ObjectiveTo clearly identify the difference between rescue injuries and agonal injuries and to avoid duplicate identifications and misidentifications. MethodsBased on the forensic pathological data of 5 923 cases of death cause identification from 2013 to 2022 in Sun Yat-sen University Forensic Identification Center and Guangzhou Tianhe District Branch of Guangzhou Public Security Bureau， this study retrospectively studied the characteristics of rescue injuries and agonal injuries seen in cause of death identification and their influence on cause of death identification. ResultsAmong all the 5 923 cases， 640 cases were found to have rescue injuries or agonal injuries， and 624 cases received treatment， of which 609 cases were found to have rescue injuries （97.60%）， 44 cases were found to have agonal injuries， and 13 cases were found to have both types of injuries. Among the 640 cases， 441 were male and 199 were female. The age of death was discontinuously distributed from 0 to 95 years old. The leading cause of death was disease， followed by mechanical injury and asphyxia. The main manifestations of rescue injuries were rib and sternum fractures， soft tissue injuries in the prechest area or face， and pericardial rupture. The most common injuries in agonal stage were falling after unconsciousness， inhalation of foreign body in respiratory tract or multiple violent injuries. Among the 640 cases， 19 cases were repeatedly identified， including 15 cases of rescue injuries， 6 cases of agonal injuries， and 2 cases of both types of injuries. Compared with the cases where neither type of injuries was detected， the repeated identification rate of treatment injuries and agonal injuries was significantly increased （χ²=4.04， P=0.044； χ²=43.49， P<0.001）. Among the 640 cases， 11 cases （1.72%） were misidentified as the initial injuries in the first identification， and 13 cases had combined rescue injuries or agonal injuries that were involved in death. ConclusionsBy elucidating the epidemiological characteristics of the two types of injuries， this study proved that the two types of injuries were associated with higher rates of repeated identification and misidentification， which provided a reference for reducing repeated identification and misidentification and improving the accuracy of cause of death identification.

ObjectiveTo analyze the prevalence and influencing factors of overweight and obesity among primary school students in a community of Fengxian District, Shanghai, and to provide references for formulating prevention and control strategies against overweight and obesity. MethodsData on height and weight of all primary school students in a community in Fengxian District, Shanghai, in 2023 were obtained by physical examination, and 1 759 primary school students were included according to the entry criteria. Overweight and obesity were determined using body mass index (BMI). Additionally, a questionnaire survey was performed to 1 045 students to collect their demographic characteristics, dietary behaviors, dietary habits, sleep and physical activity information. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of overweight and obesity. ResultsIn 2023, among the 1 759 primary school students in the community in Fengxian District, 923 (52.47%) were male and 836 (47.53%) were female, with an overweight/obesity detection rate of 28.08%. The detection rate of overweight and obesity was 33.37% in males and 22.25% in females, which was significantly higher in males than that in females (χ²=26.845, P<0.001). Students aged 10‒12 years had a higher overweight/obesity detection rate (32.55%) than those aged 6‒<10 years (26.53%), and the difference was statistically significant (χ²=10.925, P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that being female, with young age, parental education level of bachelor’s degree and above, a high global dietary recommendation healthy (GDR-healthy) score, preference for vegetables and sweeter home-cooked meals, and a slow eating speed were negatively correlated with overweight/obesity. Whereas, parental overweight and obesity, binge eating, and a faster eating pace than same-age, same-gender peers may be positively correlated with overweight/obesity. ConclusionThe detection rate of overweight and obesity among primary school students in the community in Fengxian District of Shanghai is higher than the national level. Gender, age, parental BMI, parental education level, dietary behaviors and habits are the main influencing factors of overweight/obesity among primary school students.

Objective:To explore the impact of anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) augmented repair versus autologous hamstring tendon single-bundle reconstruction on long-term joint function and radiological outcomes in patients with ACL tear.Methods:A prospective study was conducted, including medical records of 100 patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears admitted to the 983rd Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force of the Chinese People′s Liberation Army from January 2020 to January 2023. There were 68 males and 32 females, who were aged from 35 to 63 years old, with a mean age of (44.73±6.31) years. The lesion was on the left side in 41 cases and on the right side in 59 cases. According to the Sherman classification, 43 cases were type Ⅰ and 57 cases were type Ⅱ. Patients were sequentially numbered according to admission order, and a random integer generator was used to assign random numbers (1 or 2). Patients assigned "1" were included in the Group 1, while those assigned "2" were allocated to the Group 2, with 50 cases in each group.The Group 1 received ACL augmented repair, while the Group 2 was treated with autologous hamstring tendon single-bundle reconstruction. After treatment, the two groups were compared in terms of knee joint function[International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score], motor function(Tegner score), knee joint stability(pivot shift test) at 12 and 24 months after surgery; the incidence of active pain[visual analog scale (VAS) score] at 1-3 months, 4-6 months, 7-12 months, and 13~24 months after surgery; radiological outcomes; and the rate of secondary revision. Measurement data with normal distribution were expressed as mean ± standard deviation( ± s), and comparisons between the two groups were performed using t-test. Comparisons among multiple time points within the group were conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance. Count data were presented as cases and percentages [ n(%)], and comparisons between groups were made using the chi-square test. Ranked data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results:As of the last follow-up, a total of 45 patients were included in Group 1 (the repair group), and 48 patients were included in Group 2 (the reconstruction group). At 12 and 24 months postoperatively, the IKDC scores in the repair group showed significant improvements compared to preoperative values ( t =11.29, P<0.05; t=14.86, P<0.05), as did the Tegner scores ( t=36.13, P<0.05; t=52.21, P<0.05). Additionally, pivot-shift test results demonstrated significant improvement ( χ2=79.33, P<0.05; χ2=90.00, P<0.05). Similarly, in the reconstruction group, both IKDC scores ( t=10.02, P<0.05; t=13.73, P<0.05) and Tegner scores ( t=44.87, P<0.05; t=60.65, P<0.05) significantly increased at 12 and 24 months postoperatively, with pivot-shift test results also showing marked improvement ( χ2=89.33, P<0.05; χ2=96.00, P<0.05). However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the repair and reconstruction groups in Tegner scores or pivot-shift test results at either time point. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups for any outcome at either time point (IKDC: t=0.93, P>0.05 at 12 months; t=0.75, P>0.05 at 24 months; Tegner: t=1.52, P>0.05; t=0.77, P>0.05; pivot-shift: χ2=1.16, P>0.05; χ2=1.34, P>0.05). The duration of postoperative activity-related pain was significantly shorter in the repair group (3.24±0.61 months) compared to the reconstruction group (4.48±0.59 months) ( t=9.95, P<0.05). During postoperative months 1-3 and 4-6, pain levels were also significantly lower in the repair group ( t=5.32, P<0.05; t=8.71, P<0.05). However, no statistically significant differences in pain levels were observed between groups at postoperative 7th to 12th months ( t=0.40, P>0.05) and 13th to 24th months ( t=0.37, P>0.05). At 24th months postoperatively, the majority of patients in both groups exhibited ligament thicknesses approaching normal levels, with fibro-osseous bridging between the ligament and bone tunnel walls. The revision rates were 2.2% (1/45) in the repair group and 2.1% (1/48) in the reconstruction group, with no statistically significant difference between groups ( χ2=0.00, P>0.05). Conclusions:The effects of ACL augmented repair for treating ACL tears on patients′ knee joint function, knee joint stability, motor function, and ligament healing are comparable to those of autologous hamstring tendon single-bundle reconstruction. However, ACL augmented repair can reduce the incidence of early active pain in patients.

Natural killer cells(NK)are important innate immune cells that do not require prior antigen exposure and can directly recognize and attack virus-infected cells and tumor cells.The activation and effector functions of NK cells are regulated by a balance of signals delivered through their surface activating receptors and inhibitory re-ceptors,which bind to ligands on target cells to achieve cytotoxicity via"induced self"and"missing self"recogni-tion models.The killing mechanisms of NK cells primarily include release of cytotoxic granules such as perforin and granzymes to induce target cell lysis,death receptor-mediated apoptosis,secretion of various cytokines,chemokines and growth factors to coordinate with other immune cells in killing tumor cells,thereby generating secondary im-mune responses and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity(ADCC).

Pyroptosis, an inflammatory caspase-dependent programmed cell death, plays a vital role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and activating inflammatory responses. Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) is an aseptic force-induced inflammatory bone remodeling process mediated by the activation of periodontal ligament (PDL) progenitor cells. However, whether and how force induces PDL progenitor cell pyroptosis, thereby influencing OTM and alveolar bone remodeling remains unknown. In this study, we found that mechanical force induced the expression of pyroptosis-related markers in rat OTM and alveolar bone remodeling process. Blocking or enhancing pyroptosis level could suppress or promote OTM and alveolar bone remodeling respectively. Using Caspase-1^-/- mice, we further demonstrated that the functional role of the force-induced pyroptosis in PDL progenitor cells depended on Caspase-1. Moreover, mechanical force could also induce pyroptosis in human ex-vivo force-treated PDL progenitor cells and in compressive force-loaded PDL progenitor cells in vitro, which influenced osteoclastogenesis. Mechanistically, transient receptor potential subfamily V member 4 signaling was involved in force-induced Caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis in PDL progenitor cells. Overall, this study suggested a novel mechanism contributing to the modulation of osteoclastogenesis and alveolar bone remodeling under mechanical stimuli, indicating a promising approach to accelerate OTM by targeting Caspase-1.
Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Rats ; Bone Remodeling/physiology* ; Caspase 1 ; Periodontal Ligament ; Pyroptosis ; Tooth Movement Techniques

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma on plaque stability in atherosclerotic （AS） mice and to explore its possible mechanism of action based on the Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）/myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）/nuclear factor kappa B （NF-κB） signaling pathway. MethodTen normal C57BL/6J mice were used as the normal group， and the same strain of ApoE knockout （ApoE^-/-） mice were fed with a high-fat diet for 12 weeks to construct an atherosclerosis model. Mice were randomly divided into five groups， namely the model group， the atorvastatin group， and the Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma low-， medium-， and high-dose groups， with ten mice in each group. Then normal and model groups were given equal volume of saline gavage， and the low-， medium-， high-dose Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma groups were given 1.95， 3.9， 7.8 g·kg^-1 of the drug by gavage for 8 weeks， respectively. The general state of mice was observed. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was utilized to observe the pathology of aortic root plaques and calculate the percentage of plaque area. Masson staining and oil red O staining combined with immunohistochemistry of F4/80 and α-SMA were used to detect the plaque components of aortic root plaques and calculate the plaque vulnerability index. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was adopted to detect the expression levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-6 （IL-6）. Western blot was applied to detect the protein expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2）， matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）， TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB p65， and phosphorylation （p） -NF-κB p65 in the aortic tissues of mice in each group. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） assay was employed to detect the expression levels of MMP-2， MMP-9， TLR4， and MyD88， NF-κB p65 mRNA. ResultCompared with the model group， the general state of the mice in each medication group was improved， and no obvious side effects were observed. Compared with the model group， the percentage of plaque area in the aortic root of AS mice was significantly reduced in the medium- and high-dose Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma groups （P<0.05）. The content of collagen fibers and smooth muscle cells in the plaques of the high-dose Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma group was significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the content of lipids and macrophages was significantly reduced （P<0.05）， the plaque vulnerability index of each dose group of Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma was significantly reduced， with significant reduction of the medium- and high-dose groups （P<0.01）. MMP-2 and MMP-9 protein and mRNA expression levels in aortic tissues were significantly reduced in medium- and high-dose Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma groups （P<0.05）. The serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly reduced in AS mice in medium- and high-dose Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma groups （P<0.05）. In the medium- and high-dose Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma groups， the levels of TLR4， MyD88 protein， and mRNA expression in aortic tissues were significantly reduced （P<0.05）， and the level of NF-κB p65 phosphorylation in aortic tissues was significantly reduced （P<0.05）. ConclusionScutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma may play an anti-inflammatory and stabilizing role by inhibiting the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

【Objective】 To explore the risk factors of severe postoperative hemorrhage in patients with staghorn renal calculi treated with mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (M-PCNL), and to construct a Bayesian network model to predict postoperative hemorrhage. 【Methods】 A retrospective analysis was conducted on 160 patients with staghorn renal calculi who were treated with M-PCNL by surgeons with equivalent qualifications at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College during Jan. 2020 and Jan. 2022.A computer-generated random number method was used to divide them into a modeling group (120 cases) and a validation group (40 cases).Patients in the modeling group were divided into severe bleeding group (38 cases) and non-severe bleeding group (82 cases).The general information of the two groups was compared, and the independent risk factors of severe postoperative hemorrhage were analyzed.A Bayesian network model was constructed using R software, the inference prediction was conducted using Netica software, and the performance of the model was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. 【Results】 Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that renal insufficiency (OR: 2.845, 95%CI: 1.563-6.515), mixmum diameter of stones ≥2 cm (OR: 2.063, 95%CI: 1.824-4.555), operation time ≥90 minutes (OR: 3.632, 95%CI: 2.365-7.11), one-stage operation (OR: 2.321, 95%CI: 1.874-6.332), and multi-channel stone removal (OR: 1.842, 95%CI: 1.366-3.687) were independent risk factors of postoperative severe hemorrhage (P<0.05).Based on the above parameters, a Bayesian network model was established, which was then evaluated with the modeling and validation groups internally and externally.The AUC of the modeling group was 0.879 (95%CI: 0.804-0.931, P<0.001), with sensitivity and specificity being 87.68% and 89.63%, respectively.The AUC of the validation group was 0.875(95%CI: 0.818-0.908, P<0.001), with sensitivity and specificity being 87.55% and 89.40%, respectively.The model showed good discrimination. 【Conclusion】 Renal dysfunction, mixmum diameter of stones ≥2 cm, operation time ≥90 minutes, one-stage operation, and multi-channel stone removal are risk factors of severe hemorrhage in patients after M-PCNL.The prediction model has good predictive ability and can effectively describe the complex mechanism between diseases and risk factors.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma （SRCR） on atherosclerosis （AS） in mice and the effect of SRCR on macrophage pyroptosis in plaques via NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain-associated protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasomes. MethodApoE^-/- mice were fed with a high-fat diet for the modeling of AS and randomized into model， atorvastatin （5 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （1.95， 3.9， 7.8 g·kg^-1， respectively） SRCR groups. Normal C57BL/6J mice were selected as the control group. After 8 weeks of administration， hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the pathological status of the aortic plaque. The lipid accumulation in aortic plaque was observed by oil red O staining. The serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） in mice were measured. Immunofluorescence double staining was employed to detect the co-localized expression of EGF-like module-containing mucin-like hormone receptor-like 1 （EMR1）/NLRP3 and EMR1/gasdermin D （GSDMD）. The serum levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and interleukin-18 （IL-18） were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The protein levels of NLRP3， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein （ASC）， Caspase-1， cleaved Caspase-1， GSDMD， N-terminus of GSDMD （GSDMD-NT）， pro-IL-1β， IL-1β， and IL-18 were determined by Western blot， and the mRNA levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， GSDMD， IL-1β， and IL-18 were determined by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultCompared with the control group， the model group showed obvious plaques， elevated serum levels of TG， TC， LDL-C， IL-1β， and IL-18 （P<0.01）， lowered serum level of HDL-C （P<0.01）， and up-regulated expression of NLRP3 inflammasomes and molecules related to pyroptosis in the aortic plaques （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， SRCR， especially at the medium and high doses， alleviated the plaque pathology， reduced the lipid content in plaques （P<0.05， P<0.01）， recovered the serum lipid levels （P<0.05）， reduced the macrophage recruitment （P<0.01）， activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes， and pyroptosis in aortic root plaques （P<0.05）， lowered the serum IL-1β and IL-18 levels （P<0.01）， and down-regulated the protein levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， cleaved Caspase-1， GSDMD， GSDMD-NT， pro-IL-1β， IL-1β， and IL-18 （P<0.05） and the mRNA levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， GSDMD， IL-1β， and IL-18 in the aortic tissue （P<0.05）. ConclusionSRCR exerts a therapeutic effect on high-fat diet-induced AS in mice by inhibiting the activation NLRP3 inflammasomes and reducing the pyroptosis of macrophages in plaques.