Dinuclear Nickel Complexes Using Hexadentate Benzothiazole-Based Diamine-Bisphenolate Ligands: Highly Active Catalysts for Copolymerization of Carbon Dioxide with Epoxides.

We reported for the first time the utilization of hexadentate benzothiazole-based diamine-bisphenolate ligands to synthesize structurally well-characterized dinickel dicarboxylate complexes and studied their catalysis for copolymerization of carbon dioxide with epoxides. Dinickel carboxylate complexes having a 1,3-diamine-bridged backbone were demonstrated to be high-performance catalysts for alternating copolymerization of CO2 and cyclohexene oxide (CHO) with high product selectivity. Particularly, acetate-supported nickel complex 2 enabled us to promote such CO2-copolymerization of this kind with a maximum turnover frequency of up to 2600 h-1 and gave good molecular weight controllability under high-pressure conditions. It is worth noting that bimetallic Ni catalyst 2 was also capable of mediating the catalytic CO2-polymerization of alicyclic epoxides at atmospheric pressure. Kinetic investigations of CO2/CHO copolymerization by 2 allowed us to determine the rate equation of -d[CHO]/dt = kp[2]1[CHO]1, and such catalysis exhibited a first-order dependence on both dinickel complex and CHO concentrations.

Studies on the radiographic visibility of the periodontal ligament in lower third molars: can the Olze method be used in the Chinese population?

The purpose of the present research is to study the radiographic visibility of the periodontal ligament in third molars from a northern Chinese population to determine if this methodology could be used for the 18-year threshold. A total of 1300 conventional orthopantomograms from 650 males and 650 females of northern Chinese subjects aged between 15 and 40 years were analyzed. The radiographic visibility of the periodontal membrane of fully mineralized third molars was assessed using the stages described by Olze et al. (2010). Stage 0 first appeared at the age of 17.05 years in males and at the age of 18.76 years in females. Stage 1 was first detected at 18.52 years in males and 19.59 years in females. Stage 2 was first achieved by males at the age of 22.33 years and by females at the age of 21.37 years. The earliest appearance of stage 3 was 26.85 years in males and 24.92 years in females. If stage 1 is determined, it is possible to prove that an individual has already attained the age of 18 years. Stages 2 and 3 can be used to determine that a person is over 21 years of age. However, it should also be noted that in 271 cases of tooth 38 and 255 cases of tooth 48, the visibility stage could not be reliably assessed because of fused roots or narrowed furcations. Therefore, this method seems to be of limited value for age estimation in the Chinese population.

Third molar maturity index (I3M) for assessing age of majority in northern Chinese population.

In many countries, assessment of legal age, also known as age of majority, has become increasingly important over the years. In China, individuals older than 18 years of age have full capacity regarding civil conduct and can be tried as an adult for criminal charges. Therefore, from a legal point of view, it is crucial to determine whether an individual is an adult. The developmental degree of the third molar is widely recognized as a suitable site for age estimation in late adolescence. This article uses the third molar maturity index (I3M) with a cutoff value of I3M = 0.08, which was established by Cameriere et al. in 2008, to distinguish whether an individual is a minor or an adult (≥ 18 years of age) in a northern Chinese population. A total of 840 digital orthopantomograms (OPTs) from 420 male and 420 female northern Chinese subjects aged 12 to 25 years were evaluated. It was found that an increase in I3M corresponded to a decrease in chronological age. In our study, I3M = 0.10 showed better accuracy in age discrimination in both men and women. This threshold also resulted in high sensitivity (0.929 and 0.809) and specificity (0.940 and 0.973) in males and females, respectively. The proportion of correctly classified subjects was 0.917 (95% CI, 0.898 to 0.935) in total, 0.938 (95% CI, 0.915 to 0.961) in male and 0.895 (95% CI, 0.866 to 0.925) in female subjects. Bayes post-test probabilities were 0.967 (95% CI, 0.947 to 0.986) in males and 0.983 (95% CI, 0.966 to 0.998) in females. These differences in threshold values between Chinese and Caucasian populations might be because the development of third molars is delayed in the Chinese population compared to the Caucasian population. In conclusion, I3M might be a useful method in legal and forensic practices to determine ages in late adolescence in northern Chinese individuals. However, a specific population should be tested before I3M is used for legal age estimation.

Targeted Re-Sequencing of the 2p21 Locus Identifies Non-Syndromic Cleft Lip Only Novel Susceptibility Gene ZFP36L2.

rs7590268 present on the 2p21 locus was identified to be associated with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in several populations, including the Chinese Han population, indicating that 2p21 was a susceptibility locus for NSCL/P. However, previous studies have only identified common single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the THADA gene, neglecting the rare variants and other genes in 2p21; thus, this study was designed to investigate additional variants and novel susceptibility genes in 2p21. A total of 159 NSCL/P patients and 542 controls were recruited in the discovery phase, whereas 1830 NSCL/P patients and 2,436 controls were recruited in the replication phase. After targeted region sequencing, we performed association and burden analyses for the common and rare variants, respectively. Furthermore, RNA-seq, proliferation assay and cell cycle analysis were performed to clarify the possible function of the candidate gene ZFP36L2. Association analysis showed that four SNPs were specifically associated with non-syndromic cleft lip only (NSCLO) and two SNPs were associated with both NSCLO and NSCL/P. Burden analysis indicated that ZFP36L2 was associated with NSCLO (p = .0489, OR = 2.41, 95% CI: 0.98-5.90). Moreover, SNPs in the ZFP36L2 targeted gene JUP were also associated with NSCLO. ZFP36L2 also inhibited cell proliferation and induced G2 phase arrest in the GMSM-K cell line. Therefore, we proposed that ZFP36L2 is a novel susceptibility gene of NSCLO in the 2p21 locus, which could lead to NSCLO by modulating cell proliferation and cycle.

Targeted re-sequencing on 1p22 among non-syndromic orofacial clefts from Han Chinese population.

Rs560426 at 1p22 was proved to be associated with NSCL/P (non-syndromic cleft lip with or without the palate) in several populations, including Han Chinese population. Here, we conducted a deep sequencing around rs560426 to locate more susceptibility variants in this region. In total, 2,293 NSCL/P cases and 3,235 normal controls were recruited. After sequencing, association analysis was performed. Western blot, RT-qPCR, HE, immunofluorescence staining, and RNA sequencing were conducted for functional analyses of the selected variants. Association analysis indicated that rs77179923 was the only SNP associated with NSCLP specifically (p = 4.70E-04, OR = 1.84), and rs12071152 was uniquely associated with LCLO (p = 4.00E-04, OR = 1.30, 95%CI: 1.12-1.51). Moreover, de novo harmful rare variant NM_004815.3, NP_004806.3; c.1652G>C, p.R551T in ARHGAP29 resulted in a decreased expression level of ARHGAP29, which in turn affected NSCL/P-related biological processes; however, no overt cleft palate (CP) phenotype was observed. In conclusion, rs12071152 was a new susceptible variant, which is specifically associated with LCLO among the Han Chinese population. Allele A of it could increase the risk of having a cleft baby. Rs77179923 and rare variant NM_004815.3, NP_004806.3; c.1652G>C, p.R551T at 1p22 were both associated with NSCLP among the Han Chinese population. However, this missense variation contributes to no overt CP phenotype due to dosage insufficiency or compensation from other genes.

Will different sagittal and vertical skeletal types relate the soft tissue thickness: A study in Chinese female adults.

Facial reconstruction is a classical technique in forensic anthropology to reestablish the contours of the soft tissues over the skull. The accurate facial soft tissue data plays an essential role in forensic facial reconstruction. However, according to previous studies, various skeletal types might relate to different thickness in facial soft tissue. Until now, there are few publications focusing on the relationship between facial soft tissue thickness (FSTT) and different skeletal types, and none of them analyze the FSTT according to various sagittal and vertical skeletal types. The aim of this study was to testify the possible existence of correlations between FSTT and different skeletal types. In order to exclude interference from age, sex, ethnicity and body mass index (BMI) factors, we collected lateral projection X-rays data of 270 Chinese female aged 19-26 years with nomal BMI and divided them into various skeletal groups. Soft tissue thickness measurements were mainly based on 10 anthropological landmarks of the skull and statistics were analyzed on the basis of different skeletal types. The greatest differences were observed in the upper lip region of maxilla and the mental region of mandible. The concave and hypodivergent skull types showed the thickest soft tissue in maxillary region, and the convex and hypedivergent skull types showed the thickest soft tissue in the mental region. This study provided a database for FSTT according to various skeletal types in Chinese female population, and our current studies demonstrated that considering various skeletal types will improve the accuracy of facial reconstruction.

Application of the Kvaal method for age estimation using digital panoramic radiography of Chinese individuals.

The Kvaal method as a non-invasive method for age estimation based on the changes of pulpal size caused by secondary dentin deposition has been applied to different ethnics. However, its results are often conflicting and its accuracy is relatively poor. This study aimed to verify the applicability of the Kvaal method to estimate the ages of the Chinese population using digital panoramic radiographs and to formulate specific regression equations for use in Chinese subjects. A sample of 360 digital panoramic radiographs from northern Chinese population were selected, from which the pulpal size and width of six tooth types (maxillary central incisor, lateral incisor, second premolar, mandibular lateral incisor, canine, and first premolar) were measured using Kvaal's method. Then, inter- and intra-observer reliabilities were calculated to evaluate the reproducibility of those measurements. The correlation between chronological age and measurements was also examined and the Chinese-specific equations for age estimation were conducted. After comparing the accuracy of the Chinese-specific equation with the original Kvaal equation, the age of the Chinese population was clearly overestimated by Kvaal's equation, and a Chinese-specific equation could ameliorate age prediction accuracy. In addition, the residuals of the Chinese-specific equation were significantly lower than that of the original Kvaal's method. Thus, we concluded that the original Kvaal equation cannot accurately estimate age in the Chinese population. Although accuracy improved using the Chinese-specific equation that was based on Kvaal's methodology, the standard deviation remained large. In view of the lack of accurate age estimation methods for adults, we propose finding more correlated variables or combining other age estimation methods to increase the accuracy for adult age estimation.