Brain iron accumulation in unexplained fetal and infant death victims with smoker mothers-The possible involvement of maternal methemoglobinemia

Table 1 Regional distribution of Fe³⁺ in brain of SIUD/SIDS victims and correlation with the alterations of the central nervous system and with the maternal smoking habit

Case no.	Diagnosis	Age at death	BBB	Iron positivity				CNS structural alterations	Maternal smoking
				Brainstem	localization	Cerebellum	localization		Yes
1	SIUD	39 gw	+	++ +	inferior olivary n trigeminal n.	+	dentate n.	arcuate n. hypoplasia pre-Bötzinger n. hypoplasia parafacial n. hypoplasia	No
2	SIUD	41 gw	-	+	diffuse	++	subcortical	parafacial n. hypoplasia	Yes
3	SIUD	36 gw	+++ -	+++ +	area postrema tractus solitarius n	-	-	parafacial n. hypoplasia	Yes
4	SIUD	32 gw	+	++	diffuse	-	-	arcuate n. hypoplasia raphè n. hypoplasia	Yes
5	SIUD	40 gw	++	+	superior olivary n	++ +++	Subcortical dentate n.	parabrachial/Köllike-rFuse hypoplasia	Yes
6	SIDS	4 m	++	++	area postrema*	++	dentate n.	cerebellar cortex immaturity	Yes
7	SIDS	3 m	-	+++	basal pontine n*	++	diffuse	pre-Bötzinger n. hypoplasia	Yes
8	SIDS	7 m	++	+++	basal pontine n*	+++ +++	subcortical dentate n.	arcuate n. hypoplasia raphè n. hypoplasia inferior olivary n. hypoplasia	Yes
9	SIDS	6 m	++	++	diffuse*	+++ +++	subcortical dentate n.	raphè n. hypoplasia	Yes
10	SIDS	2 m	-	++	diffuse	++	diffuse	raphè n. hypoplasia cerebellar cortex immaturity	Yes
11	SIDS	3 m	++	++	diffuse	+	diffuse	arcuate n. hypoplasia raphè n. hypoplasia	Yes
12	SIDS	1 m	-	+ ++	trigeminal n. diffuse	++ ++	subcortical dentate n.	hypoglossal n. hypoplasia raphè n. hypoplasia	Yes

The intensities of iron deposition were: weak (+), strong (++), very strong (+++)
gw = gestational weeks; m = postnatal months
BBB = blood/brain barrier; n = nucleus
* = presence of mitotic and/or multinucleated neurons.

ISSN: 1471-2431