Usefulness and limitations of postmortem computed tomography in forensic analysis of gunshot injuries: Three case reports.

Gunshot injury has always been an important field of investigation in postmortem forensic radiology. The localization and retrieval of the bullet and of potentially important fragments are vital to these cases. Using postmortem multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) prior to forensic autopsy, we sought to illustrate the importance of this modality in the noninvasive characterization of gunshot wounds. We obtained and analyzed MDCT images in three cases of gunshot wounds (accidental close-range shotgun shooting, suicidal contact gunshot to the head and accidental long-range buckshot shooting). We discuss the value of postmortem MDCT findings in gunshot wound cases by comparing with forensic autopsy findings in Japan, a developing country with miserably low autopsy rate.

Effects of ionizing radiation on retinoic acid-inducible gene-I-like receptors.

Retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I)-like receptors [RLRs; RIG-I and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5)] sense virus-derived RNA or a synthetic analog of double-stranded RNA polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)] and are responsible for host defense against viruses. However, it remains unclear whether radiation affects RLRs. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of ionizing radiation on RIG-I and MDA5 expression and the response to poly(I:C) using THP1 (human monocytic cell line)-derived macrophages. Non- and X-irradiated (1-10 Gy) macrophages expressed RIG-I and MDA5 at mRNA and protein levels and there was no significant difference in the expression levels. Non- and X-irradiated macrophages expressed antiviral cytokine interferon (IFN)-ß mRNA following poly(I:C)-low molecular weight/LyoVec™ and poly(I:C)-high molecular weight/LyoVec™ stimulation, the agonist of RIG-I and MDA5, respectively. In line with the results of the expression of RIG-I and MDA5, no significant difference in the expression of IFN-ß mRNA was observed between non- and X-irradiation. These results indicate that ionizing radiation hardly affects RLR expression and the response to their agonist poly(I:C) in THP1-derived macrophages.