Akiyoshi Nishimura : 死体検案,遺体の取り扱い, ぎょうせい, May 2011.
Academic Paper (Judged Full Paper):
1.
Hideyuki Nushida, Asuka Ito, Hiromitsu Kurata, Hitomi Umemoto, Itsuo Tokunaga, Hirofumi Iseki and Akiyoshi Nishimura : A case of fatal multi-organ inflammation following COVID-19 vaccination., Legal Medicine, Vol.63, 102244, 2023.
(Summary)
A 14-year-old Japanese girl died unexpectedly 2days after receiving the third dose of the BNT1262b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Autopsy findings showed congestive edema of the lungs, T-cell lymphocytic and macrophage infiltration in the lungs, pericardium, and myocardium of the left atria and left ventricle, liver, kidneys, stomach, duodenum, bladder, and diaphragm. Since there was no preceding infection, allergy, or drug toxicity exposure, the patient was diagnosed with post-vaccination pneumonia, myopericarditis, hepatitis, nephritis, gastroenteritis, cystitis, and myositis. Although neither type of inflammation is fatal by itself, arrhythmia is reported to be the most common cause of death in patients with atrial myopericarditis. In the present case, arrhythmia of atrial origin was assumed as the cause of cardiac failure and death. In sudden post-vaccination deaths, aggressive autopsy systemic search and histological examination involving extensive sectioning of the heart, including the atrium, are indispensable.
Asuka Ito, Hideyuki Nushida, Hiromitsu Kurata, Hitomi Umemoto, Hirofumi Iseki, Itsuo Tokunaga and Akiyoshi Nishimura : A case of complete decapitation in suicidal hanging: the mechanism and condition of decapitation, The Journal of Medical Investigation : JMI, Vol.70, No.1,2, 290-293, 2023.
(Summary)
Complete decapitation due to suicide by hanging is rare. We report the case of a decapitated man who was found in the sea near an estuary. A polyethylene rope was tied to the handrail of the bridge across a strait near the site of the body. The rope was 12 mm in diameter and 19 m in length from the handrail. It ended with a slip knot noose, and skin and mustache-like hair fragments were attached to it. The decapitated head was not found. The deceased weighed 82 kg and was 152 cm long without the head. The autopsy revealed coarse abrasions and intramuscular hemorrhage around the severed edge. The third cervical spine was not fractured. We reviewed the literature and suggested the conditions of body weight, fall height, rope diameter, and number of rolls in cases of decapitation by hanging. We calculated the hanging decapitation index (HDI) as the fall height (m) multiplied by the body weight (kg), divided by the rope diameter (mm), divided by the number of rolls ; and discussed the differences between complete and incomplete decapitation cases. J. Med. Invest. 70 : 290-293, February, 2023.
(Keyword)
decapitation / hanging / suicide / case report / forensic medicine
Shigeru Aomura, Hiromichi Nakadate, Yuelin Zhang, Takahiro Ueno and Akiyoshi Nishimura : A study on the diagnostic support system of the repetitive brain concussion based on the reconstruction analysis of the accident - The accident cases of Judo and American football -, The Journal of Medical Investigation : JMI, Vol.70, No.1.2, 213-220, 2023.
(Summary)
In this paper the effectiveness of the support system which predicts the risk of the repetitive brain concussion is studied biomechanically. In the risk prediction system, the accident that caused the concussion is reconstructed by analyzing the game video via multibody dynamics and the resulting brain injury is calculated in detail by the finite element method. In order to calculate the aggravation of the brain injury by the repeated brain concussion, the following two methods are examined. In the first method, the material properties of the part of the brain damaged by the1st impact are changed in the simulation of the 2nd impact. In the second method, each brain damage caused by the repeated impacts is accumulated. The system was applied to the real-life accidents that occurred during Judo and American football games. As a result of the simulations, the aggravation of the brain damage due to repetitive concussion was determined numerically in terms of the maximum strain of the brain and the brain damage rate of the whole brain. The biomechanical process of the collision accidents and the resulting brain damage were reconstructed based on the video and the results are effective to prevent the future repeated concussion accidents. J. Med. Invest. 70 : 213-220, February, 2023.
(Keyword)
repetitive concussion / traumatic brain injury / multibody dynamics / finite element method / Judo and American football
Number of sudden death cases from cardiovascular disease and pneumonia increased transiently and number of suicide cases decreased transiently after the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake in Kobe City. These events were more common among males than females and especially in suicide cases, thirties and fifties particularly showed a reduction in 1995. Although mortality from direct and mechanical force by earthquake effected to females more than males, acute and subacute psychological and/or physical stress after major quake effected to males more than females. In order to prevent disaster-related deaths, it is necessary to prevent thrombus formation and decreased immune function. For this purpose, appropriate water intake and stress reduction are important, and it is effective for immune dysfunction and gastric mucosal lesions. In addition, antibiotics and gastric mucosal protectants may also be effective. Pulmonary embolism can be prevented with appropriate exercise, and with regard to dialysis, it is important to disseminate information to disaster areas.
(Keyword)
sudden death / earthquake relational death / psychological stress / physical stress
Hirofumi Iseki, 倉田 浩充, Hideyuki Nushida, Asuka Ito and Akiyoshi Nishimura : Motion Analysis of Falls in Infants Using Kinect, Acta Criminologiae et Medicinae Legalis Japonica, Vol.88, No.2, 30-37, 2022.
(Keyword)
child fall / accidental trauma / forensic diagnosis / depth camera
Sigeru Aomura, H iromichiNakadate, Yuma Kaneko, Akiyoshi Nishimura and Remy Willinger : Stretch-induced functional disorder of axonal transport in the cultured rat cortex neuron, Integrative Molecular Medicine, Vol.3, No.3, 654-660, 2016.
Akiko Ishigami, Itsuo Tokunaga, Akiyoshi Nishimura and Shin-ichi Kubo : Postmortem Diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa:An Endocrinological and Immunohistochemical Approach., The Journal of Medical Investigation : JMI, Vol.63, No.3-4, 305-309, 2016.
(Summary)
A female in her 30s was found dead after a fire. She was severely emaciated and had been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN) about 5 years ago, but had not been treated recently. Therefore, we investigated not only her cause of death but also her condition of AN. Some of her organs weighed less than normal although no clear lesions were observed. In the pituitary gland, the number of follicle-stimulating hormone-immunopositive cells was markedly decreased although a normal number of thyroid-stimulating hormone-positive cells were detected. A histological examination of the ovary suggested that she had been suffering from amenorrhea. The thyroid gland was atrophic, and marked variations in follicle size were observed. Because we could not obtain enough volume of her blood for endocrinological examinations, we tried to investigate her endocrinological condition by immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemical staining detected decreased triiodothyronine immunoreactivity and normal thyroxine immunoreactivity. The adrenal glands were also atrophic. Based on these findings, it was considered that she had been suffering from AN at the time of her death. The autopsy and other findings revealed that she had died of burning with carbon monoxide intoxication. J. Med. Invest. 63: 305-309, August, 2016.
Keiko Ikemoto, Teruko Uwano, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Katsuji Nishi, Taketoshi Ono and Hisao Nishijo : Prenatal Maternal Stress Due to Repeated Exposure to A Cold Environment Affects Development of Catecholamine Neurons in Rat Offspring: An Imunohistochemical Study, Journal of Neurology & Neurophysiology, Vol.6, 1-3, 2015.
Hiromitsu Kurata, Akiko Ishigami, Itsuo Tokunaga, Yasushi Nagasaki and Akiyoshi Nishimura : An Autopsy Case of Hemopericardium Caused by Ascending Aortic Rupture Associated with Idiopathic Aortitis., Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology., Vol.16, No.1, 1-13, 2015.
倉田 浩充, Akiko Ishigami, Itsuo Tokunaga, 長崎 靖 and Akiyoshi Nishimura : An autopsy case of acute intoxication of sodium valproate sustained released preparation tablets, Shikoku Acta Medica, Vol.70, No.5,6, 181-184, 2014.
(Summary)
A young woman with epilepsy was found dead on her bed. She sent e-mail to her lover to intent to suicide 17 hours before being found dead. On the bed side, empty PTP sheets of 202 sustained released preparation tablets containing 200 mg sodium valproate were left. Many tablets and its capsules were found in stomach and intestine by autopsy. The blood concentration of sodium valproate was 1263 μg/ml, therefore we diagnosed that she died of sodium valproate intoxication. This case is first autopsy case of sodium valproate intoxication reported in Japan. And we also discuss about sustained released preparation tablets.
Masayuki Kashiwagi, Akiko Ishigami, Kenji Hara, Aya Matsusue, Brian Waters, Mio Takayama, Itsuo Tokunaga, Akiyoshi Nishimura and Shin-ichi Kubo : Immunohistochemical investigation of the coma blister and its pathogenesis, The Journal of Medical Investigation : JMI, Vol.60, No.3,4, 256-261, 2013.
(Summary)
The erythematous patches and vesicles that are observed in coma patients, usually from an overdose of medication, are known as coma blisters. However, it is unknown whether the degenerated sweat gland is a necrosis or apoptosis. We immunohistochemically examined such skin lesions to investigate the characteristics and pathogenesis of the coma blister. Skin lesions were obtained from a forensic autopsy case, a woman in her thirties, of caffeine intoxication. Those lesions were observed in the left femoral, the lower left thigh, and the right knee. Histologically, the skin lesions showed that the keratinocytes had necrosed and the epidermis was thin in some areas. Eccrine sweat gland degeneration was observed. Obvious inflammatory cell infiltrations were not detected. Immunohistochemically, we stained each skin lesion against CD3, CD8, CD45RO, cytokeratin, 70 kD heat shock protein, ubiquitin, 150 kD oxygen regulated protein, and caspase-cleaved keratin 18 neo-epitope M30. They were also stained with an in situ apoptosis detection kit. Degenerated sweat glands featured CD45RO and M30 immunoreactivity. Immunohistochemical staining for CD45RO, CK-L, and M30 might be useful to observe sweat gland degeneration in the coma blister. Therefore, the apoptosis might be related to coma blisters and sweat gland degenerations.
(Tokushima University Institutional Repository: 110306)
16.
Aya Matsusue, Kenji Hara, Mitsuyoshi Kageura, Masayuki Kashiwagi, Wang Lu, Akiko Ishigami, Takako Gotohda, Itsuo Tokunaga, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Tomoko Sugimura and Shin-ichi Kubo : An autopsy case of rhabdomyolysis related to vegetamin and genetic analysis of the rhabdomyolysis-associated genes, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Vol.17, No.1, 46-49, 2010.
(Summary)
We report an autopsy case of a man who died 2 days after taking an overdose of vegetamin. The autopsy findings were as follows: the epidermis on the axillary fossa and the inguinal skin had become macerated. Skeletal muscle was discolored. Concentrations of urea nitrogen, creatinine and urine myoglobin were 1.95 g/day, 0.66 g/day and 1100 ng/mL, respectively. Immunohistochemically, myoglobin was strongly stained at the Bowman's capsule, and tubular lumen and epithelium. 8-OH-dG was strongly stained in renal tubular epithelium in which cell nuclei were strongly stained. ORP-150 was observed in intraglomerular cells and renal tubular epithelium. The concentrations of phenobarbital, promethazine and chlorpromazine ranged from therapeutic to toxic levels, from toxic to lethal levels and toxic level, respectively. His cause of death was considered to be vegetamin-induced rhabdomyolysis. In genetic analysis of this subject, there were two heterozygous silent mutations in the three hot-spot regions in the RYR1 gene. In the CPT II gene, the subject was found to be heterozygous for an amino acid substitution in exon 4, (1203)G>A causing a (368)Val>Ile amino acid substitution. There was no mutation in the VLCAD gene or CYP2C19 gene. The subject was heterozygous for CYP2D6*1 and CYP2D6*2.
Takako Gotohda, Akiyoshi Nishimura and Kyoji Morita : Immunohistochemical studies on early stage of hepatic damage induced by subacute inhalation of toluene vapor in rats., Journal of Applied Toxicology : JAT, Vol.29, No.6, 505-509, 2009.
(Summary)
Toluene is one of the most widely used organic solvents and is commonly recognized as a noxious substance inducing chronically toxic damage to neural, hepatic and renal functions in the workers engaged in printing and painting. Although hepatic cells are generally considered to be vulnerable and susceptible to various organic solvents, particularly chloroform and other halogenated hydrocarbons, the hepatotoxic effects of aromatic hydrocarbons including toluene have not yet been sufficiently characterized. In particular, it still seems unclear whether toluene itself can directly act on hepatic cells, inducing toxic damage to their metabolism and function. To assess the toxic effect of toluene inhalation on rat liver, immunohistochemical analyses of the histological markers for hepatic damage were carried out in animals exposed subacutely to toluene vapor. The immunoreactivities of heat shock proteins (HSP-70 and HSP-90) and cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) in the liver were analyzed to assess the hepatotoxic damage induced by toluene inhalation, and the expression of these histological markers was shown to be substantially enhanced by the subacute exposure to toluene vapor. Toluene inhalation was furthermore shown to enhance the immunoreactivities of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), collagen, glucocorticoid receptors (GR) and leptin receptors (Ob-R) in the liver. Additional studies using human hepatoma HepG2 cells showed that toluene can directly induce toxic damage to cells. These findings suggest that toluene inhalation may primarily induce hepatic damage, which may be secondarily exacerbated by the activation of systemic processes possibly connected with glucocorticoids and leptin. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Akiko Ishigami, Shin-ichi Kubo, Itsuo Tokunaga, Takako Gotohda and Akiyoshi Nishimura : An autopsy case of severe pleuritis induced by misinsertion of a nasogastric nourishment tube: Diagnostic significance of multinucleated giant cells, Legal Medicine, Vol.11, No.4, 191-194, 2009.
(Summary)
An 87-year-old female who had been hospitalized due to pneumonia was administered nourishment through a nasogastric tube. She collapsed as a result of dyspnea after the insertion of a new tube and administration of nourishment. Chest X-rays revealed that the tube was inserted into the left pleural cavity passing the trachea and left bronchi and that the nourishment pooled. In spite of immediate treatment including removal of the tube and insertion of a drain, she died 12 days later. Autopsy findings: Both the left pulmonary and parietal pleurae were thickened and covered with a dirty gray-yellowish moss-like paste. The left lower lobe was softened, and this region was suspected as the ruptured site of the pleura. Histological findings: A part of the thick pleura with inflammatory cells, including multinucleated giant cells, was positive-stained for anti alpha-lactalbumin antibody immunohistochemically. These giant cells are often observed in granulomatous inflammation against a foreign material. It was considered that those in the pleura had been induced by the nourishment, and that those in the pulmonary parenchyma had been affected by the insertion of the tube. The multinucleated giant cells clarified the cause of fatal pleuritis and pneumonia and the misinsertion of the tube.
Akihiro Nishio, Kouhei Akazawa, Futoshi Shibuya, Ryo Abe, Hideyuki Nushida, Yasuhiro Ueno, Akiyoshi Nishimura and Toshiki Shioiri : Influence on the suicide rate two years after a devastating disaster: a report from the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake., Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Vol.63, No.2, 247-250, 2009.
(Summary)
AIMS: The relationship between suicide and disaster is an important problem but it's not clear. We conducted this study to determine whether a natural disaster affects suicide rates. METHODS: We collected data on suicides during the 84 months before and the 60 months after the earthquake and compared the suicide rate in Kobe to that in Japan as a whole. We also examined what groups were significantly affected. RESULTS: Compared with Japan as a whole, the suicide rates in Kobe significantly decreased in the 2 years after the earthquake. CONCLUSIONS: An influence on suicide rate after the disaster clearly appeared in middle-aged men.
Aya Matsusue, Kenji Hara, Mitsuyoshi Kageura, Masayuki Kashiwagi, Wang Lu, Akiko Ishigami, Takako Gotohda, Itsuo Tokunaga, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Tomoko Sugimura and Shin-ichi Kubo : Genetic analysis of ryanodine receptor 1 gene and carnitine palmitoyl transferase II gene: An autopsy case of neuroleptic malignant syndrome related to vegetamin., Legal Medicine, Vol.11, 570-572, 2009.
(Summary)
We report an autopsy case of a man in his forties who died 2 days after taking an overdose of vegetamin. The autopsy findings were as follows: externally, the upper epidermis of some parts of the body had become loosened. The epidermis was easily detached from the dermis using the fingers. Viscous fluid adhered around the nose and mouth. The brain was edematous and weighed 1520 g. Skeletal muscle was discolored. The urine was a slightly red-tinged yellow. The organs showed congestion. Urine tests: urea nitrogen: 1.95 g/day; creatinine: 0.66 g/day; urine myoglobin: 1100 ng/mL. Blood level of drugs: phenobarbital: 38.2 microg/ml; promethazine: 2.22 microg/ml; chlorpromazine: 0.96 microg/ml. Immunohistochemistry identified myoglobin in the kidney. From these findings, his cause of death was considered to be vegetamin-induced neuroleptic malignant syndrome and rhabdomyolysis. Mutation of the ryanodine receptor 1 gene is associated with malignant hyperthermia. However, there was no mutation which causes amino acid substitution in the three hot-spot regions of the ryanodine receptor 1 gene. Partial deficiency of carnitine palmitoyltransferase II is the commonest cause of recurrent rhabdomyolysis in adults. The subject was found to be heterozygous for an amino acid exchange in exon 4, (1203)G-->A causing a (368)Val-->Ile amino acid substitution. It is necessary to examine other candidate gene mutations.
Hideki Kuwabara, Toshiki Shioiri, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Ryo Abe, Hideyuki Nushida, Yasuhiro Ueno, Kohei Akazawa and Toshiyuki Someya : Differences in characteristics between suicide victims who left notes or not., Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol.94, No.1-3, 145-149, 2006.
(Summary)
BACKGROUND: Suicide notes (SN) are one of markers of the severity of a suicide attempt and are said to provide a valuable insight into the thinking of suicide victims before the fatal act [Shah, A., De, T., 1998. Suicide and the elderly. Int. J. Psychiat. Clin Pract. 2, 3-18]. To examine whether suicide victims who wrote notes (note writers: NW) differ from those who did not, we investigated the characteristics of a sample of more than 5000 Japanese suicides using multiple logistic regression analysis. METHODS: For all suicide victims (5161 cases), we examined the following information: gender, age, suicide method, reason for suicide, marital status, residential status, history of psychiatric disorders, previous suicidal behavior, physical disease, and content of suicide notes. RESULTS: Mean incidence of NW was 30.1% (male: 29.7%, female: 30.8%). NW in Japan had the following characteristics; higher proportion in female and living alone, suicide by more lethal methods such as carbon monoxide, hanging or sharp instruments. On the other hand, non-NW had tendencies to commit suicide for reasons of physical illness and psychiatric disorder, and/or history of previous psychiatric disorders. LIMITATIONS: This study is observational and discusses only completed, not attempted, suicide. Medical and psychiatric comorbidity are judged only by the history of diagnosis and the information about the problems in relationships is based not on valid criteria for inclusion. CONCLUSIONS: Although these findings show ethnic differences, it is possible that SN may be considered an indicator of a serious suicide attempt. Further studies of SN are needed to confirm this.
(Keyword)
Adult / Aged / Cause of Death / Female / Humans / Japan / Male / Middle Aged / Motivation / Odds Ratio / Sex Factors / Socioeconomic Factors / Suicide / Writing
Suicide notes (SN) are potentially valuable sources of information about the psychological states of the suicidal person. It was hypothesized that there was a significant relation between suicide rate and note-leaving rate and that the incidence of note-leaving was increased during prolonged economic recession. During 21 years (1981-2001) in Kobe, of a total of 18 558 violent deaths, 5161 were due to suicide (27.8%), with 3417 male cases (66.2%) and 1754 female cases (33.8%). For each year the annual suicide rates and note-leaving rates were calculated, and this represents the percentage of committed suicides in which SN were left, among all suicide victims. In spite of the prolonged economic slump, the note-leaving rate remained almost constant (23.4-36.2%). Pearson's correlation coefficient showed no significant correlation between suicide rate and note-leaving rates (r = 0.27, P = 0.23). The finding that the incidence of note-leaving remains constant despite increasing suicide rates may suggest that the reasons for suicide do not affect note-leaving. There are cross-cultural, ethnic, and racial variations in suicidal behaviors. Although this finding may be specific in Japan, further studies of SN are needed to help clarify the suicidal states of mind.
(Keyword)
communication / Female / Humans / Japan / Male / Suicide
Ryo Abe, Toshiki Shioiri, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Hideyuki Nushida, Yasuhiro Ueno, Maki Kojima, Hideaki Kitamura, Kohei Akazawa and Toshiyuki Someya : Economic slump and suicide method: preliminary study in Kobe., Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Vol.58, No.2, 213-216, 2004.
(Summary)
During the recent half decade, Japan's suicide rate at approximately 25 deaths per 100 000 people has been one of the highest rates in the world. From the perspective of suicide prevention by restricting access to suicidal means, the aim of the present study was to examine what kind of suicidal method increased during prolonged economic slump. During 21 years (1981-2001), for all suicide victims (5161 cases) the gender, age, and suicide methods were investigated. The yearly full unemployment rate was also used as a representative socioeconomic factor during the same periods in Japan using government statistics, and the relationship between methods of suicide and full unemployment rate was investigated. Pearson's correlation suggested that there was a significant correlation only for hanging rate (r = 0.736, P < 0.001), but not for the percentages of other methods of suicide. This finding that unemployed persons may have a susceptibility towards certain suicide methods could help in the prevention of suicides. Mental health in Japan should be given more attention, especially for the working population, and social programs offering help should be considered widely.
(Keyword)
Adolescent / Adult / Aged / Cause of Death / Cross-Sectional Studies / Economics / Female / Humans / Japan / Male / Middle Aged / Statistics as Topic / Suicide / Unemployment
Noriaki Aoki, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Ernesto A. Pretto, Katsuhiko Sugimoto, J Robert Beck and Tsuguya Fukui : Survival and cost analysis of fatalities of the Kobe earthquake in Japan., Prehospital Emergency Care, Vol.8, No.2, 217-222, 2004.
(Summary)
OBJECTIVES: The authors investigated the dying patterns, and cause and preventability of deaths in a major earthquake disaster, and estimated the cost needed to enhance emergency medical services (EMS) response to prevent "unnecessary" deaths. METHODS: The authors reviewed autopsy data in the Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) earthquake of 1995. A survival analysis was performed to determine the time course and pattern of dying of these deaths. A cost analysis to estimate acceptable cost for EMS to reduce fatalities was also performed. Potentially salvageable life-years based on expected life-years among fatalities were calculated and used to simulate an acceptable cost for an enhanced EMS disaster response. RESULTS: The authors analyzed 5,411 fatalities. More than 80% of these patients died within three hours. There were statistically significant differences in survival/dying patterns among causes of death. Thirteen percent of victims experienced a protracted death, which could have been prevented with earlier medical or surgical intervention. The monetary cost of these lost lives was estimated at approximately 600 million US dollars. CONCLUSIONS: Survival analysis revealed a significant population of potentially salvageable patients if more timely and appropriate medical intervention had been available immediately after the earthquake. Based on our cost analysis, and assuming a 1% annual probability of an earthquake and a 30% enhanced lifesaving capability of the EMS effort, approximately $ million dollars annually could be a reasonable expenditure to achieve the goal of reducing preventable deaths in disasters.
(Keyword)
Cohort Studies / Costs and Cost Analysis / Disaster Planning / Disasters / Emergency Medical Services / Humans / Japan / Retrospective Studies / Survival Analysis / Wounds and Injuries
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 15060860
Katsuji Nishi, Akio Tanegashima, Yoshio Yamamoto, Ikuko Ushiyama, Keiko Ikemoto, Shigeru Yamasaki, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Steven Rand and Bernd Brinkmann : Utilization of lectin-histochemistry in forensic neuropathology: lectin staining provides useful information for postmortem diagnosis in forensic neuropathology., Legal Medicine, Vol.5, No.3, 117-131, 2003.
(Summary)
We have investigated the deposition of glycoconjugates in human brain tissue with or without brain disorders. In this review we describe the application of lectin-histochemistry techniques to forensic neuropathology. Lectin staining is able to reveal several kinds of carbohydrate-related depositions in addition to the conventional degenerative changes including senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and corpora amylacea. The senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles were clearly stained by Con A, PSA and GSI lectins, the corpora amylacea which is relevant to repeated brain hypoxia and mitochondrial damage was also easily detected by these and many other kinds of lectins. Amorphous spaces were detected around blood vessels and independently from blood vessels by lectin staining in the white matter from patients with brain disorders or severe edema. The white matter lesions were not considered relevant for forensic pathology, until a large group of cerebral white matter lesions were detected in the elderly with increasing frequency by modern neuro-imaging methods. The spherical deposits were newly detected by lectin staining in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation chiefly from patients with schizophrenia or cognitive dysfunctions.
(Keyword)
Alzheimer Disease / Brain Chemistry / Female / Forensic Medicine / Glycoconjugates / Histocytochemistry / Humans / Indicators and Reagents / Lectins / Male / Neurons / Staining and Labeling
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 14568771
Keiko Ikemoto, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Tatsuro Oda, Ikuko Nagatsu and Katsuji Nishi : Number of striatal D-neurons is reduced in autopsy brains of schizophrenics., Legal Medicine, Vol.5 Suppl 1, S221-4, 2003.
(Summary)
The human striatum, especially its ventral part, the nucleus accumbens, contains numerous neurons immunoreactive for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC, the second-step monoamine synthesizing enzyme, =DDC: dopa decarboxylase), but not for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, the first-step catecholamine synthesizing enzyme) or tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH, the first-step serotonin synthesizing enzyme) (Neurosci Lett 232 (1997) 111-114). These AADC (+)/TH (-)/TPH (-) neurons are named as D-neurons (Jaeger CB, Ruggiero DA, Albert VR, Joh TH, Reis DJ. Immunocytochemical localization of aromatic-L-amino acid decarboxylase. In: Bjorklund A, Hokfelt T, editors. Classical transmission in the CNS, Part I, Handbook of chemical neuroanatomy, vol. 2. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1984. pp. 387-418). The nucleus accumbens is one of the brain regions that is involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We examined the distribution of striatal D-neurons using AADC immunohistochemistry and postmortem brains obtained by legal and pathological autopsies (nine controls (27-75 years old) and nine schizophrenics (32-78 years old), postmortem interval to fixation (PMI): 2-30 h). Because the number of AADC-positive neurons per section had a tendency to reduce in the case with longer PMI, we analyzed specimens of five controls (27-64 years old) and six schizophrenics (51-78 years old) in which the PMI was less than 8 h. The number of AADC-positive neurons was reduced in the striatum of schizophrenics compared to that of controls. The reduction was significant in the nucleus accumbens (P<0.05, t-test). D-Neurons might be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Further studies using sex-, age- and PMI-matched controls are essential.
Keiko Ikemoto, Takahiro Suzuki, Hiroshi Ichinose, Tamae Ohye, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Katsuji Nishi, Ikuko Nagatsu and Toshiharu Nagatsu : Localization of sepiapterin reductase in the human brain., Brain Research, Vol.954, No.2, 237-246, 2002.
(Summary)
Sepiapterin reductase (SPR) is the enzyme that catalyzes the final step of the synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), the cofactor for phenylalanine hydroxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), tryptophan hydroxylase, and nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Although SPR is essential for synthesizing BH4, the distribution of SPR in the human brain has not yet been clarified. In the present study, we purified recombinant human SPR from cDNA, raised an antibody against human SPR (hSPR), and examined the localization of SPR protein and SPR activity. Human brain homogenates from the substantia nigra (SN), caudate nucleus (CN), gray and white matters of the cerebral cortex (CTX), and dorsal and ventral parts of the medulla oblongata (MO) were subjected to Western blot analysis with anti-hSPR antibody or with anti-TH antibody. Whereas TH protein showed a restricted localization, being mainly detected in the SN and CN, SPR protein was detected in all brain regions examined. SPR activity was relatively high compared with the activity of GTP cyclohydrolase I (GCH), the rate-limiting biosynthetic enzyme of BH4, and was more widely distributed than GCH activity. Immunohistochemistry revealed SPR immunoreactivity in pyramidal neurons in the cerebral CTX, in a small number of striatal neurons, and in neurons of the hypothalamic and brain stem monoaminergic fields and olivary nucleus. Double-staining immunohistochemistry showed that TH and SPR were colocalized in the SN dopamine neurons. Localization of SPR immunoreactive neurons corresponded to monoamine or NOS neuronal fields, and also to the areas where no monoamine or NOS neurons were located. The results indicate that there might be a BH4 biosynthetic pathway where GCH is not involved and that SPR might have some yet unidentified function(s) in addition to BH4 biosynthesis.
Naoki Nishiguchi, Osamu Shirakawa, Hisae Ono, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Hideyuki Nushida, Yasuhiro Ueno and Kiyoshi Maeda : Lack of an association between 5-HT1A receptor gene structural polymorphisms and suicide victims., American Journal of Medical Genetics, Vol.114, No.4, 423-425, 2002.
(Summary)
A serotonergic dysfunction in the brain has been reported to be involved in suicidal behavior independently of the presence of a specific psychiatric disorder. Serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptors are known to be located on serotonergic nerve terminals and to be involved in the presynaptic regulation of serotonin release. Genetic factors partly explain the risks for suicide, and a suicide completion group is thought to be more uniform than a suicide attempt group. To explore the hypothesis that the 5-HT1A receptor-induced serotonergic dysfunction is implicated genetically in suicide, we focused on the structural polymorphisms, Pro16Leu and Gly272Asp, of the 5-HT1A receptor gene, and examined the association between suicide victims who completed suicide and these two polymorphisms. In both polymorphisms, we found no significant difference in genotype distribution or allele frequencies between suicide victims and controls. These findings suggest that neither of these two polymorphisms is associated with suicide victims and it is unlikely that the 5-HT1A receptor gene is implicated in the susceptibility to suicide.
Hisae Ono, Osamu Shirakawa, Naoki Nishiguchi, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Hideyuki Nushida, Yasuhiro Ueno and Kiyoshi Maeda : No evidence of an association between a functional monoamine oxidase a gene polymorphism and completed suicides., American Journal of Medical Genetics, Vol.114, No.3, 340-342, 2002.
(Summary)
Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) has been implicated in the control of aggression and/or impulsivity in humans and been involved in suicide. This gene has a functional polymorphism in which there is a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in the upstream region (MAOA-uVNTR). We hypothesized that MAOA dysfunction due to this polymorphism was associated with suicide genetically through the disinhibition of aggression and/or impulsivity. We performed an association study between completed suicides and the MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism. No significant difference in genotype distribution or allele frequencies was found between completed suicides and comparison groups either in males or females. These results show no evidence of an association between the MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism and completed suicides and suggest that MAOA is not involved in the susceptibility to suicide.
H Ono, O Shirakawa, N Kitamura, T Hashimoto, N Nishiguchi, Akiyoshi Nishimura, H Nushida, Y Ueno and K Maeda : Tryptophan hydroxylase immunoreactivity is altered by the genetic variation in postmortem brain samples of both suicide victims and controls., Molecular Psychiatry, Vol.7, No.10, 1127-1132, 2002.
(Summary)
Several lines of evidence suggest that a partly genetically controlled serotonergic dysfunction is involved in the biological pathogenesis of suicide. In this study, we measured tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) immunoreactivity as a pre-synaptic marker, and serotonin receptor 2A (5HT2A receptor) density as a post-synaptic marker in the serotonergic system in 10 postmortem brains of suicide victims. We also examined whether TPH gene polymorphisms (A218C and A-6526G polymorphisms) could affect TPH immunoreactivity and 5HT2A receptor gene polymorphism (A-1438G polymorphism) could affect 5HT2A receptor density in 28 postmortem brain samples. No significant differences were found in TPH immunoreactivity or 5HT2A receptor density between suicide victims and controls. The AA genotype of the A218C polymorphism of the TPH gene showed higher TPH immunoreactivity along with lower 5HT2A receptor density than did any other genotypes in the postmortem brains of both suicide victims and controls. Our findings suggest that the A218C polymorphism of the TPH gene can be expected to provide new insights not only for neurobiological studies of suicide, but also for research into the behavioral characteristics that may be associated with serotonergic dysfunction.
N Nishiguchi, O Shirakawa, H Ono, Akiyoshi Nishimura, H Nushida, Y Ueno and K Maeda : No evidence of an association between 5HT1B receptor gene polymorphism and suicide victims in a Japanese population., American Journal of Medical Genetics, Vol.105, No.4, 343-345, 2001.
(Summary)
Serotonergic systems have been reported to mediate the control of aggression and/or impulsivity in humans and to be involved in suicidal behavior. Neurochemical studies showing serotonergic dysfunction in suicide appear to support the functional alteration of serotonergic systems due to gene polymorphisms. Knock-out mice of the 5HT1B receptor gene have been reported to result in increased aggression. We hypothesized that the 5HT1B receptor-mediated serotonergic dysfunction was implicated in suicide through disinhibition of aggression and/or impulsivity. To explore this hypothesis, we examined the association between suicide victims who completed suicide and the 5HT1B receptor gene G861C polymorphism. No significant differences in genotype distribution and allele frequencies were found between suicide victims and controls. Though there is the possibility of failing to detect small effects, these results show no evidence of an association between the 5HT1B receptor gene G861C polymorphism and suicide victims in a Japanese population and indicate that it is unlikely that the 5HT1B receptor is implicated in the susceptibility to suicide.
(Keyword)
Adult / Aged / Alleles / DNA / Female / Gene Frequency / Genotype / Humans / Japan / Male / Middle Aged / Polymorphism, Genetic / Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1B / Receptors, Serotonin / Suicide
H Ono, O Shirakawa, N Nishiguchi, Akiyoshi Nishimura, H Nushida, Y Ueno and K Maeda : Serotonin 2A receptor gene polymorphism is not associated with completed suicide., Journal of Psychiatric Research, Vol.35, No.3, 173-176, 2001.
(Summary)
Several lines of evidence indicate that a serotonergic dysfunction is involved in the biological susceptibility to suicide. Recently, the A-1438G polymorphism of the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor gene has been suggested to be associated with suicide, but the results are inconsistent. We examined whether the A-1438G polymorphism of the 5-HT2A receptor gene was associated with suicide itself using 151 Japanese completed suicides. No significant difference in genotype distribution or allele frequencies of the polymorphism was found between the completed suicides and the comparison group. We conclude that the A-1438G polymorphism of the 5-HT2A receptor gene is not likely to have a major effect on the biological susceptibility of suicide.
H Ono, O Shirakawa, N Nishiguchi, Akiyoshi Nishimura, H Nushida, Y Ueno and K Maeda : Tryptophan hydroxylase gene polymorphisms are not associated with suicide., American Journal of Medical Genetics, Vol.96, No.6, 861-863, 2000.
(Summary)
Several lines of evidence suggest a serotonergic dysfunction involved in the biological susceptibility of suicide. Abnormalities of serotonergic markers such as 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and prolactin response to fenfluramine have been demonstrated in suicide subjects. Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate-limiting enzyme in serotonin biosynthesis, is one of the most important regulating factors in the serotonergic system. Recently, polymorphisms of the TPH gene have been identified and some of these polymorphisms have been suggested to be associated with suicide, but the results are still inconsistent. We examined whether the -6526A/G polymorphism in the promoter region and the 218A/C polymorphism in intron 7 of the TPH gene were associated with suicide using 132 Japanese suicide victims. No significant difference in genotype distribution and allele frequencies of these polymorphisms was found between the suicide victims and the controls. We concluded neither the -6526A/G polymorphism nor the 218A/C polymorphism of the TPH gene is likely to have a major effect on the susceptibility of suicide. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 96:861-863, 2000.
(Keyword)
Adult / Alleles / DNA / Female / Gene Frequency / Genotype / Humans / Male / Middle Aged / Polymorphism, Genetic / Suicide / Tryptophan Hydroxylase
Akiyoshi Nishimura, K Ikemoto, K Satoh, Y Yamamoto, S Rand, B Brinkmann and K Nishi : The carbohydrate deposits detected by histochemical methods in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampal formation of patients with schizophrenia, Down's syndrome and dementia, and aged person., Glycoconjugate Journal, Vol.17, No.11, 815-822, 2000.
(Summary)
Post-mortem brain tissue was obtained from 28 patients with brain disorders, of which 15 had clinically diagnosed schizophrenia, 6 Alzheimer type dementia, 5 dementia with tangles and 2 cases of Down's syndrome. The controls were 22 cases from autopsies without brain disorders or with no known episodes of brain disorder. The tissues were stained for the detection of carbohydrate deposits in the hippocampal formation, using lectin, immunohistochemical and conventional staining methods. The staining revealed the existence of spherical deposits in the inner and middle molecular layers of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampal formation which contained fucose, galactose, N-acetyl galactosamine, N-acetyl glucosamine, sialic acid, mannose and chondroitin sulfate. The number of the deposits was higher in patients with brain disorder such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer type dementia, dementia with tangles or Down's syndrome, and in some aged individuals, in comparison to those in younger individuals. No deposits were detected in a few younger or aged individuals. Spherical deposits 3-10 microm in diameter may be an immature form of the corpora amylacea, since they were similar in the histochemical characteristics with lectin, immunohistochemical and conventional staining methods. However, differing staining ability by hematoxylin, periodic acid Schiff's reagent and antibodies against the intracellular degraded proteins such as ubiquitin and tau-protein was observed. The antibodies against ubiquitin and tau-protein showed clear reactivity with the corpora amylacea and no reactivity with spherical deposits, indicating that the corpora amylacea has an intracellular origin and spherical deposits an extracellular matrix origin. The results obtained in this study indicate that not only neuronal degeneration but also unusual glycometabolism in neurons may disturb the neuronal function and cause brain disorders, and that spherical deposits may cause dysfunction of the neuronal network in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus which is closely linked with recognition and memory functions.
Akiyoshi Nishimura, A Takatsu, S Misawa, K Takahama, T Fukunaga and K Nishi : [Survey on postmortem examination to police surgeons and emergency physicians. Possibility of physicians' assist in mass-disaster], Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi, Vol.54, No.3, 387-398, 2000.
(Summary)
We conducted a questionnaire survey of police surgeons and emergency physicians, inquiring about their experience of medicolegal investigation of death and their willingness to join a death investigation team in a major disaster. The questionnaire also asked about their knowledge about and interest in the forensic specialist system established by the Japanese Society of Legal Medicine. Police surgeons were generally willing to join an investigation team only if a disaster occurred in or close to their hometown, because they could not afford more than several days away from patient care. Although many of the emergency physicians were willing to join a death investigation team, they had difficulty in doing so without permission or orders from their employer or the authorities concerned. The survey found that the percentage of aged police surgeons was increasing among those surveyed. This fact, in combination with the current emphasis of postgraduate education on specialty training, threatens to cause a substantial lack of physicians available for medicolegal investigation of death. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to establish a system of training resident and emergency physicians in medicolegal investigation of death. In addition to providing postgraduate training in medicolegal investigation of death to prospective trainees who are emergency physicians at major hospitals in potential disaster-stricken areas, the medical school should incorporate forensic medicine in postgraduate training programs so that they can actively perform death investigation on disaster victims dying before or after arrival at their hospitals. Furthermore, the forensic community should make every effort to increase the number of autopsies in each department of forensic medicine and to expand the medical examiner system throughout Japan that is currently in practice only in the Metropolis of Tokyo and Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka and Kobe Cities in order to incorporate forensic training in the postgraduate clinical training programs that will become compulsory in 2004.
(Keyword)
Attitude of Health Personnel / Coroners and Medical Examiners / Disasters / Emergencies / Humans / Physicians / Questionnaires
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 11218757
Y Yamamoto, Y H. Li, I Ushiyama, Akiyoshi Nishimura, I Ohkubo and K Nishi : Puromycin-sensitive alanyl aminopeptidase from human liver cytosol: purification and characterization., Forensic Science International, Vol.113, No.1-3, 143-146, 2000.
(Summary)
A cytosolic alanyl aminopeptidase (AAP-S) was purified to homogeneity from human liver cytosol. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was calculated to be approximately 98,000 on TOF-MS and 90,000 on SDS-PAGE in the presence of beta-ME. These findings suggest that the enzyme exists as a monomeric form in human liver cytosol. The enzyme rapidly hydrolyzed the substrates Ala-, Lys- and Phe-MCAs, and moderately hydrolyzed Met-, Leu-, Tyr- and Lys-Ala-MCAs at pH ranging from 7.5 to 8.0. The order of the K(cat)/K(m) values of AAP-S at the optimal pH was Arg->Arg-Arg->Met->Leu->Lys->Phe->Lys-Ala->Tyr->Ala-MCAs. It was strongly inhibited by bestatin, leuhistin, actinonin, amastatin, 1, 10-phenanthroline, DFP, PCMBS, Zn(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), Cu((2+)), Hg(2+) and puromycin. AAP-S was approximately 80 times more sensitive than human seminal plasma AAP (aminopeptidase N, membrane type). The amino acid sequence of the first 60 residues of AAP-S was highly homologous with the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the rat liver puromycin-sensitive enkephalin-degrading aminopeptidase. These physicochemical properties and findings indicate that AAP-S from human liver cytosol is identical to those of other puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase(s). Furthermore, with immunohistochemistry the enzyme was strongly stained in the cytoplasm of liver cells and renal tubules, and was ubiquitously localized in various human tissues.
Akiyoshi Nishimura, S Sawada, I Ushiyama, Y Yamamoto, T Nakagawa, A Tanegashima and K Nishi : Lectin-histochemical detection of degenerative glycoconjugate deposits in human brain., Forensic Science International, Vol.113, No.1-3, 265-269, 2000.
(Summary)
Several lectins were used to study the localization of glycoconjugates in brain of elderly people and patients with Alzheimer type dementia (ATD) and Down's syndrome (DS). Five kinds of degenerated or deposited materials stained clearly by lectins specific to GalNAC, Gal, Fuc, and/or Man were recognized much in ATD and DS, less in elderly peoples, in addition to the binding of the lectins to neurons. (i) Round shape deposits called corpora amylacea (CA) which consisted of various sizes of round material, existed mainly on the surface of cerebral cortex and some in white matter of the brain. They were colored by Alcian blue (AB), Aldehyde fucsin (AF) and periodic acid shiff (PAS) and weakly by Hematoxylin (H), but not by Eosin (B). They showed clear reactivity with lectins specific to GalNAC, Gal, Fuc and Gal-GalNAC. (ii) Amorphous and variform amyloid deposits existed around blood vessels in the white matter were stained by thioflavin and lectins specific to GalNAC, Gal and Fuc, but not with Man specific lectins and PAS, AB, AF and HE. (iii) Another kind of amyloid deposits which showed a similar characteristic to the previous one and were recognized mainly in white matter and independent blood vessels. These deposits were stained by thioflavin but not by PAS, AB, AF and HE and showed good reactivity with lectins specific to GalNAC, Gal, Fuc, Gal-GalNAC, Gal-GIcNAc and Man. The reactivity with lectins specific to Gal, Fuc, and Man was seen in senile plaques (iv) and neurofibrillary tangles (v). Although at present we are unable to explain the origin of these deposits, it is clear from this study that the glycoconjugates form an integral part of the degeneration in the brain. The lectin staining with GS-I is useful in the forensic pathology to diagnose brain disorders at postmortem examination, since these lectin were able to detect five types of degeneration changes and/or deposits.
(Keyword)
Adult / Aged / Aged, 80 and over / Aging / Alzheimer Disease / Autopsy / Brain Chemistry / Case-Control Studies / Down Syndrome / Female / Glycoconjugates / Histocytochemistry / Humans / Lectins / Male / Middle Aged
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 10978635
K Ikemoto, Akiyoshi Nishimura, N Okado, M Mikuni, K Nishi and I Nagatsu : Human midbrain dopamine neurons express serotonin 2A receptor: an immunohistochemical demonstration., Brain Research, Vol.853, No.2, 377-380, 2000.
(Summary)
We demonstrated intense serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptor immunoreactivity in the human ventral tegmental area (VTA) using by a recently raised antibody against 5-HT2A receptor. The substantia nigra (SN) neurons also showed 5-HT2A receptor immunoreactivity. Double immunohistochemistry of 5-HT2A receptor and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) revealed many neurons doubly labeled by 5-HT2A receptor and TH in the VTA and SN. It is suggested that activity of human midbrain dopaminergic neurons might be strongly regulated via 5-HT2A receptors at the level of their originating nuclei.
I Ushiyama, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Y Yamamoto and K Nishi : [An autopsy case of a bicycle accident with ring fracture at the base of the skull], Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi, Vol.53, No.3, 350-354, 1999.
(Summary)
We report the autopsy case of a 41-year old passenger who suffered a significant head injury with a typical ring fracture at the base of the skull as a result of a violent fall from a bicycle. Several reports about ring fractures of the base of the skull revealed that they were due to crashing a car at high speed, a collision and/or a fall while riding a motorcycle and a fall in piloting a gyrocopter and so on resulting in severe injury to another part of the body. In this case, the ring fracture occurred when his spine was pushed up by high impact of the parieto-occipital region against the ground.
(Keyword)
Accidents, Traffic / Adult / Autopsy / Bicycling / Humans / Male / Skull Base / Skull Fractures
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 10723970
Akiyoshi Nishimura, T Shioiri, H Nushida, Y Ueno, I Ushiyama, A Tanegashima, T Someya and K Nishi : Changes in choice of method and lethality between last attempted and completed suicides: how did suicide attempters carry out their desire?, Legal Medicine, Vol.1, No.3, 150-158, 1999.
(Summary)
Some researchers have emphasized that, from the perspective of suicide prevention, research into the methods of suicide seemed to be particularly promising, as it has been shown repeatedly that restricting access to the prevailing method of suicide in a country will decrease suicide rates and that the lethality of the method used significantly correlated with the degree of intention to die. In this study, we examined changes in choice of method and the lethality score between the last attempted suicide (LAS) and completed suicide (CS) in 416 victims (male: 197, female: 219) to point out the tendency on their choice of method in LAS and CS. There was a significant difference in choice of suicide method between LAS and CS, and injury to themselves (33.7%) was the most common method of LAS, while hanging (37.5%) was the most common method of CS. The mean lethality score of CS method was significantly higher than that of LAS method in both sex groups, suggesting that at least one of the causes that drives suicide attempters to commit suicide finally may be the difference in the lethalities of LAS and CS. At the time of CS, suicidal victims tend to choose the same method as that of LAS again. These findings suggest that although suicide attempters tend to choose the same method, they will use a more lethal method if they change the suicide method. Interestingly, moreover, there was no sex difference in the percentage of the mean lethality score at CS.
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 12935486
I Nagatsu, K Ikemoto, K Kitahama, Akiyoshi Nishimura, H Ichinose and T Nagatsu : Specific localization of the guanosine triphosphate (GTP) cyclohydrolase I-immunoreactivity in the human brain., Journal of Neural Transmission, Vol.106, No.7-8, 607-617, 1999.
(Summary)
Guanosine triphosphate (GTP) cyclohydrolase I (GCH) is the first and rate-limiting enzyme for biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin, the cofactor of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Our previous study reported the presence of GCH in several neuronal groups in animal brains using a newly raised anti-GCH antibody. The present study aims at elucidating whether GCH and TH coexist in the same neurons of the human brain with the aid of immunohistochemical dual labeling. GCH-immunoreactivity was observed in the cell bodies and fibers of monoaminergic neurons of the human brain. Neurons which contain both enzymes are seen in the human substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, locus coeruleus, dorsal raphe, and zona incerta. In these regions, almost all the cells also show immunoreactivity for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), the second step enzyme for catecholamine synthesis, indicating that these neurons are catecholaminergic. However, some neurons in the dorsal and dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei are stained only for GCH or TH. They appear to constitute an independent cell group in the human brain. The present observation suggests that L-dopa is not produced in the cells immunoreactive for TH but not for GCH, and that TH in these cells which lack GCH may have an unidentified role other than dopa synthesis.
K Ikemoto, I Nagatsu, Akiyoshi Nishimura, K Nishi and R Arai : Do all of human midbrain tyrosine hydroxylase neurons synthesize dopamine?, Brain Research, Vol.805, No.1-2, 255-258, 1998.
(Summary)
We examined whether all of human midbrain tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) neurons substantially synthesize dopamine (DA) using dual labeling immunohistochemical technique of TH and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC). In the substantia nigra, besides many neurons doubly stained for TH and AADC, neurons stained only for TH and only for AADC (D-neurons [C.B. Jaeger, D.A. Ruggiero, V.R. Albert, T.H. Joh, D.J. Reis, Immunocytochemical localization of aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase, in: A. Björklund, T. Hökfelt (Eds.), Handbook of Chemical Neuroanatomy, Classical Transmitters in the CNS, Vol. 2, Part 1, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1984, pp. 387-408.]) were identified. In the ventral tegmental area, dually labeled neurons and TH-only-positive neurons were found. It is indicated that the number of midbrain TH neurons does not reflect the exact number of DA neurons.
Y Katayama, K Kohso, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Y Tatsuno, M Homma and H Hotta : Detection of measles virus mRNA from autopsied human tissues., Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Vol.36, No.1, 299-301, 1998.
(Summary)
By reverse transcription-PCR, measles virus (MV) mRNA was detected in the brain, kidney, spleen, liver, and lung tissues obtained from 23 (45.1%) of 51 autopsy subjects, with the detection rates of each tissue ranging from 8 to 20%. Sequence analysis revealed frequent mutations in the corresponding viral protein. These results suggest that MV mutants commonly persist in apparently healthy individuals.
J Adachi, Y Ueno, A Miwa, M Asano, Akiyoshi Nishimura and Y Tatsuno : Epicoprostanol found in adipocere from five human autopsies., Lipids, Vol.32, No.11, 1155-1160, 1997.
(Summary)
Adipocere formation is well known as a later postmortem change. We collected adipocere from five male victims which had been submerged under the sea or fresh water for 1 mon to 4 yr. Fresh subcutaneous fat of a male victim who died from a cerebral contusion was used as the control. The samples were homogenized, and the lipids were extracted with chloroform and methanol followed by injection into a gas chromatograph and a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. We detected hydroxy fatty acids (10-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid and 10-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid) as well as 10-ketooctadecanoic acid in adipocere, but not in the control. In addition, we found for the first time a cholesterol-related peak with a molecular ion of 388 in adipocere and identified it as epicoprostanol, suggesting not only oxidation but also reduction had occurred during the formation of adipocere. In addition, we showed the time-course of epicoprostanol accumulation. The relationship between the time of adipocere formation and the characteristic lipid composition is discussed.
(Keyword)
Adipose Tissue / Adult / Cholestanol / Cholesterol / Chromatography, Gas / Drowning / Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Humans / Immersion / Male / Mass Spectrometry / Middle Aged / Postmortem Changes / Time Factors
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 9397400
Akiyoshi Nishimura, Y Ueno, S Fujiwara, H Nushida and Y Tatsuno : [An autopsy case of sudden death due to Chagas' disease], Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi, Vol.51, No.1, 39-43, 1997.
(Summary)
An autopsy case of sudden death of a 41-year-old male Brazilian with Chagas' disease in reported. In his life time, right handle branch block and ventricular premature contractions were marked in electrocardiogram. Autopsy revealed striking dilatation of both cardiac ventricles. Histopathologically, extensive myocardial fibrosis due to chronic interstitial myocarditis was observed. On myocardial tissue preparation performed Giemsa's stain, leishmania foci of Trypanosoma crusi were detected around the myocardial fibrosis.
Y Ueno, J Adachi, H Imamichi, Akiyoshi Nishimura and Y Tatsuno : Effect of the cytochrome P-450IIE1 genotype on ethanol elimination rate in alcoholics and control subjects., Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, Vol.20, No.1 Suppl, 17A-21A, 1996.
(Summary)
We studied an influence of genetic polymorphisms in the cytochrome P-450IIE1 (CYP2E1) gene on ethanol elimination rate in alcoholic patients and healthy subjects. The CYP2E1 genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for 124 alcoholics and 54 healthy subjects. There was no significant difference in the gene frequency of CYP2E1 between alcoholics and healthy control subjects. Blood ethanol concentrations in the 65 alcoholics on admission ranged from 0.32 to 4.22 mg/ml. In the patients with the c1/c2 genotype, the elimination rate was significantly correlated with blood ethanol concentration. In each of the three genotypes of CYP2E1, the patients were divided into three groups based on ethanol concentrations. The average of the ethanol elimination rate in the patients with c1/c2 having blood ethanol levels of > or = 2.5 mg/ml was significantly higher than the rates in the two other groups of c1/c2. When blood ethanol levels were > or = 2.5 mg/ml, the elimination rate in the patients with c1/c2 was significantly higher than that in those with c1/c1. Regardless of the CYP2E1 genotype, the elimination rate in the alcoholics was higher than that in the control subjects when blood ethanol levels were < 1.0 mg/ml. These results suggest the possibility that the c2 allele of CYP2E1 Influences the rate of ethanol elimination at high ethanol levels. The rate of ethanol elimination was independent of liver disorder judged by serum total bilirubin values.
Y Katayama, H Hotta, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Y Tatsuno and M Homma : Detection of measles virus nucleoprotein mRNA in autopsied brain tissues., The Journal of General Virology, Vol.76 ( Pt 12), 3201-3204, 1995.
(Summary)
By means of RT-PCR, a portion of measles virus (MV) mRNA encoding nucleoprotein (NP) could be detected in 11 (18%) of 61 brain tissue samples obtained from administrative autopsy cases, who apparently had not suffered from subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE)-like central nervous system disorders. Most of the brain-derived NP sequences showed significant asynonymous nucleotide substitutions when compared with wild-type MV isolates and SSPE virus. Our present results suggest that MV commonly persists in the human brain without causing apparent clinical symptoms, probably due to decreased virus replication.
D S. Atmadja, Y Tatsuno, Y Ueno and Akiyoshi Nishimura : The effect of extraction methods. The kind of organ samples and the examination delay on the DNA yields and typing., The Kobe Journal of Medical Sciences, Vol.41, No.6, 197-211, 1995.
(Summary)
This study investigated the effect of DNA extraction methods, examination delay and the kind of organs samples to the DNA yields and typing. Thirty autopsy cases with postmortem period less than 12 hours were used as the sample resources. The DNA was successfully extracted from cerebral cortex, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, kidney, psoas muscle and prostate gland by Bar and Kirby methods. The spectrophotometric measurement showed that the spleen, lymph nodes, kidney and liver provided more DNA rather than the other organs. The agarose gel electrophoresis showed that the majority of the samples had High Molecular Weight-DNA (HMW-DNA) with variable degree of degradation. All of these DNA were successfully typed on the D1S80 locus using the PCR according to Kasai method. The spleen samples were collected from the same cases and stored at -20 degrees C for 1 to 6 weeks before the DNA extraction was performed. The analysis of the DNA extracted from these samples showed that the DNA yields and typing did not change significantly among the samples with examination delay up to 6 weeks after the sample collection. The comparison between the Bar and Kirby methods showed that the Kirby method resulted in more DNA yields with the same purity of DNA, but less HMW-DNA compared with Bar method.
(Keyword)
Autopsy / Cadaver / DNA / Humans / Molecular Weight / Specimen Handling / Time Factors
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 8869006
J Adachi, T Mio, Y Ueno, T Naito, Akiyoshi Nishimura, S Fujiwara, K Sumino and Y Tatsuno : Identification of four metabolites of 3-(phenylamino)alanine, a constituent in L-tryptophan products implicated in eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome, in rats., Archives of Toxicology, Vol.68, No.8, 500-505, 1994.
(Summary)
3-(Phenylamino)alanine (PAA), a contaminant found in L-tryptophan tablets, has been discussed as a possible cause of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS). We administered PAA (100 mg/kg) by gastric gavage to Wistar rats to determine its distribution and metabolism. We developed a purification procedure, using Bond Elut SCX cartridges followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in order to determine levels of PAA. The level of PAA in blood was 4.22 micrograms/ml at 5 h and urinary excretion was 21.7 micrograms for 5 h and 84.6 micrograms between 5 and 24 h. The amount of PAA in the contents of the large intestine at 5 h was 0.76 microgram, indicating poor transfer of PAA to the large intestine. However, the highest concentration of PAA was 12.3 micrograms/g in the brain, indicating the passage of PAA through the blood-brain barrier. In addition to detecting PAA in the blood and organs, we also detected four metabolites of PAA in urine. We used gas chromatography mass spectrometry to identify PAA in rat liver, as well as N-(hydroxyphenyl)glycine, N-phenylglycine, 3-(pheylamino)lactic acid, and 3-(hydroxyphenylamino)-lactic acid in rat urine. These results suggest that the degradation pathway of PAA is similar to that of phenylalanine.
(Keyword)
Administration, Oral / Alanine / Animals / Blood-Brain Barrier / Brain / Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Drug Contamination / Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome / Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Kidney / Liver / Lung / Male / Phenylalanine / Rats / Rats, Wistar / Structure-Activity Relationship / Tissue Distribution / Tryptophan
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 7802590
S Fujiwara, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Y Ueno, K Nakagawa, Y Tatsuno and Y Mizoi : Histo-pathological findings of abraded skins in the cases of automobile dragging., Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi, Vol.47, No.5, 398-405, 1993.
(Summary)
We histologically examined skin which had been abraded by automobile dragging. In the first case, the victim was a 57-year-old drunken male. He was hit by a passenger car while walking on a road and dragged for a distance of 30 m. He soon died from the pelvic bone fractures. Extensive and deep abrasions were observed on both shoulders and the back. In the second case, a 20-year-old drunken male was lying on a road. He was run over by a passenger car and dragged for a distance of 800 m. During the dragging the car's underbody strongly compressed his thoraco-abdominal region and killed him by causing insufficiency in breathing. Deep abrasions were found in the right temporal region and right back at the waist. In the third case, when a 50-year-old woman was riding a moped it collided with a passenger car at an intersection and she fell to the ground. Soon after, she was run over by another passenger car and dragged for a distance of 718 m. The cause of death was profuse bleeding from the crushed right axillary artery and vein. Autopsy revealed very extensive and severe abrasions in the right upper arm, right axilla, lateral surface of the right chest and abdomen, right back, back pelvic region, and lateral surface of the right lower leg and foot. Especially in the arm, axilla and chest, the skin and soft tissues were worn away, muscles and bones were exposed, and the right axillary artery and vein were crushed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
S Fujiwara, Akiyoshi Nishimura, K Nakagawa, Y Tatsuno and Y Mizoi : [A case of death within 3 hours due to systemic embolism of fat from tibial fractures], Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi, Vol.47, No.2, 137-146, 1993.
(Summary)
We experienced a case dying of systemic fat embolism shortly after a traffic accident. The man of 83 years old suffered an accident by a car while wheeling his bicycle on a lane through rice fields. His both legs were run over by a wheel of the car. He was fully conscious for some while after the accident. However, while he was taken to a hospital by an ambulance, he suddenly lost consciousness and died 2 hours and 45 minutes after the accident. The autopsy examination revealed the severely fractured tibiae in both legs. The left clavicle and sternum as well as the ribs of both sides were also fractured. Organs in the thoracic and abdominal cavities were slightly congested. The histopathological examinations revealed fat droplets in the small vessels in interlobular connective tissues and many alveolar capillaries of the lungs, many glomeruli of the kidneys and a few capillaries in parietal region of the cerebrum.
(Keyword)
Accidents, Traffic / Aged / Aged, 80 and over / Embolism, Fat / Humans / Male / Tibial Fractures / Time Factors
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 8315868
Y Ueno, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Y Ogawa, K Nakagawa, Y Yanagida, Y Mizoi and Y Tatsuno : [Fracture of the cervical spine caused by blow in patient with ankylosing spondylitis--a report of an autopsy case], Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi, Vol.46, No.5, 321-326, 1992.
(Summary)
Fracture of the cervical spine in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis is presented. A 43-year-old male was involved in a fight when drinking. He received blows to his face and the lower jaw, and fell backward on the street and died. The postmortem examination showed abrasions and subcutaneous hemorrhages on the face and the lower jaw. A transverse fracture was observed through the intervertebral disc space between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae. The cervical spinal cord was completely ruptured at the fracture site. Ossification of the supporting ligaments and anterior surface of dics were found. The spine was bony ankylosed. The alcohol levels of blood and urine were 2.95 and 3.84 mg/ml, respectively. The cause of death was paralysis of respiration. The victim had suffered from the ankylosing spondylitis for many years. His neck had no mobility. The X-ray films taken at age 42 showed complete ankylosis of the spine, so-called "bamboo" spine. It seemed that the blow to his face and the lower jaw caused hyperextension of the neck and easily caused the cervical fracture because of the loss of flexibility and fragility from osteoporosis in the ankylosed spine.
(Keyword)
Adult / Cervical Vertebrae / Forensic Medicine / Humans / Male / Spinal Fractures / Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Wounds, Nonpenetrating
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 1460798
Akiyoshi Nishimura, S Fujiwara, Y Mizoi and Y Tatsuno : [Morphometric and pathologic studies of the brain in autopsied cases of Alzheimer-type dementia], Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi, Vol.46, No.2, 141-151, 1992.
(Summary)
Human brain sections were analysed by computer-assisted quantitative morphometry. The brains, autopsied at the Department of Legal Medicine, Kobe University School of Medicine and the Medical Examiner's Office of Hyogo Prefecture, included 63 cases of acute death consisting of 49 cases of non-demented and 14 cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) or senile dementia of Alzheimer-type (SDAT). As for patients of AD and SDAT, they were clinically diagnosed at some medical facilities in their life time. Histopathological diagnosis for AD and SDAT was confirmed by the presence of abundant senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. In the non-demented control aging, a modest atrophy occurred throughout the cerebral cortex except the occipital cortex, whereas no sign of atrophy was seen in the medullary white matter. In the AD and SDAT cases, both cortical gray and medullary white matter showed significantly higher degrees of atrophy than in the controls. A further detailed study indicated that the parietotemporal association cortex was specifically affected in the demented brain as compared with the normal aging.
S Fujiwara, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Y Yanagida, K Nakagawa, Y Mizoi and Y Tatsuno : [Traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage developing in the apparent course], Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi, Vol.45, No.3, 242-251, 1991.
(Summary)
The victim, 52 year old man, was thrust down and hit his left occiput against the concrete floor. He was hospitalised and his comatose state continued to the death. On admission, blood pressure was 212/110 mmHg and the computed tomography scan of the head showed only an extensive right subdural hematoma. But the intracerebral hemorrhages in the right frontal, temporal and parietal lobes were recognized 10.5 hours after the trauma. A subdural hematoma was evacuated by operation on the second hospital day. The intracerebellar hemorrhage also appeared 16 hours after the trauma. Blood pressure fluctuated between 160/80 and 200/110 mmHg. The photo of CT scan at 38.5 hours after the trauma showed little subdural hematoma and new intracerebral hemorrhage located in the left temporal lobe. On the third hospital day, he was equipped with a respirator and blood pressure was between 132/84 and 242/100 mmHg. The reaction of the pupils to light disappeared on the 8th hospital day. Blood pressure gradually decreased on the 9th and 10th hospital days and he died on the 11th day. Autopsy revealed a bruise in the left occiput, a linear fracture in the frontal and left parietal bones and a small amount of subdural hematoma on the surface of the right cerebral hemisphere. Cortical contusions were found in the right frontal, the both temporal and the left parietal lobes. Intracerebral hemorrhages were found in the right frontal, the both temporal and the right parietal lobes. Intracerebellar hemorrhage was also found. Cardiac hypertrophy and atherosclerosis of the aorta were recognized. We thought that small hemorrhages which were not clearly detectable by CT scan immediately after injury may have developed into massive intracerebral and intracerebellar hemorrhages due to high blood pressure after a hospitalization.
Y Mizoi, T Fukunaga, Y Ueno, J Adachi, S Fujiwara and Akiyoshi Nishimura : The flushing syndrome after ethanol intake caused by aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency in Orientals., Acta Medicinae Legalis et Socialis, Vol.39, No.1, 481-487, 1989.
T Fukunaga, Y Ueno, K Nakagawa, Y Mizoi, T Imabayashi, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Y Ogawa, S Fujiwara and S Hishida : [Statistical analysis of unnatural deaths in Hyogo Prefecture (1986)--comparison of the results of inquests by medical examiners and by others], Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi, Vol.42, No.4-5, 431-442, 1988.
(Keyword)
Cause of Death / Coroners and Medical Examiners / Female / Forensic Medicine / Humans / Japan / Male
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 3204712
Hideyuki Nushida, Asuka Ito, Hiromitsu Kurata and Akiyoshi Nishimura : Answer to the letter to the editor by J. Finsterer concerning "A case of fatal multi-organ inflammation following COVID-19 vaccination" by H. Nushida et al. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2023.102244.), Legal Medicine, Vol.64, 2023.
K Ikemoto, K Kitahama, Akiyoshi Nishimura, A Jouvet, K Nishi, R Arai, M Jouvet and I Nagatsu : Tyrosine hydroxylase and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase do not coexist in neurons in the human anterior cingulate cortex., Neuroscience Letters, Vol.269, No.1, 37-40, 1999.
(Summary)
Immunoreactivity for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), the second step dopamine-synthesizing enzyme, was found immunohistochemically in neurons of the human anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Most of these neurons were located in layers V and VI and subcortical white matter; a small number were occasionally found in layer III. Double immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH: the first step dopamine-synthesizing enzyme) and AADC revealed that no neuronal cell bodies in the ACC were doubly immunostained for TH and AADC, suggesting that these TH-only- or AADC-only-immunoreactive neurons were not dopaminergic. AADC neurons in the human ACC might transform L-DOPA to dopamine, droxidopa to noradrenaline, and/or 5-hydroxytryptophan to serotonin.
T Shioiri, Akiyoshi Nishimura, H Nushida, Y Tatsuno and S W. Tang : The Kobe earthquake and reduced suicide rate in Japanese males., Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol.56, No.3, 282-283, 1999.
(Keyword)
Adolescent / Adult / Cause of Death / Coroners and Medical Examiners / Disasters / Female / Humans / Japan / Life Change Events / Male / Mortality / Sex Factors / Suicide
(Link to Search Site for Scientific Articles)
● PubMed @ National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine (PMID): 10078507
K Ikemoto, I Nagatsu, S Ito, R A. King, Akiyoshi Nishimura and T Nagatsu : Does tyrosinase exist in neuromelanin-pigmented neurons in the human substantia nigra?, Neuroscience Letters, Vol.253, No.3, 198-200, 1998.
(Summary)
It is controversial whether tyrosinase is involved in the neuromelanin-biosynthetic pathway. We examined tyrosinase-immunoreactivity in human substantia nigra neurons which contain neuromelanin pigments, using antibodies against human tyrosinase and human tyrosine hydroxylase. In human melanoma, the antibody to tyrosinase showed intense immunoreactivity while there was no immunoreactivity with antibody to tyrosine hydroxylase. In the human midbrain pigmented neurons, however, we could detect no tyrosinase-immunoreactivity while the neurons were strongly immunoreactive to tyrosine hydroxylase. The present results suggest that tyrosinase is not involved in the main pathway of neuromelanin biosynthesis.
K Ikemoto, I Nagatsu, K Kitahama, A Jouvet, Akiyoshi Nishimura, K Nishi, T Maeda and R Arai : A dopamine-synthesizing cell group demonstrated in the human basal forebrain by dual labeling immunohistochemical technique of tyrosine hydroxylase and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase., Neuroscience Letters, Vol.243, No.1-3, 129-132, 1998.
(Summary)
The human basal forebrain has been known to contain many neurons immunoreactive (ir) to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; the first dopamine-synthesizing enzyme). We examined whether these neurons might contain aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC; the second step dopamine-synthesizing enzyme) by dual labeling immunohistochemistry and confocal laser-scanning microscopy. Neurons dually-labeled for TH and AADC were found in the anterior olfactory nucleus, olfactory tubercle and the ventral margin of the rostral nucleus accumbens. The examination in the basal forebrain of the macaque monkey also gave substantially the same results. These neurons appear to constitute an independent dopaminergic cell group in the primate basal forebrain.
K Ikemoto, K Kitahama, A Jouvet, R Arai, Akiyoshi Nishimura, K Nishi and I Nagatsu : Demonstration of L-dopa decarboxylating neurons specific to human striatum., Neuroscience Letters, Vol.232, No.2, 111-114, 1997.
(Summary)
In the human striatum, we immunohistochemically demonstrated many neurons that were immunoreactive for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC; the second step dopamine-synthesizing enzyme) but not for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; the first step dopamine-synthesizing enzyme). The number of AADC-positive neurons was especially large in the ventral striatum including the nucleus accumbens. The significance of AADC-positive neurons are discussed in relation to the acting sites of L-dopa and antipsychotic drugs.
Akiyoshi Nishimura : A paradigm shift from investigations of human casualties of mass-disaster to disaster measures : from Hanshin to Nankai, Shikoku Acta Medica, Vol.67, No.5,6, 211-228, Dec. 2011.
(Summary)
An interdisciplinary research series of human casualties on the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquakeand the Niigata Chuetsu earthquake was performed. For the difference of their natural and socialattributes, the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake was occurred in the urban and heavily populatedarea and the Niigata Chuetsu earthquake was occurred in the rural and sparsely populated area,differences of their structural damage and human casualties and issues for countermeasure to massdisasterwere marked in occasional. In human casualties, there was found an imperceptible differencebetween them. Deaths by traumatic asphyxia under the collapsed housing were main events anddeaths at the place to work and/or to drop in were lesser, however they were found within bothearthquakes. On the next Nankai earthquake, the human casualties will find under the similarcondition of Hanshin, Chuetsu and the eastern Japan earthquake. Spreading consciousness forearthquake-resistant houses and countermeasures for tsunami, and establishing education systemfor talented persons with the skill of the postmortem medical examination and/or taking case forthe families of the deceased is indispensable for the countermeasure on the next Nankai earthquake.
(Keyword)
the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake / Niigata Chuetsu earthquake / traumatic asphyxia / collapse of houses / Nankai earthquake
Akiyoshi Nishimura : 人の死後の法的取り扱いと死亡診断書(死体検案書), 徳島県医師会報, No.466, 21-29, Mar. 2010.
3.
M Kane, Y Yamamoto, I Ushiyama, Akiyoshi Nishimura and K Nishi : Phylogenetic analysis of picoplankton in Lake Biwa and application to legal medicine., Electrophoresis, Vol.21, No.2, 351-354, Jan. 2000.
(Summary)
Three strains of picoplankton designated as brown, green, and pink belonging to the Synechococcus genus in cyanobacteria (approximately 1 microm in size) are found ubiquitously in Lake Biwa, Japan. However, they could not be morphologically discriminated from other bacteria such as Proteobacteria and Bacillus by microscopy. In this study, we attempted to use the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) from picoplankton for the diagnosis of death by drowning. A segment of 16S rDNA was sequenced in order to investigate their phylogenetic relationships and to design the specific primers. The PCR products from three picoplanktons were compared with those from five other cyanobacteria, Melosira (diatom), Staurastrum (green alga), bacteria from Lake Baikal, and humans. The picogram order of template DNA from picoplankton was specifically amplified by the primers. When the template of picoplankton was mixed with human tissue, at least 10 ng of template DNA was needed to obtain a PCR product. The efficiency of PCR was increased more than hundredfold by isolating the picoplankton from human lung tissue. The specific PCR products of the picoplankton were obtained from a formalin-fixed drowning body (lung and liver) that was found in a downstream river and Lake Biwa. The PCR analysis of the picoplanktion 16S rDNA is considered useful for the diagnosis of death by drowning.
(Keyword)
Cyanobacteria / DNA, Bacterial / Humans / Japan / Phylogeny / Polymerase Chain Reaction / Water Microbiology
S Fujiwara, Y Yanagida, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Y Ueno, J Adachi, Y Tatsuno and Y Mizoi : [Recent advances in the study on the mechanism of brain injury], Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi, Vol.47, No.5, 387-397, Oct. 1993.
(Summary)
A cerebral contusion and DAI (diffuse axonal injury) are practically very important in a medico-legal case of the closed head injury. In this paper, we will report the epitome of the recent advances in the study on the mechanism of them. Coup contusion can be mainly attributed to the skull inbending and/or the skull fracture which develop in the impact region. As to the mechanism of the contrecoup contusion, several theories are reported. During rotational movement of the head, intracerebral shear strains would be produced because of brain lag (Holbourn's rotation theory). Anatomical features of the skull plays an important role (Gurdjian). Relative movement between a brain and a skull induces intracranial cavitation due to pressure gradient (Gross's cavitation theory). Brain is injured by deformation pressure induced by skull deformation and acceleration one done by a movement of the head (Lindenberg). The last one is Courville's transmitted waves of force theory. As to DAI, there is Gennarelli's theory. During a rotational movement of a brain caused by high rate of angular acceleration operating for a long period, intracerebral shear strains occur and injure a brain. As to the brain injuries which include a cerebral contusion and DAI, two theories are reported. Centripetal progression of strains to the core of a brain injuries the brain (Ommaya). Natural frequency of impact determines the nature of resulting injury to the brain (Willinger).
Takako Gotohda, Akiyoshi Nishimura, Itsuo Tokunaga and Kyoji Morita : Immunohistochemical studies on the induction of hepatic fibrosis by subacute inhalation of toluene vapor in rats, 7th ISALM, Osaka,
2.
Akiko Ishigami, Itsuo Tokunaga, Hideyuki Nushida and Akiyoshi Nishimura : Two autopsy cases demonstrating some heavy organs:Histopathological investigation focusing mainly on the pituitary gland., 9th International Symposium on Advances in Legal Medicine, Jun. 2014.
3.
Akiyoshi Nishimura, Akiko Ishigami, H Kurata and Itsuo Tokunaga : Histopathological investigations of lectin positive spherical deposits detected in the molecular layer of the hippocampal formation with neurofibrillary tangles., 9th International Symposium on Advances in Legal Medicine, Jun. 2014.
4.
Akiko Ishigami, Itsuo Tokunaga, Hara Kenji, Shin-ichi Kubo and Akiyoshi Nishimura : Application of drug screening kits to organ samples from forensic autopsy cases, TIAFT2012, 81-82, Hamamatu, Jun. 2012.
5.
Hideyuki Nushida, Akiko Ishigami, Itsuo Tokunaga, H Vogel, Akiyoshi Nishimura and A Heinemann : Mechanism of fracture in hyoid bone-analysis from postmortem CT, Rechtmedizin, 415, 2011.
6.
Hideyuki Nushida, Akiko Ishigami, Itsuo Tokunaga, H Vogel, Akiyoshi Nishimura and A Heinemann : Mechanism of fracture in hyoid bone-analysis from postmortem CT., Rechtmedizin., 415, Frankfurt, 2011.
7.
Akiyoshi Nishimura : Human Casualties on Hanshin (1995) and Chuetsu (2004) Earthquake, Mizunami International Symposium on Earthquake Casualties and Health Consequences, Nov. 2010.
8.
Takako Gotohda, Itsuo Tokunaga and Akiyoshi Nishimura : The expression of appetite-regulating neuropeptides of depression in forensic autopsy cases, 7th ISALM, Osaka, Sep. 2008.
9.
Akiko Ishigami, Shin-ichi Kubo, Itsuo Tokunaga, Takako Gotohda and Akiyoshi Nishimura : An autopsy case of severe pleuritis induced by the nourishment after misinsertion of a stomach tube: Foreign body giant cells were effective for the proof of a causal relationship., 7th ISALM, Osaka, Sep. 2008.
10.
Akiyoshi Nishimura, Itsuo Tokunaga, Takako Gotohda and Akiko Ishigami : Lectin positive spherical deposits detected in the molecular layer of the hippocampal formation are related with neuronal apoptosis on schizophrenia., 7th ISALM, 2008.
Proceeding of Domestic Conference:
1.
Akiyoshi Nishimura, Akiko Ishigami and Itsuo Tokunaga : 剖検脳における認知症に関連する所見の法医学的意義について., 第26回日本法医学会学術中四国地方集会,
Hiroaki Mikasa, Masashi Akaike and Akiyoshi Nishimura : 医療系学部におけるアクティブラーニングの実施状況と満足度および自学自修時間との関係, 第50回日本医学教育学会大会, Aug. 2018.
18.
Yamada Yoshiko, Yada Keigo, Hiroyuki Nodera, Koichi Sairyo, Masashi Akaike and Akiyoshi Nishimura : Effectiveness of the medical English course taught by an all-Japanese clinician team, 第21回日本医学英語教育学会, Jul. 2018.
19.
Hiroaki Mikasa, Masashi Akaike and Akiyoshi Nishimura : 学生の視点に基づいた授業改善の実践とその成果, 第49回日本医学教育学会大会, Aug. 2017.
Hideyuki Nushida, M Kammal, H Vogel, Akiko Ishigami, Itsuo Tokunaga, Akiyoshi Nishimura and K Puschel : 救急医療行為の評価―死後CTの所見より．, 第28回日本法医学会学術中四国地方集会, Oct. 2011.
Development of new dental identification method by remote analysis that can be used with COVID-19 (Project/Area Number: 21K10254 )
Basic research to develop evaluation method for cerebral function by mean of D-neuron. (Project/Area Number: 15K08872 )
Study of the skill of examination of the medical expert witness in the lay judge trial of the denial case (Project/Area Number: 25380090 )
Evaluation of functional disorder of nerve cells with direction controlled axons for the prediction of Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) (Project/Area Number: 25289064 )
A basic study for evaluation method of brain function on forensic autopsy cases. (Project/Area Number: 23590851 )
The study of the method for presentation of medical evidences and the efforts to ensure proper control of the criminal fact findings in the trial by lay judges (Project/Area Number: 22530069 )
Experimental study on mechanism of brain injury in Shaken Baby Syndrome (Project/Area Number: 21590739 )
A research for a development of histopathological diagnosis method for schizophrenia on forensic autopsied brains (Project/Area Number: 20590683 )
Studies on serotonergic dysfunction in suicide (Project/Area Number: 14570923 )
Development of a finite element model analysing traumatic brain injury for forensic medicine (Project/Area Number: 14570394 )
A research for molecular level characteristics of monoaminergic neurons in schizophrenia by means of histochemical approach on autopsied human brains (Project/Area Number: 12680740 )
AN ATTEMPT TO INTRODUCE GLYCOBIOLOGICAL OR BIOCHEMICAL TECHNIQUES INTO FORENSICPATHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS (Project/Area Number: 11670413 )
An immunohistochemical study of monoamine neuronal systems of schizophrenia : Using autopsy brains. (Project/Area Number: 10680713 )
Forensic Neurobiochemical Studies on Schizophrenia (Project/Area Number: 07557220 )