Patterns of emergence of the human mental nerve

This study investigated the path of emergence of the mental nerve in a number of human population groups. Skeletal material comprised 117 Negro skulls (53 males), 114 caucasoid skulls (62 males) and 100 pre-contact Maori skulls (70 males). In each case, the path of emergence was classified into posterior, anterior, right-angled or multiple. Those cases with severely resorbed alveolar ridges that made classification difficult were excluded from the study. Additionally, 56 cadaveric mandibles were examined, in which an osteotomy of 1cm was made on either side of the mental foramen to expose the nerve. The most common pattern of emergence in caucasoids and Maoris was a posterior direction (86.7% of caucasoid males, 90.2% of caucasoid females; 85.5% of Maori males, 93.1% of Maori females). In Negroes the most common pattern was a right-angled path of emergence (45.8% of males, 45.0% of females), with this difference between population groups being statistically significant (Pearson's chi(2): males=23.4, females=45-97; P<0.01). Multiple foramina were rare, with the highest incidence being in Maori and Negro males. Cadaveric data supported the findings of the skeletal investigation, with the dominant emergence recorded as posteriorly directed (80.7% of males, 86.6% of females). It was concluded that while the traditionally accepted ontogenetic explanation for the inclination of the mental nerve might be applicable to caucasoids and Maoris, it fails to explain the observed right-angled emergence pattern in Negroes. Hence, the nerve's emergence might be genetically, rather than functionally, determined. The study did not show a measurable anterior loop in the emergence of the mental nerve that would have any significant impact on treatment planning for implants in the anterior mandible.     

新型骨组织工程支架材料β-磷酸三钙/聚磷酸钙纤维/聚左旋乳酸的细胞生物相容性

目的:在体外细胞培养条件下,从细胞形态和细胞增殖方面观察新型骨组织工程支架材料β-磷酸三钙/聚磷酸钙纤维/聚左旋乳酸的细胞生物相容性。方法:实验于2002-01/2004-01在西安交通大学医学院实验中心及西安交通大学地方病研究所实验室进行。①材料:β-磷酸三钙为兰州交通大学复合材料研究室制备;磷酸纤维平均直径(15.0±1.2)μm,平均体外生物降解率(3.0±0.46)%,拉伸强度(1.0±0.2)GPa,弹性模量(48.0±7.6)GPa;聚左旋乳酸平均分子质量为27.6×104。支架复合物质量比为β-磷酸三钙∶聚磷酸钙纤维∶聚左旋乳酸=2∶3∶5。②实验方法:按复合材料1g∶浸提介质10mL的比例,用含体积分数为0.1的胎牛血清的DMEM37℃条件下浸提24～72h,制备复合支架材料的浸提液,过滤24h内进行试验。将骨髓基质细胞分为3组,分别用支架材料浸提液(实验组)、DMEM培养液(阴性对照组)和6.4g/L苯酚溶液(阳性对照组)培养,同时实验组将浸提液按100%,75%,50%,25%的浓度稀释分别培养。③观察指标:每日使用倒置相差显微镜观察骨髓基质细胞形态变化;用MTT法检测细胞生长及增殖情况,测定A值,计算细胞增殖率。结果:①细胞形态变化:在细胞培养1,2,3d,阳性对照组细胞数量明显减少,细胞固缩甚至崩解,实验组与阴性对照组细胞数量明显增加,细胞形态正常。②细胞生长及增殖情况:在培养各时间点除阳性对照组毒性为4级(细胞增殖率为0～20%)外,其余均为0级(细胞增殖率>80%);除阳性对照组外,各实验组及阴性对照组A值均随培养天数的增加而升高,培养1,2,3天时阳性对照组的A值明显低于其他组(P<0.01),阴性对照组与实验组间无显著差异(P>0.05)。结论:β-磷酸三钙/聚磷酸钙纤维/聚左旋乳酸复合材料对骨髓基质细胞的增殖分化无明显影响,无细胞毒性,有良好细胞生物相容性。     

Damage to apparel layers and underlying tissue due to hand-gun bullets

Ballistic damage to the clothing of victims of gunshot wounds to the chest can provide useful forensic evidence. Anyone shot in the torso will usually be wearing clothing which will be damaged by the penetrating impact event and can reportedly be the source of some of the debris in the wound. Minimal research has previously been reported regarding the effect of bullets on apparel fabrics and underlying tissue. This paper examines the effect of ammunition (9 mm full metal jacket [FMJ] DM11 A1B2, 8.0 g; and soft point flat nose Remington R357M3, 10.2 g) on clothing layers that cover the torso (T-shirt, T-shirt plus hoodie, T-shirt plus denim jacket) and underlying structures represented by porcine thoracic wall (skin, underlying tissue, ribs). Impacts were recorded using a Phantom V12 high speed camera. Ejected bone debris was collected before wound tracts were dissected and measured; any debris found was recovered for further analysis. Size and mass of bony debris was recorded; fibre debris recovered from the wound and impact damage to fabrics were imaged using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Remington R357M3 ammunition was characteristically associated with stellate fabric damage; individual fibres were less likely to show mushrooming. In contrast, 9 mm FMJ ammunition resulted in punch-out damage to fabric layers, with mushrooming of individual fibres being more common. Entry wound sizes were similar for both types of ammunition and smaller than the diameter of the bullet that caused them. In this work, the Remington R357M3 ammunition resulted in larger exit wounds due to the bullet construction which mushroomed. That fabric coverings did not affect the amount of bony debris produced is interesting, particularly given there was some evidence that apparel layers affected the size of the wound. Recent work has suggested that denim (representative of jeans) can exacerbate wounding caused by high-velocity bullet impacts to the thigh when the bullet does not impact the femur. That more bony debris was caused by Remington R357M3 rather than 9 mm FMJ ammunition was not surprising given the relative constructions of these two bullets, and is of interest to medical practitioners.     

Investigations on non‐inferiority—the Food and Drug Administration draft guidance on treatments for nosocomial pneumonia as a case for exact tests for binomial proportions

This paper addresses statistical issues in non‐inferiority trials where the primary outcome is a fatal event. The investigations are inspired by a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) draft guideline on treatments for nosocomial pneumonia. The non‐inferiority margin suggested in this guideline for the endpoint all‐cause mortality is defined on different distance measures (rate difference and odds ratio) and is discontinuous. Furthermore, the margin enables considerable power for the statistical proof of non‐inferiority at alternatives that might be regarded as clinically unacceptable, that is, even if the experimental treatment is harmful as compared with the control. We investigated the appropriateness of the proposed non‐inferiority margin as well as the performance of possible test statistics to be used for the analysis. A continuous variant of the margin proposed in the FDA guideline together with the unconditional exact test according to Barnard showed favorable characteristics with respect to type I error rate control and power. To prevent harmful new treatments from being declared as non‐inferior, we propose to add a ‘second hurdle’. We discuss examples and explore power characteristics when requiring both statistical significance and overcoming the second hurdle. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An Online Virtual-Patient Program to Teach Pharmacists and Pharmacy Students How to Provide Diabetes-Specific Medication Therapy Management

Objective. To develop, implement, and assess the effectiveness of an online medication therapy management (MTM) program to train pharmacists and pharmacy students in providing MTM services for patients with diabetes and to increase their intent to perform these services. Design. An online program was created using an Internet-based learning platform to simulate 4 MTM meetings between a pharmacist and a virtual patient diagnosed with diabetes.Assessment. Eighty students and 42 pharmacists completed the program. After completing the program, scores on post-intervention assessments showed significant improvement in 2 areas: control over performing MTM, and knowledge of how to perform MTM. Students had a significantly less-positive attitude about MTM and a decline in their perception of the social expectation that MTM is part of the practice of pharmacy, while pharmacists’ attitudes did not change significantly in these areas.Conclusion. This online program using a virtual patient improved both participants’ belief that they have control over performing MTM, and their knowledge of how to perform MTM for diabetic patients, which may increase the likelihood that pharmacists and pharmacy students will perform MTM in the future.