Chen Fang

Object The differentiation of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has long been a challenging problem in clinical diagnosis and forensic identification. Recent studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) in exosomes are involved in the development and progression of AMI. results indicated that plasma exosomal miRNAs can be considered as novel biomarkers for early AMI recognition. Method In this study, exosomal miRNAs in plasma associated with the pathogenesis of AMI was explored and AMI identification model based on these miRNAs were established using machine learning technology. Result Following the analysis of differentially expressed miRNAs in plasma-derived exosomes, the expression levels of 36 miRNAs increase with the passage of time, including miR-3473, miR-504, miR-490-5p, miR-218a-2-3p, and miR-760-3p, showed an increasing trend over time in the plasma exosomes of AMI rats. Based on machine learning techniques, miR-3473, miR-504, miR-490-5p, miR-218a-2-3p were used to construct a model for recognizing early AMI. The precision of the AMI identification model reached 0.955. Conclusion The results indicated that plasma exosomal miRNAs can be considered as novel biomarkers for early AMI recognition.

Y-chromosome short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) are valuable genetic markers used for individual identification, forensic applications, and the study of paternal lineage history. This study analyzed the genetic polymorphism and paternal genetic structure of the Han population in Jiangsu Province by examining 374 unrelated male individuals using 29 Y-STRs and 183 Y-SNPs. Forensic parameters were calculated, and the discriminatory power of five Y-STR systems (MHT, EXT, PPY12, Yfiler, and Y29) was compared. Genetic structure was assessed in the context of the Jiangsu Han and other Chinese populations. Results showed that the Y29 system had the highest discriminatory capacity, identifying 374 unique haplotypes with HD and DC values of 1. Seven major haplogroups (C, D, J, K, O, Q, R) and 83 terminal haplogroups were identified, with haplogroup O being the most predominant (approximately 85%). Subdivision of haplogroup O revealed that the Jiangsu Han population exhibits genetic characteristics of both Southern and Northern Han groups. Population genetic analyses further confirmed that the Jiangsu Han clustered closely with Southern Han populations. Genetic admixture results revealed that the Jiangsu Han population derives 89% of their ancestry from Southern Han populations, while retaining 11% Northern Han contributions. The study provides valuable insights into the genetic structure of the Jiangsu Han population, with significant implications for forensic genetics, anthropological research, and broader population genetics studies.

Age determination is one of the key components of forensic science research.

To explore the possible mechanism of Shao's five-needle therapy pretreatment on relieving airway inflammatory response in asthmatic rats. Forty SPF-grade SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group, an acupuncture group, and a medication group, with 10 rats in each group. Except the blank group, asthma model was established by aerosol inhalation of ovalbumin in the other 3 groups. The rats in the acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at "Dazhui" (GV 14) and bilateral "Feishu" (BL 13) and "Fengmen" (BL 12), with each session lasting for 20 min. Acupuncture was given before each motivating, once daily for 7 consecutive days. The rats in the medication group were treated with intraperitoneal injection of dexamethasone sodium phosphate solution before each motivating, once daily for 7 days. General situation of the rats was observed in each group; ELISA method was used to detect the levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 in serum; immunofluorescence staining method was performed to assess the expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in lung tissues; Western blot method was used to measure the protein expression of thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP), NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), and Caspase-1 in lung tissues. The rats in the blank group exhibited normal behavior, while those in the model group showed signs of respiratory distress, ear scratching, cheek rubbing, and dysphoria. Compared with the model group, the rats in the acupuncture group and the medication group showed stable respiration and relatively agile responses. Compared with those in the blank group, the serum levels of IL-18 and IL-1β were elevated (PPP(PPShao's five-needle therapy could alleviate airway inflammatory response in asthmatic rats by reducing ROS levels and decreasing the aggregation and activation of pathway-related proteins in the ROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 pathway, ultimately leading to decreased secretion of IL-1β and IL-18. This mechanism may contribute to the effectiveness of Shao's five-needle therapy in preventing and treating asthma.

Methylmercury (MeHg), a potent neurotoxic substance, causes adverse health outcomes by modulating metabolites through altered gut microbiota patterns. Among the many metabolites, neurotransmitters play a particularly important role in the nervous system and behavior. Resveratrol (RSV) has been investigated as an antiaging, antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and neuroprotective agent. The current study evaluated that RSV is protective of neurodevelopmental toxicity induced by MeHg and further explored the underlying mechanisms. Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with 1.2 mg/kg/d of MeHg, and the effects were evaluated after supplementation with RSV (20 mg/kg/d). The results indicated that MeHg had adverse effects on early neurodevelopmental indicators in the experimental group offspring as compared to control pups. Interestingly, RSV significantly improved the MeHg‐induced delays in the neurobehavioral reflexes and reduced the total mercury (THg) concentration in the colons of the offspring rats. In agreement, RSV administration improved the gut microbiota diversity and structure by increasing the abundance of probiotics and upregulating the expression of tight junction proteins. It also ameliorated the MeHg‐induced abnormalities in the expression profiles of neurotransmitters. Furthermore, eight key bacteria that were strongly linked with the neurotransmitters and neuroreflex parameters were identified. Taken together, these results demonstrate that RSV treatment effectively reduces the occurrence of neurodevelopmental toxicity caused by perinatal MeHg exposure by modulating the intestinal flora and neurotransmitter metabolism. These findings provide a new therapeutic approach for treating MeHg‐induced neurotoxicity.The cover image is based on the Research Article Resveratrol alleviates perinatal methylmercury‐induced neurobehavioral impairments by modulating the gut microbiota composition and neurotransmitter disturbances by Fang Chen et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/tox.23973.

In forensic investigations, age estimation is vital for determining whether a suspect is under or over the legally defined adult age. With breakthroughs in RNA sequencing technology, small noncoding RNAs have provided new ways to solve problems related to the age estimation of trace or aged samples, owing to their small molecular weight and better stability. In our previous study, we had applied miRNAs for the age estimation of bloodstains; however, further improvement of the existing model is needed. PIWI-interacting RNAs (PiRNAs), which are 24–32 nt noncoding small RNA molecules involved in the PIWI-piRNA pathway, play an important role in the aging process. In this study, we explored the possibility of simultaneously analyzing piRNAs and miRNAs for better age estimation purpose. Through massively parallel sequencing, five age-related piRNAs were identified in blood samples that had been stored for eight years. Further real-time PCR analysis revealed that two piRNAs (piR-000753 and piR-020548) showed relatively higher efficiency in age estimation. Additionally, two age-related miRNAs (miR-324-3p and miR-330-5p) were used to build the estimation model. Among all algorithms tested, gradient boosting showed the lowest mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) values (3.171 and 4.403 years, respectively) for the validation dataset (n = 110). The errors of the model were less than 5 years and 10 years for 81.82% and 96.36% of the samples, respectively. The results suggest that the combined use of piRNA and miRNA markers may increase the accuracy of age estimation, and our new model has great potential for application in forensic casework.