Objective:To investigate the alteration in iodine nutritional status and influence on thyroid function in the elderly aged≥65 years following water source modification in high iodine areas.Methods:Data from Yaoji Town, Xuzhou, Jiangsu(an area with high iodine due to water sources) of the national epidemiological survey on thyroid diseases, iodine nutrition, and diabetes(TIDE study) in 31 provinces and cities in China from 2015 to 2017 were utilized. Additionally, data from the screening, monitoring, and intervention on thyroid diseases(TOPS study) in the elderly(≥65 years) in Shunhe Town, Suqian, Jiangsu(an area with iodine levels exceeding the recommended amount), and Yaoji Town, Xuzhou from May to August 2021, are included. Each subject completed a questionnaire, physical examination, laboratory tests and thyroid ultrasound examinations. A total of 2 717 subjects aged≥65 years were included, including group 1, 258 subjects in TIDE study; Group 2, 1 313 subjects in TOPS Xuzhou area; Group 3, 1 146 subjects in TOPS Suqian area.Results:The urinary iodine concentration(UIC) in group 2 was significantly lower than that in group 1 [(235.16±67.09)μg/L vs (491.58±384.93)μg/L, P<0.001], but no significant difference compared with group 3 [(235.16±67.09) μg/L vs(231.62±66.11) μg/L, P>0.05]. The serum TSH level in group 2 was significantly lower than that in group 1 [(2.92±5.14)μIU/mL vs (4.15±9.19)μIU/mL, P<0.001]. Compared with group 2 and 3, the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in the elderly in group 1 was the highest(22.48% vs 10.13% and 8.12%, P<0.001). TSH levels were linearly correlated with age in both excessive iodine and more than adequate iodine nutrition areas. TSH level was gradually increased with age. Conclusion:The alteration in TSH levels among the elderly is notably linked to both aging and iodine status. The prevalence of hypothyroidism in the elderly can be significantly reduced when the iodine nutrition status of the elderly returns to normal.

The treatment of craniomaxillofacial (CMF) defects and deformities is highly challenging due to the complex anatomical structures, significant individual variations and high demands for personalized reconstruction. In recent decades, the integration of cutting-edge technologies from fields such as computer science, mechanical engineering, and material science into medicine has greatly facilitated the transformation of CMF surgery from traditional, experience-based approaches to digitalized and intelligent methods. This review thoroughly analyzes the development and application areas of digital technology in CMF surgery including virtual surgical planning and facial prediction, three-dimensional printing, computer-assisted navigation and robotic surgery, virtual and mixed reality, as well as big data and artificial intelligence technologies. The aim is to offer comprehensive and in-depth reference information for the clinical practice in digital CMF surgery.

Objective·To explore the effect of all-trans retinoic acid(ATRA)of different concentrations on osteogenic differentiation of jaw bone mesenchymal stem cells(jBMSCs)in rats.Methods·jBMSCs from 4-week-old Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were isolated and cultured with whole bone marrow adherence method.The surface antigens were identified by using flow cytometry.Alkaline phosphatase(ALP)staining/alizarin red staining,oil red O staining and alcian blue staining were used to prove the multilineage differentiation potential of jBMSCs after osteogenic,adipogenic and chondrogenic induction respectively.jBMSCs were induced in osteogenic medium with ATRA of concentration of 0.01,0.1,1,5,10,20 μmol/L in vitro,and dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO)was used as control group.Cell viability of jBMSCs in different groups were determined by CCK8.ALP staining and alizarin red staining were used to investigate the osteogenic ability of jBMSCs in each group and screened the concentrations for subsequent experiments.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qPCR)and immunofluorescence staining were used to analyze the expressions of osteogenesis-related genes and proteins in jBMSCs of different concentrations.Results·The flow cytometry analysis showed that more than 98%of P1 jBMSCs were positive for CD29+CD90+CD31-CD45-,which was congruent with the characteristics of bone mesenchymal stem cells.The results of ALP staining/alizarin red staining,oil red O staining and alcian blue staining indicated that the P1 jBMSCs had the multilineage differentiation potential of osteogenesis,adipogenesis and chondrogenesis.The results of ALP staining/alizarin red staining showed that the osteogenic activity and mineralization ability of jBMSCs in 0.01,0.1 and 1 μmol/L ATRA groups were increased compared with those in the control group,while the osteogenic activity and mineralization ability were decreased when the concentration of ATRA increased,especially higher than 5 μmol/L(all P<0.05).qPCR analysis showed that the mRNA expression levels of osteogenesis-related genes such as Alp,bone sialoprotein(Bsp),collagen type Ⅰ α1(Col1a1)and osteocalcin(Ocn)were higher in the 0.1 and 1 μmol/L ATRA groups compared to the control group.However,further increasing the concentration of ATRA led to a decrease in gene expression levels,and when the concentration exceeded 5 μmol/L,it began to be lower than the control group level(all P<0.05).The immunofluorescence staining showed that the expression of osteogenic related proteins SP7,ALP and OCN in the 0.1 and 1 μmol/L ATRA groups were increased compared to the control group,while further increasing the concentration of ATRA led to a decrease in protein expression.When the concentration was higher than 5 μmol/L,it began to be lower than the control group level(all P<0.05).Conclusion·Lower concentrations(0.1,1 μmol/L)of ATRA can promote the osteogenic differentiation of rat jBMSCs,and the promoting effect reaches its peak at 0.1 μmol/L,while the effect can be weakened by further increasing the concentration.Higher concentrations(5,10,20 μmol/L)of ATRA could inhibit the osteogenic differentiation of rat jBMSCs,showing an inhibitory effect.In this study,the dual-directional effect of retinoic acid on osteogenic differentiation of jBMSCs was demonstrated in vitro,and 0.1 μmol/L ATRA was identified as the optimal concentration for osteogenic differentiation of jBMSCs in rats,which provided a reference basis for the development of in vivo studies and clinical application of ATRA.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of labor progress angle (AOP), fetal head descent distance (HPD) and their change rates in the outcome of vaginal trial of cesarean scar uterus. Methods A total of 170 pregnant women who underwent vaginal trial production of scar uterus after cesarean section were selected as study subjects, and were divided into successful group and failed group based on the trial production outcomes. Advanced oxidation processes (AOP) and head-perineum distance (HPD) were measured by ultrasound during the active phase of the first stage of labor when the cervix dilated to 4 cm and at 1 hour after the cervix dilated to 4 cm, respectively. The AOP change rate and HPD change rate after 1 hour of progress were calculated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive efficacy of AOP, HPD and their change rates in the outcome of vaginal trial production of scar uterus after cesarean section. Delong test was used to compare the differences in area under curves (AUCs). Results Among 170 pregnant women with scarred uterus after cesarean section who were pregnant again, 139 cases (success group) were succeed in transvaginal delivery, while 31 cases failed trial delivery, and transferred to cesarean section (failure group). The AOP of the successful group was significantly larger than that of the failed group when the cervix was opened to 4 cm, and the HPD was significantly shorter than that of the failure group (P < 0.05). The AOP change rate and the change rate of HPD of the successful group were significantly higher than that of the failed group when the cervix dilated to 4 cm and at 1 hour (P < 0.05). The AUC of AOP and HPD in predicting the outcome of vaginal trial delivery of scar uterus after cesarean section were 0.846 and 0.812 respectively, and AUC predicted jointly by AOP and HPD showed no significant differences compared with AUC predicted separately (P>0.05). The AUC of the change rate of AOP and HPD in predicting the outcome of vaginal trial delivery of scarred uterus after cesarean section was 0.899 and 0.852 respectively, and the combined prediction of AOP change rate and HPD change rate had a higher AUC value than the AUC predicted separately. Its AUC value was higher than that of AOP combined with HPD (P < 0.05). Conclusion The AOP, HPD and their change rates when the uterine orifice expands to 4 cm in the active phase of the first stage of labor have predictive value for the outcome of vaginal trial production of scarred uterus after cesarean section.

Objective:To construct a core competence evaluation index system for Anesthesia Intensive Care Unit (AICU) nurses, and to provide reference for the career orientation, training and management of AICU nurses.Methods:The first draft of the core competence evaluation index system of AICU nurses was developed by literature evaluation, semi-structured interview and group discussion. Using the purposive sampling method, 26 experts were selected for 2 rounds of expert consultation from August to September 2021 to determine the evaluation index system of core competence of AICU nurses, and the weights of indicators at all levels were determined by analytic hierarchy process.Results:The effective recovery rates of the 2 rounds of expert letter consultation questionnaire were respectively 92.31% (24/26) and 91.67% (22/24) , the expert authority coefficients were respectively 0.93 and 0.93, and the Kendall's harmony coefficients were respectively 0.28 and 0.19 (all P<0.01) . The final evaluation index system of AICU nurses' core competence included 4 first-level indicators (theoretical knowledge, nursing practice, comprehensive ability, personal characteristics) , 14 second-level indicators and 52 third-level indicators. Conclusions:The constructed evaluation index system of core competence of AICU nurses is scientific and reliable, which can provide a reference for the career orientation, training and management of AICU nurses.

Oral and maxillofacial space infections (OMSI) are common diseases of the facial region involving fascial spaces. Recently, OMSI shows trends of multi drug-resistance, severe symptoms, and increased mortality. OMSI treatment principles need to be updated to improve the cure rate. Based on the clinical experiences of Chinese experts and with the incorporation of international counterparts′ expertise, the principles of preoperative checklist, interpretation of examination results, empirical medication principles, surgical treatment principles, postoperative drainage principles, prevention strategies of wisdom teeth pericoronitis-related OMSI, blood glucose management, physiotherapy principles, Ludwig′s angina treatment and perioperative care were systematically summarized and an expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of OMSI was reached. The consensus aims to provide criteria for the diagnosis and treatment of OMSI in China so as to improve the level of OMSI treatment.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of computer aided design (CAD) and three bit printing in the management of orthognathic surgery.Methods A total of 5 cases of patients with jaw deformity were involved in this study;jaw teeth and CT scanning laser scanning hefore surgery,virtual surgery design of 3D reconstruction and fusion data were analyzed,according to the design scheme of double jaw surgery combined with genioplasty;design and 3D printing of maxillary Le Fort Ⅰ osteotomy,genioplasty titanium alloy resin osteotomy and positioning guide,sagittal split ramus osteotomy by 3D printing and plate technology were used in this approach.The postoperative results were compared with the surgical planning by three-dimensional measurement and statistical analysis.Results When the operation guide plate was applied smoothly,the maximum error for maxilla was 1.2 mm (0.3-1.2 mm),and the maximum error for genioplasty was 1.7 mm,(0.5-1.7 mm),and the mean error was less than 1 mm.Follow-up for 12 months showed no adverse reaction.Conclusions Three dimensional printing surgical guide plate can accurately provide the osteotomy information,effectively control the jaw movement,and improve the orthognathic surgery accuracy of patients with partial jaw deformity.

Genetic studies have revealed a critical role of Distal-homeobox (Dlx) genes in bone formation, and our previous study showed that Dlx2 overexpressing in neural crest cells leads to profound abnormalities of the craniofacial tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and the underlying molecular mechanisms of Dlx2 in osteogenic differentiation of mouse bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. Initially, we observed upregulation of Dlx2 during the early osteogenesis in BMSCs and MC3T3-E1 cells. Moreover, Dlx2 overexpression enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and extracellular matrix mineralization in BMSCs and MC3T3-E1 cell line. In addition, micro-CT of implanted tissues in nude mice confirmed that Dlx2 overexpression in BMSCs promoted bone formation in vivo. Unexpectedly, Dlx2 overexpression had little impact on the expression level of the pivotal osteogenic transcription factors Runx2, Dlx5, Msx2, and Osterix, but led to upregulation of Alp and Osteocalcin (OCN), both of which play critical roles in promoting osteoblast maturation. Importantly, luciferase analysis showed that Dlx2 overexpression stimulated both OCN and Alp promoter activity. Through chromatin-immunoprecipitation assay and site-directed mutagenesis analysis, we provide molecular evidence that Dlx2 transactivates OCN and Alp expression by directly binding to the Dlx2-response cis-acting elements in the promoter of the two genes. Based on these findings, we demonstrate that Dlx2 overexpression enhances osteogenic differentiation in vitro and accelerates bone formation in vivo via direct upregulation of the OCN and Alp gene, suggesting that Dlx2 plays a crucial role in osteogenic differentiation and bone formation.
Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; physiology ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit ; Homeodomain Proteins ; metabolism ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Osteoblasts ; metabolism ; Osteocalcin ; drug effects ; Osteogenesis ; physiology ; Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation

Objective To evaluate the skeletal stability of joint orthognathic and orthodontic treatment for cleft patients compared with non-cleft patients.Methods Fifteen cleft patient diagnosed with dental facial deformities underwent joint orthognathic and orthodontic treatment.Cephalometric analysis was carried out at T0 (before treatment),T1 (2 weeks after surgery),T2 (6 months after surgery) and T3 (24 months after surgery).The comparison of maxillary anterior-posterior and superiorinferior movement was performed with non-cleft orthognathic group (n =15) at the same follow-up time point.Results The maxilla was move forward for (3.8 ± 1.5) mm and downward for (2.4± 0.8) mm of cleft group.The relapse distance was (1.2±-0.7) mm (T1-T2:31.6％) in AP direction and (0.9±0.6) mm (T1-T2:37.5％) in vertical direction.At the time of 24 months after operation,the relapse distance was (1.0±0.5) mm (T1-T3:26.0％) in AP direction and (0.8±0.8) mm (T1-T3:33.3％) vertically.In non-cleft group,the maxilla was move (4.3±1.2) mm anteriorly and (2.2± 1.9) mm vertically.The relapse distance was (0.9±1.2) mm (T1-T2:20.9％) anteriorly and (0.8± 0.9) mm (T1-T2:36.6％) vertically at 6 months post-operatively.At 24 months after surgery the relapse distance was (1.1±0.6) mm (T1-T3:25.6％) anteriorly and (0.9±0.5) mm (T1-T3:40.9％) vertically.There were no statistical significant in both 6 months and 24 months follow-up between cleft and non-cleft group (P＞0.05).Conclusions There is no statistic difference of post-surgical relapse rate between cleft and non-cleft orthognathic and orthodontic treatments,although the relapse distances are greater than that in cleft group.

Objective: To compare the surgical accuracy of the 3D printing surgical guide and traditional occlusal splint in the treatment of skeletal facial asymmetry cases. Methods: 12 facial asymmetric patients underwent joint orthognathic and orthodontics treatments were included in this research. In the 3D printing group (n=6) the pre-surgical CT scan for the skeleton and laser scan for the dentures were performed and 3D orthognathic procedures including Le FortⅠ and BSSRO combined with genioplasty were planned. The 3D printing surgical guides were manufactured and applied during surgeries. Another 6 cases were received same procedures by traditional occlusal splint techniques as the control group. Post-surgical CT reconstruction and 3D superimposition with pre-surgical planning was carried out for outcome comparison. Results: The maximal error of maxillar was 0.65 mm and average error was less than 1 mm in 3D printing group, while the maxillary maximal error was 2.11 mm and average error was greater than 1 mm in traditional group which showed the statistical significance (P<0.05). Conclusions The usage of 3D printing surgical guide could improve the orthognathic surgical precision by controlling the jaw bone in a three-dimensional way.