Association between hemoglobin glycation index and subclinical myocardial injury in the general population free from cardiovascular disease

Background and aimsThe relationship between hemoglobin glycation index (HGI) and the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been verified by previous studies. However, it remains unknown whether HGI has a predictive effect on subclinical myocardial injury (SC–MI). The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between HGI and SC–MI in the general population free from CVD.Methods and resultsThe present study included 6009 participants free of CVD from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to tested the association between HGI and SC–MI. As results, the HGI was significantly higher in participants with SC–MI compared with those without, and the HGI was positively correlated with SC–MI and other metabolic disorder parameters. Each 1-unit increase of HGI and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was independently associated with higher risk of SC–MI (P < 0.05), while fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was no longer a predictive indicator of SC–MI with the increase of confounding factors [OR (95% CI): 1.001 (0.999–1.003), P = 0.305]. And in the subgroup analysis, HGI, only in participants without diabetes, was independently associated with higher risk of SC–MI, while HbA1c and FPG had no independent predictive role in both diabetic and non-diabetic participants.ConclusionsHGI was a significant predictor of SC–MI in the general population free from CVD.     

Comparison of microscopic features of bone false starts produced by reciprocating saw blades and handsaws of the same class

In cases of criminal dismemberment, the analysis of saw marks helps to determine the class of the saw used. The present study compared the microscopic features of experimental false starts performed on three freshly defleshed human femurs. 150 lesions were produced using three reciprocating blades and two hand saws of similar class. Two groups of tools were created according to the class of the blades: group 1 (teeth per inch = 6, alternating set) and group 2 (teeth per inch = 24, wavy set).The minimum width of the kerf was always thicker with reciprocating blades than that of the handsaw of the same class. This fact is linked to the thickness of the blades and not necessarily to the fast forth and back motion of the blades. Shape kerf profiles and shape of the walls were very confusing, with a lot of variation of the false starts caused by the reciprocating blades and the risk of misclassification (rip teeth versus crosscut teeth, alternating set versus wavy set). Striae on the kerf floor and bone islands were more consistent.The main conclusions are, first, that usual features of false starts achieved by reciprocating saw blades used in this work vary a great deal and may lead to misclassification of the saw class, and second, that no criterion has been found to differentiate reciprocating blades and handsaws. These results demonstrate that we have to be very prudent while estimating the possible saw from a false start in a real forensic case.     

Identification of volatile organic compounds in muscle tissues of different species based on Headspace-Gas-Chromatography Ion-Mobility spectrometry

Species identification of unknown biological samples is crucial for forensic applications, especially in cases of explosion, disaster accidents, and body mutilation after murdering, as well as poaching, illegal trade in endangered animals, and meat food fraud. In this study, we identified 60 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in fresh skeletal muscle tissues of seven different animal species (cattle, sheep, pigs, rabbits, rats, chickens and carp) and a human dead body by headspace-gas-chromatography ion-mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS), and compared their differences by retention time, drift time and molecular weight. The results showed that these VOCs formed different gallery plot fingerprints in the skeletal muscle tissues of the human dead body and seven animal species. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed significantly different fingerprints between these species, and these fingerprints maintained good stability between the species and within the same species. Some VOCs have high species specificity, while VOCs of human fresh muscle tissues from different individual sources have little difference, demonstrating that all tested muscle tissue samples could be distinguished based on different VOCs. HS-GC-IMS has proved to be a rapid, high-throughput, highly sensitive and specific species identification method, which can be used for forensic species identification in criminal cases and disaster accidents, as well as detection in the field of food safety, such as meat fraud and adulteration.     

微课介入医学生物化学传统课堂教育教学模式的探索

目的探索微课介入传统医学生物化学课堂教学对教学效果的影响。方法选取护理本科2个大班学生作为研究对象,其中一个大班作为传统教学对照班,另一个班作为微课介入传统课堂教学试验班,试验结束后,通过随堂检测、问卷调查、期末考试及线上检测,获得测评结果。结果微课结合传统课堂教学能够增加学生学习生物化学的兴趣,加强了学生对生物化学难重点知识的掌握能力,学生们可不受时间和空间限制观看视频,对这种教学很满意,最终在期末考试中发挥出色,成绩提高,优秀率提高。     

The influence of placebo administration on the first- night effect in patients with insomnia disorder

ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate the effects of placebo on the first-night effect (FNE) in insomniacs.MethodsIn sum, 36 patients with insomnia disorder who met the DSM-5 criteria were enrolled in this study. Sixteen patients with insomnia disorder were given two days of placebo intervention (placebo-administration group, PL). Twenty patients with insomnia disorder (drug-free group, DF) were not given any interventions. All participants underwent two consecutive nights of polysomnographic (PSG) testing in the sleep laboratory. Sleep diaries were recorded during one week at home before the PSG nights and on two subsequent nights.ResultsThe results demonstrated that compared with the DF group, sleep onset latency (SOL), time in bed (TIB) and wake after sleep onset (WASO) significantly increased and sleep efficiency (SE) significantly decreased in the first sleep lab night in the PL group (all p < 0.05). Moreover, compared with the second night, significant differences were observed in lower self-reported total sleep time (TST) and more subjective WASO during the first night in the PL group (all p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was found in the duration and percentage of N1, N2, N3 and REM between the two groups.ConclusionIn patients with insomnia disorder, placebo administration may increase the occurrence of worse sleep without causing a change in the duration and percentage of N1, N2, N3 and REM on the first sleep lab night. In some cases, a placebo may not serve as treatment but may result in a nocebo effect.     

Unexpected death in a young child associated with anomalous aortic origin of the left main coronary artery without physical exertion: A case of an anomalous coronary artery with highly abundant elastic fibers

Sudden death due to anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery is far less common among young children in the absence of exercise stress. This report describes the case of a 2-year-old boy with a lower respiratory tract infection who suffered sudden cardiac arrest in his bed at home. The autopsy revealed that the left coronary artery (LCA) originated from the right sinus of Valsalva with an acute angle takeoff and traveled between the aorta and the pulmonary trunk (an interarterial course). Upon histological examination, the LCA, before reaching its major branches, was located adjacent to the outside of the aortic wall without an intramural passage, and the arterial wall was composed almost exclusively of elastic fibers without media containing smooth muscle cells throughout the entire length of the abnormal running. Screening tests for respiratory virus infection detected enterovirus in the lung tissue. In association with an acute angle takeoff and interarterial course, the wall structure with highly abundant elastic fibers that are more flexible tissues among blood vessel components might suggest their vulnerability to compression during the great vessels’ systolic expansion in the sympathetic activation induced by the viral infection, leading to fatal myocardial ischemia without physical exertion.     

Dietary N-3 PUFA deficiency affects sleep-wake activity in basal condition and in response to an inflammatory challenge in mice

Essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from the n-3 and n-6 series constitute the building blocks of brain cell membranes where they regulate most aspects of cell physiology. They are either biosynthesized from their dietary precursors or can be directly sourced from the diet. An overall increase in the dietary n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio, as observed in the Western diet, leads to reduced n-3 PUFAs in tissues that include the brain. Some clinical studies have shown a positive correlation between dietary n-3 PUFA intake and sleep quantity, yet evidence is still sparse. We here used a preclinical model of dietary n-3 PUFA deficiency to assess the precise relationship between dietary PUFA intake and sleep/wake activity. Using electroencephalography (EEG)/electromyography (EMG) recordings on n-3 PUFA deficient or sufficient mice, we showed that dietary PUFA deficiency affects the architecture of sleep-wake activity and the oscillatory activity of cortical neurons during sleep. In a second part of the study, and since PUFAs are a potent modulator of inflammation, we assessed the effect of dietary n-3 PUFA deficiency on the sleep response to an inflammatory stimulus known to modulate sleep/wake activity. We injected mice with the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and quantified the sleep response across the following 12 h. Our results revealed that n-3 PUFA deficiency affects the sleep response in basal condition and after a peripheral immune challenge. More studies are now required aimed at deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying the intimate relationship between n-3 PUFAs and sleep/wake activity.     

A 16-plex Y-SNP typing system based on allele-specific PCR for the genotyping of Chinese Y-chromosomal haplogroups

Y-chromosomal SNP (Y-SNP), with its stable inheritance and low mutation, can provide Supplementary information in forensic investigation. While commonly used Y-chromosomal STR haplotypes show their limitations, typing of Y-SNP would become a powerful complement. In this study, a 16-plex Y-SNP typing system based on allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) was developed to discriminate four dominant Y-chromosomal haplogroups (C-M130, D-CTS3946, N-M231, and O-M175) and 12 predominant sub-haplogroups of O-M175 (O1a-M119, O1a1a1a-CTS3265, O1b-M268, O1b1a2-Page59, O2-M122, O2a1-L127.1, O2a1b-F240, O2a1b1a1-CTS5820, O2a2-P201, O2a2b1a1-M177, O2a2b1a1a1a-Y17728, O2a2b1a2-F114). A series of experimental validation studies including sensitivity, species specificity, male-female mixture and inhibition were performed. The discrimination of the typing system was preliminarily proved with a haplogroup diversity of 0.9239. Altogether, the Y-SNP typing system based on AS-PCR should be capable of distinguishing China’s dominant Y-chromosomal haplogroups in a rapid and reliable manner, thus can be employed as a useful complement in forensic casework.