1Department of Forensic Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Akwa, Anambra State
2Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State
3Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Rivers State
Online published on 2 January, 2017.
Vitreous humor is an inert, transparent, jelly like substance that fills the posterior four fifths of the cavity of eyeball which offers shape to the eye. Vitreous humour were collected from the eyes of 50 dead bodies (28 males and 22 females) at the Federal Medical Center Yenagoa morgue. The vitreous supernatant was analyzed for glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, urea and creatinine using WHO certified methods. SPSS 18–21 and excel Microsoft were employed for data analysis. The level of vitreous glucose in diabetic cadaver was significantly higher (P<0.05) and that of vitreous albumin significantly lower (P<0.05) when compared with values obtained for non diabetic cadaver. Two deaths resulting from renal failure exhibited elevated urea and creatinine. A statistical relationship was not observed for vitreous chemistry of hypertensives. In conclusion, it is suggested that postmortem chemistry should be incorporated among the baseline routine forensic investigations.
forensic Science, Postmortem, electrolytes, vitreous, glucose
