RESUMO
Postmortem structural and biochemical changes in the muscle tissue (MT) of myocardium from the positions of forensic examinations (FE) of the prescription of death coming (PDC) were not studied systematically, this fact determining the purpose of the present research. AIM: The aim of the research consisted in study of structural and biochemical changes in the tissue of myocardium during the early postmortem period (PMP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The muscle tissue of myocardium within the early PMP (3-13 hours) after the coming of death was studied on 30 human corpses. Six BCM in myocardium muscle homogenates (MMH) were determined: BCM1 - the content of glycogen, BCM2 - the content of acid phosphatase, BCM3 - the content of lactate, BCM4 - the content of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), BCM5 - the content of lipofuscin, BCM6 - the content of cholinesterase. MT was taken with use of special instruments, MT homogenates were prepared following the standard technique. Cytological studies of MT preparations of myocardium as well as their photographic recording were made on an Axiostar microscope (Zeiss, FRG). The optic density (OD) of nuclei and cytoplasm of cardiomyocytes (CMC) in conventional units of OD was measured using VideoTest program (Russia). RESULTS: It was found out that changes in MT of myocardium during the early PMP were characterized by the morphological, biochemical and biophysical regularities that we revealed; their most demonstrative features were as follows: - a gradual and constant reduction of the relative OD of CMC nuclei (YM-7) and cytoplasm (YM-8) during 3-13 hours from the moment of death, the rate and stage of these dynamics depending nonlinearly upon PDC; we substantiated and received quantitative regularities (polynomials) for the above biophysical indicators. CONCLUSIONS: A comparative morphological study of the ultrastructure of CMC at the early PMP depending upon PDC was performed; - the early PMP is characterized by proper biochemical changes in MT, the most demonstrative of them are as follows: a reduction in the content of glycogen (YM-1)and a dynamic increase in the content of lipofuscin(YM- 5).For all six BCM, representative absolute and relative values of their content in MMH depending upon PDC were obtained; - paired correlative values between biochemical and biophysical markers of the state of MT of myocardium were examined in their systemic relationships and proper SCC were determined by six time intervals of the early PMP, thereby making it possible to substantiate those of them that were criterially significant for increasing the accuracy of diagnosis of PDC.
