Remodelling of myocardial intercalated disc protein connexin 43 causes increased susceptibility to malignant arrhythmias in ARVC/D patients.

Background: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D) is a primary cardiomyopathy characterised by fibrofatty replacement and ventricular arrhythmias. The occurrence of malignant arrhythmias may be associated with fatty infiltration and intercalated disk remodelling, but the specific pathological remodelling pattern is not yet clear.

Methods: Twelve explanted hearts from patients diagnosed with ARVC/D according to the 2010 Task Force Criteria and pathology examination were divided into two groups with (SVT, n=6) or without (non-SVT, n=6) recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia (SVT) before heart transplantation.

Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome in Central China (Hubei): A 16-Year Retrospective Study of Autopsy Cases.

A retrospective study was conducted at Tongji Forensic Medical Center in Hubei (TFMCH) from 1999 to 2014. Forty-nine cases of sudden unexplained nocturnal death syndrome (SUNDS) were collected. The SUNDS rate was 1.

Commotio Cordis Caused by Violence in China: Epidemiological Characteristics Detected at the Tongji Forensic Medical Center.

Commotio cordis (CC) is a recognized rare cause of sudden death in which an apparently minor blow to the chest causes ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. CC diagnosis is still a challenge for forensic pathologists. A retrospective study of 9794 autopsy cases was conducted at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College (DFM-TMC, China) from 1955 to 2014.

Shear stress blunts tubuloglomerular feedback partially mediated by primary cilia and nitric oxide at the macula densa.

The present study tested whether primary cilia on macula densa serve as a flow sensor to enhance nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) activity and inhibit tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF). Isolated perfused macula densa was loaded with calcein red and 4,5-diaminofluorescein diacetate to monitor cell volume and nitric oxide (NO) generation. An increase in tubular flow rate from 0 to 40 nl/min enhanced NO production by 40.

Expression of androgen receptor in coronary artery in the cases of sudden coronary death.

To study the expression of androgen receptor (AR) in the cases of sudden death caused by coronary heart disease (CHD) and relationship between AR and sudden coronary death (SCD) to explore the mechanism of the development of coronary atherosclerosis and provide references for the prevent and treatment of CHD and medicolegal identification of SCD. 53 cases selected from the autopsied cases in our department from 2011 to 2012 were divided into 3 groups: 18 case of SCD, including 11 males and 7 females, as experimental group, another 18 cases, including 11 males and 7 females, with CHD but died of mechanical injuries and poisoning as control group I, and 17 cases without CHD who also died of mechanical injuries and poisoning including 10 males and 7 females, as control group II. After HE-stained and immunohistochemistry-stained (SP) for the slices, the expression of AR in coronary arteries were observed and the average optical density (AOD) of positive signal in each case were detected by using Image-Pro Plus 6.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of ERβ and coronary atherosclerotic disease in Chinese Han women.

Background: Growing evidence has shown that with the increase of age, the incidence of coronary atherosclerotic disease (CAD) in women increases to equal that of men. Several studies on the single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] seem to provide evidence in support of the protective role estrogen receptor β (ERβ) has in reducing the risk of CAD.

Objective: To determine the association of ERβ SNPs rs1256049 RsaI 1082 A > G and rs4986938 AluI 1730 G > A with coronary atherosclerotic disease in Chinese Han women.

Identification of a novel de novo mutation associated with PRKAG2 cardiac syndrome and early onset of heart failure.

Introduction: The major structure elements of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) are α, β, and γ sunbunits. Mutations in γ2 subunit (PRKAG2) have been associated with a cardiac syndrome including inherited ventricular preexcitation, conduction disorder and hypertrophy mimicking hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The aim of the present study was to identify PRKAG2 syndrome among patients presenting with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).

[Expression of fas protein of myocardium in dilated cardiomyopathy].

Objective: To investigate Fas protein expression of the myocardium in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its relationship with occurrence of sudden death caused by DCM.

Methods: Nine autopsy cases of sudden death caused by DCM along with the heart samples were chosen from the archives in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, HUST from 1997 to 2007. Other 11 cases which died of violence and other diseases were selected as the control group.

A case of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy without arrhythmias.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is characterized by recurrent coma, ventricular tachycardias and the replacement of the myocardium with fatty and fibrous tissue. We described a 42-year-old female patient without clinical arrhythmias which was diagnosed as ARVC by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but the transvenous endomyocardial biopsy was not specific. The patient received heart transplantation due to her refractory heart failure and the pathology of explanted heart demonstrated typical replacement of fatty and fibrous tissue and piles of infiltrated lymphocytes in myocardial tissue.

Andrographolide induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes.

The pseudo-tumoral expansion of fibroblast-like synoviocytes is a hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and targeting rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RAFLSs) may have therapeutic potentials in this disease. Andrographolide, a diterpenoid compound isolated from the herb Andrographis paniculata, has been reported to have potent anti-inflammatory activity. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of andrographolide on human RAFLSs and the underlying molecular mechanism(s).

[Toll-like receptor 4 expression in the coronary atherosclerotic plaques of patients died from sudden cardiac death].

Objective: To investigate the Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression in the coronary atherosclerotic plaques in patients died from sudden cardiac death (SCD) or non SCD.

Methods: Autopsied coronary artery samples from 75 patients died from SCD (n = 28), non-SCD (n = 28) or non-CHD (n = 19) were examined and the R value (positive cells' areas/scanning areas) and A value (average optical density) of TLR4 expression in the coronary arteries were detected qualitatively by the immunohistochemistry (SABC method) and image analysis technologies.

Results: SCD group: 13 (46.

[Recent advances in venous air embolism].

Air embolism, a life-threatening complication of medical procedure, is a frequently encountered challenge in the forensic practices. It can be easily missed due to ignorance by forensic examiner or it could be difficult to be identified due to prolonged storage of the cadaver. This article reviews the etiological factors, pathophysiological changes, clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and the medicolegal identification of air embolism.

Sudden death due to arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy: Two case reports.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a kind of primary myocardial disease characterized by the regional or global replacement of right ventricular myocardium by fatty and fibrolipomatous tissues. The ARVC, usually presenting with different clinical manifestations and pathological changes, were mainly seen in young men and is one of the main causes of sudden death in the young. Here two autopsied cases of Chinese men aged 30 and 23 years old who appeared healthy but died suddenly while at work are reported respectively.

[Pathomorphologic study of the fibrous cap and fatty core of coronary arthrosclerotic plaque in sudden coronary death].

Objective: The differences in the thickness of fibrous cap and the percentage of fatty core of the coronary atherosclerotic plaques between sudden coronary death (SCD) group and the control group were investigated.

Methods: Sixty-four autopsy cases were divided into SCD and control groups. Samples were taken from the most severely damaged portions of the coronary atherosclerotic plaques, sectioned, stained with HE, and the percentage of examined by light microscopy for morphologic changes and structural alternations.

[Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 expression in coronary atherosclerosis plaque of sudden coronary death patients].

Objective: To investigate the expression of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) in coronary atherosclerosis plaque of sudden coronary death (SCD) patients and the relationship between MCP-1 expression and SCD.

Methods: Autopsy heart samples (n = 90) collected during 2001 - 2003 were divided to SCD group (n = 36) and 2 control groups: control group I, non-SCD CHD (n = 28), control group II, non-cardiac death (n = 26). The immuno-histochemistry SABC techniques (R, positive MCP-1 cell area/totl area) and computerized images analysis (A) were performed to detect the expression of MCP-1 in different groups.

Myocardial Cx43 expression in the cases of sudden death due to dilated cardiomyopathy.

Purpose: Probing into myocardial connexin (Cx) 43 expression in the cases of sudden death due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and relationship between Cx43 expression and sudden death.

Method: Myocardial Cx43 was detected with immunohistochemical staining in the cases of 11 sudden death caused by DCM and 14 cases of control group who died of violent reasons and other diseases, which were autopsied in our department from 1997 to 2003.

Result: Of 11 cases of DCM, there were 10 men and 1 woman with ranging in age from 7 to 49 years old (x (37.

[Determination of isoniazid in blood and urine samples by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography].

For the purpose of more accurate and rapid analysis of isoniazid in body fluid samples, a reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed. Vanillin, being as a derivatizing reagent, was added to the plasma and urine samples when they were pretreated. Isoniazid and vanillin reacted to form isonicotinoyl hydrazone which was separated and detected.

[Gap junctions, connexins and sudden death caused by coronary heart disease].

Gap junctions construct hydrophilic trans-membrane channels which adjust the intercellular communication of chemistry and electricity. In the heart, individual cardiac myocytes are linked by gap junctions. These junctions form low resistance pathways along which the electrical impulse flows rapidly and repeatedly between all the myocardium, ensuring their synchronous contraction.

[Progression of the manner of cardiomyocyte death and its potential significance in forensic medicine].

The manner of cell death is a hotspot of medical researchers. Apoptosis and necrosis were considered as two manners of cell death in the past. But recently a new manner of cell death--oncosis is gradually accepted by the pathologists.

[The advance of protection for hazard factor during autopsy].

Recently, the special characteristics of work with SARS require particular attention to the facilities, equipment, policies and procedures involved. In fact, an autopsy also subject prosectors and others to a wide variety of hazards, including bloodborne, aerosolized pathogens and others (for example SARS). Forensic pathologists and other persons in close proximity to an autopsy need personal protective equipment, fourthemore, laboratory procedure and facility design principles of biosafety should be established for the protection of all personnal involved in the work.

Determination of free salicylic acid in chewing aspirin tablets by HPLC.

Objective: To establish a HPLC method for determining the content of free salicylic acid in chewing aspirin tablets.

Method: The determination was conducted on a HPLC column (C(18), 150 mm x 4.6 mm x 5 microm) with methanol-water-glacial acetic acid (8.