Serum C-reactive protein levels in postmortem blood--an analysis with special reference to the cause of death and survival time

We have investigated postmortem serum CRP levels in 408 forensic autopsy cases consisting of 216 acute and 192 non-acute death cases having postmortem interval of less than 48 h. CRP ranged from 0.03 to 66.13 mg/dl with the median of 0.28 mg/dl. In 362 traumatic death, survival time and the presence of severe infection were the major factors contributing to CRP elevation, while postmortem interval, age, gender, hepatic injury and liver cirrhosis was not. In almost all the immediate deaths (15/16) CRP remained at a low level (<0.5 mg/dl). Acute deaths and subacute deaths within 6 h showed lower CRP levels compared to longer survivors, consistent with the clinical and experimental studies. As for natural diseases, the CRP level reflected the pathological findings. The results suggest a possibility of CRP as a forensic diagnostic marker.     

The archive and community system for preserving traditional culture in rural areas

Rural areas in Japan are facing many problems such as aging, depopulation. Japanese traditional cultures in rural areas will be lost because of their flame keeper shortages. Rural residents and researchers take the problem seriously and are trying to archive all of them. In this study, we focused on their archiving activities and designed the web-based digital archiving system, which encourage the process of creating the virtual community that enhances the discussion and communication based on the traditional cultures. Furthermore, we researched the effects on rural community formation by their activities in rural area. In conclusion, we understood the trigger to lead rural areas to revitalize through the archiving activity.