Research Progress on Dental Age Estimation Based on MRI Technology.

Dental age estimation is a crucial aspect and one of the ways to accomplish forensic age estimation, and imaging technology is an important technique for dental age estimation. In recent years, some studies have preliminarily confirmed the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluating dental development, providing a new perspective and possibility for the evaluation of dental development, suggesting that MRI is expected to be a safer and more accurate tool for dental age estimation. However, further research is essential to verify its accuracy and feasibility. This article reviews the current state, challenges and limitations of MRI in dental development and age estimation, offering reference for the research of dental age assessment based on MRI technology.

Clinical Analysis of the Discovery of Malignant Gynecological Tumors in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

Background: Clinically, malignant gynecological tumors found by chance during the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) are rare, and they are usually missed, leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment. The initial treatment of these tumors cannot be standardized, and, as a single surgical intervention may not be able to treat both the tumor and prolapse, secondary surgery is usually needed, affecting the quality of life of patients. Case presentation: The present study retrospectively analyzed the data of three patients who were diagnosed with malignant gynecological tumors during the diagnosis and treatment of POP. These patients were among 215 patients with POP treated in Yuncheng Central Hospital of Shanxi Province between January 2011 and May 2020. The case characteristics, surgical interventions, postoperative treatments, and follow-ups were summarized, and the characteristics of diagnosis and treatment were analyzed in the context of relevant literature. Conclusion: As long as clinicians operate in strict accordance with the standards of diagnosis and treatment, obtain a complete medical history, undertake a physical examination, and remain diligent in auxiliary examinations, following existing clinical methods and diagnosis and treatment processes, patients with POP complicated with malignant gynecological tumors can be clearly diagnosed before and during surgery. In this way, initial treatment can be standardized, and surgical methods can be selected that address both the tumor and prolapse, thereby avoiding secondary surgery and improving the patient's quality of life.

Efficacy of needling acupoints of Guanyuan (CV4), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Zusanli (ST36), Pishu (BL20), Shenshu (BL23), Zigong (EX-CA1) on expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in ovarian tissue in rats with premature ovarian failure induced by cyclophosphamide.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of needling acupoins of Guanyuan (CV4), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Zusanli (ST36), Pishu (BL20), Shenshu (BL23), Zigong (EX-CA1) on the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) in ovarian tissue in rats with premature ovarian failure induced by cyclophosphamide, and to study the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Forty specific pathogen free female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the blank group, the model group, the acupuncture group, the Western Medicine group and the Western Medicine combined with acupuncture group. Except the blank group, the rest of the rats were given with cyclophosphamide for 14 d to establish premature ovarian failure model. No intervention was conducted in the blank group and model group; the acupuncture group was given with acupuncture daily; the Western Medicine group was given with estradiol valerate (0.09 mg/kg) by intragastrical gavage daily; the combination group was given with acupuncture combined with estradiol valerate (0.09 mg/kg) daily. Each group was intervened in continuously for 14 d. After the last treatment, the levels of estradiol (E2), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, then the ovarian tissue was dissected. Western blot was used to detect the expression of p38MAPK protein. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, E2 in the serum of rats in the model group was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), FSH and LH were significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the expression of p38MAPK protein in the ovarian tissue of the rats was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, E2 in the serum of the acupuncture group, Western Medicine group and the combination group were significantly increased (P < 0.05), FSH and LH levels were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the expression of p38MAPK protein in the ovarian tissue of the rats was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the Western Medicine group and the acupuncture group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture has the same effect as estrogen in interfering POF caused by cyclophosphamide, and its mechanism may be related to inhibiting the expression of p38MAPK protein in ovarian tissue and affecting the activation of p38MAPK signaling pathway.

Forensic age estimation based on magnetic resonance imaging of the proximal humeral epiphysis in Chinese living individuals.

Forensic age estimation in living individuals is mainly based on radiological features, but direct radiography and computed tomography lead to a rise in ethical concerns due to radiation exposure. Thus, the contribution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to age estimation of living individuals is a subject of ongoing research. In the current study, MRIs of shoulder were retrospectively collected from a modern Chinese Han population and data from 835 individuals (599 males and 236 females) in the age group 12 to 30 years were obtained. A staging technique based on (Schmidt et al. Int J Legal Med 121(4):321-324, 2007) and (Kellinghaus et al. Int J Legal Med 124(4):321-325, 2010) was used and all images were evaluated with T1-wieghted turbo spin echo (T1-TSE) sequence and T2-weighed fat suppression (T2-FS) sequence. One-sided images were assessed because data from both sides were considered coincidental, as no significant differences were found (P > 0.05). Two MRI sequences were evaluated separately and subsequently compared. Regression models and supportive vector classification (SVC) models were established accordingly. The intraobserver and interobserver agreement levels were good. Compared with T1-TSE sequence, the R2 values of T2-FS sequence were generally higher, while the mean absolute deviation (MAD) values were slightly lower. For T2-FS sequence, the MAD value was 1.49 years in males and 2.19 years in females. With two MRI sequences incorporated, the SVC model obtained with 85.7% correctly classified minors and 96.2% correctly classified adults in males, while 83.3% and 98.0% respectively in females. In conclusion, T2-FS sequence may slightly outperform the T1-TSE sequence in shoulder MRI analysis for age estimation, while shoulder MRIs could be a reliable prediction indicator for the 18-year threshold and two MRI sequences incorporated are encouraged.

ERCC5 quantification for age estimation of peripheral blood in a Chinese Han population.

Age estimation is an important topic of human identification in forensic practice, especially coming to biological samples in crime scene, such as blood, saliva, semen. As rate-limiting enzyme in Nucleotide excision repair (NER) that was associated with aging, Excision repair cross-complementation group 5 (ERCC5) was considered to be a candidate biomarker for individual age estimation. The ERCC5 mRNA and protein expression levels association with age have been demonstrated in our previous study. However, very little is known about relationship DNA-based quantification of ERCC5 with age. In this study, we detected ERCC5 level in peripheral blood from a Chinese Han population by SYBR qPCR assay to gain better insight into the quantitative relationship with age. The results showed ERCC5 level declined with individual age with a negative correlation(r = -0.8, R2 = 0.63, P < 0.001). The data model for age estimation based on ERCC5 level was Y = -31.352X + 14.436 ± 10.28 (Y: age, year; X: CqTBP-CqERCC5; standard error: year). The accuracy about the data model for age estimation was about 73.33%. The mean absolute difference (MAD) values were 8.22, 8.09 and 8.38 in total, male and female, respectively. Furthermore, ERCC5 quantification for age estimation was also applicable for stored blood samples under low temperature up to 6 months. It was suggested that the ERCC5 quantification was expected to be a valuable additional method for individual age estimation, especially in cases where traditional morphologic method is absent or inefficient in forensic practice.

Estimation of stature from radiographically determined lower limb bone length in modern Chinese.

To develop population - specific stature prediction equations from measurements of the lower limb bone in a contemporary Chinese. 303 individuals of Han group in Western China, including 201 females and 102 males were collected. The study sample was randomly divided into two subgroups. A calibration sample, which consisted of 171 females and 87 males, was used to develop the regression formula. A validation sample comprising the remaining 30 female and 15 male individuals was then used to test the predictive accuracy of the established formula. The regression equations were developed from intact bones and fragments of the femur, tibia and fibula, the maximum lengths of femur, tibia, and fibula were highly correlated with the stature. The maximum length of femur provide the most accurate result with the prediction accuracy of 3.84 cm for unknown sex, 4.00 cm in the male group, 3.45 cm in the female group, 3.61 cm in the group with age no more than 45, 3.45 cm in the group with age above 45. Moreover, the multiple regression equations were developed, and they portray a more accurate stature in instances in which the femur, tibia and fibula are available. This paper provides indications that the femur, tibia and fibula are important bones for stature estimation and they could be effectively used in forensic cases.

Stature estimation from the combination of clavicle, scapula, and sternum from 3D-VRT images in Chinese population.

The objective of the present study was to generate multiple regression models for stature estimation on the basis the combination of the clavicle, scapula and sternum derived from 3D-VRT images in Chinese population. The study sample comprised 363 individuals from China, including 159 females and 204 males, with documented ages between 19 and 82 years. Separate multiple linear regression equations for estimating stature on the basis of the measurements from the clavicle, scapula and sternum were then devised for males and females. For assessing the correlation between the stature and measurements of the clavicle, scapula and sternum, the Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated and its significance was tested by Students t test. Finally, the multiple regression equations calculated from the measurements of the clavicle, scapula and sternum in relation to stature for each sex were established in the present study. The accuracy of stature prediction ranged from 4.777 to 5.313 cm for male and from 4.388 to 4.658 cm for female. In conclusion, the present results provide indications that the combination of the clavicle, scapula and sternum should be used as alternatives for stature estimation, and the multiple equations presented for stature estimation seem to be a more accurate than the equations from single bone.

Estimation of stature and sex from sacrum and coccyx measurements by multidetector computed tomography in Chinese.

The present study is an attempt to estimation of stature and sex from sacrum and coccyx measurements by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in a contemporary Chinese population. Nine measurements for every sacrum and coccyx were taken from CT image of 350 Chinese. The sample is composed of 190 males and 160 females with an average age of 55 and 50 years, respectively. Discriminant function was used in sex estimation and regression analysis was used in stature estimation from these two bones. The stepwise analysis of all measurements yielded a sex classification accuracy rate of 84.9%. The classification accuracy rates of the univariate discriminant function analyses are 58.3%-76.9%. For stature estimation, the accuracy of stature prediction ranged from 4.891 to 6.107 cm for male, from 4.474 to 5.606 cm for female, respectively. This paper provides indications that the sacrum and coccyx are important bones for sex estimation and they could be effectively used as alternatives in forensic cases when the skull and pelvis are unavailable. Furthermore, the regression equations presented in this study may be useful for forensic estimation of the stature of Chinese individuals, particularly in cases where better predictors such as the long bones are not available.

[Confocal Raman Spectroscopy Method Based on Quadratic Curve Fitting].

Raman spectroscopy plays an improtant role in analytical science because of its unique characteristics, such as non-contact and non-destructive detecting, fewer sample consumption, high sensitivity and other characteristics, and it provides a powerful analytical tool for the modern basic research fields. Because of the combination of confocal microscopy technology and Raman spectroscopy technology, confocal Raman microscopy has the advantage of both high resolution spectroscopy and chromatography detection, which inherits from confocal microscopy and raman spectroscopy. As a result, it is widely used in many fields, such as physical chemistry, materials science, biomedical, archaeological, cultural identification, and forensic science. But with the environmental changing, the system drifting or other issues, during the long detection process, the system turns to defocusing. As a result, during the hole scanning process, the system can not be focused on every detection point, and then it would lead to a mistake. Eventurally, conventional confocal Raman system could obtain the presence of measurement error even erroneous results in the long process. In this paper, on the basis of conventional confocal Raman system, a confocal Raman spectroscopy method based on quadratic curve fitting is proposed to solve this problem. Based on the principle that the maxium of the concal curve corresponding the system foucs, the steps to find system foucus as follows: fist, usesing quadratic curve to fit confocal curve; second, finding the maxium of the confocal curve; and last obtaining the system foucs. With this method, during the scanning process, every point should be focused, therefore, the effect of defocusing is eliminated efficiently, and accurate measurements of confocal Raman spectroscopy system is achieved. Through simulation and experimental results show that: the proposed method that confocal Raman spectroscopy method based on quadratic curve fitting can effectively eliminate the influence of system defocus on experimental result, and effectively improve the axial system of fixed focus accuracy, which could provide a guarantee for further application of confocal Raman spectroscopy. This anti-drift method is effective and accurate in focusing with great potential to be applied in broader areas.

Psychological intervention for postpartum depression.

The postpartum depression outcome and the effect of psychological intervention were studied in order to reduce the occurrence and development of the postpartum depression. A survey of 4000 women within 4-6 weeks postpartum in 80 communities in Shenzhen, China was performed using random cluster sampling method. By employing Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as a screening tool, the positive women (defined as EPDS ≥10) were randomly divided into intervention group and control group at a ratio of 1:2. The women in the intervention group were treated by means of mailing postpartum depression prevention and treatment knowledge manual, face-to-face counseling, and telephone psychological counseling interventions aiming at individual risk factors, while those in the control group were treated with conventional methods. EPDS scores were assessed in these two groups again at 6th month postpartum. Totally, 3907 valid questionnaires were obtained. All the 771 positive women were divided into two groups: 257 in the intervention group, and 514 in the control group. At 6th month postpartum, the EPDS scores in the intervention group were decreased significantly, from baseline stage (12.84±3.02) to end stage (3.05±2.93), while EPDS scores in the control group were reduced from 12.44±2.78 to 6.94±4.02. There were significant differences in the EPDS scores at end stage between the two groups (t=13.059, P<0.001). Psychological intervention can reduce postpartum depression, with better maternal compliance. It is feasible and necessary to establish postpartum depression screening and psychological intervention model in community-hospital and include the postpartum depression screening, intervention, and follow-up into the conventional healthcare.