Sacral morphometrics for sex estimation of dead cases in Central Thailand

Sex estimation by various forensic anthropology approaches is a crucial factor for identification of human skeletal remains. However, inexpensive, uncomplicated and reliable methods are still required, especially in a remote crime scene and a high crime incidence area. Here, we examined 13 sacral parameters from 78 independent skeletons derived from deceases found in Central Thailand (male, n = 46; female, n = 32) using simple standard anthropometric techniques for sex allocation. Discriminant analysis exhibited that anterior-posterior diameter of S₁ vertebra corpus (APS) is the most accurate sacral parameter for sex determination in our study with 82.1% of correct discrimination rate. The accuracy could be improved up to 97.4% when additional three sacral variables including the length of sacrum measured from the medial anterior-superior sacral promontory to the medial anterior-inferior S₅ vertebra (ASL), alar index (ALI), and the maximum anterior breadth of sacrum measured across sacral alar (ABS) were computed together with APS. These encourage the use of sacral morphometrics for sex assessment of human sacrum remains in Central Thailand. However, further investigation with broadening sacral morphometric data across the country might provide a promising sex determination equation from a sacral skeleton for Thai population.     

骨显像在儿童常见恶性实体瘤骨转移中的应用

目的 探讨骨显像在诊断儿童常见恶性实体瘤骨转移中的价值。方法 202例恶性实体瘤（淋巴瘤91例、神经母细胞瘤81例、横纹肌肉瘤20例、肾母细胞瘤10例）患儿行^99Tc^m-MDP全身骨显像，观察各自骨转移发生率、表现特征及好发部位。结果 202例患儿骨显像阳性者92例，占45．5％，其中单发病灶20例，多发病灶72例。好发部位为下肢骨骼和椎体。91例淋巴瘤骨显像阳性者38例，占41．8％，单发与多发性转移灶分别占28．9％与71．1％。肾脏受累15例，占16．5％；81例神经母细胞瘤阳性46例，占56．8％，单发与多发性转移灶分别占21，7％与78．3％。原发灶显影30例，占37．0％；20例横纹肌肉瘤阳性8例，占40，0％；10例肾母细胞瘤均未见骨骼转移。结论 骨显像对诊断儿童恶性实体瘤的骨转移有一定的价值，神经母细胞瘤的骨转移最常见，肾母细胞瘤极少发生骨骼浸润。^99Tc^m-MDP骨显像可显示恶性淋巴瘤的肾脏受累情况。     

Circadian feeding and drinking rhythms in the rat under complete and skeleton photoperiods

Feeding and drinking rhythms were studied in rats maintained under 24-hr light-dark (LD) cycles with various photoperiods, under two-pulse (2P) and one-pulse (1P) skeleton photoperiods, and under constant dark (DD). Rhythmic waveforms were similar under complete LD cycles and corresponding skeleton photoperiods, indicating that these rhythms mainly reflect the entrainment of underlying circadian pacemakers. Little or no role was found for masking effects of light on circadian feeding and drinking waveforms. Entrainment was found to depend mainly on the timing of the dawn light signal, whether it was a 15-min light pulse or a dark-to-light transition initiating a complete photoperiod. Furthermore, the use of 1P schedules revealed that a dawn signal was sufficient for entrainment. These results closely match those obtained for motor activity measures in other nocturnal rodent species, and generally conform to the predictions of Pittendrigh's nonparametric theory of entrainment. Furthermore, the close correspondence of the two rhythms during entrainment, phase-jumps, and free-running (DD) conditions indicates that they are controlled by common circadian pacemakers.     

医疗机构护理人员肌肉骨骼患病现况及影响因素研究

目的 调查医院护理人员肌肉骨骼患病情况并分析影响因素,指导制定有效的干预措施。方法 于2021年2—6月采用肌肉骨骼疾患调查表评估郑州市二级及以上医院护理人员肌肉骨骼患病情况,同时参照快速上肢评估方法评估人体工效学负荷等级,收集护理人员的人口学资料等,分析肌肉骨骼疾患发生的影响因素。结果 最终纳入1 031名护理人员,肌肉骨骼患病率为77.21%,以颈、肩、腰部患病更多见。多因素Logistic回归分析结果显示年龄（OR=1.520）、BMI≥24.0 kg/m²（OR=1.960）、有生育过（OR=1.114）、工龄（OR=2.208）、医院级别（OR=2.751）、科室（内科：OR=0.451、儿科：OR=0.671、妇产科：OR=0.184、急诊：OR=2.487、其他科室：OR=0.191）、人体工效学负荷等级（OR=2.560）是医院护理人员肌肉骨骼患病的影响因素。结论 医院护理人员肌肉骨骼患病率处于较高水平,受到多种因素影响,应当针对性采取干预措施帮助护理人员减少不良工作姿势、改善工作环境,降低肌肉骨骼患病率,提高医护人员身体健康水平。     

Colocation and role of polyphosphates and alkaline phosphatase in apatite biomineralization of elasmobranch tesserae

Elasmobranchs (e.g. sharks and rays), like all fishes, grow continuously throughout life. Unlike other vertebrates, their skeletons are primarily cartilaginous, comprising a hyaline cartilage-like core, stiffened by a thin outer array of mineralized, abutting and interconnected tiles called tesserae. Tesserae bear active mineralization fronts at all margins and the tesseral layer is thin enough to section without decalcifying, making this a tractable but largely unexamined system for investigating controlled apatite mineralization, while also offering a potential analog for endochondral ossification. The chemical mechanism for tesserae mineralization has not been described, but has been previously attributed to spherical precursors, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Here, we use a variety of techniques to elucidate the involvement of phosphorus-containing precursors in the formation of tesserae at their mineralization fronts. Using Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy and histological methods, we demonstrate that ALP activity is located with inorganic phosphate polymers (polyP) at the tessera–uncalcified cartilage interface, suggesting a potential mechanism for regulated mineralization: inorganic phosphate (Pi) can be cleaved from polyP by ALP, thus making Pi locally available for apatite biomineralization. The application of exogenous ALP to tissue cross-sections resulted in the disappearance of polyP and the appearance of Pi in uncalcified cartilage adjacent to mineralization fronts. We propose that elasmobranch skeletal cells control apatite biomineralization by biochemically controlling polyP and ALP production, placement and activity. Previous identification of polyP and ALP shown previously in mammalian calcifying cartilage supports the hypothesis that this mechanism may be a general regulating feature in the mineralization of vertebrate skeletons.     

A Web platform for the interactive visualization and analysis of the 3D fractal dimension of MRI data

This study presents a Web platform (http://3dfd.ujaen.es) for computing and analyzing the 3D fractal dimension (3DFD) from volumetric data in an efficient, visual and interactive way. The Web platform is specially designed for working with magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of the brain. The program estimates the 3DFD by calculating the 3D box-counting of the entire volume of the brain, and also of its 3D skeleton. All of this is done in a graphical, fast and optimized way by using novel technologies like CUDA and WebGL. The usefulness of the Web platform presented is demonstrated by its application in a case study where an analysis and characterization of groups of 3D MR images is performed for three neurodegenerative diseases: Multiple Sclerosis, Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Alzheimer’s disease. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Web platform that allows the users to calculate, visualize, analyze and compare the 3DFD from MRI images in the cloud.     

Dental and Skeletal Age in Patients with Palatally Displaced Canines

ObjectiveTo determine potential associations between dental and skeletal maturation and palatally displaced canines (PDC) considering gender and chronological age.Material and methodsThis study included pretreatment panoramic and lateral cephalometric radiographs of 43 subjects with PDCs and 203 randomly selected orthodontic subjects with normally erupted canines. Both groups were non syndromic patients. Chronological age of subjects was rounded and noted in years with decimal points and compared with chronological age according to Demirjian''s dental age assessment. Skeletal maturation was determined by cervical vertebrae changes on cephalometric radiographs.ResultsFemale subjects with PDC were more affected by left side canine displacement than males (p=0.027) with five times higher odds ratio (OR = 4.9; 95% CIL=1.2-19.7). A comparison of chronologic and skeletal age indicated that PDC subjects were skeletally younger than unaffected groups with statistically significant differences at the age of 10, 12 and 13. (p=0.05).ConclusionYoung subjects with PDCs showed skeletal maturation delay compared to control group, indicating that skeletal maturation assessment could be one of unexplored predicting factors of a PDC, especially at the age between 10 and 13 years in both genders. Subjects with PDC showed intensive growth spurt after the age of 12 years in females, and after the age of 13 in males. Dental maturation delay showed no statistical significance in PDC prediction.     

不同麻醉方法对老年骨科手术患者应激反应的影响

目的 观察腰-硬联合麻醉在老年患者下肢手术的麻醉效果及其对机体应激反应的影响。方法 选年龄69—91岁，按美国麻醉医师学会（ASA）分级Ⅰ-Ⅱ级行骨科手术的患者48例，分2组，对照组（Ⅰ组）硬膜外麻醉，试验组（Ⅱ组）腰-硬联合麻醉。分别评定麻醉效果，记录2组给药前后多时段生命体征、起效时间、阻滞平面及维持时间，分别于术前、术毕和术后24h采集静脉血，测定血浆去甲肾上腺素（NE）、肾上腺素（E）的浓度。结果 2组患者麻醉前后生命体征无明显变化，起效时间Ⅱ组明显快于I组（P〈0．05），各时段NE和E的浓度Ⅰ组均高于Ⅱ组（P〈0．05），术中镇痛效果的满意度Ⅱ组（96％）明显高于Ⅰ组（74％）。结论 只要术前准备充分，掌握给药的剂量和速度，腰-硬联合麻醉对老年患者不会产生不良影响，且可减轻手术的应激反应，是一种效果好而可行的麻醉方法。     

正常雌猕猴骨密度与年龄关系的初步研究

目的 观察正常雌猕猴骨密度正常值范围及其与年龄的关系。方法 采用双能X线骨密度测定仪（DEXA）测量30只正常雌性猕猴骨密度,猴龄6－20岁。结果 获得正常雌猕猴峰值骨量(12－13岁）、青春期（6－8岁）和绝经初期（15－20岁）骨密度正常值,前者高于后两者,其中头骨、髋骨和全身的骨密度有显著差异。结论 正常雌猕猴增龄性骨丢失与人类相似：青春期后骨量增加,成熟期几年内达峰值,以后随增龄而减少,绝经后骨量丢失加快。     

Dose-response relationships of rat fetal skeleton variations: Relevance for risk assessment

In developmental toxicity studies, skeleton abnormalities found in fetuses at term are classified as variations or malformations. The relevance of skeleton variations for human risk assessment, however, is a controversial issue. This paper is a contribution to the discussion on the interpretation of fetal skeleton variations in the context of risk assessment. Dose-response relationships of skeleton variations and malformations induced by three antineoplastic drugs (FUDR: 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine, HU: hydroxyurea and 6-MPr: 6-mercaptopurine-riboside) were evaluated. FUDR (0, 3, 14, 25, 35, 45, 55 and 65 mg/kg body wt sc) and HU (0, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500 and 550 mg/kg body wt ip) were administered to rats on gestation day 11 (GD 11) while 6-MPr (0, 3, 7, 10 and 14 mg/kg body wt sc) was given on GD 11, or on GD 12. Caesarean sections were performed on GD 21 and all fetuses were cleared and stained with alizarin red S for skeleton examination. Drugs given on GD 11 increased the incidence of thoracic and lumbar vertebra (dumbbell-shaped and bipartite ossification center (o.c.) and sternum (misaligned sternebrae) variations in a dose-dependent manner. Occurrence of zygomatic bone fused with maxilla (a variation in our rats) was also increased by HU and 6-MPr (GD 11) but it was not altered by FUDR. Spontaneous occurrence of wavy ribs was reduced by all treatments. Malformations such as cleft palate, tympanic bone absent and tibia absent were also increased in a dose-dependent manner by the three compounds. No observed effect levels (NOEL) for variations, irrespective of the compound administered, were generally lower than NOELs for malformations. In the discussion, we supported the view that any dose-related increase in the incidence of variations should be taken into account for determination of NOELs in routine studies. Increased occurrences of skeleton variations in term fetuses are also to be considered in risk assessment, unless experimental evidence exists that a particular change has no detrimental effect on the animal survival or health after birth or that it does not occur in humans.