About this Research Topic
A break in the continuity of the soft parts of the body caused by a mechanical force (i.e.a wound) determines a cascade of chemical and morphological events, directed at hemostasis, prevention or arrest of infection, removal of damaged tissue, and eventually tissue repair.
Historically, Wacker and Orsos first claimed that the determination of wound vitality or wound age was indispensable in forensic practice, besides Raekallio who was the first scientist to address the complex issue of differentiating vital from post-mortal injuries, by investigating the activity of several enzymes at wound sites.
Deep knowledge of the cells and molecules involved in the tissue response to trauma is relevant to assess the survival time upon a lethal trauma, which is of importance in forensic medicine.
For example, platelets and neutrophils are the first cells recruited at sites of injury, as a result of the coagulation process, followed by neutrophils, which as a result of their microbe-killer activity spread free radicals and other molecules in the tissue environment. Macrophages operate as phagocytes clearing the wound and producing numerous cytokines, growth, and angiogenic factors that are believed to play important roles in the regulation of cell proliferation, fibrogenesis, and angiogenesis.
The study of the inflammatory cell infiltrate and the correlation with wound healing using immunohistochemistry has expanded in the last years, contributing to the field of lesion timing investigation. Consequently, research into the numerous biological substances involved in the process of wound repair has been carried out over the years to identify increasingly reliable biomarkers even in the very early stages of the healing process and advanced techniques have been applied to generate data with enhanced accuracy and objectivity..
This Research Topic is aimed on the one hand to summarize the current ideas of this fascinating field of research and on the other to search for new proposals, ideas for the forensic pathologist or coroner, figures who have always been involved in understanding the vitality of a lesion. Original Research articles, Reviews, Minireviews and other article types on new cellular and molecular biomarkers, and new techniques to assess wound vitality are welcome.
Historically, Wacker and Orsos first claimed that the determination of wound vitality or wound age was indispensable in forensic practice, besides Raekallio who was the first scientist to address the complex issue of differentiating vital from post-mortal injuries, by investigating the activity of several enzymes at wound sites.
Deep knowledge of the cells and molecules involved in the tissue response to trauma is relevant to assess the survival time upon a lethal trauma, which is of importance in forensic medicine.
For example, platelets and neutrophils are the first cells recruited at sites of injury, as a result of the coagulation process, followed by neutrophils, which as a result of their microbe-killer activity spread free radicals and other molecules in the tissue environment. Macrophages operate as phagocytes clearing the wound and producing numerous cytokines, growth, and angiogenic factors that are believed to play important roles in the regulation of cell proliferation, fibrogenesis, and angiogenesis.
The study of the inflammatory cell infiltrate and the correlation with wound healing using immunohistochemistry has expanded in the last years, contributing to the field of lesion timing investigation. Consequently, research into the numerous biological substances involved in the process of wound repair has been carried out over the years to identify increasingly reliable biomarkers even in the very early stages of the healing process and advanced techniques have been applied to generate data with enhanced accuracy and objectivity..
This Research Topic is aimed on the one hand to summarize the current ideas of this fascinating field of research and on the other to search for new proposals, ideas for the forensic pathologist or coroner, figures who have always been involved in understanding the vitality of a lesion. Original Research articles, Reviews, Minireviews and other article types on new cellular and molecular biomarkers, and new techniques to assess wound vitality are welcome.
Keywords: Forensic Sciences, Forensic Pathology, wound age estimation, vitality, skin wounds
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