Fatal hypothermia related vacuolation of hormone-producing cells in the anterior pituitary.

Abstract

We found small cytoplasmic vacuoles in the hormone-producing cells of anterior pituitary in hypothermic death. The vacuoles were found in approximately 40% of anterior pituitary cells both in males and females that had died from cold (n=31) while the detection rate was lower than 1% (P <0.001) in the other causes of death (n=180: fire death, n=25; fatal injury, n=24; asphyxia, n=24; poisoning, n=8; natural diseases, n=103). The detection rate in hypothermic death was the highest in ACTH cells (about 65%), followed by gonadotrophs (about 43%), and the lowest in TSH cells (about 16%) (P <0.001). These findings suggest that the cytoplasmic vacuoles in the anterior pituitary cells may be the most closely related to cold exposure among the above-mentioned cause of death, providing a supplementary evidence for determining the causes of death.

• Authors: T Ishikawa, S Miyaishi, T Tachibana, H Ishizu, B-L Zhu, H Maeda
• Journal: Legal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) (Leg Med (Tokyo)) Vol. 6 Issue 3 Pg. 157-63 (Jul 2004) ISSN: 1344-6223 [Print] Ireland
• PMID: 15231284 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Pituitary Hormones, Anterior
• Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
• Thyrotropin

Topics

• Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (metabolism)
• Adult
• Aged
• Asphyxia (mortality, pathology)
• Cold Temperature
• Female
• Humans
• Hypothermia (mortality, pathology)
• Male
• Microscopy, Electron
• Middle Aged
• Pituitary Gland, Anterior (metabolism, pathology, ultrastructure)
• Pituitary Hormones, Anterior (metabolism)
• Poisoning (mortality, pathology)
• Thyrotropin (metabolism)
• Vacuoles (pathology)
• Wounds and Injuries (mortality, pathology)