[Advances in Biomarkers of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Blood].

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is defined as a mild brain trauma resulting in a short loss of consciousness and alteration of mental status. It may also occasionally develop persistent and progressive symptoms. It has been confirmed that MTBI causes changes of anatomic structures in central nervous system and biomarkers in the body fluid.

Characterization of protein alterations in damaged axons in the brainstem following traumatic brain injury using fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy: a preliminary study.

Axonal injury contributes greatly to neurological dysfunction following traumatic brain injury (TBI), but current histological diagnostic methods are limited in identifying the pathological profiles of injured axons and unable to provide an objective and accurate quantification. Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIRM) has the ability to offer macromolecular bioinformatics of the tissues including biochemical composition and structure by calculating band absorption intensity. In this study, axonal injury in the brainstem of rats with traumatic brain injury at 72 h post-trauma, which was confirmed with beta-amyloid precursor protein (β-APP) immunostaining, was detected with FTIRM technique.

Fatal delayed cardiac tamponade due to rupture of micropseudoaneurysm of left anterior descending coronary artery following stab to the chest.

Traumatic coronary pseudoaneurysm has been described to be mainly associated to iatrogenic lesion of the coronary arteries. However, chest-stab-wound-related coronary pseudoaneurysm caused by isolated partial incision of a coronary artery giving rise to fatal delayed cardiac tamponade is very rare. We describe an autopsy case in which this potentially fatal complication developed 8 days later after a thoracic stab wound.

Human fatality due to thallium poisoning: autopsy, microscopy, and mass spectrometry assays.

Thallium has been responsible for many intoxications since its discovery; however, toxicological profiles for thallium in human fatalities have not been updated recently. Autopsy, microscopic investigations, and toxicological analyses were performed on a married couple who died from thallium sulfate intended homicidal poisoning. The distribution of thallium was established by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with hair samples showing the highest thallium concentration.

Polyacrylamide hydrogel pulmonary embolism--A fatal consequence of an illegal cosmetic vaginal tightening procedure: A case report.

Vaginal tightening is a kind of esthetic surgery aimed at enhancing sexual satisfaction during intercourse. Although the injective vaginal tightening procedure is informal, there are already some reports of its application. But pulmonary embolism is a really rare therapeutic complication of this procedure.

[Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging for diagnosis of pyramidal tract damage in rats].

Objective: To explore the applicability of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for diagnosis of pyramidal tract damage in rats.

Methods: Marmarou's model was set up, followed by DTI scanning at 3, 12, 24 and 72 h post trauma to acquire the dispersion parameter of bilateral pyramidal tracts. Moreover, axonal varicosities per square millimeter and the percentage of positive area of axons demonstrated by beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP) immunostaining were obtained, as well as the mean density and sum density of neurofilament (NF) 68 immunostaining.

Temporal profiles of axonal injury following impact acceleration traumatic brain injury in rats--a comparative study with diffusion tensor imaging and morphological analysis.

Traumatic axonal injury (TAI) plays a major role in the development of neurological impairments after traumatic brain injury (TBI), but it is commonly difficult to evaluate it precisely and early with conventional histological biomarkers, especially when the patients experience short-term survival after TBI. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has shown some promise in detecting TAI, but longitudinal studies on the compromised white matter with DTI at early time points (≤72 h) following impact acceleration TBI are still absent. In the present study, rats were subjected to the Marmarou model and imaged with DTI at 3, 12, 24, and 72 h (n = 5 each) post-injury.

[Advance in animal models of traumatic brain injury].

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a highly complex multi-factorial disorder. Animal models of TBI are used to elucidate primary and secondary injury mechanisms and pathophysiological changes and to provide the diagnostic and therapeutical basis for TBI. The choices of animal models depend upon the research objectives.

Role of reactive oxygen species in triptolide-induced apoptosis of renal tubular cells and renal injury in rats.

This study investigated the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the pathogenesis of triptolide-induced renal injury in vivo. Rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=5 in each): triptolide group in which the rats were intraperitoneally injected with triptolide solution at a dose of 1 mg/kg of body weight on day 8; control group in which the rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of 0.9% physiological saline on day 8; vitamin C group in which the rats were pretreated with vitamin C by gavage at a dose of 250 mg/kg of body weight per day for 7 days before the same treatment as the control group on day 8; triptolide+vitamin C group in which the rats were first subjected to an oral administration of vitamin C at a dose of 250 mg/kg of body weight per day for 7 days, and then to the same treatment as the triptolide group on day 8.

[Study on electrical current mark with environmental scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray microanalyser].

Objective: To provide objective proof on diagnosis of electrical current mark in electrocution, the environmental scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray microanalyser (ESEM-EDX) were adopted to study the microscopic morphological characteristics and elemental composition of electrical current mark.

Methods: Morphological characteristics of electrical current marks, the elemental composition and morphology of metal particles were studied with ESEM-EDX.

Results: The electroporation and metal melted beads could be found in the electrical current marks and skin around them.

Sudden death due to cerebral leukemic hemorrhage occurring after acupuncture treatment for gingival bleeding.

A 45-year-old woman who experienced stomalgia and gingival bleeding for several days died unexpectedly after acupuncture treatment. At autopsy, trivial injuries on the liver and the stomach and mild hemoperitoneum due to improper acupuncture were found. Also,acute lymphoblastic leukemia and hyperleukocytosis were diagnosed by postmortem examinations.