The usefulness of measuring n-butyric acid concentration as a new indicator of blood decomposition in forensic autopsy

In forensic medicine, although various alcohols have been reported as indicators of decomposition in collected blood, no studies have examined short-chain fatty acids as indicators. In this study, the blood n-butyric acid concentration was quantified, and the association between n-butyric acid and decomposition was investigated to determine whether the detection of n-butyric acid could be a new indicator of decomposition. Among the forensic autopsies performed from 2016 to 2018 in our laboratory, the cases were divided into decomposed (n = 20) and non-decomposed (n = 20) groups based on macroscopic findings. Blood samples collected at the time of autopsy were derivatized with 3-nitrophenylhydrazine hydrochloride after solid-phase extraction. The n-butyric acid concentration was measured using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. In addition, ethanol and n-propanol were measured using a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector. There was a significant difference (p < 0.01) in the concentrations of n-butyric acid between the decomposed and non-decomposed groups (0.343 ± 0.259 [0.030–0.973] and 0.003 ± 0.002 [0.001–0.007] mg/mL, respectively). In the decomposed group, n-butyric acid was detected at high concentrations, even in cases where n-propanol was low. These results suggest that n-butyric acid is more likely to be an indicator of blood decomposition than n-propanol.     

Fast decomposition of water and lipid using a GRASE technique with the IDEAL algorithm.

Three-point Dixon techniques achieve good lipid-water separation by estimating the phase due to field inhomogeneities. Recently it was demonstrated that the combination of an iterative algorithm (iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation (IDEAL)) with a fast spin-echo (FSE) three-point Dixon method yielded robust lipid-water decomposition. As an alternative to FSE, the gradient- and spin-echo (GRASE) technique has been developed for efficient data collection. In this work we present a method for lipid-water separation by combining IDEAL with the GRASE technique. An approach to correct for errors in the lipid-water decomposition caused by phase distortions due to the switching of the readout gradient polarities inherent to GRASE is presented. The IDEAL-GRASE technique is demonstrated in phantoms and in vivo for various applications, including pelvic, musculoskeletal, and (breath-hold) cardiac imaging.     

提高H2O2/甲酸体系选择性氧化抽提脱硫效率的研究

为了降低焦化蜡油(CGO)-甲酸／H2O2选择性氧化体系中H2O2的无效分解速度，屏蔽重金属离子对H2O2分解的催化效应，考察了造纸行业中常用的硅酸钠、硅酸镁和乙二胺四乙酸(EDTA)等稳定剂和螯合剂的加入对有机溶剂抽提后CGO中含硫量的影响。实验结果表明，EDTA可以很好地和重金属离子螯合，氧化后CGO抽余油中硫含量大幅降低。     

超声多普勒管壁搏动和血流信号的分离研究

本研究提出利用经验模式分解(EMD)算法分解混叠有管壁成分的超声多普勒血流信号来实现管壁搏动和血流信号的分离。该方法首先将混叠有管壁搏动的超声多普勒血流信号分解为少量有限的分量,即内模函数(IMFs),然后根据管壁搏动信号与血流信号的功率比变化曲线,用比值法自动确定并去除低频管壁博动成分。在仿真实验中用提出的方法处理模拟的多普勒信号,对于靠近管腔内壁的血流信号其在频域功率谱上的相对误差为50%,在时域幅度的相对误差为45%,与高通滤波器方法的相对误差95%相比,准确性得到提高。基于个人计算机用C语言编程实现提出的算法,对实际采集的人体颈动脉多普勒信号可实现实时分离处理。结果表明:基于经验模式分解的滤波方法能有效客观地滤除管壁搏动信号,更准确地保留低频血流信号成分。     

Correlation-based decomposition of surface electromyograms at low contraction forces

The paper studies a surface electromyogram (SEMG) decomposition technique suitable for identification of complete motor unit (MU) firing patterns and their motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) during low-level isometric voluntary muscle contractions. The algorithm was based on a correlation matrix of measurements, assumed unsynchronised (uncorrelated) MU firings, exhibited a very low computational complexity and resolved the superimposition of MUAPs. A separation index was defined that identified the time instants of an MU's activation and was eventually used for reconstruction of a complete MU innervation pulse train. In contrast with other decomposition techniques, the proposed approach worked well also when the number of active MUs was slightly underestimated, if the MU firing patterns partly overlapped and if the measurements were noisy. The results on synthetic SEMG show 100% accuracy in the detection of innervation pulses down to a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 10 dB, and 93±4.6% (mean± standard deviation) accuracy with 0 dB additive noise. In the case of real SEMG, recorded with an array of 61 electrodes from biceps brachii of five subjects at 10% maximum voluntary contraction, seven active MUs with a mean firing rate of 14.1 Hz were identified on average.     

Adaptive motor unit action potential clustering using shape and temporal information

An adaptive algorithm is described that groups motor unit action potentials (MUAPs), detected in a composite EMG signal during signal decomposition, and creates partial motor unit action potential trains (MUAPTs). Data-driven MUAP shape and motor unit firing-pattern based criteria are used to form the clusters. An algorithm for estimating MUAPT temporal parameter, which provides accurate estimates even for partially defined trains, is used to obtain firing-pattern information. No a priori knowledge is required regarding the number of clusters or the distribution of their template shapes. The clustering algorithm when applied to real concentric-needle detected MUAP data provides accurate and useful clustering results. Compared to a classical leader-based algorithm, it provides more robust performance, is better able to estimate the true number of motor units represented in a set of detected MUAPs, and obtains more complete and accurate MUAPTs.     

Unrestricted principal components analysis of brain electrical activity: Issues of data dimensionality,artifact, and utility

Summary Principal components analysis (PCA) was performed on the 1536 spectral and 2944 evoked potential (EP) variables generated by neurophysiologic paradigms including flash VER, click AER, and eyes open and closed spectral EEG from 202 healthy subjects aged 30 to 80. In each case data dimensionality of 1500 to 3000 was substantially reduced using PCA by magnitudes of 20 to over 200. Just 20 PCA factors accounted for 70% to 85% of the variance. Visual inspection of the topographic distribution of factor loading scores revealed complex loadings across multiple data dimensions (time-space and frequency-space). Forty-two non-artifactual factors were successful in classifying age, gender, and a separate group of 60 demented patients by linear discriminant analysis. Discrimination of age and gender primarily involved EP derived factors, whereas dementia primarily involved EEG derived factors. Thirty-eight artifactual factors were identified which, alone, could not discriminate age but were relatively successful in discriminating gender and dementia. The need to parsimoniously develop real neurophysiologic measures and to objectively exclude artifact are discussed. Unrestricted PCA is suggested as a step in this direction.Acknowledgements: This work was supported in part by NIA program project PO1AG049853 to M. Albert and the Mental Retardation Program Project P30HD18655 to J.J. Volpe. We thank our qEEG technologists Adele Mirabella, Susan Katz, Ellen Belles, and Marianne McGaffigan as well as our research secretaries for their unflagging support.     

2010—2019年中国居民四类慢性非传染病的死亡趋势及差别分解分析

目的 分析2010—2019年我国居民4类主要慢性病（恶性肿瘤、糖尿病、心血管疾病和呼吸系统疾病）的死亡率变化趋势及影响其变化的因素。方法 数据来自全国疾病监测系统死亡数据资料,运用Joinpoint模型计算死亡率的年度平均变化百分比（AAPC）和年度变化百分比（APC）,并用死亡率差别分解法解释该趋势变化的影响因素。结果 2010—2019年我国居民四种慢性病的粗死亡率由456.22/10万上升至556.00/10万,标化死亡率由541.40/10万降至419.83/10万。死亡率变化是人口构成和其它危险因素共同作用的结果,其中人口构成因素促进了恶性肿瘤、糖尿病、心血管疾病和呼吸系统疾病死亡率的上升,贡献值分别48.52/10万、5.12/10万、135.28/10万、38.39/10万;其它危险因素促进糖尿病死亡率上升,而驱使另3种慢性病死亡率下降,贡献值分别- 23.11/10万、1.27/10万、- 55.87/10万、- 49.83/10万。结论 我国综合防控重大慢性病造成的死亡取得一定成效,但与此同时随着老龄化加剧,上述疾病依然是引发死亡的主要原因,卫生健康事业发展面临严峻挑战。     

人均预期寿命差距的健康决定因素贡献度研究

目的:系统性分解健康决定因素不平等对人均预期寿命差距的贡献度,探索公共政策可干预的优先领域,提出缩小国家或地区间健康差距的政策建议.方法:利用1990—2017年跨国面板数据,在分组构建宏观健康生产方程和回归分析的基础上,利用Oaxaca-Blinder分解技术对高、低寿命国家组间差距进行分解,计算出各因素对寿命差距的贡献度.结果:总体人均预期寿命差距绝大部分(92.8%)可由健康决定因素不平等解释(可干预的资源型差异),不可解释部分(难以干预的结构型差异)仅占7.2%;在可解释部分,受教育程度贡献度最高(34.4%),其次是人均GDP(26.8%)和安全饮水覆盖率(26.2%),三者共占87.4%;在因素分类贡献度中,社会经济地位因素对于寿命差距贡献度最高(60.9%),医疗卫生体系因素贡献度为6.5%.结论:健康弱势国家应主动建立以健康为导向的资源可持续发展路径,必要时采取国家内部跨地区资源转移战略;明确健康发展的优先领域,兼顾跨领域资源统筹协调;加强发达国家对弱势国家资源发展的国际投资与援助,协作构建人类卫生健康共同体.     

煤的热解研究III.煤中官能团与热解生成物

借助化学分析和ＦＴＩＲ光谱分析对我国煤化程度不同的１８ 种煤中官能团的研究表明：煤中官能团含量与煤化程度有关;煤中羧基、羟基及醚键等其他含氧官能团的含量与热解生成物ＣＯ２、Ｈ２Ｏ 和ＣＯ 的产率有关,脂肪—ＣＨ 的含量与甲烷和焦油的产率相关联,芳香—ＣＨ 的含量与热解半焦产率有关。煤的热解生成物主要是煤中官能团的断裂所致。