Targeting Ferroptosis Promotes Functional Recovery by Mitigating White Matter Injury Following Acute Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

Survivors experiencing acute carbon monoxide poisoning (ACMP) tend to develop white matter injury (WMI). The mechanism of ACMP-induced WMI remains unclear. Considering the role of ferroptosis in initiating oligodendrocyte damage to deteriorate WMI, exploring therapeutic options to attenuate ferroptosis is a feasible approach to alleviating WMI. Our results indicated that ACMP induced accumulation of iron and reactive oxygen species (ROS) eventually leading to WMI and motor impairment after ACMP. Furthermore, ferrostatin-1 reduced iron and ROS deposition to alleviate ferroptosis, thereafter reducing WMI to promote the recovery of motor function. The nuclear factor erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathway was found to be involved in alleviating ferroptosis as seen with the administration of ferrostatin-1. The present study rationalizes that targeting ferroptosis to alleviate WMI is a feasible therapeutic strategy for managing ACMP.

Mannitol inhibits the proliferation of neural stem cell by a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent signaling pathway.

PURPOSE: Mannitol is one of the first-line drugs for reducing cerebral edema through increasing the extracellular osmotic pressure. However, long-term administration of mannitol in the treatment of cerebral edema triggers damage to neurons and astrocytes. Given that neural stem cell (NSC) is a subpopulation of main regenerative cells in the central nervous system after injury, the effect of mannitol on NSC is still elusive. The present study aims to elucidate the role of mannitol in NSC proliferation. METHODS: C57 mice were derived from the animal house of Zunyi Medical University. A total of 15 pregnant mice were employed for the purpose of isolating NSCs in this investigation. Initially, mouse primary NSCs were isolated from the embryonic cortex of mice and subsequently identified through immunofluorescence staining. In order to investigate the impact of mannitol on NSC proliferation, both cell counting kit-8 assays and neurospheres formation assays were conducted. The in vitro effects of mannitol were examined at various doses and time points. In order to elucidate the role of Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) in the suppressive effect of mannitol on NSC proliferation, various assays including reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunocytochemistry were conducted on control and mannitol-treated groups. Additionally, the phosphorylated p38 (p-p38) was examined to explore the potential mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of mannitol on NSC proliferation. Finally, to further confirm the involvement of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent (MAPK) signaling pathway in the observed inhibition of NSC proliferation by mannitol, SB203580 was employed. All data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). The statistical analysis among multiple comparisons was performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Turkey's post hoc test in case of the data following a normal distribution using a Shapiro-Wilk normality test. Comparisons between 2 groups were determined using Student's t-test, if the data exhibited a normal distribution using a Shapiro-Wilk normality test. Meanwhile, data were shown as median and interquartile range and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, if the data failed the normality test. A p < 0.05 was considered as significant difference. RESULTS: Primary NSC were isolated from the mice, and the characteristics were identified using immunostaining analysis. Thereafter, the results indicated that mannitol held the capability of inhibiting NSC proliferation in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner using cell counting kit-8, neurospheres formation, and immunostaining of Nestin and Ki67 assays. During the process of mannitol suppressing NSC proliferation, the expression of AQP4 mRNA and protein was downregulated, while the gene expression of p-p38 was elevated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunostaining, and western blotting assays. Subsequently, the administration of SB203580, one of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway inhibitors, partially abrogated this inhibitory effect resulting from mannitol, supporting the fact that the p38 MAPK signaling pathway participated in curbing NSC proliferation induced by mannitol. CONCLUSIONS: Mannitol inhibits NSC proliferation through downregulating AQP4, while upregulating the expression of p-p38 MAPK.

Porous Host-Guest MOF-Semiconductor Hybrid with Multisites Heterojunctions and Modulable Electronic Band for Selective Photocatalytic CO2 Conversion and H2 Evolution.

Optimizing catalysts for competitive photocatalytic reactions demand individually tailored band structure as well as intertwined interactions of light absorption, reaction activity, mass, and charge transport.  Here, a nanoparticulate host-guest structure is rationally designed that can exclusively fulfil and ideally control the aforestated uncompromising requisites for catalytic reactions. The all-inclusive model catalyst consists of porous Co3 O4 host and Znx Cd1- x S guest with controllable physicochemical properties enabled by self-assembled hybrid structure and continuously amenable band gap. The effective porous topology nanoassembly, both at the exterior and the interior pores of a porous metal-organic framework (MOF), maximizes spatially immobilized semiconductor nanoparticles toward high utilization of particulate heterojunctions for vital charge and reactant transfer. In conjunction, the zinc constituent band engineering is found to regulate the light/molecules absorption, band structure, and specific reaction intermediates energy to attain high photocatalytic CO2 reduction selectivity. The optimal catalyst exhibits a H2 -generation rate up to 6720 µmol g-1 h-1 and a CO production rate of 19.3 µmol g-1 h-1 . These findings provide insight into the design of discrete host-guest MOF-semiconductor hybrid system with readily modulated band structures and well-constructed heterojunctions for selective solar-to-chemical conversion.

Ni nanoparticles supported on Al2O3 + La2O3 yolk-shell catalyst for photo-assisted thermal decomposition of methane.

Catalytic methane decomposition (CMD) has emerged as an appealing technology for large-scale production of H2 and carbon nanostructures from natural gas. As the CMD process is mildly endothermic, the application of concentrated renewable energy sources such as solar energy under a low-temperature regime could potentially represent a promising approach towards CMD process operation. Herein, Ni/Al2O3-La2O3 yolk-shell catalysts are fabricated using a straightforward single-step hydrothermal approach and tested for their performance in photothermal CMD. We show that the morphology of the resulting materials, dispersion and reducibility of Ni nanoparticles, and nature of metal-support interactions can be tuned by addition of varying amounts of La. Notably, the addition of an optimal amount of La (Ni/Al-20La) improved the H2 yield and catalyst stability relative to the base Ni/Al2O3 material, while also favoring base growth of carbon nanofibers. Additionally, we show for the first time a photothermal effect in CMD, whereby the introduction of 3 suns light irradiation at a constant bulk temperature of 500 °C reversibly increased the H2 yield of catalyst by about 1.2 times relative to the rate in the dark, accompanied by a decrease in apparent activation energy from 41.6 kJ mol-1 to 32.5 kJ mol-1. The light irradiation further suppressed undesirable CO co-production at low temperatures. Our work reveals photothermal catalysis as a promising route for CMD while providing an insightful understanding of the roles of modifier in enriching methane activation sites on Al2O3-based catalysts.

An integrated transcriptome and microbial community analysis reveals potential mechanisms for increased immune responses when replacing silybum marianum meal with soybean meal in growing lambs.

Silybum marianum meal is a by-product that remains silymarin complex and is perceived as a potential-protein source. The potential and its mechanism of silybum marianum meal as a protein supplement in ruminants were evaluated by testing the growth performance, biochemical parameters, cytokine levels, gut transcriptome and microbial community profiles. Forty-two male Hulunbeier growing lambs (aged about 3-month-old; averaged body weight of 21.55 kg) were randomly divided into the CON (with 10% soybean meal) and SIL groups (with 10% silybum marianum meal). There was no significant difference in growth performance, feed intakes, or serum biochemical parameters between CON and SIL. The serum levels of IL-1ß, TNF-α, TGF-ß, HGF, and VEGF were all increased (p < 0.05) in the SIL group as compared with the CON group. Transcriptome gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that the core genes in the rumen from SIL group were enriched with fructose and mannose metabolism, while the core genes in the ileum were enriched for three biological process, including digestive tract development, positive regulation of MAPK cascade, and regulation of I-kappaB kinase/NF-kappaB signaling. The 16S rDNA results showed that the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Synergistetes, and Verrucomicrobia in the rumen from SIL group was significantly higher than that in CON group (p < 0.05), whereas Proteobacteria was significantly lower than that in CON group (p < 0.05). The LEfSe analysis showed that the genera Pyramidobacter, Saccharofermentans, Anaerovibrio, Oscillibacter and Barnesiella were enriched in the rumen from SIL group, whereas Sharpea was enriched in the CON group (LDA > 2). In the ileum, there were no significant differences in the phylum-level classification of microbes observed. At the genus level, the relative abundances of Bifidobacterium and Ruminococcus in the ileum from SIL group were significantly higher than that in the CON group (p < 0.05), whereas the relative abundance of Clostridium_XI was lower (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that Clostridium_XI was negatively correlated with VEGF, TGF-ß, TNF-α and HGF (p < 0.05). Core genes BMP4 and CD4 were negatively correlated with Clostridium_XI (p < 0.05). Our results indicated that supplementing silybum marianum meal as a replacement for soybean meal resulted in increased cytokines production without affecting growth performance in growing lambs, and the enrichment of immune-related genes and altered microbial community in the ileum were contributed to the increased immune responses.

Chicoric Acid: Natural Occurrence, Chemical Synthesis, Biosynthesis, and Their Bioactive Effects.

Chicoric acid has been widely used in food, medicine, animal husbandry, and other commercial products because of its significant pharmacological activities. However, the shortage of chicoric acid limits its further development and utilization. Currently, Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench serves as the primary natural resource of chicoric acid, while other sources of it are poorly known. Extracting chicoric acid from plants is the most common approach. Meanwhile, chicoric acid levels vary in different plants as well as in the same plant from different areas and different medicinal parts, and different extraction methods. We comprehensively reviewed the information regarding the sources of chicoric acid from plant extracts, its chemical synthesis, biosynthesis, and bioactive effects.

Lipid metabolism and m6A RNA methylation are altered in lambs supplemented rumen-protected methionine and lysine in a low-protein diet.

BACKGROUND: Methionine or lysine has been reported to influence DNA methylation and fat metabolism, but their combined effects in N6-methyl-adenosine (m6A) RNA methylation remain unclarified. The combined effects of rumen-protected methionine and lysine (RML) in a low-protein (LP) diet on lipid metabolism, m6A RNA methylation, and fatty acid (FA) profiles in the liver and muscle of lambs were investigated. Sixty-three male lambs were divided into three treatment groups, three pens per group and seven lambs per pen. The lambs were fed a 14.5% crude protein (CP) diet (adequate protein [NP]), 12.5% CP diet (LP), and a LP diet plus RML (LP + RML) for 60 d. RESULTS: The results showed that the addition of RML in a LP diet tended to lower the concentrations of plasma leptin (P = 0.07), triglyceride (P = 0.05), and non-esterified FA (P = 0.08). Feeding a LP diet increased the enzyme activity or mRNA expression of lipogenic enzymes and decreased lipolytic enzymes compared with the NP diet. This effect was reversed by supplementation of RML with a LP diet. The inclusion of RML in a LP diet affected the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), n-3 PUFA, and n-6 PUFA in the liver but not in the muscle, which might be linked with altered expression of FA desaturase-1 (FADS1) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). A LP diet supplemented with RML increased (P < 0.05) total m6A levels in the liver and muscle and were accompanied by decreased expression of fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) and alkB homologue 5 (ALKBH5). The mRNA expressions of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) and methyltransferase-like 14 (METTL14) in the LP + RML diet group were lower than those in the other two groups. Supplementation of RML with a LP diet affected only liver YTH domain family (YTHDF2) proteins (P < 0.05) and muscle YTHDF3 (P = 0.09), which can be explained by limited m6A-binding proteins that were mediated in mRNA fate. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that the inclusion of RML in a LP diet could alter fat deposition through modulations of lipogenesis and lipolysis in the liver and muscle. These changes in fat metabolism may be associated with the modification of m6A RNA methylation. A systematic graph illustrates the mechanism of dietary methionine and lysine influence on lipid metabolism and M6A. The green arrow with triangular heads indicates as activation and brown-wine arrows with flat heads indicates as suppression.

Diagnostic Value of Aortic Dissection Risk Score, Coagulation Function, and Laboratory Indexes in Acute Aortic Dissection.

Objective: This study was aimed at studying the diagnostic value of aortic dissection (AD) risk score, coagulation function, and laboratory indicators in acute aortic dissection (AAD). Methods: In this retrospective study, 57 patients with AAD and 57 with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). During the same period, 50 healthy subjects were selected as the control group admitted to our institution which were assessed for eligibility and recruited. They were assigned to an AD group (AAD patients) and an ACS group (ACS patients). The AD risk scores, coagulation function indexes, and laboratory indexes of the two groups were compared. With digital subtraction angiography- (DSA-) based diagnosis result as the gold standard, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of various indexes for AD, and the sensitivity, specificity, and optimal diagnostic value (Youden index) of the diagnostic indexes were calculated. Additionally, the overall blood clot formation strength (MA), clotting factor function (R), platelet function (MAp), and functional fibrinogen (MAf) levels were evaluated. Results: AAD risk, AD screening, early diagnosis of AAD, fibrinogen degradation products (FDP), fibrinogen (Fib), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), tenascin C (TN-C), D-dimer (D-D), and N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP) in the three groups were statistically different (P < 0.05). Further pairwise comparisons showed that the AD patients got higher scores of AAD risk, AD screening, and early diagnosis of AAD versus ACS patients (P < 0.05). AD was associated with lower levels of fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) and fibrinogen (Fib), shorter prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) versus ACS (P < 0.05). AD also resulted in higher levels of tenascin C (TN-C), D-dimer (D-D), and N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP) versus ACS (P < 0.05). The three risk scores, various laboratory indicators, and various coagulation function indicators were of high diagnostic values for the diagnosis of AAD (AUC > 0.9, P < 0.05). The sensitivity of the AD screening scale and TN-C expression level to the diagnosis of AAD was up to 100%, and the specificity of TN-C expression level was up to 98.25%. The influencing factors of AAD included Fib, FDP, PT, APTT, D-D, TN-C, and NT-proBNP. MA, MAf, and MAp displayed the same trend and reached the lowest point at T2. R was the opposite and reached the highest point at T2. At T4, a higher Map and a lower MAf were found than before surgery, and R and MA returned to preoperative levels. The positive detection rate of ACS by CT scan was positively correlated with the degree of stenosis (r = 0.814, P < 0.05). Conclusion: AD screening scale, TN-C, and FDP are of the highest diagnostic value in the risk score of AD, laboratory indicators, and coagulation function. It has implications for the diagnosis of ADD.

Actin Alpha 2 Downregulation Inhibits Neural Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation into Neurons through Canonical Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

Our previous study has shown that actin alpha 2 (ACTA2) is expressed in NSC and ACTA2 downregulation inhibits NSC migration by increasing RhoA expression and decreasing the expression of Rac1 to curb actin filament polymerization. Given that proliferation and differentiation are the two main characteristics of NSC, the role of ACTA2 downregulation in the proliferation and differentiation of NSC remains elusive. Here, the results demonstrated that ACTA2 downregulation using ACTA2 siRNA held the potential of inhibiting NSC proliferation using cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and immunostaining. Then, our data illustrated that ACTA2 downregulation attenuated NSC differentiation into neurons, while directing NSC into astrocytes and oligodendrocytes using immunostaining and immunoblotting. Thereafter, the results revealed that the canonical Wnt/ß-catenin pathway was involved in the effect of ACTA2 downregulation on the proliferation and differentiation of NSC through upregulating p-ß-catenin and decreasing ß-catenin due to inactivating GSK-3ß, while this effect could be partially abolished with administration of CHIR99012, a GSK-3 inhibitor. Collectively, these results indicate that ACTA2 downregulation inhibits NSC proliferation and differentiation into neurons through inactivation of the canonical Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. The aim of the present study is to elucidate the role of ACTA2 in proliferation and differentiation of NSC and to provide an intervention target for promoting NSC proliferation and properly directing NSC differentiation.

Protective effect of acute splenic irradiation in rats with traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the protective effect of acute splenic irradiation against traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats. METHODS: A rat model of TBI was established according to Feeney's method. Splenic irradiation was performed by the reverse intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) source-axis distance (SAD) irradiation technique. Rat brain tissue samples were collected, the water content of the rat brain tissue was determined and the abundance of microglia was detected by immunofluorescence. Spleens were collected to measure the spleen index. Lung, liver, small intestine and kidney tissues were taken for hematoxylin and eosin staining to observe whether there was radiation-induced pathological damage. Peripheral blood was collected to detect tuftsin and the inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-10. RESULTS: Compared with the nonirradiated TBI rat group, the 4-h spleen irradiation TBI rat group showed (1) increased behavioral scores at 3 days after TBI (P < 0.05), (2) reduced water content of the ipsilateral hemisphere at 3 days after TBI, (3) reduced spleen index at 3 and 7 days after TBI, (4) reduced number of microglia cells infiltrating around the lesion at 7 days after TBI, (5) reduced IL-6 levels at 3 days after TBI, (6) increased IL-10 levels at 3 and 5days after TBI and (7) Compared with the nonirradiated TBI rat group, the 8-h spleen irradiation TBI rat group showed reduced tuftsin levels at 3 and 7days after TBI. CONCLUSIONS: Acute splenic irradiation had a protective effect in rats with TBI.

Influence of road types on road traffic accidents in northern Guizhou Province, China.

PURPOSE: The increasing number of deaths due to road traffic accidents (RTAs) has attracted global attention. However, the influence of road types is rarely considered in the study of RTAs. This study evaluates the influence of different road types in RTAs in northern Guizhou to provide a basis for the formulation of evidence-based policies and measures. METHODS: We obtained the data from the Zunyi Traffic Management Data Platform for the years 2009-2018. The mortality rates of RTAs were calculated. Descriptive methods and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the characteristics of road traffic collisions on different road types. We also examined the associations between the mortality rate per 10,000 vehicles and the growth of per capital gross domestic product (GDP) with Spearman's rank correlation analysis. According to the passing volume and the infrastructure, we defined different types of roads, like administrative road, functional road, general urban road and urban expressway. RESULTS: In 2012, the traffic mortality rate of administrative roads was 8.9 per 100,000 people, and the mortality rate of functional roads was 7.4 per 100,000 people, which decreased in 2018 to 6.1 deaths per 100,000 people and 5.2 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively. The mortality rate per 10,000 vehicles reached the highest level in 2011 (28.8 per 10,000 vehicles and 22.5 per 10,000 vehicles on administrative and functional roads, respectively). The death rate of county roads was the highest among administrative roads (χ2 = 17.389, p < 0.05) and that of fourth-class roads was the highest among functional roads (χ2 = 21.785, p < 0.05). The mortality rate per 10,000 vehicles was negatively correlated with per capital GDP. CONCLUSION: Although our research shows that RTAs in northern Guizhou have steadily declined in recent years, the range of decline is relatively small. Many measures and sustainable efforts are needed to control road traffic death and accelerate the progress in road traffic safety in northern Guizhou.

Supplementing Mannan Oligosaccharide Reduces the Passive Transfer of Immunoglobulin G and Improves Antioxidative Capacity, Immunity, and Intestinal Microbiota in Neonatal Goats.

Successful establishment of passive immunity (PIT) and regulation of intestinal microbiota are crucial for ruminants to maintain body health and reduce the risk of disease during the neonatal period. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) supplementation on passive transfer of immunoglobulin G (IgG), serum inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant levels as well as bacteria composition in the ileal digesta. A total of 14 healthy neonatal Ganxi black goats with similar birth weight (BW: 2.35 ± 0.55 kg) were selected and allocated into two groups, only fed colostrum and milk replacer (CON, n = 7) and supplemented MOS (0.06% of birth BW) in the colostrum and milk replacer (MOS, n = 7). The results indicated that MOS supplementation significantly reduced (p < 0.05) serum IgG level at 3 and 6 h after colostrum feeding. Serum GLP-1 level of goats in the MOS group was significantly lower (p = 0.001) than that in the CON group. Goats in the MOS group had higher serum CAT and lower MDA level than those in the CON group (p < 0.05). Serum anti-inflammatory cytokine level of interleukin 4 (IL-4) was increased (p < 0.05), while pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 level was reduced (p < 0.05) in the MOS group when compared with the CON group. In addition, MOS supplementation remarkably increased (p < 0.05) the level of secretory IgA (sIgA) in the ileal digesta. Principal coordinate analysis of 16S rRNA sequence based on Brinary jaccard, Bray curtis, and weighted UniFrac distance of ileal microbiota showed a distinct microbial differentiation between the CON and MOS groups (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Firmicutes in the MOS group was higher than that in the CON group, while the abundance of Verrucomicrobia was lower in the MOS group than that in the CON group at the phylum level (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Proteobacteria tended to decrease (p = 0.078) in the MOS group at the phylum level. The results of LEfSe analysis showed that MOS group was characterized by a higher relative abundance of Lactobacillus, while the CON group was represented by a higher relative abundance of Akkermansia and Ruminiclostridium_5. Our findings demonstrated that MOS supplementation during the neonatal period increases antioxidant capacity and reduces the inflammatory response, and promotes IgA secretion and Lactobacillus colonization in the ileum. Thus, MOS induced positive effects are more pronounced in neonatal goats that might be an effective approach to maintain intestinal health and improve the surviving rate of neonatal ruminants.

[Diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in patients with delirium in intensive care unit].

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.

[Current status of spleen-mediated inflammatory response in traumatic acute respiratory distress syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is considered to be a pulmonary manifestation of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), often occurring as a complication of disease, and worsening the prognosis of patients. In recent years, the incidence of trauma has increased year by year. Severe trauma can lead to SIRS, which is one of the common risk factors of ARDS. The spleen is the largest peripheral immune organ of the body, containing a large number of immune cells and secreting inflammatory factors. The inflammatory factors play an important role in the formation of traumatic ARDS. In recent years, the benefits of treating ARDS by inhibiting spleen-induced inflammatory response have gradually been discovered, providing new ideas for the treatment of ARDS. Therefore, the research status of spleen-mediated inflammatory response in traumatic ARDS is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of traumatic ARDS. This article reports the spleen-mediated systemic inflammatory response, the role of inflammatory mediators in the development of ARDS, and the current state of research on ARDS treatment to explore new approaches to the prevention and treatment of traumatic ARDS.

Compact fiber-optic ultrasonic sensor using an encapsulated micro-cantilever interferometer.

A compact optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer is proposed and demonstrated for ultrasound wave (UW) measurement. The sensor consists of a suspended cantilever in a sealed hollow-core fiber, while the end-face of the leading-in fiber together with the end-face of the suspended fiber act as two reflection mirrors and form an air cavity. A short section of graded index fiber is also employed as a micro-lens to improve the fringe contrast of the interference spectral pattern. Due to the suspended fiber structure, the sensor presents high sensitivity to UW loading, which allows the freely suspended fiber to be stretched and compressed easily. By spectral side-band filtering technology, a simple intensity interrogation technology is used for UW demonstration. Moreover, the sealed sensor structure avoids disturbance from other environment parameters, thus presenting good stability for UW detection.

Removal of toxic metals from aqueous solution by biochars derived from long-root Eichhornia crassipes.

Biochars were produced from long-root Eichhornia crassipes at four temperatures: 200, 300, 400 and 500°C, referred to as LEC200, LEC300, LEC400 and LEC500, respectively. The sorption ability of lead, zinc, copper and cadmium from aqueous solutions by four kinds of biochars was investigated. All the biochars had lower values of CEC and higher values of pH. LEC500 was the best one to bind toxic metals which can be reflected in the results of SEM, BET and elemental analyser. It was also found that alkyl, carboxyl, phosphate and cyano groups in the biochars can play a role in binding metals. In addition, the sorption processes of four metals by the biochars in different metal concentration were all excellently represented by the pseudo-second-order model with all correlation coefficients R 2 > 0.95. And the sorption processes of four metals in different temperatures could be described satisfactorily by the Langmuir isotherms. According to calculated results by the Langmuir equation, the maximum removal capacities of Pb(II), Zn(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II) at 298 K were 39.09 mg g-1, 45.40 mg g-1, 48.20 mg g-1 and 44.04 mg g-1, respectively. The positive value of the ΔH 0 confirmed the adsorption process was endothermic and the negative value of ΔG 0 confirmed the adsorption process was spontaneous. The sorption capacities were compared with several other lignocellulosic materials which implied the potential of long-root Eichhornia crassipes waste as an economic and excellent biosorbent for eliminating metal ions from contaminated waters.

[Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: tortuous experience in the diagnosis and treatment of one lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: The etiology of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is complicated and difficult to diagnose, unexplained HLH often with hematological malignancies. Invasive biopsy can help to find etiology, the results may be affected by the technique and the location of the puncture site. Multiangle puncture can improve the success rate, but the corresponding risk increases. A patient with HLH was admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College. The etiology was unknown. Active symptomatic support treatment was conducted, at the same time, finding the evidence of viral infection, autoimmune disease related detection, blood culture, bone marrow puncture smear and spleen biopsy were performed respectively to find the pathogen basis. Spleen hemorrhage was not being controlled after spleen biopsy in patients, and emergency splenectomy was adopted to stop bleeding for saving lives. Finally, the patients died of low protein, pulmonary edema and respiratory failure. The bone marrow puncture and spleen biopsy failed to provide the basis for tumor invasion, while the spleen pathological slices plus immunohistochemical indicate diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) after splenectomy, which was identified as malignant tumor-associated hemophagocytic syndrome. Underscoring the high risk of bleeding after tumor-associated splenomegaly puncture and the importance of having emergency plans. Through analyzing the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of this patient, we hope to improve the clinicians' understanding of HLH and lymphoma.

Interventional treatment experience in multiple injury with major abdominal or pelvic injuries: 160 cases analysis.

PURPOSE: To observe the therapeutic effect of interventional embolization and haemorrhage control in multiple trauma patients with a major abdominal or pelvic injury. METHODS: Data of 160 multiple trauma patients with a major abdominal or pelvic injury were retrospectively analyzed. They were admitted into the Department of Emergency of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College from October 2013 to April 2016. Eighty-seven patients who received emergent intervention for embolization and haemorrhage control were set as group A, including 72 males and 15 females, with an average age of (39.32 ± 14.0) years. Patients underwent emergent intervention for embolization and hemostasis. The other 73 patients who received traditional surgeries were set as group B, including 62 males and 11 females, with an average age of (38.48 ± 13.12) years. The time from admission to emergency intervention, the time of interventional embolization, transfusion during hospitalization, length of stay and prognosis were observed. The whole treatment and prognosis were compared between group A and group B. RESULTS: In group A, the average time from admission to intervention exploration was (132.05 ± 86.80) min, the average operation time was (149 ± 49.69) min, the average hospitalization time was (18.37 ± 4.71) days, the average amount of RBC transfusion during hospitalization was (7.2 ± 4.33) units, and the mortality was 4.60% (4 patients died). The corresponding data in group B were respectively (138.95 ± 82.49) min, (183 ± 52.39) min, (22.72 ± 6.63) days, (12.23 ± 5.43) units, and 9.59% (7 cases died). There was no statistical difference in the time from admission to operation between the two groups (p > 0.05), but there was statistical difference in operation time, RBC transfusion, hospitalization time, prognosis, and mortality between the two groups (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The emergent intervention for embolization and haemorrhage control of multiple trauma patients with a major abdominal or pelvic injury and visceral organ haemorrhage has the advantages of less trauma, shorter operation time, shorter hospital stay, less blood transfusion in comparison to the traditional emergency surgeries.

Three-dimensional computed tomography reconstructive diagnosis of snakebite-induced cerebral infarction.

Despite common injury caused by snakebite, snakebite-induced ischemic stroke is rare. We reported on a patient who incurred a large cerebral infarction after being bitten by a Deinagkistrodon acutus, one of the most poisonous snakes in the southwestern of China. Applying 3D computed tomography (CT) of head combined with cerebral angiography examinations showed a large cerebral infarction, hernia in the right brain, developmental abnormalities of the right middle cerebral artery and cerebral artery of right brain. In conclusion, head CT imaging combined with cerebral angiography provides an efficient approach in diagnosis of stroke caused by snakebites.