Beginning 7 h after death, a datalogger was used to measure the temperature in the external auditory canal of an adult male body placed in a refrigerated room. The sequence of measured values approximated a single exponential function with a correlation coefficient of 0.998475. This suggests that the starting time of body cooling in the refrigerated room under constant temperature can be calculated with less error using any two data points recorded by the datalogger. However, the results of such calculations varied widely and longer postmortem intervals demonstrated greater calculation errors. Periodic errors also appeared. Mathematical simulations showed that this variation was caused by rounding errors, which represent the difference between the thermometer readings and the true temperature. The resolution of the thermometer was 0.1 degrees C, a normal specification; however, even this led to noticeable rounding errors. Therefore, significant errors may influence postmortem interval estimations using other body temperatures. When body temperatures are used to determine the time of death, a method that minimizes rounding errors should be considered.
Serum is the liquid portion of blood routinely used as a clinical specimen. Serum consists of low-molecular-weight compounds 1 3 , macromolecules and their degradation products 4, 5 , inorganic ions 6, 7 , and water. Hydrogen nuclei in serum play important roles through intra-and intermolecular interactions with other nuclei. Most of the hydrogen atoms in serum are associated with water molecules or proteins. Water molecules form hydrogen bonds with nitrogen and hydrogen atoms in macromolecules and low-molecular-weight compounds, stabilizing their molecular conformations 8 11. Hydrogen bonding also takes place in the interactions between solutes. Thus, serum has its own dynamic features and assumes a supramolecular structure
Objective:To identify associations of solitary death with social determinants of health, namely, labor force status and welfare status, in Tokyo in 2015.
Methods:We obtained data on solitary deaths in 2015 in the 23 special wards of Tokyo and calculated the incidence rate and postmortem interval of solitary death in relation to sex, age, and labor force status.Results: Data for 3,972 solitary deaths (2,785 males, 1,187 females) were analyzed. The non-employed rate was 79.3% among males and 89.5% among females. The incidence rate was significantly higher among non-employed persons than among employed persons in both sexes. Moreover, with the exception of women 65 years or older, the postmortem interval was significantly longer among nonemployed persons than among employed persons in both sexes.
Conclusions:The incidence rates of solitary death were significantly higher among non-employed persons than among employed persons in both sexes, and the postmortem interval was significantly longer for non-employed persons. (J Nippon Med Sch 2019; 86: 360 363)
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