Pathological Changes and Cause of Death Associated with the Global Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a global epidemic for more than three years, causing more than 6.9 million deaths. COVID-19 has the clinical characteristics of strong infectivity and long incubation period, and can cause multi-system damage, mainly lung damage, clinical symptoms of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and systemic multiple organ damage.

Metabonomics Analysis of Brain Stem Tissue in Rats with Primary Brain Stem Injury Caused Death.

Objectives: To explore the potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of primary brain stem injury (PBSI) by using metabonomics method to observe the changes of metabolites in rats with PBSI caused death.

Methods: PBSI, non-brain stem brain injury and decapitation rat models were established, and metabolic maps of brain stem were obtained by LC-MS metabonomics method and annotated to the HMDB database. Partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and random forest methods were used to screen potential biomarkers associated with PBSI diagnosis.

Transcriptomic Changes of Astrocytes in the Brain of Rats with Subacute METH Exposure.

Objectives: To study the transcriptomic changes of astrocytes in the brain of rats exposed to methamphetamine (METH) and its possible mechanism in neurotoxicity.

Methods: The rats were intraperitoneally injected with METH (15 mg/kg) every 12 h for 8 times in total to establish the subacute rat model of METH. After the model was successfully established, the striatum was extracted, and astrocytes were separated by the magnetic bead method.

Might life-threatening acute pulmonary edema occur after using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator? A case report.

Background: Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-pa) is the first-line drug for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, and can lead to some complications.There were rare reports of death due to acute pulmonary edema during rt-pa thrombolysis treatment.

Case Presentation: This study reports a 30-year-old man was diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke and underwent rt-pa thrombolytic therapy.

Fatal poisoning by accidental ingestion of the "heartbreak grass" (Gelsemium elegans) verified by toxicological and medico-legal analyses.

We present a case of fatal poisoning from accidental ingestion of Gelsemium elegans (G. elegans), a rarely toxic plant. A 41-year-old man was found dead, at his home, 6 h after drinking homemade herbal liqueur during lunch.

Rarely fatal bilateral re-expansion pulmonary edema after inserting a chest tube for unilateral spontaneous pneumothorax: a case report.

We describe a case of a 32-year-old man who died due to bilateral re-expansion pulmonary edema (RPE) following the insertion a chest tube for unilateral spontaneous pneumothorax. Fifteen minutes after inserting the chest tube, the patient with right spontaneous pneumothorax was diagnosed with right re-expansion edema by chest radiograph. Although multiple treatments were administered, the patient died.

High-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing assisting in the detection of bacterial pathogen candidates: a fatal case of necrotizing fasciitis in a child.

Postmortem detection of pathogens in infectious deaths is quite important for diagnosing the cause of death and public health. However, it is difficult to detect possible bacterial pathogens in forensic practice using conventional methods like bacterial culture, especially in cases with putrefaction and antibiotic treatment. We report a fatal case caused by necrotizing fasciitis due to bacterial infection.

Role of CXCR1 and Interleukin-8 in Methamphetamine-Induced Neuronal Apoptosis.

Methamphetamine (METH), an extremely and widely abused illicit drug, can cause serious nervous system damage and social problems. Previous research has shown that METH use causes dopaminergic neuron apoptosis and astrocyte-related neuroinflammation. However, the relationship of astrocytes and neurons in METH-induced neurotoxicity remains unclear.

Toll-Like Receptor 4 Mediates Methamphetamine-Induced Neuroinflammation through Caspase-11 Signaling Pathway in Astrocytes.

Methamphetamine (METH) is an amphetamine-typed stimulant drug that is increasingly being abused worldwide. Previous studies have shown that METH toxicity is systemic, especially targeting dopaminergic neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). However, the role of neuroinflammation in METH neurotoxicity remains unclear.

Critical role of insulin‑like growth factor binding protein‑5 in methamphetamine‑induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes.

Methamphetamine (MA) is a highly abused amphetamine‑like psychostimulant. At present, the mechanisms underlying MA‑induced cardiotoxicity are poorly understood. The cardiotoxic effects have yet not been clearly elucidated with respect to the apoptotic pathway.

Remodeling of ion channel expression may contribute to electrophysiological consequences caused by methamphetamine in vitro and in vivo.

Methamphetamine (MA) is a psychostimulant. MA may induce numerous cardiotoxic effects, leading to cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, eventually leading to sudden cardiac death. The deleterious effects of methamphetamine work in tandem to disrupt the coordinated electrical activity of the heart and have been associated with life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.

[Infantile DiGeorge syndrome: autopsy diagnosis and clinicopathologic analysis in 5 cases].

Objective: To investigate clinicopathological features of DiGeorge syndrome (DGS).

Method: The clinical features, histological and immunohistochemical findings were analyzed in 5 cases of DGS by autopsy.

Results: Five cases of DGS in male infants aged 4 days, 1 month, 7 months, 10 months, and 13 months respectively.

Quantitative analysis of GFAP- and S100 protein-immunopositive astrocytes to investigate the severity of traumatic brain injury.

Previous studies have shown that diffuse cortical astrocyte damage is seen in acute deaths due to brain injury and mechanical asphyxiation. The present study quantitatively investigated the number of astrocytes that showed GFAP- and S100-protein immunopositivity in the cerebral white matter and hippocampus at the sites distant from primary injury with regard to survival time, complication, and the immediate cause of death of brain injury cases. Autopsy cases of brain injury (8-48 h postmortem) comprising acute/subacute deaths (survival time, <3/6 h-3 days; n=27/42) and delayed deaths (survival time >3 days) with/without complications (n=30/22) were examined.

[The microglia activation characteristics of MA-induced neurotoxicity in the rats striatum].

Objective: To investigate the activation characteristics of microglia (MG) in the rats striatum with MA-induced neurotoxicity.

Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided randomly into control group (n=24) and experimental group (n=24). The rats of experimental group were injected intraperitoneally with MA (15 mg/kg x 8 injections, at 12 hours interval).

[Effect of methamphetamine on the microglial cells and activity of nitric oxide synthases in rat striatum].

Objective: To study the changes in the microglial cells and the activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) in the striatum of rats with methamphetamine (METH) treatment.

Methods: The rats were randomly divided into two groups for injections with METH or saline. Specific antibody against OX-42 was used to detect the changes in the morphology and the number of microglia, and the activities of NOS, iNOS and cNOS were compared between the two groups.

[As2O3-induced permeability transition pore opening in mitochondria depends on Ca2+].

Objective: To explore the mechanism of arsenite-induced permeability transition pore (PTP) opening and the role of Ca(2+). in As(2)O(3)-induced PTP opening.

Method: The mitochondria were prepared from Wistar rat liver and mitochondrial swelling was assessed spectrophotometrically at 540 nm to evaluate PTP opening.

[Mechanism of opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore induced by arsenic trioxide].

Background & Objective: Permeability transition pore (PTP) is central for apoptosis by acting as a good candidate pathway for the release of cytochrome c and apoptosis-induction factors from mitochondria. Arsenite may induce apoptosis via a direct effect on PTP. To characterize the exact mechanism for arsenite to induce PTP opening, the correlations of calcium-induced calcium release from mitochondria (mCICR) to As2O3-induced PTP opening and cytochrome c release from mitochondria were studied.

Degradation of human hair keratin scaffold implanted for repairing injured skeletal muscles.

Objective: To observe the in vivo degradation process of human hair keratin (HHK) scaffold after implantation in rabbits.

Methods: Seven New Zealand rabbits were divided into 4 groups including a control group and 3 operation groups. HHK scaffold was implanted, after partial resection of the skeletal muscles, in rabbits of the 3 operation groups, followed by observation 1, 3, and 6 weeks later respectively.