Letter to the editor regarding “Diatoms in lung tissue: first investigation in Brazil in proving death by drowning”

Fabio Antonio Tironi

doi:10.15260/rbc.v7i1.251

Letter to the editor regarding “Diatoms in lung tissue: first investigation in Brazil in proving death by drowning”

Revista Brasileira de Criminalística ◽

10.15260/rbc.v7i1.251 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 44

Author(s):

Fabio Antonio Tironi

Keyword(s):

Lung Tissue ◽

Letter To The Editor ◽

Death By Drowning

1. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Thank you for publishing the paper entitled “Diatoms in lung tissue: first investigation in Brazil in proving death by drowning”, by Carneiro, et al., 2017 [1].

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Diatoms in lung tissue: first investigation in Brazil in proving death by drowning

Revista Brasileira de Criminalística ◽

10.15260/rbc.v6i3.141 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 13-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nicole P.M. Carneiro ◽

L. C. Torgan ◽

M. Vaz ◽

L. P. Utz

Keyword(s):

Cause Of Death ◽

Lung Tissue ◽

Left Lung ◽

Marine Waters ◽

Internal Organs ◽

Inverted Microscope ◽

Death By Drowning ◽

Identification And Quantification

Diatoms are microalgae widely distributed in inland and marine waters and during drowning they are inhaled together with water, passing through the bloodstream to various internal organs of a victim. Our investigation aimed to evaluate the diatoms extracted from the lung tissues of an individual with drowning diagnosis and compare them to those found in the environment, in order to prove the cause of death and the drowning site. A left lung fragment of 17.9 grams removed from the victim was oxidized and prepared for diatoms identification and quantification using inverted microscope. A total of 133 diatoms valves was found, being 85% belong to pennate forms and 15% to centric forms. Pinnularia, a bentonic genus, had greatest number of valves, followed by Fragilaria, Actinocyclus, Cocconeis and Encyonema. These results revealed that the victim drowned at the bottom of the lake, inhaling both water and sediments with diatoms. This is the first investigation of this nature carried out in Brazil.

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Isolation of Asbestos from Lung Tissue and Sputum

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100054261 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 40 ◽

pp. 330-331

Author(s):

M. G. Williams ◽

C. Corn ◽

R. F. Dodson ◽

G. A. Hurst

Keyword(s):

Sodium Hypochlorite ◽

Lung Tissue ◽

Body Fluids ◽

Unknown Etiology ◽

The Past

During this century, interest in the particulate content of the organs and body fluids of those individuals affected by pneumoconiosis, cancer, or other diseases of unknown etiology developed and concern was further prompted with the increasing realization that various foreign particles were associated with or caused disease. Concurrently particularly in the past two decades, a number of methods were devised for isolating particulates from tissue. These methods were recently reviewed by Vallyathan et al. who concluded sodium hypochlorite digestion was both simple and superior to other digestion procedures.

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In situ microprobe quantitation of inorganic particle burden in paraffin sections of lung tissue

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100107010 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 990-991

Author(s):

Jerrold L. Abraham

Keyword(s):

Lung Tissue ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Particulate Material ◽

Paraffin Sections ◽

Tissue Samples ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

The Past ◽

Quantitative Analyses ◽

Data Result

Inorganic particulate material of diverse types is present in the ambient and occupational environment, and exposure to such materials is a well recognized cause of some lung disease. To investigate the interaction of inhaled inorganic particulates with the lung it is necessary to obtain quantitative information on the particulate burden of lung tissue in a wide variety of situations. The vast majority of diagnostic and experimental tissue samples (biopsies and autopsies) are fixed with formaldehyde solutions, dehydrated with organic solvents and embedded in paraffin wax. Over the past 16 years, I have attempted to obtain maximal analytical use of such tissue with minimal preparative steps. Unique diagnostic and research data result from both qualitative and quantitative analyses of sections. Most of the data has been related to inhaled inorganic particulates in lungs, but the basic methods are applicable to any tissues. The preparations are primarily designed for SEM use, but they are stable for storage and transport to other laboratories and several other instruments (e.g., for SIMS techniques).

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The Identification of Phospholipid Micelles in Glutaraldehyde-Urea Embedded Tissue

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100116097 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 33 ◽

pp. 494-495

Author(s):

Daniel C. Pease

Keyword(s):

Electron Micrographs ◽

Lung Tissue ◽

Osmium Tetroxide ◽

Uranyl Acetate ◽

Type Ii ◽

Lead Citrate ◽

Phospholipid Micelles ◽

Type Ii Pneumocytes ◽

Ultrathin Sections ◽

Polar Water

It is reasonable to think that phospholipid micelles should be visible and identifiable in electron micrographs of ultrathin sections if only they can be preserved throughout the embedding process. The development of highly polar, water-containing, aminoplastic embedments has made this a likely possibility. With this in mind, an investigation of the lecithin-secreting, Type II pneumocytes of the lung is underway.Initially it has been easiest to recognize phospholipid micelles in lung tissue fixed first with glutaraldehyde, and then secondarily exposed to osmium tetroxide. However, the latter is not a necessary concomitant for micellar preservation. Conventional uranyl acetate and lead citrate staining is finally applied. Importantly, though, the micelles have been most easily seen in tissue embedded in 507. glutaraldehyde polymerized with urea, as described in detail by D.C. Pease and R.G. Peterson (J. Ultra- struct. Res., 41, 133, 1972). When oriented appropriately, the micellar units are seen as tiny, bilayer plates.

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Biomedical applications: Pitfalls in the practice

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100169626 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 52 ◽

pp. 378-379

Author(s):

J. D. Shelburne ◽

Peter Ingram ◽

Victor L. Roggli ◽

Ann LeFurgey

Keyword(s):

Operating Room ◽

Liquid Nitrogen ◽

Lung Tissue ◽

Biomedical Applications ◽

Microprobe Analysis ◽

Tissue Sample ◽

Cellular Level ◽

Tissue Samples ◽

Asbestos Fibers

At present most medical microprobe analysis is conducted on insoluble particulates such as asbestos fibers in lung tissue. Cryotechniques are not necessary for this type of specimen. Insoluble particulates can be processed conventionally. Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize that conventional processing is unacceptable for specimens in which electrolyte distributions in tissues are sought. It is necessary to flash-freeze in order to preserve the integrity of electrolyte distributions at the subcellular and cellular level. Ideally, biopsies should be flash-frozen in the operating room rather than being frozen several minutes later in a histology laboratory. Electrolytes will move during such a long delay. While flammable cryogens such as propane obviously cannot be used in an operating room, liquid nitrogen-cooled slam-freezing devices or guns may be permitted, and are the best way to achieve an artifact-free, accurate tissue sample which truly reflects the in vivo state. Unfortunately, the importance of cryofixation is often not understood. Investigators bring tissue samples fixed in glutaraldehyde to a microprobe laboratory with a request for microprobe analysis for electrolytes.

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