Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32172482›Full record

ArticleForensic science, medicine, and pathology2020

Structural abnormalities in the human diaphragm in drowning and hanging deaths: preliminary results.

Eloy Girela-López, Cristina M Beltran-Aroca, Ignacio Jimena, Pablo Pérez-Jorge, Valentin Ramos-Medina, Ignacio Ruz-Caracuel, James R Gill, Jose Peña-Amaro

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Forensic science, medicine, and pathology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 30% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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

8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Eloy Girela-LópezSección de Medicina Legal y Forense, Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Universidad de Córdoba, Avda Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
Cristina M Beltran-ArocaSección de Medicina Legal y Forense, Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Universidad de Córdoba, Avda Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain. cristinabeltran@uco.es.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4339-7952
Ignacio JimenaDepartamento de Ciencias Morfológicas, Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Sección de Histología, Universidad de Córdoba, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
Pablo Pérez-JorgeSección de Patología Forense, Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses de Córdoba, 14011, Córdoba, Spain.
Valentin Ramos-MedinaSección de Patología Forense, Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses de Málaga, 29071, Málaga, Spain.
Ignacio Ruz-CaracuelDepartamento de Ciencias Morfológicas, Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Sección de Histología, Universidad de Córdoba, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
James R GillOffice of the Chief Medical Examiner, Farmington, CT, 06032, USA.
Jose Peña-AmaroDepartamento de Ciencias Morfológicas, Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Sección de Histología, Universidad de Córdoba, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
University of Córdoba · ESInstituto Nacional de Toxicología y Ciencias Forenses · ESOffice of Chief Medical Examiner · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePrevious experiments in rats have indicated that there are histological changes in skeletal muscle in drowning deaths; these changes include muscle fibers that contain ragged red fibers (RRF). The purpose of this study was to examine whether these changes also occur in humans.

methodsHistologic and histochemical examinations of three muscles (diaphragm, pectoralis, and psoas) were performed on 24 cadavers with three different causes of death: 8 drowning, 8 hanging, and 8 sudden cardiac disease. Muscle samples were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, MGT, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-tetrazolium reductase, succinate dehydrogenase, ATPase, and acid phosphatase via standard staining procedures.

resultsThere were statistically significant differences in the detection of RRFs in these cohorts. Additionally, several other cytoarchitectural changes (whorled and core-like fibers) were observed in the diaphragm in the drowning cohort and to a lesser extent in the hangings. These structural abnormalities were not observed in the sudden cardiac disease deaths, thus suggesting a common mechanism for the production of these muscular changes that is not shared in the cardiac death group. The mechanism is most likely intense hypoxia and mechanical trauma of the respiratory muscles in the setting of active blood circulation with intense muscle contraction.

conclusionsOur results confirmed that there are histological changes in the diaphragm in drownings and, to a lesser extent, in hangings.

Indexed as

AsphyxiaCadaverDeath, Sudden, CardiacDiaphragmDrowningFemaleHumansMaleMicroscopyMiddle AgedMuscle Fibers, SkeletalNeck InjuriesPectoralis MusclesPsoas MusclesCytoarchitectural changesDrowningHangingRagged red fibersSkeletal muscleSudden cardiac death

Identifiers

PMID32172482
OpenAlexW3011430312

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.