The measurement of nociceptive peptides for the assessment of acute and chronic pain in the medicolegal investigation of violent death.
Item
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Title
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The measurement of nociceptive peptides for the assessment of acute and chronic pain in the medicolegal investigation of violent death.
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Identifier
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AAI9969721
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identifier
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9969721
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Creator
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Quarino, Lawrence A.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Peter De Forest
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Date
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2000
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Criminology and Penology | Biology, Neuroscience
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Abstract
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Often during the sentencing phase of a homicide trial, juries are asked to determine the allocation of punitive damages and if aggravating factors exist. Very often, these determinations are made on a subjective assessment of the amount of pain inflicted upon a victim. The current study was designed to provide objective and qualitative criteria for these tasks by quantitatively measuring nociceptive peptides in post-mortem serum and brain tissue.;Three peptides (substance P, bradykinin, and met-enkephalin) were chosen for quantitative measurement by radioimmunoassay. These three peptides were chosen because of central but varied roles in the transmission and modulation of nociception.;Peptide levels differ in acutely and chronically painful death. Peptide levels indicative of acute pain and nociception are apparent in violent death when the incident-death interval is of short duration (minutes). Conversely, peptide levels reflective of chronic pain and antinociception become dominant in violent death when the incident-death time interval is large (months).;The mode of violent death affects peptide levels at certain incident-death time intervals. The variable that appears to affect the nociceptive response is the level of tissue damage typically associated with a particular mode of death. Those modes of death which tend to be characterized by extensive tissue trauma (i.e. thermal burns), show an accelerated nociceptive response.;Peptide levels in infant and child violent deaths do not differ from adult violent death values regardless of the incident-death time interval. Peptide levels in violent infant/child deaths, however, do significantly differ from those in SIDS and other clinical infant/child deaths.;Peptide levels in respective non-violent deaths differ due to the nature (acute and chronic) and extent of pain in each particular non-violent death. Ratios of nociceptive to antinociceptive serum and brain peptides in various non-violent deaths demonstrate the extent of pre-mortem acute and chronic pain in each type of death. By being able to equate the ratio of nociceptive to antinociceptive peptide levels in individuals who were violently killed with a particular type of non-violent clinical death, a qualitative and objective assessment can be made of the level of pain experienced by the victim. A clearer picture of the level of pain can be presented if peptide levels found in a victim of a violent death can, for with death due to renal disease, embolism, or cancer.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
