of death and had a CRP result from two postmortem specimens (serum from cardiac blood and pericardial fluid) and an emergency room specimen.

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