Detection and Estimation of Age of Injuries in Fresh Bodies Using Immunohistochemistry.

ABSTRACT: A cross-sectional study of the wound age estimation from the forensic skin wound samples was performed immunohistochemically with a sample size of 40 (n = 40). The samples were segregated according to the appropriate stages of wound healing with the help of hematoxylin-eosin staining. Later, they were subjected to immunohistochemistry staining with anti-AQP3 antibody. Quantification of the expression of AQP3 in the injured and uninjured formalin-fixed skin tissues was done semiquantitatively and manually under 400× magnifications. The AQP3-positive cells were correlated with the duration of injury, and the results were statistically analyzed. More AQP3 expressions were found in the proliferative phase than the inflammatory and maturation phase of wound healing. Neither the diversity in age group nor the sex differentiation showed any specific correlation with the expression of keratinocytic aquaporin cells. Likewise, parameters such as the type of injury, mode of injury, and the postmortem interval also did not show any significant relationship with the expression of the aquaporin positivity. Thus, it is revealed that skin wounds between 5 and 10 days expressed aquaporin cell numbers of more than 300. Hence AQP3 estimation helps in determining the time since injury with a more accuracy.

Impact of Serotonin Pathway Gene Polymorphisms and Serotonin Levels in Suicidal Behavior.

OBJECTIVE: Suicide is a significant public health issue and a major cause of death in all ages worldwide. Previous studies have shown the involvement of genetics in suicidal behaviour. This study aimed to assess the role of the genetic variants of the serotonin transporter genes (5HTTLPR, SLC6A4 intron 2) and receptor gene (5HTR2AT102C) in individuals who died of suicide. The study compares the serum levels of serotonin between the cases and controls. METHODS: We conducted a case control study with 120 cases and 126 controls. Socio-economic details of the subjects were collected using a semi-structured proforma and psychological autopsy was used to collect details of medical and other clinical conditions. Blood was drawn after taking informed consent and serum levels of serotonin were estimated by ELISA. Genotyping was performed using appropriate primers followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). RESULTS: Mean age was 32.59 ± 12.58 for cases and 33.64 ± 9.78 for controls. The risk associated LL genotype of 5HTTLPR was higher among cases. The heterozygous 12/10 genotype of SLC6A4 intron 2 polymorphism was increased among controls. Serum levels of serotonin were lower among cases. Variant genotypes of all the 3 polymorphisms showed significant interaction (OR= 39.26) indicating that this model may increase suicidal tendency. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that low serum levels of serotonin and two variants of the serotonin gene may influence suicide behaviour in a south Indian population.