小腦是人類的重要器官之一。腦部神經元受損的生物學變化已經被廣泛的研究,但是只有少數的研究是有關人類小腦組織學的變化與死因的相關性。此篇研究收錄了2006年1月至7月彰化和南投地檢署的43個法醫解剖個案,死因包括心臟、肺部或腦部的功能喪失。用蘇木素―嗜伊紅性染色研究普金吉氏細胞的型態學、數量及比較三種免疫染色標記(GFAP、S-100及NSE)在不同死因的表現。普金吉氏細胞的數量、大小及細胞質的呈色在不同的死因並沒有明顯差異。普金吉氏細胞不論在何種死因都大量表現NSE,但在心因性死亡的個案中,NSE在小腦的顆粒層及分子層的染色較強,表示與腦部或肺部相關的死因個案相比,其對腦部的影響較小。
The cerebellum is a critical human organ. The biological change in damaged neurons of the brain had been extensively researched, but few studies have examined histological and biological expression cerebellar variants in relation to death. Presently, 43 forensic autopsies were performed from the Prosecutor's Office of Chang-Hua and Nantou in Taiwan between January and July, 2006. Causes of death were due to malfunction of the brain (n=7), heart (n=22), and lung (n=14). Hematoxylin-Eosin staining was used to study Purkinje cell morphology and quantity, and the expression of three biomarkers (GFAP, S-100 and NSE) among all the causes of death. There was no difference in Purkinje cell size, number, and cytoplasm color. Immunohistochemical staining revealed GFAP expression in two cases of lung-related death, despitethe rarity of the biomarker in Purkinje cell. NSE immune reaction was strong but unstable in the cerebellar cortex granular and molecular layers from heart-related deaths indicating less brain damage in heart related death than in brain or lung related death.