@article{ref1,
title="Are mast cells implicated in asphyxia?",
journal="International journal of legal medicine",
year="2015",
author="Muciaccia, Barbara and Sestili, Cristina and De Grossi, Stefania and Vestri, Annarita and Cipolloni, Luigi and Cecchi, Rossana",
volume="130",
number="1",
pages="153-161",
abstract="In a previous immunohistochemical (IHC) study, we documented the reaction of lung tissue vessels to hypoxia through the immunodetection of HIF1-α protein, a key regulator of cellular response to hypoxic conditions. <br><br>FINDINGS showing that asphyxia deaths are associated with an increase in the number of mast cell (MC)-derived tryptase enzymes in the blood suggests that HIF1-α production may be correlated with MC activation in hypoxic conditions. This hypothesis prompted us to investigate the possible role of pulmonary MC in acute asphyxia deaths. Lung of 47 medico-legal autopsy cases (35 asphyxia/hypoxia deaths, 11 controls, and 1 anaphylactic death) were processed by IHC analysis using anti-CD117 (c-Kit) antibody to investigate peri-airway and peri-vascular MC together with their counts and features. <br><br>RESULTS showed a significant increase in peri-vascular c-kit(+) MC in some asphyxia deaths, such as hanging, strangulation, and aspiration deaths. A strong activation of MC in peri-airway and peri-vascular areas was also observed in lung samples from the anaphylaxis case, which was used as a positive control. Our study points to the potential role of MC in hypoxia and suggests that an evaluation of MC in the lungs may be a useful parameter when forensic pathologists are required to make a differential diagnosis between acute asphyxia deaths and other kinds of death.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0937-9827",
doi="10.1007/s00414-015-1211-5",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00414-015-1211-5"
}