Positive prostate-specific antigen (PSA) reaction in post-mortem rectal swabs: A cautionary note

The Stability of Prostate‐Specific Antigen in Semen Under Various Temperatures

“…When semen is ejaculated outside the body, PSA has its role in cleaving semenogelin I, semenogelin II, and fibronectin in the seminal coagulum, resulting in liquefying the gel-forming semen and thus releasing the sperm cells (22). PSA has long been used to corroborate the forensic evidence in a sexual crime investigation as it was discovered and proposed as a new semen marker (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). However, little is known about its stability in semen under various temperatures.…”

“…Among these biomarkers, prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) is most commonly used for conclusive semen identification due to its specificity and its concentration being not dependent on the presence of spermatozoa . The detection of PSA is therefore the method of choice in determining the presence of semen, particularly in the absence of sperm, and its effectiveness as a semen marker has been accentuated by previous reports even when the victim was alive, dead, or decomposed; the semen‐stained fabrics were laundered; and the semen was fixed by formalin. Additionally the detection of PSA has a crucial forensic significance and PSA concentration varies according to various factors, such as a sampling delay, biological factors, environmental factors, different sample handlings and sample storage temperature, and duration of either sample transfer or sample waiting for testing.…”

The clinical, research, and social value of autopsy after any cancer death

“…Delay in performing the autopsy may degrade the quality of nucleic acids recovered or alter the integrity and phosphorylation state of proteins. 48,49 The histologic morphology and antigenicity may be compromised if fixation is delayed, but viable tumor cells adapted to a hypoxic environment may be isolated for culture and functional studies in vitro if autopsy is performed expeditiously. Limited data are available about the acceptable time lapse between death and tissue collection for research purposes.…”

Prostate-Specific Antigen is Unlikely to Be a Suitable Biomarker of Semen Exposure From Recent Unprotected Receptive Anal Intercourse in Men Who Have Sex With Men

“…However, whether PSA persists similarly in the rectum and in men is unknown. The only previous study on PSA testing on rectal swabs from men was completed on cadavers, and found PSA in 64% of male rectal swabs (15). Sexual orientation of men in that study was unknown (15), and whether PSA migrated to the rectum post-mortem is unclear.…”

“…The only previous study on PSA testing on rectal swabs from men was completed on cadavers, and found PSA in 64% of male rectal swabs (15). Sexual orientation of men in that study was unknown (15), and whether PSA migrated to the rectum post-mortem is unclear. Notably, the single individual in whom PSA was detected in our study reported protected RAI 14 hours prior to collection of the rectal swab, highlighting the potential weaknesses of self-report.…”