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Demonstration of Hemoglobin in the Kidney of Battered Children

NCJ Number
133322
Journal
Japanese Journal of Legal Medicine Volume: 45 Issue: 3 Dated: (June 1991) Pages: 201-204
Author(s)
M Ogata; S Kubo; O Kitamura; I Nakasono; T Fukunaga; Y Tasuno
Date Published
1991
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Renal tissue specimens from 40 cadavers of battered and non-battered children were examined for hemoglobin (Hb) and myoglobin (Mb) using an immunohistochemical technique.
Abstract
Immunoperoxidase staining revealed the presence of Hb in the proximal tubular cells of the kidneys of six battered children who had sustained severe or moderate external injuries; Mb was not found in these specimens. In contrast, Mb was detected and Hb was not in the renal tubules of one child who had died from a traffic accident and sustained moderate external injuries. Neither Hb nor Mb was found in the lumina or cells of the renal tubules in 13 cases of children who had died from sudden physical violence or some other impulsive act and in 4 cases of children who died from malnutrition and had not sustained external injuries. Similarly, in other cases involving one case of drowning, one case of carbon monoxide poisoning, and two cases of sudden infant death syndrome, neither Hb nor Mb was present. These findings suggest that large quantities of Hb were released from the multiple lesions, entered the circulation, and were deposited in the kidneys. Thus the immunohistochemical demonstration of Hb in renal tissue may provide evidence of extensive antemortem bruises which are often found in battered children. 2 figures, 2 tables, and 12 references (Author abstract modified)

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