Calculating post-mortem interval by using the morphological changes in leucocytes.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Hematology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Lack of oxygen post-mortem causes morphological changes in blood cells.
• This study explores simulating in-vivo anoxic conditions in vitro to observe these changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if in-vitro stored blood exhibits similar morphological changes as in-vivo post-mortem blood.
• To develop a scale correlating morphological changes with time since death.

Main Methods:

• Blood samples from 186 live volunteers and 60 cadavers were collected.
• Blood smears were stained and observed under a microscope, classifying cells into four stages based on nuclear changes.
• Stages included normal, pyknosis, vacuolated/fragmented nucleus, and complete lysis.

Main Results:

• The sequence of morphological changes was consistent between in-vitro stored samples and in-vivo cadaver samples.
• However, changes in cadaver samples occurred more rapidly than in in-vitro stored samples.

Conclusions:

• The study suggests in-vitro and in-vivo post-mortem conditions may not be entirely similar regarding the rate of cellular change.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to confirm or refute the hypothesis and consider confounding factors.