[Investigation of a carbon monoxide poisoning accident with a hidden source].

In June 2022, a carbon monoxide poisoning accident with hidden source occurred in a bonded gold/silver wire manufacturing enterprise in Guangzhou, causing 10 people to be poisoned, of which 1 was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and 9 by carbon monoxide contact reaction. The symptoms were dizziness, fatigue and vomiting. After 5 to 7 h, the saturation of carboxyhemoglobin in finger pulse was 4% to 10%, and the saturation of carboxyhemoglobin in blood gas biochemical analysis was 1.9% to 5.8%. The concentration of carbon monoxide detected in the carbon borne purification plant of the enterprise was 34.46-37.26 mg/m(3). It was judged that the accident was carbon monoxide poisoning caused by carbon monoxide gas being transported to the work post along the gas transmission pipeline due to abnormal operation of the carbon borne purification plant. By investigating the source and cause of poison, this paper provides a warning for the similar process to prevent similar events, and provides a new idea for the identification of chemical poisoning risk. At the same time, it is warned that similar enterprises should fully consider the risk of poisoning under specific circumstances, strengthen equipment maintenance and repair, and prevent the occurrence of similar incidents.

[Analysis of 1 case of convulsion death caused by large dose of diquat poisoning].

A retrospective analysis of a case of death from sudden convulsions caused by oral high-dose diquat was conducted, and the mechanism and treatment of central damage caused by diquat were investigated to lay the foundation for increasing the success rate of treatment of high-dose diquat poisoning. At the same time, at the same time, our clinical treatment experience has also been accumulated.

Measurement of Scars Using Structured-Light 3D Scanning in Forensic Practice.

ABSTRACT: Objective To validate the accuracy and reliability of structured-light three-dimensional （SL-3D） scanning in measuring the length and area of the regular and irregular scars on body surface and discuss its value in forensic practice. Methods The lengths of 30 cases of simulated linear scars and 50 cases of linear scars after injury were measured using soft ruler, vernier caliper + thin line method, and SL-3D scanning. The areas of 35 cases of simulated patchy scars and 15 cases of patchy scars after injury were measured using length × width, film tracing with coordinate paper method, pixel method, and SL-3D scanning, and then statistically analyzed. Results The differences between the length of the simulated linear scars measured by SL-3D scanning and standard length had no statistical significance. When simulated patchy scars and patchy scars after injury were measured with high surface curvature and large irregular areas, the differences between the results of SL-3D scanning measurement and the standard area had no statistical significance. When the length of 50 cases of linear scars after injury were measured using SL-3D scanning, the correlation coefficient between the measurement results of two different investigators was 0.998, and the correlation coefficient between the two measurement results by the same investigator was 1.000. The correlation coefficient between the results of SL-3D scanning and that of vernier caliper + thin line method was 0.996. Conclusion The three-dimensional information of the scars on the body surface can be acquired using SL-3D scanning. The measurement of the length and area of the scars is not influenced by the location of scars, curvature of surface, and human factors. The measurement results are accurate, reliable and has unique advantages.

[Detection of neuron-specific enolase in patients with subacute 1, 2-dichloroethane poisoning].

Objective: To investigate the changes of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with subacute 1, 2-dichloroethane (DCE) poisoning. Methods: Ten patients with subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning hospitalized in Guangzhou 12th Municipal People's Hospital from December 2014 to March 2019 were taken as the subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning group, 34 typical acute toxic encephalopathy patients hospitalized at the same time as typical acute toxic encephalopathy group, 40 healthy physical examinees as normal control group. The levels of serum NSE in patients of subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning and typical acute toxic encephalopathy group during onset and improvement were detected by chemiluminescence method, and the results were analyzed statistically. The level of NSE in cerebrospinal fluid of subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning group was detected and analyzed its correlation with the level of NSE in serum. Using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of NSE in subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning and typical acute toxic encephalopathy (area under curve, AUC) . Results: There was no significant difference between the serum NSE level of the patients with subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning in the onset group and the normal control group and the improvement group (P>0.05) . The serum NSE level of subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning in the improvement group was lower than those in the normal control group (P<0.01) . The serum NSE level of the subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning in the onset group was lower than those in the typical acute toxic encephalopathy in the onset group (P<0.01) . There was no linear correlation between cerebrospinal fluid NSE and serum NSE in patients with subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning (r=-0.183, P=0.52) . ROC curve showed that the AUC of serum NSE in diagnosing subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning and typical acute toxic encephalopathy were 0.661 and 0.726, respectively. Conclusion: There is no significant change in serum NSE in patients with subacute 1, 2-DCE poisoning.

[A case of acute osteofascial compartment syndrome caused by rodenticide poisoning].

Acute osteofascial compartment syndrome is a series of symptoms and signs caused by acute ischemia of muscles and nerves in osteofascial compartment. If it is not treated in time, it can lead to tissue necrosis. It is rare that it is caused by rodenticide poisoning. Such patients are often difficult to diagnose and treat early and have poor prognosis. In May 2018, a patient with acute osteofascial compartment syndrome caused by anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning was admitted to the Twelfth Hospital of Guangzhou City. After systematic treatment, he finally recovered and discharged. The early manifestations of this patient were mainly coagulation dysfunction, and finally acute osteofascial compartment syndrome. 5 days later, the diagnosis was made, and the operation of incision decompression and vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) was performed.

Multi-outcome homodyne detection in a coherent-state light interferometer.

The Cramér-Rao bound plays a central role in both classical and quantum parameter estimation, but finding the observable and the resulting inversion estimator that saturates this bound remains an open issue for general multi-outcome measurements. Here we consider multi-outcome homodyne detection in a coherent-light Mach-Zehnder interferometer and construct a family of inversion estimators that almost saturate the Cramér-Rao bound over the whole range of phase interval. This provides a clue on constructing optimal inversion estimators for phase estimation and other parameter estimation in any multi-outcome measurement.

[Analysis of 18 cases of toxic encephalopathy caused by occupational acute 1, 2-dichloroethane poisoning].

Retrospective analysis of 18 cases of occupational acute 1, 2-dichloroethane (1, 2-DCE) poisoning. The results showed that all patients have the main manifestations such as dizziness, headache, unresponsiveness and other symptoms of nervous system damage; Brain CT showed varying degrees of diffuse white matter lesions. Brain MRI showed extensive involvement of white matter in both cerebral hemispheres. Affected white matter area presented low intensity on T1WI, hyperintensity on T2WI and T2-Flair; Lumbar puncture examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure (262.5±48.39) mm H(2)O; After treatment, the required time for CSF pressure to restore was (161.56±75.27) days (50-280) days. Summary, Occupational acute 1, 2-DCE poisoning caused by toxic encephalopathy can be manifested as persistent abnormalities in CSF pressure, and the CSF pressure drops slowly during treatment; Early head CT and lumbar puncture examination will be helpful for early detection of intracranial pressure in toxic encephalopathy caused by acute 1, 2-DCE poisoning. Dynamic monitoring of CSF provides guidance for acute 1, 2-DCE poisoning with a long time of treatment and various types of dehydrating agents.

Comparative study of methotrexate and human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

In this study, a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model was established to simulate rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using two intradermal injections of bovine type II collagen and Freund’s complete adjuvant mixture given at two-week intervals. Subsequently, the transplantation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) was used to treat RA and the treatment efficacy, as well as the possible regulatory mechanism underlying hUC-MSC transplantation, was observed. During the study, forty rats were randomly divided into four groups and their blood samples were collected at different time points to measure levels of serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP). Based on the symptoms and pathological features of the rats, a total success rate of 83% was achieved by the treatment. Furthermore, the improvement of joint symptoms was more obvious when methotrexate and MSC transplantation were used. In summary, it was concluded that MSC transplantation relieved the symptoms of arthritis by down-regulating the expression of COMP on the synovial membrane and in the serum of CIA rats.

Molecular cloning, genomic organization, chromosome mapping, tissues expression pattern and identification of a novel splicing variant of porcine CIDEb gene.

Cell death-inducing DNA fragmentation factor-α-like effector b (CIDEb) is a member of the CIDE family of apoptosis-inducing factors, CIDEa and CIDEc have been reported to be Lipid droplets (LDs)-associated proteins that promote atypical LD fusion in adipocytes, and responsible for liver steatosis under fasting and obese conditions, whereas CIDEb promotes lipid storage under normal diet conditions [1], and promotes the formation of triacylglyceride-enriched VLDL particles in hepatocytes [2]. Here, we report the gene cloning, chromosome mapping, tissue distribution, genetic expression analysis, and identification of a novel splicing variant of the porcine CIDEb gene. Sequence analysis shows that the open reading frame of the normal porcine CIDEb isoform covers 660bp and encodes a 219-amino acid polypeptide, whereas its alternative splicing variant encodes a 142-amino acid polypeptide truncated at the fourth exon and comprised of the CIDE-N domain and part of the CIDE-C domain. The deduced amino acid sequence of normal porcine CIDEb shows an 85.8% similarity to the human protein and 80.0% to the mouse protein. The CIDEb genomic sequence spans approximately 6KB comprised of five exons and four introns. Radiation hybrid mapping demonstrated that porcine CIDEb is located at chromosome 7q21 and at a distance of 57cR from the most significantly linked marker, S0334, regions that are syntenic with the corresponding region in the human genome. Tissue expression analysis indicated that normal CIDEb mRNA is ubiquitously expressed in many porcine tissues. It was highly expressed in white adipose tissue and was observed at relatively high levels in the liver, lung, small intestine, lymphatic tissue and brain. The normal version of CIDEb was the predominant form in all tested tissues, whereas the splicing variant was expressed at low levels in all examined tissues except the lymphatic tissue. Furthermore, genetic expression analysis indicated that CIDEb mRNA levels were significantly higher in the white adipose tissue of lean pigs than their obese counterparts, in contrast to porcine CIDEa and CIDEc [3]. We therefore speculate that CIDEb may play a contrary role to the other CIDEs. The basic molecular information we provide here will be useful for further investigations of the physiological function of the gene, which will be helpful in better understanding the role of the CIDE family in lipid metabolism in pig models.

Immunomagnetic separation combined with colony immunoblotting for selective enrichment and detection of piliated Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains.

AIMS: Piliated Lactobacillus rhamnosus (pLR) strains have attracted much attention owing to their excellent mucus adhering capacity and immunomodulatory effects. Here, we aimed to develop a rapid, sensitive method for isolating pLR strains in complex ecosystems using immunomagnetic separation (IMS) with colony immunoblotting (CIB). METHODS AND RESULTS: Magnetic nanobeads (diameter: 180 nm) conjugated with anti-pLR SpaA pilin antibodies (anti-SpaA) were prepared and used to preconcentrate pLR strains in samples, followed by confirmation with anti-SpaA-based CIB analysis. Under optimized experimental conditions, IMS-CIB selectively recovered pLR strains from 107  CFU ml-1 of faecal microbiota samples spiked with 2·9 × 101 to 2·4 × 106  CFU ml-1 of pLR strains. No positive colonies were detected in samples without addition of pLR strains. The detection limit of IMS-CIB was 29 CFU pLR ml-1 of faecal microbiota, which is much lower than that of CIB without IMS preconcentration (2·0 × 104  CFU ml-1 ). CONCLUSIONS: IMS-CIB allowed selective preconcentration of pLR strains in highly heterogeneous bacterial suspensions and direct detection of pLR colonies, which remained readily available for subsequent isolation. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Our findings established an effective method for selective enrichment and detection of pLR strains.

Cloning of three genes involved in the flavonoid metabolic pathway and their expression during insect resistance in Pinus massoniana Lamb.

Pinus massoniana Lamb. is an important timber and turpentine-producing tree species in China. Dendrolimus punctatus and Dasychira axutha are leaf-eating pests that have harmful effects on P. massoniana production. Few studies have focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying pest resistance in P. massoniana. Based on sequencing analysis of the transcriptomes of insect-resistant P. massoniana, three key genes involved in the flavonoid metabolic pathway were identified in the present study (PmF3H, PmF3'5'H, and PmC4H). Structural domain analysis showed that the PmF3H gene contains typical binding sites for the 2OG-Fe (II) oxygenase superfamily, while PmF3'5'H and PmC4H both contain the cytochrome P450 structural domain, which is specific for P450 enzymes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that each of the three P. massoniana genes, and the homologous genes in gymnosperms, clustered into a group. Expression of these three genes was highest in the stems, and was higher in the insect-resistant P. massoniana varieties than in the controls. The extent of the increased expression in the insect-resistant P. massoniana varieties indicated that these three genes are involved in defense mechanisms against pests in this species. In the insect-resistant varieties, rapid induction of PmF3H increased the levels of PmF3'5'H and PmC4H expression. The enhanced anti-pest capability of the insect-resistant varieties could be related to temperature and humidity. In addition, these results suggest that these three genes maycontribute to the change in flower color during female cone development.

A genome-wide association study of growth trait-related single nucleotide polymorphisms in Chinese Yancheng chickens.

Chicken (Gallus gallus) growth traits are important economic traits, and many studies have been conducted on genetic selection for body weight. However, most of these studies have detected functional chromosome mutations or regions by conventional molecular markers or gene chips. In this study, we performed a new genome-wide association study using specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) technology in purebred Yancheng chickens. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were significantly associated with phenotypic traits were identified by GAPIT-compressed mixed linear models. Eighteen SNP markers reached 5% Bonferroni genome-wide significance. A region spanning 72.3 to 82.1 Mb on GGA4 had a strong influence on growth traits. Four genes (FAM184B, KCNIP4, MIR15A, and GLI3) were closely associated with body weight. Some SNPs were coincident with previously reported quantitative trait locus regions. Our results would promote the researches of Chinese chickens and accelerate the utilization of Chinese chicken, specially Yancheng chicken.

Correlation between natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPR3) gene polymorphisms and hypertension in the Dai people of China.

Hypertension affects one-fifth of the world population. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that correlated with hyper-tension in large samples. However, the genetic mutations leading to hypertension might differ among various populations, as they have different origins and are subjected to different environmental pressures. Therefore, additional studies are urgently needed to verify the GWAS findings across different populations. This study focused on the natriuretic peptide receptor C gene (NPR3), one of the hypertension-positive genes identified in a GWAS of an East Asian population. The correlation analysis between NPR3 and hypertension was replicated in 450 Chinese Dai (235 patients vs 215 controls) and 484 Chinese Mongolian (211 patients vs 273 controls) individuals. The positive SNP identified by GWAS analysis and three other tag SNPs representing the NPR3 linkage disequilibrium (LD) block regions were selected for genotyping. The results revealed that the rs1173766 polymorphism was associated with the occurrence of hypertension (χ(2) = 6.87, P = 0.0088), and that the T allele should be protective in the Dai ethnic group. Consider-ing a close LD block at the 3' end of the NPR3 gene in the East Asian population, we speculate that there might be a mutation in the last five exons or the 3' untranslated region of NPR3 that could change the structure or expression of the NPR3 gene. However, in the Mongolian ethnic group, these SNPs were not associated with the incidence of hypertension, suggesting population heterogeneity for the genetic factors that contribute to hypertension.

[Effects of Ido1 on mouse decidualization].

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (Ido1) is a rate-limiting enzyme which converts the essential amino acid tryptophan to kynurenine. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and regulation of Ido1 in mouse uterus during decidualization. The results showed that Ido1 mRNA expression gradually increased from day 1 to 4 of pregnancy and reached the peak level on day 4. On days 5-8 of pregnancy, a low level of Ido1 expression was observed in the uteri. Simultaneously, Ido1 mRNA was also lowly expressed in the decidualized uterus and the stromal cells treated with 8-Br-cAMP. Under in vitro decidualization, the expression of Ido1 mRNA gradually declined. Further studies found that overexpression of Ido1 can inhibit the expression of decidualization marker genes PRL, IGFBP1 and Dtprp under in vitro decidualization while inhibition of Ido1 with L-1-MT can induce the expression of these marker genes. Ido1 can prevent uterine stromal cells proliferation and enhance the expression of the Bax gene and increase the Bax/Bcl2 ratio under in vitro decidualization. Additionally, Ido1 can also modulate the expression of the MMP2 gene. In the uterine stromal cells, estrogen and progesterone can stimulate the expression of Ido1. These data indicate that Ido1 may play an important role during mouse decidualization and may be regulated by estrogen and progesterone in the uterine stromal cells.

Development and characterization of SSR markers from Pinus massoniana and their transferability to P. elliottii, P. caribaea and P. yunnanensis.

Pinus massoniana (Masson's pine) is a widespread tree species in central and southern China and northern Vietnam; it is valued for rosin and paper production. Despite the significant economic value of Masson's pine, little work has been done on its molecular genetics. We developed 318 SSR primers from genome sequences of P. massoniana, and we identified 10 polymorphic markers. The number of alleles in the population of P. massoniana that we examined ranged from two to four, and the Shannon diversity index ranged from 0.150 to 1.133. Cross-species transferability of the 318 SSRs was also analyzed in the slash pine (Pinus elliottii), the Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea) and the Yunnan pine (Pinus yunnanensis); 15, 10, and 10 primer pairs generated polymorphic amplification, respectively. These sets of polymorphic SSR markers will be useful for population genetics studies of P. massoniana, for genetic identification of interspecific hybridization, and for phylogeographic studies of Pinus spp.

Genetic variations of ISL1 associated with human congenital heart disease in Chinese Han people.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth abnormality, but the etiology of CHD is unknown. ISL1 may play a fundamental role in cardiac morphogenesis, and mutations of this gene could cause CHD. To evaluate whether genetic variations of ISL1 are associated with CHD in Chinese Han people, polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment-length polymorphism and SNaPshot were used to examine 9 polymorphisms of ISL1 in 233 patients with CHD as well as 288 healthy controls. We found that one SNP (rs1017) in ISL1 was significantly associated with simple CHD. Genetic variation of ISL1 was confirmed to be associated with the risk of CHD. ISL1 is related to the atrial septal defect group and the ventricular septal defect group, and the genotypes were associated with the occurrence of CHD in the dominant mode of inheritance. We concluded that rs1017 contributed to the risk of CHD in Chinese Han people, and ISL1 may be involved in the formation and development of the heart.

The flavonoid from Polygonum perfoliatum L. inhibits herpes simplex virus 1 infection.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is one of the most prevalent human pathogens in both industrialized and developing countries. This study was performed to analyze the antiviral activity of purified flavonoid from Polygonum perfoliatum L. against HSV-1 infection in vitro and in vivo. Flavonoid showed no inhibitory effect, when treated before virus infection, but it strongly inhibited viral replication and cell-to-cell spread which was vital for the virus's propagation. The therapeutic effect of the flavonoid in treating HSV-1 induced encephalitis was also investigated in mice. A dose-dependent increase of survival rate and mean survival time (MST) were observed in the flavonoid-treated mice. These results suggested that the flavonoid may be a viable therapeutic option for recurrent HSV-1 infection.

An efficient method for isolation of Hantaan virus through serial passages in suckling mice.

OBJECTIVE: Hantaan virus (HTNV) is one of the main etiologic agents for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in China. However, it is very difficult to isolate the virus from its original host, which hampers the viral characterization. This study describes an efficient method for isolating HTNV in suckling mice. METHODS: Hantavirus-infected Apodemus agrarius were screened by quantitative real-time PCR. The homogenates of one positive rodent lung tissue were inoculated into suckling mice for virus propagation through serial passages. RESULTS: During the three passages in suckling mice, the number of viral RNA copies/nanogram of GAPDH mRNA increased significantly ranging from 477 to 7,278 and 46 to 4,898 in the tissues of brain and lung, respectively. Hantaviral antigens could be detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay and around 100-nm virion-like structures were also observed in brain tissue by transmission electron microscopy. No nucleotide exchange was found except for one in the 3'-non-coding domain of S segment when comparing the complete genome sequences from hantavirus in the first and the third passages. CONCLUSION: These results suggest inoculation of suckling mice with suspected hantavirus-infected rodent samples is an efficient method for isolation and maintenance of HTNV.

mRNA expression profiles of calmodulin and liver receptor homolog-1 genes in chickens.

Calmodulin (CALM), a calcium-binding protein, is expressed in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis; it plays a pivotal role in the reproductive system by regulating gonadotropin-releasing hormone signaling. Downstream of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal signaling pathways, liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1) is involved in female gonadal hormone synthesis. In the chicken, although the two genes are known to be associated with reproductive traits, the interaction between gonadotropins and gonadal steroids remains unclear. We used quantitative real-time PCR to quantify the tissular (hypothalamus, pituitary, ovary, liver, kidney, oviduct, heart) and ontogenetic (12, 18, 32, and 45 weeks) mRNA expression profiles of CALM and LRH-1 in Erlang Mountainous chickens to determine their roles in the endocrine control of fertility, and compared these profiles with expression in Roman chickens. We found that the relative expressions of CALM and LRH-1 genes had the highest levels in the pituitary and ovary at 32 weeks. The expression level of CALM mRNA in the pituitary of Roman chickens was significantly higher than that in Erlang Mountainous chickens at 32 and 45 weeks, while the LRH-1 transcript level in the ovaries of Roman chickens was significantly lower than that of Erlang Mountainous chickens at 32 and 45 weeks. In summary, the transcript levels of CALM and LRH-1 genes are associated with chicken reproductive traits; in addition, we found that the CALM gene is the key regulator in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal signaling network.