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Objective:To analyze the brain function of patients with delirium in intensive care unit (ICU) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), further analyze the structural changes in the brain using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and explore the correlations of brain function with structural changes in patients with delirium in ICU from a new perspective of functional imaging, provide visual evidence for the diagnosis of delirium.Methods:Patients with delirium admitted to ICU of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from January 1st to December 31st in 2017 were enrolled as subjects. During the same period, the healthy volunteers who matched the gender, age and education level of the patients with delirium were enrolled as control group. The intensive care delirium screening checklist (ICDSC) scores within 24 hours after ICU admission were recorded. All the subjects were scanned by fMRI and DTI. The abnormal changes in resting-state brain function of the patients with delirium were evaluated by cerebral regional homogeneity (ReHo) data analysis. The DTI data were processed by the FSL software, and the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of the brain were extracted, respectively, to evaluate the damage to brain structure. The values of ReHo, FA and MD were compared between the two groups. The ReHo value of brain region with reduced ReHo value of patients with delirium as compared with the healthy volunteers was extracted for Pearson correlation analysis with ICDSC scores.Results:A total of 22 patients with delirium were included. Seven patients who did not cooperate in the examination, used sedatives or had false images in scanning, were excluded. Finally, 15 patients were enrolled in the delirium group, and 15 healthy volunteers in the healthy control group. ① No statistically significant difference was found in gender, age or education time between the two groups. ICDSC score of the delirium group was significantly higher than that of the healthy control group (6.07±1.28 vs. 1.07±0.88, P < 0.01). ② fMRI scanning and analysis results: compared with the healthy control group, the ReHo values of the cerebellum, right hippocampus, striatum, midbrain and pons in the delirium group were significantly increased (all P < 0.05, AlphaSim correction), while the ReHo values of bilateral superior frontal gyrus, bilateral median frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, temporal lobe and parietal lobe were significantly lowered (all P < 0.05, AlphaSim correction). Correlation analysis showed that the ReHo value of the left superior frontal gyrus was negatively correlated with ICDSC score in the patients with delirium ( r = -0.794, P < 0.05), indicating that the changes in the functional area of the medial frontal gyrus was most closely related to delirium. ③ DTI scanning and analysis results: compared with the healthy control group, the FA values of the left cerebellum, bilateral frontal lobes, left temporal lobe, corpus callosum and left hippocampus in the delirium group were decreased significantly (all P < 0.05, AlphaSim correction), while the MD values of the medial frontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, bilateral insular lobes and left caudate nucleus were enhanced significantly (all P < 0.05, AlphaSim correction), suggesting that the structural and functional damage was found in multiple brain regions in patients with delirium. Conclusions:Multiple brain regions of patients with delirium present abnormal resting-state brain function. The abnormal resting-state brain function of the left superior frontal gyrus is closely related to the occurrence of delirium. Structural damage is found in multiple brain regions of patients with delirium. The structural changes in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, corpus callosum, hippocampus and cerebellum and their abnormal functions can be used as preliminary imaging indexes for the diagnosis of delirium.
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Objective To investigate the protective effect of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) on renal injury poisoned by paraquat (PQ) in rats and its mechanism. Methods Twenty-four healthy clean male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal saline (NS) control group, 5-ASA control group, PQ model group and 5-ASA treatment group, with 6 rats in each group. The rat model of PQ poisoning was reproduced by intraperitoneal injection of 2% PQ solution 20 mg/kg, and the same volume of NS was given in NS control group and 5-ASA control group. Two hours later, the rats in 5-ASA control group and 5-ASA treatment group were intragastrically administered with 1 mL 5-ASA (75 mg/kg) for one time after NS or PQ administration, and those in NS control group and PQ model group were administered with 1 mL double distilled water. Behavioral changes were observed in rats. Then the rats were sacrificed at 24 hours after starting of the experiment for cardiac blood harvest which could be used to detect the biomarkers of renal injury and oxidative stress parameters. The kidney tissue was collected, and the hematein-eosin (HE) staining was conducted for observation of pathological changes in renal tissue, and protein expressions of Nrf 2 and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were determined by Western Blot. Results At 30 minutes after PQ poisoning, rats appeared obvious poisoning symptoms and signs. Twenty-four hours after PQ poisoned, hemocoel of glomerular capillary, swelling of renal tubular epithelial cell and serious micronecrosis appeared under the light microscope. Compared with NS control group, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) levels were significantly abnormal in PQ model group, and Nrf 2 and HO-1 protein expressions in renal tissue were increased. After administration of 5-ASA, the morphological changes and pathological damage were mitigated as compared with those of PQ model group, the levels of BUN, SCr and MDA were decreased significantly [BUN (mmol/L): 11.98±1.81 vs. 18.56±2.32, SCr (μmol/L): 30.67±2.31 vs. 43.67±9.02, MDA (μmol/L):5.28±0.43 vs. 6.81±1.00], and the SOD activity, CAT and GSH contents were significantly increased [SOD (kU/L):125.49±7.63 vs. 106.76±7.94, CAT (ng/L): 30.68±3.51 vs. 23.05±1.55, GSH (μmol/L): 3.81±0.44 vs. 3.14±0.17], while the protein expressions of Nrf 2 and HO-1 were further increased [Nrf 2 protein (gray value): 0.76±0.04 vs. 0.52±0.03, HO-1 protein (gray value): 0.56±0.02 vs. 0.31±0.02, all P < 0.05]. Only 5-ASA intervention had no significant effect on behavior, pathology, renal injury markers and oxidative stress parameters, but it could induce the expressions of Nrf 2 and HO-1 protein in renal tissue, which were significantly higher than those of NS control group [Nrf 2 protein (gray value): 0.78±0.02 vs. 0.41±0.04, HO-1 protein (gray value): 0.51±0.03 vs. 0.23±0.01, both P < 0.01]. Conclusion 5-ASA attenuates the damage of acute renal injury (AKI) caused by PQ, which mechanism may be related with the activation of Nrf 2-antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling pathway.
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ObjectiveTo observe the therapeutic effects of gastric lavage with fuller earth combined with QingyiⅡ catharsis in treatment of oral paraquat poisoning in rabbits.Methods Thirty healthy adult Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into five groups: namely control group, model group, gastric lavage group (lavage of 10%fuller earth suspension), catharsis group (QingyiⅡ catharsis), and combination group (10 minutes after gastric lavage of fuller earth suspension liquid, giving QingyiⅡ for catharsis), with 6 rabbits in each group. All groups were challenged with paraquat (100 mg/kg) diluted to 5 mL with normal saline by lavage to reproduce the model of acute poisoning, while the control group was given 5 mL of normal saline instead. Each treatment group was treated accordingly at 1 hour after gavages of paraquat, and treatment continued for 3 days. The animal survival rate was observed. Venous blood samples were collected from ear marginal vein to determine the plasma concentration of paraquat by ultraviolet spectrophotometer at 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 hours after the poisoning. The animals were sacrificed by intravenous air injection on the 8th day after the poisoning, and the right lower lobe of lung was harvested to observe the lung tissue pathological changes with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining.Results① Survival rate: the surviving rate of the combination group (6 rabbits) was higher than that of gastric lavage group (5 rabbits), catharsis group (2 rabbits) and model group (0 rabbit) on the 2nd day with statistically significant difference (P< 0.001). The survival rate on the 7th day in combination group (5 rabbits) was higher than that of gastric lavage group (3 rabbits), and catharsis group (0 rabbit) with statistically significant difference (P = 0.003).② Plasma concentrations of paraquat: plasma paraquat concentration in all groups peaked at 2 hours after intoxication, and its levels in the gastric lavage, catharsis and combination groups were significantly lower than that of the model group (mg/L: 1.830±0.068, 1.890±0.048, 1.800±0.052 vs. 1.960±0.063, allP< 0.01). As the time prolonged, the plasma concentration of paraquat was lowest in combination group than that of gastric lavage group and catharsis group (allP< 0.01). Gastric lavage and catharsis had interaction at 4 hours in combination group [F = 5.194,P = 0.034; the concentrations of paraquat (mg/L) was 0.670±0.057 vs. 1.010±0.018, 1.210±0.052].③ Lung histopathology: obvious expansion and hyperemia of the alveolar capillary, widened alveolar septum, a large number of inflammatory cell infiltrations were observed in model group and catharsis group. Lung histopathology was more improved in combination group and gastric lavage group, and it was improved more obviously in combination group than that in gastric lavage group.Conclusions Early start of gastric lavage with fuller earth combined with QingyiⅡ catharsis, can reduce the animal plasma concentrations of paraquat in oral paraquat poisoning rabbits. At the same time, it can alleviate the degree of lung injury and significantly improve survival rates compared with the single gastric lavage or catharsis alone. Gastric lavage with fuller earth combined with QingyiⅡ catharsis can improve the prognosis of animal synergistically.