Objective To investigate the age-related changes of the mandibular third molar root pulp visibility in individuals in East China,and to explore the feasibility of applying this method to deter-mine whether an individual is 18 years or older.Methods A total of 1 280 oral panoramic images were collected from the 15-30 years old East China population,and the mandibular third molar root pulp visibility in all oral panoramic images was evaluated using OLZE 0-3 four-stage method,and the age distribution of the samples at each stage was analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results Stages 0,1,2 and 3 first appeared in 16.88,19.18,21.91 and 25.44 years for males and in 17.47,20.91,22.01 and 26.01 years for females.In all samples,individuals at stages 1 to 3 were over 18 years old.Conclusion It is feasible to determine whether an individual in East China is 18 years or older based on the mandibular third molar root pulp visibility on oral panoramic images.

Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/surgery* ; Skull ; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery* ; Blindness ; Treatment Outcome ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration/surgery*

Individual identification is one of the research hotspots in the practice of forensic science, and the judgment is usually built on the comparison of the unique biological characteristics of the individual, such as fingerprints, iris and DNA. With the dramatic increase in the number of cases related to video image investigations, there is an increasing need for the technology to identify individuals based on the macroscopic comparison of facial appearance biometrics. At present, with the introduction of computer three-dimensional (3D) modeling and 3D superimposition comparison technology, considerable progress has been made in individual identification methods based on macroscopic comparison of facial appearance biometrics. This paper reviews individual facial appearance biometric methods based on macroscopical comparison, comprehensively analyzes the advantages and limitations of different methods, and puts forward recommendations and prospects for subsequent research.
Biometric Identification ; Biometry/methods* ; Face/anatomy & histology* ; Forensic Sciences/methods* ; Humans

Objective: To analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics including composition of pathogens , clinical characteristics, and disease prognosis acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) in Chinese children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and laboratory data of 1 610 children <15 years of age with ABM in 33 tertiary hospitals in China from January 2019 to December 2020. Patients were divided into different groups according to age,<28 days group, 28 days to <3 months group, 3 months to <1 year group, 1-<5 years of age group, 5-<15 years of age group; etiology confirmed group and clinically diagnosed group according to etiology diagnosis. Non-numeric variables were analyzed with the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, while non-normal distrituction numeric variables were compared with nonparametric test. Results: Among 1 610 children with ABM, 955 were male and 650 were female (5 cases were not provided with gender information), and the age of onset was 1.5 (0.5, 5.5) months. There were 588 cases age from <28 days, 462 cases age from 28 days to <3 months, 302 cases age from 3 months to <1 year of age group, 156 cases in the 1-<5 years of age and 101 cases in the 5-<15 years of age. The detection rates were 38.8% (95/245) and 31.5% (70/222) of Escherichia coli and 27.8% (68/245) and 35.1% (78/222) of Streptococcus agalactiae in infants younger than 28 days of age and 28 days to 3 months of age; the detection rates of Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus agalactiae were 34.3% (61/178), 14.0% (25/178) and 13.5% (24/178) in the 3 months of age to <1 year of age group; the dominant pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae and the detection rate were 67.9% (74/109) and 44.4% (16/36) in the 1-<5 years of age and 5-<15 years of age . There were 9.7% (19/195) strains of Escherichia coli producing ultra-broad-spectrum β-lactamases. The positive rates of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture and blood culture were 32.2% (515/1 598) and 25.0% (400/1 598), while 38.2% (126/330)and 25.3% (21/83) in CSF metagenomics next generation sequencing and Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen detection. There were 4.3% (32/790) cases of which CSF white blood cell counts were normal in etiology confirmed group. Among 1 610 children with ABM, main intracranial imaging complications were subdural effusion and (or) empyema in 349 cases (21.7%), hydrocephalus in 233 cases (14.5%), brain abscess in 178 cases (11.1%), and other cerebrovascular diseases, including encephalomalacia, cerebral infarction, and encephalatrophy, in 174 cases (10.8%). Among the 166 cases (10.3%) with unfavorable outcome, 32 cases (2.0%) died among whom 24 cases died before 1 year of age, and 37 cases (2.3%) had recurrence among whom 25 cases had recurrence within 3 weeks. The incidences of subdural effusion and (or) empyema, brain abscess and ependymitis in the etiology confirmed group were significantly higher than those in the clinically diagnosed group (26.2% (207/790) vs. 17.3% (142/820), 13.0% (103/790) vs. 9.1% (75/820), 4.6% (36/790) vs. 2.7% (22/820), χ²=18.71, 6.20, 4.07, all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the unfavorable outcomes, mortility, and recurrence between these 2 groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The onset age of ABM in children is usually within 1 year of age, especially <3 months. The common pathogens in infants <3 months of age are Escherichia coli and Streptococcus agalactiae, and the dominant pathogen in infant ≥3 months is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Subdural effusion and (or) empyema and hydrocephalus are common complications. ABM should not be excluded even if CSF white blood cell counts is within normal range. Standardized bacteriological examination should be paid more attention to increase the pathogenic detection rate. Non-culture CSF detection methods may facilitate the pathogenic diagnosis.
Adolescent ; Brain Abscess ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Meningitis, Bacterial/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Subdural Effusion ; beta-Lactamases

BACKGROUND: Bendamustine was approved in China on May 26th, 2019 by the National Medical Product Administration for the treatment of indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The current study was the registration trial and the first reported evaluation of the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of bendamustine in Chinese adult patients with indolent B-cell NHL following relapse after chemotherapy and rituximab treatment. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm, phase 3 study (NCT01596621; C18083/3076) with a 2-year follow-up period. Eligible patients received bendamustine hydrochloride 120 mg/m2 infused intravenously on days 1 and 2 of each 21-day treatment cycle for at least six planned cycles (and up to eight cycles). The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR); and secondary endpoints were duration of response (DoR), progression-free survival (PFS), safety, and pharmacokinetics. Patients were classified according to their best overall response after initiation of therapy. Proportions of patients in each response category (complete response [CR], partial response [PR], stable disease, or progressive disease) were summarized along with a two-sided binomial exact 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the ORR. RESULTS: A total of 102 patients were enrolled from 20 centers between August 6th, 2012, and June 18th, 2015. At the time of the primary analysis, the ORR was 73% (95% CI: 63%-81%) per Independent Review Committee (IRC) including 19% CR and 54% PR. With the follow-up period, the median DoR was 16.2 months by IRC and 13.4 months by investigator assessment; the median PFS was 18.6 months and 15.3 months, respectively. The most common non-hematologic adverse events (AEs) were gastrointestinal toxicity, pyrexia, and rash. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was reported in 76% of patients. Serious AEs were reported in 29 patients and five patients died during the study. Pharmacokinetic analysis indicated that the characteristics of bendamustine and its metabolites M3 and M4 were generally consistent with those reported for other ethnicities. CONCLUSION: Bendamustine is an active and effective therapy in Chinese patients with relapsed, indolent B-cell NHL, with a comparable risk/benefit relationship to that reported in North American patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT01596621; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01596621.
Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Bendamustine Hydrochloride/therapeutic use* ; China ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin/drug therapy* ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/drug therapy* ; Prospective Studies ; Rituximab/therapeutic use*

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy(rESWT) for the treatment of superior lateral brachial cutaneous nerve(SLBCN) compression syndrome.Methods A total of 40 patients with SLBCN compression syndrome who were treated in our department from March 2013 to October 2015 were equally randomized into two groups according to random number table:rESWT group(treated with rESWT for 1 cycle) and control group(treated with local hormone injection for 1 cycle). Visual analogue scale(VAS) and Constant-Murley scale(CMS) were applied to evaluate the shoulder joint function before treatment and 1 month and 1 year after treatment. Results The average CMS scores were(66.7±0.9) and(65.7±1.1)scores in rESWT group and control group,respectively,before treatment(t=0.67,P=0.510) and were(86.9±1.0) and(86.4±1.1)scores one month after treatment(t=0.35,P=0.730);it increased to(89.7±0.7) scores in rESWT group one year later,which was significantly higher than that in control group[(85.3±0.8)scores](t=3.56,P=0.002). The improvement rate was 95% in rESWT group and only 75% in control group. Before treatment,the median VAS score in rESWT group and control group were 5.00(5.00,6.00) and 5.00(4.00,5.75)scores(u=1.13,P=0.29);one month after treatment,the median VAS score in these two groups were 2(1.00,2.75) and 2.00(1.00,2.00)scores(u=0.04,P=0.85);one year later,it was 1.00(0.00,1.00) scores in rESWT group,significantly lower than that in [2.00(1.00,2.00)scores] control group(u=5.09,P=0.02). Conclusion Compared with local hormone injection,rESWT can remarkably alleviate pain and restore shoulder joint function in patients with SLBCN compression syndrome after one year of treatment.

Iron-doped titanium dioxide nanosheets was prepared by hydrothermal method using tetrabutyl titanate (C16H36O4Ti) and iron trifluoride (FeF3) and modified on ITO electrode.ITO/Fe : TiO2/CdS photoelectrochemical sensor was fabricated by successive ionic layer absorption and reaction(SILAR) method for determination of copper ion.The band gap of electode material was narrowed by iron doped TiO2 nanosheets,which made its absorption red-shifted and its response range of light was magnified.Based on the sensitization effect of CdS,the absorption and utilization of visible light of sensor was significantly enhanced and the photoelectric signal was amplified via reducing the recombination of electrons and holes.The sensor displayed excellent analytical performance for detection of copper ion with linear range of 0.2-4.0 μmol/L and 4.0-80.0 μmol/L and with the detection limit of 85 nmol/L.The sensor was used to detect copper ion in tap water,drinking water and Yongjiang river water with recoveries ranging from 94% to 111%.

BACKGROUNDThe domestic prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in China is 7.18% in 2006, imposing great societal healthcare burdens. Nucleot(s)ide analogues (NUCs) anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) therapies are widely applied despite the relatively low rate of seroconversion and high risk of drug-resistant mutation. More effective treatments for CHB deserve further explorations. Combined therapy of NUCs plus Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is widely accepted in China, which is recognized as a prospective alternative approach. The study was primarily designed to confirm the hypothesis that Tiaogan-Yipi Granule (, TGYP) or Tiaogan-Jianpi-Jiedu Granule (, TGJPJD) plus entecavir tablet (ETV) was superior over ETV monotherapy in enhancing HBeAg loss rate.

METHODSThe study was a nationwide, large-scale, multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a designed duration of 108 weeks. A total of 16 hospitals and 596 eligible Chinese HBeAg positive CHB patients were enrolled from November 2012 to September 2013 and randomly allocated into 2 groups in 1:1 ratio via central randomization system: experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). Subjects in EG received CM formulae (TGYP or TGJPJD, 50 g per dose, twice daily) plus ETV tablet (or ETV placebo) 0.5 mg per day in the first 24 weeks (stage 1), and CHM granule plus ETV tablet (0.5 mg per day) from week 25 to 108 (stage 2). Subjects in CG received CHM Granule placebo plus ETV tablet (0.5 mg per day) for 108 weeks throughout the trial. The assessments of primary outcomes (HBV serum markers and HBV-DNA) were conducted by a third-party College of American Pathologists (CAP) qualified laboratory. Adverse effects were observed in the hospitals of recruitment.

DISCUSSIONThe study was designed to compare the curative effect of CM plus ETV and ETV monotherapy in respect of HBeAg loss, which is recognized by the European Association for the Study of the Liver as "a valuable endpoint". We believe this trial could provide a reliable status for patients' "journey" towards durable responses after treatment discontinuation. The trial was registered before recruitment on Chinese Clinical trial registry (No. ChiCTR-TRC-12002784, Version 1.0, 2015/12/23).

Objective To study the effects on anterosuperior stability of the shoulder joint when the coracoacromial arch is damaged at different degrees. Methods Thirty-six specimens of the fresh frozen adult shoulder joints were randomly and evenly divided into 3 groups. Group 1, reserving integrity of the coracoacromial ligament of the shoulder joint; Group 2, dissecting half of the coracoacromial ligament attachment sector on the acromion; Group 3, grinding all the coracoacromial ligament attachment sector on the acromion. The specimens of the shoulder joint were fixed on test bench of the biomechanical testing machine. The axial pressure was applied on the humeral shaft, and the humeral head was pushed to move in anterosuperior direction. The displacement distance of the humeral head under 50 N pressure was then recorded. Results Under 50 N pressure, the displacement distance of the humeral head in Group 1, 2, 3 was (2.50±0.59), (5.38±0.71), (6.49±0.81) mm, respectively, which showed significantly statistic differences among 3 groups (P<0.05). Conclusions The damage to the coracoacromial arch will affect the anterosuperior stability of the shoulder joint. The greater damage to the coracoacromial arch will lead to the lower anterosuperior stability of the shoulder joint.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of shoulder injuries by training,and provide scientific evidence for effective intervention measures.Methods Through cluster random sampling method,a questionnaire survey was conducted on 1 080 trainers to analyze the occurrence of shoulder injury by training,the training courses lead to shoulder injuries and classification of shoulder injuries by training.The psychological status,shoulder symptoms,protective measures and other factors were compared between the injured group and the normal group to explore the influencing factors of injuries.Results Of 1 080 trainers,the incidence of shoulder injuries was 18.52％.The training course where injured were currently creeping forward (34.96％),push-ups (13.82％) and pull-ups (13.41％).The main types of injuries were soft tissue injuries(92.27％).The difference was statistically significant between two groups in the aspects of the mental state,shoulder protection measures and the presence of symptoms (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion The shoulder injuries of training personnel were mainly caused by soft tissue injuries.Long time training,short time for rest,lack of control or confidence were the major risk factors.Shoulder symptoms during training and inadequate application of protective measures may lead to the incidence of training injuries increasing.