Epidemiology of maxillofacial fractures in northwest China: an 11-year retrospective study of 2240 patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological pattern of maxillofacial fractures in northwestern China by retrospectively analysing the demographics, aetiologies, concomitant injuries, fracture sites, and management. METHODS: A 10-year retrospective analysis of 2240 patients with maxillofacial fractures admitted to the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University was conducted. The extracted data included sex, age, aetiology, fracture site, concomitant injuries, time of treatment, therapeutic approaches and complications. Statistical analyses were performed, including descriptive analysis and the chi-square test. Logistic regression was used to determine the impact factors of maxillofacial fractures and concomitant injuries. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The age of the included patients ranged from 1 to 85 years, and the mean age was 35.88 ± 15.69 years. The male-to-female ratio was 3.9:1. The most frequent aetiology of maxillofacial fractures was road traffic accidents (RTAs) (56.3%), and the most common fracture sites were the anterior wall of the maxillary sinus, arcus zygomaticus and mandibular body. A total of 1147 patients (51.2%) were affected by concomitant injuries, with craniocerebral injury being the most common. Logistic regression analyses revealed increased risks of mid-facial fractures in elderly individuals (odds ratio (OR) = 1.029, P < 0.001) and females (OR = 0.719, P = 0.005). Younger patients had a higher risk of mandibular fractures (OR = 0.973, P < 0.001). RTAs increased the risk for mid-facial fractures and high falls increased the risk for mandibular fractures. CONCLUSIONS: The maxillofacial fracture pattern is correlated with sex, age and aetiology. Patients were mainly young and middle-aged males, and the main cause of injury was RTAs, mostly causing compound fractures. Medical staff must be systematically educated to comprehensively examine patients with injuries resulting from RTAs. The management of patients with fractures requires thorough consideration of the patient's age, aetiology, fracture site, and concomitant injuries.

Side-polished fiber Bragg grating hydrogen sensor with WO3-Pd composite film as sensing materials.

WO3-Pd composite films were deposited on the side-face of side-polished fiber Bragg grating as sensing elements by magnetron sputtering process. XRD result indicates that the WO3-Pd composite films are mainly amorphous. Compared to standard FBG coated with same hydrogen sensitive film, side-polished FBG significantly increase the sensor's sensitivity. When hydrogen concentrations are 4% and 8% in volume percentage, maximum wavelength shifts of side-polished FBG are 25 and 55 pm respectively. The experimental results show the sensor's hydrogen response is reversible, and side-polished FBG hydrogen sensor has great potential in hydrogen's measurement.

Protections against toxicity in the brains of rat with chronic fluorosis and primary neurons exposed to fluoride by resveratrol involves nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Protection of Resveratrol (RSV) against the neurotoxicity induced by high level of fluoride was investigated. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and their offspring, as well as cultures of primary neurons were divided randomly into four groups: untreated (control); treated with 50 mg RSV/kg/ (once daily by gavage) or (20 M in the cultured medium); exposed to 50 ppm F- in drinking water or 4 mmol/l in the cultured medium; and exposed to fluoride then RSV as above. The adult rats were treated for 7 months and the offspring sacrificed at 28 days of age; the cultured neurons for 48 h. For general characterization, dental fluorosis was assessed and the fluoride content of the urine measured (by fluoride-electrode) in the rates and the survival of cultured neurons monitored with the CCK-8 test. The spatial learning and memory of rats were assessed with the Morris water maze test. The levels of α7 and α4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) were quantified by Western blotting; and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 assayed biochemically. The results showed that chronic fluorosis resulted in the impaired learning and memory in rats and their offspring, and more oxidative stress in both rat brains and cultured neurons, which may be associated the lower levels of α7 and α4 nAChR subunits. Interestingly, RSV attenuated all of these toxic effects by fluorosis, indicating that protection against the neurotoxicity of fluoride by RSV might be in mechanism involved enhancing the expressions of these nAChRs.

Independence of stem and leaf hydraulic traits in six Euphorbiaceae tree species with contrasting leaf phenology.

Hydraulic traits and hydraulic-related structural properties were examined in three deciduous (Hevea brasiliensis, Macaranga denticulate, and Bischofia javanica) and three evergreen (Drypetes indica, Aleurites moluccana, and Codiaeum variegatum) Euphorbiaceae tree species from a seasonally tropical forest in south-western China. Xylem water potential at 50% loss of stem hydraulic conductivity (P50(stem)) was more negative in the evergreen tree, but leaf water potential at 50% loss of leaf hydraulic conductivity (P50(leaf)) did not function as P50(stem) did. Furthermore, P50(stem) was more negative than P50(leaf) in the evergreen tree; contrarily, this pattern was not observed in the deciduous tree. Leaf hydraulic conductivity overlapped considerably, but stem hydraulic conductivity diverged between the evergreen and deciduous tree. Correspondingly, structural properties of leaves overlapped substantially; however, structural properties of stem diverged markedly. Consequently, leaf and stem hydraulic traits were closely correlated with leaf and stem structural properties, respectively. Additionally, stem hydraulic efficiency was significantly correlated with stem hydraulic resistance to embolism; nevertheless, such a hydraulic pattern was not found in leaf hydraulics. Thus, these results suggest: (1) that the evergreen and deciduous tree mainly diverge in stem hydraulics, but not in leaf hydraulics, (2) that regardless of leaf or stem, their hydraulic traits result primarily from structural properties, and not from leaf phenology, (3) that leaves are more vulnerable to drought-induced embolism than stem in the evergreen tree, but not always in the deciduous tree and (4) that there exists a trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety for stem hydraulics, but not for leaf hydraulics.

[Research of TC-PHBHHx/ß-TCP compounds for treatment of dry socket in SD rats].

PURPOSE: The effects of different compounds on dry socket were evaluated in order to find a new method that can both be antibacterial and osteogenic,providing experimental evidence for future clinical application. METHODS: Seventy-two male SD rats, with upper left anterior teeth been extracted, were infected by pus to result in dry socket.Seven days later, they were allocated randomly and evenly into 4 groups and received different treatment, i.e. group A: debridement; group B: debridement and filled with iodoform gauzes; group C: debridement and filled with periocline; group D: debridement and filled with TC-PHBHHx/ß-TCP. After being treated for 1,4,8 weeks, sequential fluorescent labeling was performed. The animals were sacrificed after the procedure and hard tissue and decalcified sections were harvested for histological and histomorphometrical evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 19.0 software package. RESULTS: At the same time point, the results of osteogenesis in group A, B and C were not significantly different while the results in group D was significantly different from other groups; accordingly, significant new bone formation was observed. At different observation time, the bone area in group B and C were not significant different over time. In group A, little new bone formation was found but surrounded by a large amount of inflammatory cells at 8 week. However, group D showed bone area increasing gradually with time. CONCLUSIONS: TC-PHBHHx/ß-TCP has significant anti-inflammatory and osteogenic effects. Iodoform gauzes and periocline have good anti-inflammatory results but not significant osteogenic effects.

Exposure to fluoride aggravates the impairment in learning and memory and neuropathological lesions in mice carrying the APP/PS1 double-transgenic mutation.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is responsible for 60-70% of all cases of dementia. On the other hand, the tap water consumed by hundreds of millions of people has been fluoridated to prevent tooth decay. However, little is known about the influence of fluoride on the expression of APP and subsequent changes in learning and memory and neuropathological injury. Our aim here was to determine whether exposure to fluoride aggravates the neuropathological lesions in mice carrying the amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin1 (PS1) double mutation. METHODS: These transgenic or wide-type (WT) mice received 0.3 ml of a solution of fluoride (0.1 or 1 mg/ml, prepared with NaF) by intragastric administration once each day for 12 weeks. The learning and memory of these animals were assessed with the Morris water maze test. Senile plaques, ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1), and complement component 3 (C3) expression were semi-quantified by immunohistochemical staining; the level of Aß42 was detected by Aß42 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs); the levels of synaptic proteins and enzymes that cleave APP determined by Western blotting; and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) measured by biochemical procedures. RESULTS: The untreated APP mice exhibited a decline in learning and memory after 12 weeks of fluoride treatment, whereas treatment of these some animals with low or high levels of fluoride led to such declines after only 4 or 8 weeks, respectively. Exposure of APP mice to fluoride elevated the number of senile plaques and level of Aß42, Iba-1, and BACE1, while reducing the level of ADAM10 in their brains. The lower levels of synaptic proteins and enhanced oxidative stress detected in the hippocampus of APP mice were aggravated to fluoride. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that exposure to fluoride, even at lower concentration, can aggravate the deficit in learning and memory and neuropathological lesions of the mice that express the high level of APP.

Thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin plus radiofrequency ablation increased tumor destruction and improved survival in patients with medium and large hepatocellular carcinoma: A randomized, double-blinded, dummy-controlled clinical trial in a single center.

BACKGROUND: Lyso-thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin (LTLD, ThermoDox) consists of doxorubicin encapsulated contained within a heat-sensitive liposome. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate whether the use of combined radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and LTLD would result in larger coagulation volume and longer overall survival (OS) compared with the use of RFA alone in patients with 3-7 cm unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2010 and 2012, 22 HCC patients were randomly assigned to one of two treatments in our center: (1) ultrasound-guided percutaneous RFA plus intravenous (IV) infusion of LTLD (combination, n = 11) or (2) RFA plus IV dummy (RFA, n = 11). Four patients withdrew from the study, and the remaining 18 patients entered the final analysis. There were 14 male and 4 female patients with an average age of 61.1 ± 9.3 years (range: 40-73 years). The average tumor size was 4.2 ± 1.0 cm (range: 3.1-6.1 cm). One-month enhanced computed tomography was used to evaluate the ablation efficacy and coagulation volume after RFA. Regular follow-up after RFA was performed to assess toxicity, local response rates, and OS rates. RESULTS: A major complication (empyema) occurred in one case in the combination group. Combination treatment region did not induce any additional toxicity beyond doxorubicin. The primary ablation success rate was 93.3% (14/15 tumors) in the combination group and 77.8% (7/9 tumors) in the RFA group (P = 0.308). The difference in coagulation volume between pre- and post-RFA in the combination group was significantly larger than that of the RFA group (105.7 ± 73.8 cm 3 vs. 37.3 ± 8.5 cm 3, P = 0.013). The follow-up period ranged from 11 to 80 months (average: 49.1 ± 24.8 months). The local progression rate was 6.7% (1/15 tumors) in the combination group and 22.2% (2/9 tumors) in the RFA group. The mean OS for the combination group was 68.5 ± 7.2 months, which was significantly greater compared with the RFA group (46.0 ± 10.6 months, P = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: RFA with heat target delivery chemotherapy facilitated better tumor coagulation necrosis without additional toxicity. This combined treatment may improve the clinical efficacy of RFA or free doxorubicin and prolong survival in patients with medium to large HCC.