Objective:To study the morphological characteristics of the mental canal and its relation to the mandibular canal and incisor nerve canal.Methods:The anterior parts of the mandibular canal, the mental canal and the origin of the incisor nerve canal were dissected and measured directly on 13 cases of Chinese wet mandible specimens fixed with formalin. The mandibular canal, the mental canal and the incisor nerve canal of another 21 sides of decalcified mandibles were dissected and measured. Results:The anterior terminal part of the mandibular canal divided into mental canal and incisor nerve canal. Most of the mental canal bended backward, upward and outward then opened to the mental foramen. Mental canal's length was (5.61?1.07) mm averagely and its diameter (2.53? 0.47) mm. The horizontal distance from the anterior border of mental foramen to the anterior end of mandibular canal was (2.82?1.29) mm. The vertical distance from the inferior border of mental foramen to the superior border of mandibular canal was (3.83?1.43) mm. The angle between mental canal and mandibular canal was (63.57?13.71)?. Mental canal contained mental nerve and mental blood vessels. Conclusions:The anterior end of mandibular canal extends and becomes mental canal then opens to the mental foramen.

Objective:To investigate the impact of the CD4+CD25nt/hiCD127lo regulatory T cell subset frequency on the immune status and disease progression of Chinese HIV-1 infected individuals.Methods:83 untreated HIV-infected individuals and 312 healthy control individuals of four distinct age groups were enrolled in the research. The CD4+ T cell absolute counts, phenotypes and frequency determination of CD4+CD25nt/hiCD127lo Regulatory T cell subsets was performed on freshly obtained whole blood samples by 3-color immune staining flow cytometry. The HIV-1 specific cellular immune function was test at single cell level by ELISpot. The corresponding plasma viral load was determined by NASBA.Results:The frequency of peripheral CD4+CD25nt/hiCD127lo regulatory T cells of HIV infected individuals in distinct disease progression status was dissimilar in China , and significantly increased in contrast to the healthy controls(P