Pyroptosis inhibitors MCC950 and VX-765 mitigate myocardial injury by alleviating oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in acute myocardial hypoxia.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a prevalent cardiovascular disease with high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of programmed cell death that has been linked to various pathological conditions. However, its exact contribution to the onset and progression of heart injury in AMI has not yet fully elucidated. Herein, we established mouse AMI model by ligating the left anterior descending artery and performed transcriptome analysis during the early phase of AMI. Mouse HL-1 and human AC-16 cardiomyocytes were subjected to hypoxia to simulate ischemic injury in vitro. Our results revealed a significant activation of the inflammatory response at 3 h post-ligation, as confirmed by RNA sequencing. We identified the occurrence of NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis in the cardiac tissues of human cases with AMI, as well as in mouse models of AMI and hypoxia-induced cardiomyocytes, using immunohistochemistry staining and Western blotting assays. Concurrently, pharmacological inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis with MCC950 and VX-765 effectively decreased hypoxia-induced cardiomyocytes injury, while mitigating myocardial oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation caused by hypoxia. Moreover, the circulating levels of gasdermin D (GSDMD), the pyroptosis executor, were remarkably elevated in the plasma of mice with early AMI and in the supernatant of hypoxia-exposed cardiomyocytes in a time-dependent manner using ELISA and Western blotting. Furthermore, the change in circulating GSDMD positively correlated with Creatine Kinase-MB (CK-MB) in the plasma of early-stage AMI mouse. In summary, these findings indicated a critical role for NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis in the progression of AMI, the administration of MCC950 and VX-765 may be attractive candidate therapeutic approaches for cardiac injury caused by acute hypoxia or even AMI. Additionally, the circulating GSDMD exhibits potential as a newly diagnostic biomarker for AMI.

Constructing Gradient Orbital Coupling to Induce Reactive Metal-Support Interaction in Pt-Carbide Electrocatalysts for Efficient Methanol Oxidation.

Reactive metal-support interaction (RMSI) is an emerging way to regulate the catalytic performance for supported metal catalysts. However, the induction of RMSI by the thermal reduction is often accompanied by the encapsulation effect on metals, which limits the mechanism research and applications of RMSI. In this work, a gradient orbital coupling construction strategy was successfully developed to induce RMSI in Pt-carbide system without a reductant, leading to the formation of L12-PtxM-MCy (M = Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W) intermetallic electrocatalysts. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the gradient coupling of the d(M)-2p(C)-5d(Pt) orbital would induce the electron transfer from M to C covalent bonds to Pt NPs, which facilitates the formation of C vacancy (Cv) and the subsequent M migration (occurrence of RMSI). Moreover, the good correlation between the formation energy of Cv and the onset temperature of RMSI in Pt-MCx systems proves the key role of nonmetallic atomic vacancy formation for inducing RMSI. The developed L12-Pt3Ti-TiC catalyst exhibits excellent acidic methanol oxidation reaction activity, with mass activity of 2.36 A mgPt-1 in half-cell and a peak power density of 187.9 mW mgPt-1 in a direct methanol fuel cell, which is one of the best catalysts ever reported. DFT calculations reveal that L12-Pt3Ti-TiC favorably weakens *CO absorption compared to Pt-TiC due to the change of the absorption site from Pt to Ti, which accounts for the enhanced MOR performance.

Coenzyme Q deficiency may predispose to sudden unexplained death via an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia.

Cardiac arrhythmia is currently considered to be the direct cause of death in a majority of sudden unexplained death (SUD) cases, yet the genetic predisposition and corresponding endophenotypes contributing to SUD remain incompletely understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the involvement of Coenzyme Q (CoQ) deficiency in SUD. First, we re-analyzed the exome sequencing data of 45 SUD and 151 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases from our previous studies, focusing on previously overlooked genetic variants in 44 human CoQ deficiency-related genes. A considerable proportion of the SUD (38%) and SIDS (37%) cases were found to harbor rare variants with likely functional effects. Subsequent burden testing, including all rare exonic and untranslated region variants identified in our case cohorts, further confirmed the existence of significant genetic burden. Based on the genetic findings, the influence of CoQ deficiency on electrophysiological and morphological properties was further examined in a mouse model. A significantly prolonged PR interval and an increased occurrence of atrioventricular block were observed in the 4-nitrobenzoate induced CoQ deficiency mouse group, suggesting that CoQ deficiency may predispose individuals to sudden death through an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia. Overall, our findings suggest that CoQ deficiency-related genes should also be considered in the molecular autopsy of SUD.

Biomarkers Screening and Mechanisms Analysis of the Restraint Stress-Induced Myocardial Injury in Hyperlipidemia ApoE-/- Mice.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the biomarkers and potential mechanisms of chronic restraint stress-induced myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia ApoE-/- mice. METHODS: The hyperlipidemia combined with the chronic stress model was established by restraining the ApoE-/- mice. Proteomics and bioinformatics techniques were used to describe the characteristic molecular changes and related regulatory mechanisms of chronic stress-induced myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia mice and to explore potential diagnostic biomarkers. RESULTS: Proteomic analysis showed that there were 43 significantly up-regulated and 58 significantly down-regulated differentially expressed proteins in hyperlipidemia combined with the restraint stress group compared with the hyperlipidemia group. Among them, GBP2, TAOK3, TFR1 and UCP1 were biomarkers with great diagnostic potential. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that ferroptosis was a significant pathway that accelerated the myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia combined with restraint stress-induced model. The mmu_circ_0001567/miR-7a/Tfr-1 and mmu_circ_0001042/miR-7a/Tfr-1 might be important circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks related to ferroptosis in this model. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic restraint stress may aggravate myocardial injury in hyperlipidemia mice via ferroptosis. Four potential biomarkers are selected for myocardial injury diagnosis, providing a new direction for sudden cardiac death (SCD) caused by hyperlipidemia combined with the restraint stress.

Modulating the Bader Charge Transfer in Single p-Block Atoms Doped Pd Metallene for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis.

Metallene is considered as an emerging family of electrocatalysts due to its atomically layered structure and unique surface stress. Here we propose a strategy to modulate the Bader charge transfer (BCT) between Pd surface and oxygenated intermediates via p-d electronic interaction by introducing single-atomp-block metal (M = In, Sn, Pb, Bi) into Pd metallene nanosheets towards efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). X-ray absorption and photoelectron spectroscopy suggests that doping p-block metals could facilitate electron transfer to Pd sites and thus downshift the d-band center of Pd and weaken the adsorption energy of O intermediates. Among them, the developed Bi-Pd metallene shows extraordinarily high ORR mass activity of 11.34 A mgPd-1 and 0.86 A mgPd-1 at 0.9 V and 0.95 V in alkaline solution, respectively, representing the best Pd-based ORR electrocatalysts ever reported. In the cathode of a Zinc-air battery, Bi-Pd metallene could achieve an open-circuit voltage of 1.546 V and keep stable for 760 h at 10 mA cm-2. Theoretical calculations suggest that the BCT between Pd surface and *OO intermediates greatly affects the bond length between them (dPd-*OO) and Bi doping could appropriately reduce the amount of BCT and stretch the dPd-*OO, thus enhancing the ORR activity.

Tailoring Zirconia Supported Intermetallic Platinum Alloy via Reactive Metal-Support Interactions for High-Performing Fuel Cells.

Developing efficient and anti-corrosive oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts is of great importance for the applications of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, we report a novel approach to prepare metal oxides supported intermetallic Pt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) via the reactive metal-support interaction (RMSI) as ORR catalysts, using Ni-doped cubic ZrO2 (Ni/ZrO2) supported L10-PtNi NPs as a proof of concept. Benefiting from the Ni migration during RMSI, the oxygen vacancy concentrations in the support are increased, leading to an electron enrichment of Pt. The optimal L10-PtNi-Ni/ZrO2-RMSI catalyst achieves remarkably low mass activity (MA) loss (17.8 %) after 400,000 accelerated durability test cycles in a half-cell and exceptional PEMFC performance (MA=0.76 A mgPt -1 at 0.9 V, peak power density=1.52/0.92 W cm-2 in H2-O2/-air, and 18.4 % MA decay after 30,000 cycles), representing the best reported Pt-based ORR catalysts without carbon supports. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that L10-PtNi-Ni/ZrO2-RMSI requires a lower energetic barrier for ORR than L10-PtNi-Ni/ZrO2 (direct loading), which is ascribed to a decreased Bader charge transfer between Pt and *OH, and the improved stability of L10-PtNi-Ni/ZrO2-RMSI compared to L10-PtNi-C can be contributed to the increased adhesion energy and Ni vacancy formation energy within the PtNi alloy.

Post-mortem genetic analysis of sudden unexplained death in a young cohort: a whole-exome sequencing study.

Sudden unexplained death (SUD) constitutes a considerable portion of unexpected sudden death in the young. Molecular autopsy has proved to be an efficient diagnostic tool in the multidisciplinary management of SUD. Yet, many cases remain undiagnosed using the widely adopted targeted genetic screening strategies. Here, we investigated the genetic substrates of a young SUD cohort (18-40 years old) from China using whole-exome sequencing (WES), with the primary aim to identify novel SUD susceptibility genes. Within 255 previously acknowledged SUD-associated genes, 21 variants with likely functional effects (pathogenic/likely pathogenic) were identified in 51.9% of the SUD cases. More importantly, a set of 33 candidate genes associated with myopathy were identified to be novel susceptibility genes for SUD. Comparative analysis of the cumulative PHRED-scaled CADD score and polygenetic burden score showed that the amount and deleteriousness of variants in the 255 SUD-associated genes and the 33 candidate genes identified by this study were significantly higher compared with 289 randomly selected genes. A significantly higher genetic burden of rare variants (MAF < 0.1%) in the 33 candidate genes also highlighted putative roles of these genes in SUD. After incorporating these novel genes, the genetic testing yields of the current SUD cohort elevated from 51.9 to 66.7%. Our study expands understanding of the genetic variants underlying SUD and presents insights that improve the utility of genetic screenings.

A stable solid-state lithium-oxygen battery enabled by heterogeneous silicon-based interface.

Solid-state lithium-metal batteries using inorganic solid-state electrolyte (SSE) instead of liquid-electrolyte, especially lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) battery, have attracted much more attention due to their high-energy density and safety. However, the poor interface contact between electrodes and SSEs makes these batteries lose most of their capacity and power during cycling. Here we report that by coating a heterogeneous silicon carbide on lithium metal anode and Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5P3O12(LAGP)-SSE, a good interface contact is created between the electrode and electrolyte that can effectively reduce the interface impedance and improve the cycle performance of the assembled battery. As a result, the solid-sate Li-O2battery demonstrates a cycle lifespan of ∼78 cycles being at least 3-times higher than the solid-state Li-O2battery without silicon carbide with a capacity limitation of 1000 mAh g-1at 250 mA g-1. The characterization of discharge products indicates a typical two-electron convention of oxygen-to-lithium oxide for the solid-state Li-O2battery system. This work paves a way for developing high-energy long-cycle solid-state lithium-metal battery. The work provides insights into the interface between the Li-metal and SSE to develop high-energy long-cycle all solid-state Li-metal batteries.

Exposure of Salmonella enterica serovar 1,4,[5],12:i:- to benzalkonium chloride leads to acquired resistance to this disinfectant and antibiotics.

AIMS: Disinfectants such as benzalkonium chloride (BC), extensively used in animal farms and food-processing industries, contribute to the development of adaptive and cross-resistance in foodborne pathogens, posing a serious threat to food safety and human health. The purpose of this study is to explore whether continuous exposure of Salmonella enterica serovar 1,4,[5],12:i:- (S. 1,4,[5],12:i:-) to sublethal concentrations of BC could result in acquired resistance to this agent and other environmental stresses (e.g. antibiotics, heat, and acid). METHODS AND RESULTS: BC tolerance increased in all tested strains after exposure to gradually increasing concentrations of BC, with increases in minimum inhibitory concentrations between two and sixfold. The survival rate of BC-adapted strains was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of their wild-type (non-adapted) counterparts in lethal concentrations of BC. In addition, significant reductions (P < 0.05) in zeta potential were observed in BC-adapted strains compared to wild-type ones, indicating that a reduction in cell surface charge was a cause of adaptative resistance. More importantly, two BC-adapted strains exhibited increased antibiotic resistance to levofloxacin, ceftazidime, and tigecycline, while gene mutations (gyrA, parC) and antibiotic efflux-related genes (acrB, mdsA, mdsB) were detected by genomic sequencing analysis. Moreover, the tolerance of BC-adapted strains to heat (50, 55, and 60°C) and acid (pH 2.0, 2.5) was strain-dependent and condition-dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated exposure to sublethal concentrations of BC could result in the emergence of BC- and antibiotic-resistant S. 1,4,[5],12:i:- strains.

Distribution-based maximum likelihood estimation methods are preferred for estimating Salmonella concentration in chicken when contamination data are highly left-censored.

Salmonella is a common chicken-borne pathogen that causes human infections. Data below the detection limit, referred to as left-censored data, are frequently encountered in the detection of pathogens. The approach of handling the censored data was regarded to affect the estimation accuracy of microbial concentration. In this study, a set of Salmonella contamination data was collected from chilled chicken samples using the most probable number (MPN) method, which consisted of 90.42% (217/240) non-detect values. Two simulated datasets with fixed censoring degrees of 73.60% and 90.00% were generated based on the real-sampling Salmonella dataset for comparison. Three methodologies were applied for handling left-censored data: (i) substitution with different alternatives, (ii) the distribution-based maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method, and (iii) the multiple imputation (MI) method. For each dataset, the negative binomial (NB) distribution-based MLE and zero-modified NB distribution-based MLE were preferable for highly censored data and resulted in the least root mean square error (RMSE). Replacing the censored data with half the limit of quantification was the next best method. The mean concentration of Salmonella monitoring data estimated by the NB-MLE and zero-modified NB-MLE methods was 0.68 MPN/g. This study provided an available statistical method for handling bacterial highly left-censored data.

High-Throughput Continuous-Flow Separation in a Micro Free-Flow Electrophoresis Glass Chip Based on Laser Microfabrication.

Micro free-flow electrophoresis (µFFE) provides a rapid and straightforward route for the high-performance online separation and purification of targeted liquid samples in a mild manner. However, the facile fabrication of a µFFE device with high throughput and high stability remains a challenge due to the technical barriers of electrode integration and structural design for the removal of bubbles for conventional methods. To address this, the design and fabrication of a high-throughput µFFE chip are proposed using laser-assisted chemical etching of glass followed by electrode integration and subsequent low-temperature bonding. The careful design of the height ratio of the separation chamber and electrode channels combined with a high flow rate of buffer solution allows the efficient removal of electrolysis-generated bubbles along the deep electrode channels during continuous-flow separation. The introduction of microchannel arrays further enhances the stability of on-chip high-throughput separation. As a proof-of-concept, high-performance purification of fluorescein sodium solution with a separation purity of ~97.9% at a voltage of 250 V from the mixture sample solution of fluorescein sodium and rhodamine 6G solution is demonstrated.

Serum SELENBP1 and VCL Are Effective Biomarkers for Clinical and Forensic Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Spasm.

Coronary artery spasm (CAS) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many ischemic heart entities; however, there are no established diagnostic biomarkers for CAS in clinical and forensic settings. This present study aimed to identify such serum biomarkers by establishing a rabbit CAS provocation model and integrating quantitative serum proteomics, parallel reaction monitoring/mass spectrometry-based targeted proteomics, and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Our results suggested that SELENBP1 and VCL were potential candidate biomarkers for CAS. In independent clinical samples, SELENBP1 and VCL were validated to be significantly lower in serum but not blood cells from CAS patients, with the reasons for this possibly due to the decreased secretion from cardiomyocytes. The areas under the curve of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis were 0.9384 for SELENBP1 and 0.9180 for VCL when diagnosing CAS. The CAS risk decreased by 32.3% and 53.6% for every 10 unit increases in the serum SELENBP1 and VCL, respectively. In forensic samples, serum SELENBP1 alone diagnosed CAS-induced deaths at a sensitivity of 100.0% and specificity of 72.73%, and its combination with VCL yielded a diagnostic specificity of 100.0%, which was superior to the traditional biomarkers of cTnI and CK-MB. Therefore, serum SELENBP1 and VCL could be effective biomarkers for both the clinical and forensic diagnosis of CAS.

Common genetic variants have associations with human cortical brain regions and risk of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a highly heritable mental disorder and is reported to be associated with measurements in cortical regions of the human brain. In this study, we considered genome-wide association studies to uncover genetic effects on cortical regions and prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia. Specifically, area, thickness, and volume of 66 cortical regions derived from magnetic resonance imaging scans of 1,445 children and adolescents from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort were studied. Two common variants were identified as being associated with two prefrontal cortical regions (one significant variant rs11601331 on chromosome 11p11 for right rostral middle frontal gyral area, p = 1.97 × 10 -8 ; one suggestive variant rs2345981 on chromosome 6q11 for left frontal pole gyral volume, p = 2.07 × 10 -7 ), where the significance of rs11601331 was independently replicated on the Pediatric Imaging, Neurocognition, and Genetics study of size 1,239 (p = 9.19 × 10 -3 ). Moreover, genetic effects on schizophrenia were investigated based on a sample of 8,719 subjects. The two identified variants rs11601331 and rs2345981 showed significant association with the longest prodromal symptoms duration (p = 0.048 and p = 0.027, respectively).

Evaluation and review of ways to differentiate sources of ethanol in postmortem blood.

Accurate determination of a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is an important task in forensic toxicology laboratories because of the existence of statutory limits for driving a motor vehicle and workplace alcohol testing regulations. However, making a correct interpretation of the BAC determined in postmortem (PM) specimens is complicated, owing to the possibility that ethanol was produced in the body after death by the action of various micro-organisms (e.g., Candida species) and fermentation processes. This article reviews various ways to establish the source of ethanol in PM blood, including collection and analysis of alternative specimens (e.g., bile, vitreous humor (VH), and bladder urine), the identification of non-oxidative metabolites of ethanol, ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS), the urinary metabolites of serotonin (5-HTOL/5-HIAA), and identification of n-propanol and n-butanol in blood, which are known putrefaction products. Practical utility of the various biomarkers including specificity and stability is discussed.

Femtosecond laser induced selective etching in fused silica: optimization of the inscription conditions with a high-repetition-rate laser source.

Femtosecond laser induced selective etching (FLISE) of dielectric materials is a promising technique for fabricating various microfluidic devices. Here we experimentally studied the dependence of the selective etching speed in fused silica glass on laser pulse energy, repetition rate, and inscription speed using a 1030 nm femtosecond laser. The evolution of micromorphology of the laser inscribed lines was revealed with optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, as well as anisotropic diffraction of the optical gratings formed by these inscribed lines. A single pulse energy threshold is required to initiate the FLISE. Further, a laser repetition rate window between an upper threshold and a lower threshold was observed, which were limited by the thermal-induced disruption of the nanogratings and by the disconnection of successive pulses modified spots respectively. The synergetic influences of the above factors were evaluated by the exposure laser energy density, which shows a common threshold for different inscription conditions and demonstrates itself to be an excellent criterion for choosing appropriate parameters in FLISE. The formation of continuous nanogratings is confirmed to be the major mechanism of FLISE in fused silica. Our observations not only help one to understand the micro mechanism in FLISE of fused silica, but also are of great use for fabricating large-scale microfluidic circuits.

c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/P53 signaling mediates intrinsic apoptosis of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) hepatocytes under heat stress.

The increasing frequency of high-temperature extremes threatens largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, a significant fish for freshwater ecosystems and aquaculture. Our previous studies at the transcript level suggested that heat stress induces hepatic apoptosis in largemouth bass. In the current study, we sought to validate these findings and further investigate the role of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/P53 signaling in hepatic apoptosis under heat stress. First, heat treatments were conducted in vivo and in vitro under different temperatures: 28 °C, 32 °C, and 37 °C. In primary hepatocytes subjected to heat treatment, cell viability was evaluated via the Cell Counting Kit-8, while mitochondrial membrane potential and nuclear morphology were assessed through JC-1 and Hoechst 33258 staining, respectively. We observed reductions in both cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), along with alterations in nuclear morphology, in primary hepatocytes exposed to heat stress at temperatures of 32 °C and 37 °C. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed significant alterations in the expression profiles of intrinsic apoptosis-related genes within liver tissues under heat stress. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that JNK1 signaling increased as the temperature increased, JNK2 expression increased only at 37 °C, and JNK3 expression did not change with temperature. We speculate that JNK1 and JNK2 have pro- and anti-apoptotic effects, respectively. Western blot analysis conducted on cultured hepatocytes further validated these findings. JNK inhibition reduced hepatocyte apoptosis, improved nuclear morphology, and maintained ΔΨm even after 37 °C treatment. These results not only confirm that heat stress led to intrinsic apoptosis of hepatocytes but also indicated that JNK1 could mediate P53 expression and activate caspase-dependent intrinsic apoptosis in largemouth bass hepatocytes under such conditions. This study illuminates the physiological responses of largemouth bass to acute heat stress, offering valuable insights into the potential impacts of climate change on freshwater fishes and the sustainability of aquaculture.

Heart proteomic profiling discovers MYH6 and COX5B as biomarkers for sudden unexplained death.

Sudden unexplained death (SUD) is not uncommon in forensic pathology. Yet, diagnosis of SUD remains challenging due to lack of specific biomarkers. This study aimed to screen differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and validate their usefulness as diagnostic biomarkers for SUD cases. We designed a three-phase investigation, where in the discovery phase, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) heart specimens were screened through label-free proteomic analysis of cases dying from SUD, mechanical injury and carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication. A total of 26 proteins were identified to be DEPs for the SUD cases after rigorous criterion. Bioinformatics and Adaboost-recursive feature elimination (RFE) analysis further revealed that three of the 26 proteins (MYH6, COX5B and TNNT2) were potential discriminative biomarkers. In the training phase, MYH6 and COX5B were verified to be true DEPs in cardiac tissues from 29 independent SUD cases as compared with a serial of control cases (n = 42). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis illustrated that combination of MYH6 and COX5B achieved optimal diagnostic sensitivity (89.7 %) and specificity (84.4 %), with area under the curve (AUC) being 0.91. A diagnostic software based on the logistic regression formula derived from the training phase was then constructed. In the validation phase, the diagnostic software was applied to eight authentic SUD cases, seven (87.5 %) of which were accurately recognized. Our study provides a valid strategy towards practical diagnosis of SUD by integrating cardiac MYH6 and COX5B as dual diagnostic biomarkers.

Ethyl sulfate in blood shows the potential to distinguish alcoholic death and postmortem alcohol instillation.

Alcohol is often found in the blood of the deceased. To cover up the true cause of victim's death, postmortem instillation of alcohol occurs in some criminal cases. Explaining the finding of alcohol is extremely vital in forensic practice. This study aims to evaluate whether ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) in blood and vitreous humor (VH) can be used to distinguish alcoholic death and postmortem alcohol instillation. Saline or 12.6 g/kg ethanol (antemortem alcohol poisoning group) was introduced into rabbits' stomachs 2 h before sacrificed. Same amount of ethanol was introduced into rabbits' stomachs at 0 h, 0.5 h, 1 h and 2 h after death in four subgroups of postmortem alcohol instillation group, respectively. Cardiac blood and VH were collected at 10 min, 4 h, 10 h and 24 h after death in blank and antemortem alcohol poisoning group, and after instillation of alcohol in postmortem alcohol instillation group. Blood was also collected at 34 h. Ethanol and EtG levels in blood and VH and EtS in VH in antemortem alcohol poisoning group were overlapped with those in postmortem alcohol instillation group. The contents of EtG and EtS in blood in antemortem alcohol poisoning group (mean ≥ 7.833 µg/mL for EtG and ≥ 19.990 µg/mL for EtS) were much higher than those in postmortem alcohol instillation group (mean ≤ 0.118 µg/mL for EtG and ≤ 0.091 µg/mL for EtS), but apparent decomposition was observed in EtG, which might lead to misinterpretation. Blood EtS showed better stability and could be used to distinguish alcoholic death and postmortem alcohol instillation.

Non/mini-invasive monitoring of diabetes-induced myocardial damage by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy: Evidence from biofluids.

Early identification of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) can help clinicians develop targeted treatment plans and forensic pathologists make accurate postmortem diagnoses. In the present study, diabetes-induced metabolic abnormalities in the myocardium and biofluids (plasma, urine, and saliva) of db/db mice of various ages (7, 12, and 21 weeks) were investigated by attenuated total reflection (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results indicated that the diabetic and control groups had significantly different changes in the function groups of lipids, phosphate macromolecules (mostly nucleic acids), protein compositions and conformations, and carbohydrates (primarily glucose) in the myocardium and biofluids. The prediction model for quantifying DCM severity was developed on db/db mice's myocardial spectra using a genetic algorithm (GA)-partial least squares (PLS) regression method. Following that, the linear correlations between the predicted values for DCM severity and spectra for db/db biofluids were evaluated using the GA-PLS regression algorithm. The results showed there were good linear correlations between the predicted values for DCM severity and spectra for plasma (R2 = 0.929), saliva (R2 = 0.967), urine (R2 = 0.954), and combination of plasma and saliva (R2 = 0.980). This study provides a novel perspective on detecting diabetes-related biofluid and cardiac metabolic abnormalities and demonstrates the potential of biofluid infrared spectro-diagnostic models for non/mini-invasive assessment of DCM.