OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the expressive variety of apoptosis-related gene Bcl-2, Fas and the brain injury time during earlier period after cerebral contusion. METHODS: The morphologia feature of brain tissue was observed under microscopy and immunohistochemistry, image analyze technique was applied to detected the expression of Bcl-2 and Fas. RESULTS: Typical apoptotic cells were seen 8 hours after cerebral contusion. The expression of apoptosis-related gene was noted after 30 minutes and keep increase subsequently. The expression of Bcl-2 reached maximum level at 4 hours after brain trauma and then declined. CONCLUSION Detecting the expression of Bcl-2 and Fas would be of valuable in the distinguishment of promortem and postmortem injury, and the estimation of brain injury time during the earlier period after cerebral contusion.
Animals ; Apoptosis/genetics* ; Brain/pathology* ; Brain Concussion/pathology* ; Female ; Forensic Medicine ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics* ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Time Factors ; fas Receptor/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of GFAP and pathologic changes after rats brain concussion, so that to provide evidence on brain concussion for forensic identification. METHODS: Forty-five SD rats were divided into 3, 6, 12, 24 h and 2, 4, 7, 10 d and normal control groups in terms of different wounding time after brain concussion model established, and the expression of GFAP after rats brain concussion were then observed by using SP immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: In normal control brain, low-level GFAP expressions could be observed. After six hours' brain concussion, GFAP positive cells increased obviously. The trend reached to the peak at 7d, partly declined at 10d, then decreased gradually. CONCLUSION Brain concussion induced the expression of GFAP. The detection of GFAP could be useful for diagnosis of brain concussion on forensic pathology, and could be a reference index for timing of injury after brain concussion.
Animals ; Astrocytes/pathology* ; Brain Concussion/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Forensic Pathology ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein/metabolism* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common type of brain disorders among young adults. The dysfunction of the brain is often exacerbated due to diffuse axonal injury (DAI) which based on the injury of white matter fibers and axons. Since mild and moderate brain injury or DAI are diffuse and subtle, conventional CT and MRI are difficult to make a positive diagnosis. Recent clinical study indicated that functional magnetic resonance imaging has a high detection rate in the diagnosis of acute mild and moderate brain injury, especially the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). This paper has reviewed the principles and characteristics of DTI and 1H-MRS, and recent research in the clinical and animal experiments on brain injury.
Animals ; Axons/pathology* ; Brain/pathology* ; Brain Concussion/pathology* ; Brain Injuries/pathology* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diffuse Axonal Injury/pathology* ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods* ; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated/pathology* ; Severity of Illness Index

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes of expression of c-myc protein on rats' brains after brain concussion. METHODS: sixty rats were randomly divided into brain concussion groups and control group. The expression of c-myc protein was microscopically observed by immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: No expression of c-myc protein in control group were observed. However, positive expression of c-myc protein in some neurons was seen at 20 min after brain concussion, and reach to the peak at 8h after brain concussion and then decreased gradually. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the detection of c-myc protein could be an index of diagnosis of brain concussion.
Animals ; Brain/pathology* ; Brain Concussion/pathology* ; Brain Stem/pathology* ; Cerebral Cortex/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Neurons/pathology* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/metabolism* ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression of Bcl-2 protein after brain concussion. METHODS: Expression levels of Bel-2 protein in cortex, pontine and cerebellum of rats were investigated using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: There was no expression of Bcl-2 protein in control group seen. The expression of Bcl-2 protein in brain concussion groups was detected at l hour, and the expression level reached its peak 4 days after the concussion and then declined gradually. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the detection of Bel-2 protein could be an indicator for diagnosis of brain concussion and for estimation of the post injury time interval.
Animals ; Brain/pathology* ; Brain Concussion/metabolism* ; Brain Stem/pathology* ; Cerebral Cortex/pathology* ; Contusions/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Neurons/pathology* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the diffuse axonal injury (DAI) and cerebral contusion, primary brain stem injury and brain concussion. METHODS: One hundred and twelve cases with DAI were analyzed according to the characteristics of clinical signs and imaging features. RESULTS: Of 112 cases of DAI, 70.5% injured in traffic accident, 60.7% injured with blunt trauma more than one time and 71.4% injured with cerebral contusion. And 90 cases with brain with hemorrhage were found in CT or MRI imaging. CONCLUSION DAI may be associated with cortical contusion and primary brain stem injury. The CT or MRI is useful to investigate the cause of death and to evaluate the personal disability.
Accidents, Traffic ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Brain Concussion/pathology* ; Brain Injuries/diagnosis* ; Brain Stem/pathology* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diffuse Axonal Injury/pathology* ; Female ; Forensic Pathology ; Humans ; Intracranial Hemorrhages/etiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: By observing the cerebral beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP) expression in the chronic alcoholism rats with slight cerebral injury, to discuss the correlation of chronic alcoholism and death caused by traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage (TSAH). METHODS: Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided into watering group, watering group with strike, alcoholism group and alcoholism group with strike. Among them, the alcohol was used for continuous 4 weeks in alcoholism groups and the concussion was made in groups with strike. In each group, HE staining and immunohistochemical staining of the cerebral tissues were done and the results were analyzed by the histopathologic image system. RESULTS: In watering group, there was no abnormal. In watering group with strike, mild neuronic congestion was found. In alcoholism group, vascular texture on cerebral surface was found. And the neurons arranged in disorder with dilated intercellular space. In alcoholism group with strike, diffuse congestion on cerebral surface was found. And there was TSAH with thick-layer patches around brainstem following irregular axonotmesis. The quantity of beta-APP IOD in alcoholism group was significantly higher in the frontal lobe, hippocampus, cerebellum, brainstem than those in watering group with strike and alcoholism group with strike. CONCLUSION The cerebral tissues with chronic alcoholism, due to the decreasing tolerance, could cause fatal TSAH and pathological changes in cerebral tissues of rats under slight cerebral injury.
Alcoholism/pathology* ; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/metabolism* ; Animals ; Brain/pathology* ; Brain Concussion/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ethanol/adverse effects* ; Male ; Neurons/pathology* ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Traumatic/pathology*

OBJECTIVE: To observe e-jun protein expression after rat brain concussion and explore the forensic pathologic markers following brain concussion. METHODS: Fifty-five rats were randomly divided into brain concussion group and control group. The expression of c-jun protein was observed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: There were weak positive expression of c-jun protein in control group. In brain concussion group, however, some neutrons showed positive expression of c-jun protein at 15 min after brain concussion, and reach to the peak at 3 h after brain concussion. CONCLUSION The research results suggest that detection of c-jun protein could be a marker to determine brain concussion and estimate injury time after brain concussion.
Animals ; Brain/pathology* ; Brain Concussion/pathology* ; Brain Stem/metabolism* ; Cerebral Cortex/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Forensic Pathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun/metabolism* ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the spatial and temporal profile of neural cell apoptosis following traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHODSIn addition to morphological evidence of apoptosis, TUNEL histochemistry assay was used to identify DNA fragmentation in situ at both light and electron microscopic levels, whereas characteristic internucleosomal DNA fragmentation of apoptosis was demonstrated by DNA gel electrophoresis.

RESULTSUsing TUNEL method, we detected massive cells with extensive DNA fragmentation in different regions of the brains of rats subjected to experimental traumatic brain injury. Compared with the sham controls, in the injured cortex, the apoptotic cells were detectable for up to 24 h and reached a peak at 1 week after injury. The number of apoptotic cells in the white matter h ad a significant increase as early as 12 h after injury and peaked at 1 wee k. The number of apoptotic cells increased in the hippocampus at 72 h, whereas i n the thalamus, the peak of apoptotic cells was at 2 weeks after injury. The number of apoptotic cells in most regions returned to sham values 2 months after in jury. Gel electrophoresis of DNA extracted from affected areas of the injured br ain revealed only internucleosomal fragmentation at 185-bp intervals, a feature originally described in apoptotic cell death. And no DNA ladder was detectable in the cortex and hippocampus contralateral to the injured hemisphere.

CONCLUSIONSThese data suggest that in addition to the well described necrotic cell death, a temporal course of apoptotic cell death is initiated after brain trauma in selected brain regions.

Analysis of Variance ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; physiology ; Brain Concussion ; pathology ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVE: In order to improve accuracy of forensic expert conclusion and provide scientific and reasonable accordance for revising identifying criteria for the injury degree, correlation between clinical classification and injury certification of acute closed head trauma were explored. METHODS: A total of 30 cases about acute closed head trauma were selected. Comparison and analysis were made about their differences and the correlation between the clinical classification and the injury degree certification. RESULTS: Mild craniocerebral injury is equal to mild or moderate injury, moderate craniocerebral injury is equivalent to mild or severe injury, severe craniocerebral injury is mostly equivalent to severe injury. CONCLUSION There are some correlation between the clinical classification and the injury certification in acute closed head trauma. It is necessary to refer to the criteria of clinical classification when revising identifying criteria for the injury degree so as to enhance scientific rigor and rationality.
Adult ; Brain Concussion/pathology* ; Expert Testimony/standards* ; Female ; Forensic Pathology/standards* ; Head Injuries, Closed/pathology* ; Humans ; Injury Severity Score ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage/pathology* ; Young Adult