Objective To study the ultrastructural changes of gunshot wounds at the brain stem and the cause of the death. Method A case died of the head injury and two cases died of gunshot wounds of the brain stem were studied. Brain stem tissues were taken 25 min after death. Tissue blocks from the tegmentum of the midbrain and the pons as well as the gray matter of the medulla oblongata in the deep portion of the base of the fourth ventricle were taken and were examined with ultramicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Results (1) The gunshot wound injuries inside the brain including burn and injuries caused by punch and pressure; (2) Although the primary gunshot wounds were located at the midbrain, the pathological changes extended to the whole brain stem; (3)The injuries of the axons and the nerve cells were more severe and extensive than those of the glia fibers. (4)The changes of the burn included condensation and degeneration of the myelin sheath and axonal cytoplasm, especially the mitochondria as well as edema of the myelin sheath and the axonal cytoplasm. The punch and pressure injuries included the torsion, deformation, fusion, compression, breach, torn and displacement of the axons with loss of cytoplasm as well as the deviation of mitochondria, micro ?neuro - fibrils and micro - tubules in the axons. Conclusion The severe and extensive injuries of the axons of nerve fibers in the brain stem might play an important role in the cause of death of gunshot.

Objective Observe the injuries to the cranial nerves in cases of brain stem injury following head trauma;explore the mechanism of injuries and their relations to the mode and point of impact on the head. Method Brain stem specimens of 465 cases of head trauma were designed to take cross sections at the roots of the 3rd～12th cranial nerves. Among the 465 cases, 171 were proven to have contusion of the brain stem. On these cases, the cranial nerves were observed meticulously. Results Cranial nerve injuries were found in all cases suffering from brain stem contusion. The nerves included were: oculomotor nerve (120 cases, 70.2%), facial and acoustic nerve (92 cases, 53.8%), trigeminal nerve (85 cases, 49.7%), abducent nerve (45 cases, 26.3%), hypoglossal nerve (31 cases, 18.1%), vagus nerve (27 cases, 15.8%), glosso-pharyngeal nerve (24 cases, 14.0%), and trochlear nerve and accessory nerve (10 cases each, 5.8%). The nerve injuries may be unilateral or bilateral, involving single or multiple nerves in a case. The pathological changes included hemorrhage (42 cases, 24.6%), edema (26 cases, 15.2%), structural deformation at the root of the nerves (71 cases, 41.5%), tear of the nerve roots (32 cases, 18.7%). Conclusion Cranial nerve injury is an important part of the cranio-cerebral injury, and also an accompaniment of the brain stem injury. The features of interesting in the injuries were the higher frequencies in the nerves at the upper level and the nerves of larger diameter; of highest frequency were oculomotor nerve, facial nerve and acoustic nerve.

Objective To explore the correlations of perceived social support and burnout with general well-being among caregivers in nursing homes. Methods One hundred nursing workers were selected from three nursing homes in Guangzhou. Perceived social support scale ( PSSS ) , Maslach burnout inventory ( MBI ) and general well-being schedule ( GWBS ) were used to investigate the status of their support, burnout and general well-being and analyze the correlations between them. Results The scores on perceived social support, job burnout and general well-being were (59.00 ± 9.00), (2.49 ± 0.88), (77.19 ±9 .90), respectively, all at moderate level. The scores on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were significantly higher than the norms (both P<0.001). Job burnout together with its three dimensions was negatively correlated with general well-being (all P<0.01), while perceived social support was positively correlated with general well-being ( P < 0 . 01 ) . The exogenous family support , emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment influenced caregiver′s general well-being (all P<0.01). Conclusions Perceived social support, job burnout and general well-being are all at moderate level in caregivers of nursing homes. The higher the perceived social support, the lower the job burnout, the higher the passion and the general well-being in care workers. The general well-being of caregivers of the nursing homes was not high. The managers should pay more attention to them and measures should be taken to promote their physical and mental health.

Objective:Select a suitable macroporous resin for the purification technic of total saponins from Panacis Japonici Rhizoma and determine the parameter of purification technic. Methods:Made the content of total saponins as the index, used static adsorption test and combined the adsorption kinetic parameters to select the type of macroporous resin. By using dynamic adsorption experiment to investigate the technical parameters of the purified macroporous resin extracted from Panacis Japonici Rhizoma. Then the preparation technic of the total saponins of Panacis Japonici Rhizoma was determined. Results:The D101 macroporous resin could absorpt and desorpt total saponins of Panacis Japonici Rhizoma effectively. The optimal purification parameters were as follow: the loading mass concentration was 0.1 g/ml (based on crude drug), and the loading volume was 100 ml (which means the loading volume of resin per ml was equivalent to 3.3 grams of crude drug). During the elution process, distilled water (3 BV) and 20% ethanol (3 BV) were used to remove impurity, and then 70% ethanol elution (6 BV) was used to enrich the total saponins. The flow rate of loading and elution was 0.5 ml/min. The transfer rate of total saponins could reache 85.6%. Conclusion:The D101 macroporous resin can effectively enrich and purify the total saponins of Panacis Japonici Rhizoma, which provides the scientific basis for the development and utilization of Panacis Japonici Rhizoma.

Recent studies have shown that ozone therapy, a widely used immunotherapy in various diseases, can play a therapeutic role in the novel coronavirus infection by enhancing lung function, reducing inflammatory reactions, and bolstering immune system performance. This article reviews the pathophysiological basis of novel coronavirus infection and the mechanisms involved in ozone therapy for its treatment, also summarizes the clinical evidence and safety assessment of ozone therapy in combating novel coronavirus infections.

The study developed a metabolic balance model to evaluated the cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin. The rats were divided into 3 groups, control group(saline), low dose group(8 mg/kg of cumulative doxorubicin)and high dose group(15 mg/kg of cumulative doxorubicin). Doxorubicin or saline was intraperitoneally injected and blood sample was collected at day 1, 4, 7 and 10. The concentrations of nitric oxide(NO), B-type natriuretic peptide(BNP)and the activity of glutathion peroxidase(GSH-Px), xanthine oxidase(XOD)in rat plasma were determined. A metabolic balance model based on the four biomarkers was developed to evaluate the doxorubicin cardiotoxicity in rat. Doxorubicin leaded to significant changes of multiple biomarkers, resulting in metabolic balance disruption according to the metabolic balance maps and dynamic parameters of metabolic balance disruption. Moreover, the correlation study showed a good relationship between metabolic balance disruption and ejection fraction(EF). The metabolic balance model provide a novel method to integrally evaluate the doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

BACKGROUND:The appearance of the crescent sign in femoral head necrosis is a"turning point"in the progression of the disease,and repairing and stabilizing the bone-cartilage interface is particularly important in preventing further progression and collapse of the femoral head.Tissue engineering offers potential advantages in the simultaneous repair and integration of the bone-cartilage interface. OBJECTIVE:To review potentially suitable techniques addressing the subchondral separation in femoral head necrosis. METHODS:Relevant articles from January 1970 to April 2023 were searched in PubMed,Web of Science,and China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)using English search terms"femoral head necrosis,avascular necrosis of femoral head,osteonecrosis of femoral head"and Chinese search terms"femoral head necrosis,subchondral bone,cartilage,integration of cartilage and subchondral bone".A total of 114 articles were included for review and analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Structural defects,ischemic and hypoxic environment,inflammatory factors,and stress concentration may cause subchondral separation in osteonecrosis of the femoral head.Subchondral bone collapse and failure of hip-preserving surgery may be associated.Integration of tissue engineering scaffolds with the bone-cartilage interface is one potential approach for treating subchondral separation in osteonecrosis of the femoral head.(2)Current literature suggests that multiphase scaffolds,gradient scaffolds,and composite materials have shown improvements in promoting cell adhesion,proliferation,and deposition of bone and cartilage matrix.These advancements aid in the integration of scaffolds with the bone-cartilage interface and have implications for the treatment of subchondral separation in osteonecrosis of the femoral head.(3)Surface modifications of scaffolds can enhance interface integration efficiency,but they have their advantages and disadvantages.Scaffolds providing different environments can induce differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and facilitate integration between different interfaces.(4)Future scaffolds for subchondral separation in osteonecrosis of the femoral head are expected to be composite materials with gradient and differentiated biomimetic structures.Surface modifications and stem cell loading can promote integration between the bone-cartilage interface and scaffolds for therapeutic purposes,but further experimental verification is still needed.Challenges include synchronizing scaffold degradation rate with repair progress and ensuring stability between different interfaces.

Objective:To explore the differences of gene expression profiles of precursors of exhausted T cells (Tpex) and terminal exhausted T cells (Tex) in the peripheral blood of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (ATB).Methods:Twenty-five cases of ATB, 13 cases of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and 10 health controls were enrolled from January 2021 to October 2022 in the Fifth People′s Hospital of Wuxi. The proportions of Tpex and Tex in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of the three groups were detected by flowcytometry. PBMCs of ATB were separated into Tpex and Tex by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. RNA-sequencing was performed and up-regulated and down-regulated genes were screended. Differently expressed genes were analyzed by gene set enrichment analysis of gene ontology (GO) to find regulatory pathways affecting cell metabolism and function. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn multiple comparsion test were used for statistical analysis.Results:The proportion of Tpex in ATB group was 2.86%(1.74%), which was lower than 7.93%(6.16%) of Tex, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z=-3.91, P<0.001). The proportions of Tpex and Tex in LTBI group were 9.47%(6.26%) and 7.43%(5.48%), respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant ( Z=-0.93, P=0.345). The proportions of Tpex and Tex in healthy control group were 8.42%(2.69%) and 6.49%(5.14%), respectively, with no statistical significance ( Z=-1.36, P=0.170). There was statistical difference of the proportion of Tpex among the three groups ( H=21.93, P<0.001), and the proportion of Tpex in ATB group was lower than those in LTBI and heathy control groups, and the differences were both statistically significant ( Z=4.16, P<0.001 and Z=3.34, P=0.003, respectively), while the proportions of Tex in these three groups were not statistically different ( H=2.17, P=0.338). Compared with Tex, the gene expressions of memory markers, such as B-cell lymphoma 2 of Tpex were up-regulated, and the gene expressions of exhausted markers, such as lymphocyte activation gene 3 were down-regulated. In terms of cellular metabolism, the gene expressions of mitochondrial protein complex, mitochondrial matrix and oxidative phosphorylation of Tpex were up-regulated, and the gene expressions of glycolysis were down-regulated. The gene expressions of pyruvate metabolism in Tex were up-regulated, and the gene expressions of CD4 + T lymphocyte activation and differentiation and glycolytic process in Tpex were down-regulated. Conclusions:Tpex in ATB express more characteristics of memory cells and less features of exhausted markers compared with Tex, and the function of mitochondria of Tpex preserves well.

Antibiotics are widely used and prevalently distributed in the environment. The issue of antibiotic resistance genes has posed a huge threat to the global public health. Soil is an important sink of antibiotics in the environment. Antibiotic exposure may introduce adverse effects on soil organisms, and bring indirect but potential risks to human health. Therefore, it is urgent to take actions to remediate antibiotics-contaminated soil. This review summarized effects of antibiotics on phenotype growth of plants, physiological characteristics and community structure of animals, composition and structure of microbial communities, and transmission of antibiotic resistance genes among organisms in soil. Additionally, the potential and prospects of employing antibiotic-resistant soil plants, animals, microorganisms, and their combinations to treat antibiotics-contaminated soil were illustrated. Last but not least, the unaddressed issues in this area were proposed, which may provide insights into relevant research directions in the future.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Biodegradation, Environmental ; Drug Resistance, Microbial/genetics* ; Humans ; Soil ; Soil Microbiology ; Soil Pollutants

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics,treatment and prognosis of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT)-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) in children.Methods The clinical information,treatment and prognosis of 9 cases with TA-TMA hospitalized following alloHSCT from January 2008 to November 2017 in Hematology Oncology Center,Beijing Children's Hospital,Capital Medical University were retrospectively analyzed.Results Of all the 283 allo-HSCT recipients,9 patients (3.2％) were diagnosed as TA-TMA.Among them,there were 5 male and 4 female,with a median age of 94 months (39-129 months).The median time to of diagnosis was 63 days (6-342 days) after HSCT.Additionally,the median platelet counts,hemoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) levels were 44 × 109/L [(7-75) × 109/L],76 g/L (40-105 g/L) and 594 U/L(445-1 386 U/L).Neurological symptoms were found in 5 of the patients,4 had kidney involvement,and 6 had gastrointestinal involvement.The major treatment of TA-TMA was plasma exchange,Rituximab and defibrotide instead of the use of calcineurin inhibitors.Finally,4 patients achieved response after treatment,5 children died of ineffective treatment.Conclusion TA-TMA is a fatal complication after allo-HSCT.It can lead to multiorgan and multi-systems dysfunction.If there are more than 2 systems involved in TA-TMA,it suggests poor prognosis.The combined therapy is better than monotherapy,and the selective individual treatment of TA-TMA is essential.