OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of estimating chronologic age based on the grades of mandibular third molar development. To evaluate whether mandibular third molar could be used as an indicator for estimating the age under or over 18 years. METHODS: The mineralization status of mandibular third molar of 1 845 individuals aged 10 - 30 was graded and marked based on Demirjian's classification of grades reformed by Orhan. Gender difference was examined by t-test. A cubic regression model was established to analyze the correlation between third molar and chronologic age. Each grade of age cumulative distribution diagram and ROC curve was respectively performed to evaluate the relationship between third molar and the age of 18. Using Bayes discriminant analysis, an equation was established for estimating the age of 18. RESULTS: The inner-rater reliability was 0.903. Statistical analysis showed a moderate correlation between age and grade. Significant differences of both genders were found only in grade D and H (P < 0.05). Males at the grades from 1 to D and females at the grades from 1 to C were under 18 years old, and both males and females at grade H were over 18 years old. The area under the ROC curve was 0.797 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Third molar development shows a high correlation with age, and combined with other indicators, it can be used to estimate the age of 18.
Age Determination by Teeth/methods* ; Asian People ; Bayes Theorem ; China ; Female ; Forensic Dentistry ; Humans ; Male ; Molar, Third/diagnostic imaging* ; Radiography, Panoramic ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sex Characteristics

Objective To investigate the efficacy of using a calibrator with values assigned with the reference method for improving the comparability of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) measurements.Methods The IFCC reference method for GGT was established and the performance was verified by testing a certified reference material (CRM).A calibrator was prepared and its value for GGT was assigned with the reference method.Forty serum samples were measured on different (including HITACHI 7600,7060,7170,7180 and BECKMAN LX20,OLYMPUS AU 400) chemistry analyzers with Zhongsheng GGT reagent kits calibrated with the calibrator.The samples were also measured on the same analyzers using a theoretical factor.Biases of results obtained with the calibration and with the theoretical factor based calculation were compared.Results The reference method resuhs on the CRM agreed the certified value within the stated uncertainty.Serum results calculated from the theoretical factor showed various biases and inter-analyzer variations.When the analyzers were calibrated with the calibrator,the number of results with biases less than 10% became significantly higher and those with biases more than 20% significantly lower.The variation of the results on 5 serum samples was reduced from 11.0%～14.0% to less than 5% by using the calibrator.Conclusion Accuracy and comparability of GGT measurements with of ZhongSheng GGT kits can be improved by using a calibrator that has a value assigned with the reference method.

Objective To report the surgical method and treatment outecome of transfer of free upper limb lateral bone-skin flap for repair of bone defects and nonunion in hand and forearm.Methods 17 cases of hand composite trauma,5 cases of forearm composite trauma and 2 cases of nonunion in forearm were treated with free bone-skin flaps in distal humerus,whose pedicle was the posterior branch of radical collateral artery. Area of the flap was 2cm?3cm to 8cm?10cm,length of exseeted bone was 3～6 cm.Results All the bone-skin flaps completely survived,the donor area all achieved primary healing,On postoperative 1～4 years follow-up,the texture of the flap was excellent,and bone union was obtained in all transplants,the donor area of distal lateral humerus became thicker and thicker with new cortical bones formed.According to the upper arm function assessment criterion issued by hand surgery association of Chinese medical association.The hand function had excellent results in 17 cases and good results in 2 cases.Conclusion The bone-skin flap has following advantages:easy dissection,reliable blood supply,and no major vessel needed to be sacrificed,so it is an effective method for repair of skin and soft tissue with bone defects in hand and forearm,It.also can be used to repair refractory nonunion in ulna and radius.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Equipment Design ; Female ; Femur Neck ; surgery ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; instrumentation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

Objective To investigate the accuracy and comparability of ?-glutamyltransferase (?- GT) measurement results on human serum samples and controI materials before and after calibration with a common human serum calibrator.Methods A human serum calibrator was prepared by pooling fresh serum aliquots and assigning a value for ?-GT with the IFCC reference method.The calibrator together with 5 human serum samples and 10 control samples were sent to 15 clinical laboratories and the sermn and control samples were measured with different analytical systems before and after a calibration with the calibrator.The results were analyzed for biases and interlaboratory variations.Results For the serum samples,the calibration resulted in reductions in biases from -9.0%～-14.2% to -0.8%～-7.9%,and in interlaboratory variations from 6.9%～11.6% to 2.8%～4.4%.No improvement was observed on the control samples.Conclusions Accuracy and comparability of serum ?-GT measurements can be improved by using a common human serum calibrator.Some control materials may not be commutable for human serum in ?-GT measurements.

Objective To explore the effect of group mind-games and group counseling on training burnout among soldiers who quickly marched to the plateau for the first time .Methods Totally 399 soldiers who quickly marched to the plateau for the first time were divided randomly into to the control group ( n=201 ) and test group ( n=198 ) .The test group had particinated in group mind-games and psychological counseling twice a week for a total of 5 weeks, while the control group received no counseling .Soldier training fatigue questionnairs were used to compare the difference between the two groups before and after group mind-games and psychological counseling .Results ①The total scores of training burnout and the scores of all the factors of soldiers before counseling in the two groups was of no statistical significance (P>0.05). After counseling , the total scores of training burnout and the scores of all factors in test group were remarkably lower than those in control group,and the difference was of statistical significance (P<0.05).The total scores of training burnout and the scores of physical and psychologica exhaustion and alienaties decreased significantly after training in test group ( P<0.05), but the change was of no statistical significance in control group (P>0.05).②Soldiers who had served 1 to 2 years or over 9 years had significant difference in the scores of training burnout , physical and psychologica exhaustion ( P<0.05).Soldiers who had served 3 to 8 years had significant difference in the scores of training and the scores of each factor after counseling(P<0.05).Conclusion Group mind-games and psychological counseling can effectively help alleviate the training burnout of soldiers who quickly march to the plateau for the first time.

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of long-term exposure to carbon disulfide (SC(2)) on cardiovascular system of workers.

METHODSThe concentrations of CS(2) were detected in the representative workshops with different exposure levels. The indicators related to cardiovascular system were tested in 633 workers occupationally exposed to CS(2), which included blood pressure, electrocardiogram, blood routine (blood RT), cholesterol (TCHO), triglyceride (TG) and so on. The data were analyzed by chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSThe exposure concentration of CS(2) for 389 workers was less than or equal to 5 mg/m(3), which for other 244 workers was higher than 5 mg/m(3). The maximum exposure concentration of CS(2) was 15.73 mg/m(3). There were no significant effects of CS(2) on the electrocardiogram, red blood cells, white blood cells, blood platelet, TCHO and TG of workers. However, the positive effects of CS(2) on blood pressure and negative effects of CS(2) on hemoglobin were found. The rates of high TCHO, TG and hypertension in male workers were significantly higher than those in female workers (P < 0.05). The rates of high TCHO, hypertension and sinus arrhythmia in older workers (≤ 30 years old) were significantly higher than those in young workers (> 30 years old) (P < 0.05). The rate of sinus arrhythmia in workers with 1 - 10 working years was significantly higher than that in workers with more than 10 working years (P < 0.05). The rate of hypertension in workers with 1 - 10 working years was significantly lower than that in workers with more than 10 working years (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThere were no significant effects of CS(2) exposure on the indexes of cardiovascular system of workers.

Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Carbon Disulfide ; adverse effects ; Cardiovascular System ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Erythrocyte Count ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.

METHODSA total of consecutive 823 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma from October 1996 to September 2001 were included in this study. All patients underwent curative liver resection and 126 patients (15.3%) received TACE post operation. The effects of postoperative TACE on the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma with different pathological characteristics such as tumor size, tumor capsule, number of nodules, vascular invasion and surgical margin was analyzed.

RESULTSPostoperative TACE had not decreased the recurrence rate in patients with a tumor diameter less than 3 cm. Postoperative TACE increased the disease-free survival for patients with tumor diameter of 3 - 10 cm, positive in alpha fetoprotein (AFP), presented vascular invasion or patients with tumor diameter larger than 10 cm, positive in AFP, multi-nodular, presented vascular invasion, resection margin less than 1 cm.

CONCLUSIONSPostoperative TACE can decrease recurrence rate and prolong the survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with high risk factors for recurrence.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatectomy ; Hepatic Artery ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; prevention & control ; Neoplasm Staging ; Postoperative Care ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVETo explore the correlation between the polymorphism in the DNA methyltransferase-3B (DNMT3B) gene promoter single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-149C→T (rs2424913) and-579G→T(rs1569686) and the genetic susceptibility to colorectal cancer in Jiangsu population.

METHODSGenomic DNA was extracted from the leukocyte cell of blood samples collected from 544 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients (including 280 cases of colon cancer and 264 cases of rectal cancer) since January 2009 and July 2010, in a hospital, Jiangsu Province. The same samples were collected from the other 533 control subjects. Polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing analysis were employed to assess the polymorphism of DNMT3B gene promoter-149C→T and-579G→T.

RESULTSFor DNMT3B-149C→T, no significant deviation was observed in the genotype distributions of polymorphisms between CRC cases (TT: 98.90% (538/544); CT: 1.10% (6/544)) and controls (TT: 97.75% (521/533); CT: 2.25% (12/533)) (χ(2) = 2.07, P = 0.15). The CC genotype was not detected in either patients or control subjects. The DNMT3B-149CT genotype was not associated with the risk of CRC (adjusted OR = 0.48, 95%CI: 0.18 - 1.30). For DNMT3B-579G→T, the genotype distributions of polymorphisms in CRC patients (TT: 90.07% (490/544); GT: 9.19% (50/544); GG: 0.74% (4/544)) were significantly different from those in control group (TT: 81.80% (436/533); GT: 17.82% (95/533); GG: 0.38% (2/533)) (χ(2) = 15.49, P < 0.05). The results showed that the-579 G allele could significantly decrease the risk of CRC (adjusted OR = 0.50, 95%CI: 0.35 - 0.72) in comparison with the -579 TT genotype. In addition, stratification analysis showed that for DNMT3B-579G→T, the genotype distributions of polymorphisms in colon cancer (TT: 92.50% (259/280); GT: 7.50% (21/280)) were significantly different from those in the controls (TT: 81.80% (436/533); GT: 17.82% (95/533); GG: 0.38% (2/533)) (χ(2) = 13.53, P < 0.05); and similar result was found in rectal cancer (TT: 87.50% (231/264); GT: 10.98% (29/264); GG: 1.52% (4/264)) and controls (TT: 81.80% (436/533); GT: 17.82% (95/533); GG: 0.38% (2/533)) (χ(2) = 5.64, P = 0.018). G allele carriers could decrease the risk of colon cancer (adjusted OR = 0.38, 95%CI: 0.23 - 0.63), and the risk of rectal cancer (adjusted OR = 0.65, 95%CI: 0.42 - 0.99). However, for DNMT3B-149C→T , there were no significant deviation in the genotype distributions of polymorphisms between colon cancer (TT: 98.57% (276/280); CT: 1.43% (4/280)) and controls (TT: 97.75% (521/533); CT: 2.25% (12/533)) (χ(2) = 0.82, P = 0.366); and there was no significant deviation between rectal cancer (TT: 99.24% (262/264); CT: 0.76% (2/264)) and controls (TT: 97.75% (521/533); CT: 2.25% (12/533)) either (χ(2) = 1.89, P = 0.169).

CONCLUSIONOur research demonstrates that the-579 G allele is a potential protective factor for the occurrence of CRC, however, the polymorphism of DNMT3B-149 gene shows no close correlation with the occurrence and development of CRC among Chinese population.

Aged ; Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; genetics ; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

OBJECTIVETo investigate the alteration of expressions of beta(1)-, beta(2)-, beta(3)-adrenoceptor mRNA in human myocardial tissue and the relation between their expressions and cardiac function in patient with heart failure.

METHODSThe mRNA expressions of beta(1)-, beta(2)- and beta(3)-adrenergic receptors in myocardial tissue were analyzed by using the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in 24 patients with heart failure of valvular heart disease and 5 control subjects.

RESULTSBeta(1)-adrenergic receptor mRNA expressions in myocardium were significantly lower in patients with heart failure than those in control subjects, and progressively reduced with aggravation of heart function. By contrast, beta(3)-adrenoceptor mRNA expressions were significantly higher in patients with heart failure than those in controls, and progressively elevated with aggravation of cardiac function. No difference was observed in beta(2)-adrenergic receptor among all groups.

CONCLUSIONThe changes of beta-adrenergic receptor mRNA expression are associated with the severity of heart failure.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Heart Failure ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-3 ; genetics ; metabolism