Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26062756›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of legal medicine2016

Are mast cells implicated in asphyxia?

Barbara Muciaccia, Cristina Sestili, Stefania De Grossi, Annarita Vestri, Luigi Cipolloni, Rossana Cecchi

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In one paragraph

Article in International journal of legal medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 28 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Death by hanging: possibilities and limits of medico-legal evidence.International journal of legal medicine · 2026
    Review
  3. Lethal nitrous oxide (NJournal of medical case reports · 2023
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Barbara MuciacciaSapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Cristina SestiliSapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Stefania De GrossiSapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Annarita VestriSapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Luigi CipolloniSapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Rossana CecchiSapienza University, Rome, Italy. rossana.cecchi@uniroma1.it.
Sapienza University of Rome · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

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. 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. 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.

Indexed as

AsphyxiaCase-Control StudiesEndothelial CellsFluorescent Antibody TechniqueForensic PathologyHumansHypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha SubunitImmunohistochemistryLungMast CellsProto-Oncogene Proteins c-kitHIF1A protein, humanHypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha SubunitProto-Oncogene Proteins c-kitAsphyxia deathCD117Forensic pathologyHIF1-αLungsMast cell

Identifiers

PMID26062756
OpenAlexW630499106

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.