Pathological changes in rats with acute Dysosma versipellis poisoning / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the pathological changes of major organs in rats with acute Dysosma versipellis poisoning and investigate the toxic mechanism and the injuries of target tissues and organs.@*METHODS@#Forty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three experimental groups, which were given the gavage with 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 LDo doses of Dysosma versipellis decoction, and one control group, which was given the gavage with 1.0 LD0 dose of normal saline. The rats were sacrificed 14 days after Dysosma versipellis poisoning and samples including brain, heart, liver, lung, and kidney were taken. After pathological process, the pathological changes of the major organs and tissues were observed by light microscope and electron microscope. The experimental data were statistical analyzed by chi2 test.@*RESULTS@#The observations of light microscopy: loose cytoplasm of neurons with loss of most Nissl bodies; swelling of myocardial cells with disappearance of intercalated disk and striations; hepatocellular edema with ballooning degeneration; and swelling epithelial cells of renal proximal convoluted tubule with red light coloring protein-like substances in the tube. The observations of electron microscopy: the structures of cell membrane and nuclear membrane of neurons were destroyed; cytoplasm of neurons, obvious edema; and most organelles, destroyed and disappeared. The mortalities of rats after acute poisoning of the four groups increased with doses (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Acute Dysosma versipellis poisoning can cause multi-organ pathological changes. There is a positive correlation between the toxic effect and the dosage. The target tissues and organs are brain (neurons), heart, liver and kidney.

Expression of fas protein of myocardium in dilated cardiomyopathy / 法医学杂志

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. Expressions of myocardial Fas protein in the samples were quantitatively detected by immunohistochemistry and computerized imaging analysis.@*RESULTS@#Myocardial Fas protein expression increased significantly in the DCM group. Positive color showed brown-yellow granulated or striped distribution in the longitudinal section of myocardial within the cell membrane and cytoplasm, and showed circular brown granules in the cross section of the cell membrane, while these changes were not observed in the control group though there was focal weak staining noted. Statistical significance was observed between the experimental and control groups (P = 0.002), but no statistical significance was found for the average optical density value between these two groups (P = 0.675).@*CONCLUSION@#The expression of Fas protein increased obviously in the DCM group. Such alteration in expression quantity and distribution of myocardial Fas protein may be related to arrhythmia and heart failure in the patients with DCM.

Comparative analysis of 607 autopsy cases of poisoning death / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To provide references for forensic expertise by investigating the kinds of toxicant, routes of exposure and manners of poisoning deaths, etc.@*METHODS@#Six hundred and seven autopsy cases of poisoning deaths from 1957 to 2008 in Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College (Tongji Forensic Science Identification Center of Hubei), were comparatively reviewed.@*RESULTS@#In 218 cases from 1999 to 2008, more than 50% of decedents were male in the ages of 30-49. The toxicants are usually taken orally and the most common manner of death was accidental. The common substances involved in poisoning death were rodenticide, poisoning gas and insecticide. Compared to the data of 1983-1998 and 1957-1982, the common toxic agents had changed significantly. The number of cases involving insecticide and cyanide poisoning decreased in recent years, and the number of cases of rodenticide, poisoning gas, alcohols poisoning displayed an increase tendency, especially for drugs abuse.@*CONCLUSION@#Poisoning deaths of pesticides remain a major public health problem for a long time and the awareness of prevention need to be raised, especially for the prevention of deaths from multiple poisons.

Effects of triptolide on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of rats / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effects of triptolide on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) of rats in light of morphological and functional changes.@*METHODS@#Thirty Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats were randomized into 3 groups and given 2% propylene glycol, mixture of propylene glycol and prednisone acetate or compounds of propylene glycol and triptolide by gavage, respectively, for consecutive 7 weeks. Determination in the 3 groups was conducted concerning the contents of blood plasma cortisol (COR), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) besides measurement of the rats' body weight, coefficient of the adrenal gland and observation of the histopathological changes in fascicular zone of adrenal cortex. Immunohistochemical staining technique was used to detect the expression of ACTH in pituitary in the 3 groups.@*RESULTS@#(1) The content of COR in the groups of triptolide and prednisone acetate appeared lower and serum ACTH showed no significant difference, but CRH in the group of triptolide was augmented as compared with the control group (P < 0.05). (2) The rats' weight in the groups of triptolide and prednisone acetate was declined, and yet, the coefficient of the adrenal gland remained no significant change in comparison with the controls. HE staining and electron microscopy examination revealed thinned and constricted zona fasciculata in adrenal gland in the rats of triptolide and prednisone acetate, with hypofunction. ACTH expression in the group of triptolide was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Morphologically and functionally, the findings suggest that long-term use of triptolide may result in atrophied cortex and hypofunction of the adrenal gland, leading to augmented production and secretion of CRH and ACTH from respective hypothalamic and pituitary.

Pathological study on autopsy died of Tripterygium intoxication--report of 4 cases / 中国中西医结合杂志

The Tripterygium preparation, a Chinese herbal medicine, has been widely used to treat various autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Its significant clinical effects have received a great praise and attention by the public health in China, but its toxicity also definitely exists, with the therapeutic dosage approaching the minimal toxic dosage. In order to provide reference for the safe use of Tripterygium preparation in clinical practice, the pathological changes of 4 autopsy cases by Tripterygium poisoning were reported in this paper. In them, 2 cases died of acute cardiogenic shock caused by myocardial damage, showing hydropic degeneration of the myocardial cells, even with obvious contraction band necrosis in the papillary muscles; the other 2 died of severe acute renal failure due to severe acute toxic nephrosis; cerebral edema and gastrointestinal inflammatory changes were found in all cases. The authors suggested that careful dosage control is the key step to prevent Tripterygium intoxication during the medical treatments; directly using the crude Tripterygium in clinics should be prohibited; and the Tripterygium preparation used should be produced by the pharmaceutical companies regulated by the government.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and its forensic investigation / 法医学杂志

During the past two decades tremendous efforts have been made by the medical community, especially in the fields of forensic medicine and pediatrics, to better understand the etiology, epidemiology and pathophysiology of SIDS. There have been many SIDS reports from developed countries, but few from developing Asian countries. Despite a recent significant decrease in the incidence of SIDS in many developed countries, SIDS continues to be the most common cause of post-neonatal infant death in these countries. This article analyzes the SIDS data (1990-2006) from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland, USA, along with review of the literature with regard to the history, epidemiological and pathophysiological characteristics of SIDS, as well as the recent advances in SIDS research. The changing trends in the diagnosis of SIDS and current challenges to its forensic investigation are also discussed.

Analysis and consider of technical identification for 32 cases medical tangle in medical association / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze cause of medical accidents and actuality of technical identification in medical tangle.@*METHODS@#32 cases (17 death, 15 survive) of medical tangle by technical identification (according to sex, age, mostly diseases, sequel) and identified results (whether or not mistake, cause and effect connection, duty degree) have been studied.@*RESULTS@#13 cases of 32 medical accidents have been determined.19 cases have been attributed to no medical accidents. Causes of medical accidents were most due to negligence of sense of duty.@*CONCLUSION@#The incidence rate of medical accidents can be decreased by strengthen colligated stuff of medical affairs personnal. We suggest that our state bring out more perfect legislation of autopsy in order to gain positive effect of technical identification in medical tangle. The medical mistake among grade of medical accidents should be added so that justice of identification could be improved.

Reasons why the quality of medico-legal autopsy in the medical tangle varies from two areas / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study reasons that the quality of medico-legal autopsy in the medical tangle varies from different area.@*METHODS@#Collecting the cases of medical tangle in two medico-legal agencies, then counting percent of classes on the ten key-points, analyzing the data of the cases by chi-square test and t-test.@*RESULTS@#It is indicated that the applied methods and standards of the two agencies are different. There are more different in seven keypoint of medicolegal autopsy by chi-square test.@*CONCLUSION@#Six key-points are found to be more important to medico-legal appraiser, standardization of forensic autopsy, standardization of picking up specimen from the body, diagnosis standardization of the cause of death, consultation system and standardization of writing documents on medico-legal autopsy.

Study of toxicology of strychnos / 法医学杂志

Because of its officinal value, strychnos is widely used by clinic and individual. Since toxic dose and therapeutic dose are very close, strychnos poisoning cases are frequently reported. In this paper the chemical component, toxic dose, mechanisms of toxicity, poisoning symptom and pathological changes after strychnos poisoning are reviewed.

Influence of triptolide on neuronal apoptosis in rat with cerebral injury after focal ischemia reperfusion / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study effect of triptolide (TL) on neuronal apoptosis in cerebral tissue of rat after ischemia-reperfusion.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Triptolide at dose 0.2 or 0.4 mg x kg(-1) was intraperitoneally injected once a day for 4 d. The focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model was established with thread embolism in middle artery before triptolide injection on the fourth day. Neurological deficit score of rats was evaluated; and immunohistochemical techniques were used to count positive cells of express of MPO and TUNEL in cerebraltissue.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Compared with the control group, the deficit of neural function was significantly improved, and the number of infiltrate of neutrophil and neuronal apoptosis in cerebral tissue was remarkably reduced in two TL-treated groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results suggested that TL can inhibit infiltration of neutrophil and decrease the degree of neuronal apoptosis in cerebral tissue.</p>

A preliminary study on the changes of expression of PDGF-beta, PDGFR-beta, TGF-beta 1, TGFR, bFGF and its relationship with the wound age in wound healing / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the relationship between the expression change of cytokines and the wound age during the healing process of rats skin wound.@*METHODS@#Immunohistochemical and image-analysis methods were performed on vital skin wounds(after incision 0.5-168 h am) and postmortem damage(after incision 0.5-6 h pm).@*RESULTS@#The expression of the cytokines PDGF-beta, PDGFR-beta, TGF-beta 1, and bFGF in the epithelial cells was already enhanced since 0.5 h am after damage and their strongest expression reaction was seen at 24-96 h am. In addition, the expression of PDGF-beta, PDGFR-beta, TGF-beta 1 and bFGF was also found in the macrophages and the fibroblasts of the granulation tissue, and the expression changes in the postmortem damage group showed that the skin tissue within 0.5-3 h after incision showed immunohistochemical changes but weakly expression and 3 h thereafter no any change was found.@*CONCLUSION@#The expression characteristics of the above mentioned cytokines in wound repair should be related to the wound age and it reminds therefore that they may be used as immunohistochemical criteria for accurate determining the wound age.