Lumbar Bone Mineral Density Phantomless Computed Tomography Measurements and Correlation with Age and Fracture Incidence

Objective: Low bone quality is a contributing factor to motor vehicle crash (MVC) injury. Quantification of occupant bone mineral density (BMD) is important from an injury causation standpoint. The first aim of this study was to validate a technique for measuring lumbar volumetric BMD (vBMD) from phantomless computed tomography (CT) scans. The second aim was to apply the validated phantomless technique to quantify lumbar vBMD in Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) occupants for correlation with age, fracture incidence, and osteopenia/osteoporosis diagnoses.

Methods: Quantitative CT (qCT) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were collected prospectively for 50 subjects and used to validate a technique to measure vBMD from 281 phantomless CT scans of CIREN occupants. Hounsfield unit (HU) measurements were collected from the L1–L5 vertebrae, right psoas major muscle, and anterior subcutaneous fat for all subjects and from 3 phantom ports with known mg/cc calcium hydroxyapatite values for the validation group. qCT calibration was accomplished using regressions between the phantom HU and mg/cc values to convert L1–L5 HU values to mg/cc. A phantomless calibration technique was developed where the fat and muscle HU values were linearly regressed against fat (?69 mg/cc) and muscle (77 mg/cc) to establish a conversion for L1–L5 HU measurements to mg/cc. vBMD calculated from qCT versus the phantomless method was compared for the 50 subjects to assess agreement and a mg/cc osteopenia threshold was established using DXA T-scores. CIREN HU measurements were converted to mg/cc using the phantomless technique and the mg/cc osteopenia threshold was used to compare vBMD to age, fracture incidence, and osteopenia comorbidity classifications in CIREN.

Results: Linear regression of lumbar vBMD derived from the qCT versus phantomless calibrations showed excellent agreement (R² = 0.87, P <.0001). A 145 mg/cc threshold for osteopenia was established (sensitivity = 1, specificity = 0.57) and 44 CIREN occupants had vBMD below this threshold. Of these 44 occupants, 64% were not classified as osteopenic in CIREN, but vBMD suggested undiagnosed osteopenia. Age was negatively correlated with vBMD in both sexes (P <.0001) and CIREN occupants with less than 145 mg/cc vBMD sustained an average 1.7 additional rib/sternum fractures (P =.036).

Conclusions: Because lumbar vBMD was estimated from phantomless CT scans with accuracy similar to qCT, the phantomless technique can be broadly applied to both prospectively and retrospectively assess patient bone quality for research and clinical studies related to MVCs, falls, and aging.     

Investigation of methods for estimating hand bone dimensions using X-ray hand anthropometric data

This study examined two conversion methods, M1 and M2, to predict finger/phalange bone lengths based on finger/phalange surface lengths. Forty-one Korean college students (25 males and 16 females) were recruited and their finger/phalange surface lengths, bone lengths and grip strengths were measured using a vernier caliper, an X-ray generator and a double-handle force measurement system, respectively. M1 and M2 were defined as formulas able to estimate finger/phalange bone lengths based on one dimension (i.e., surface hand length) and four finger dimensions (surface finger lengths), respectively. As a result of conversion, the estimation errors by M1 presented mean 1.22?mm, which was smaller than those (1.29?mm) by M2. The bone lengths estimated by M1 (mean r?=?0.81) presented higher correlations with the measured bone lengths than those estimated by M2 (0.79). Thus, the M1 method was recommended in the present study, based on conversion simplicity and accuracy.     

骨炭、磷矿粉和生物调理剂对赣南稀土矿区土壤稀土元素淋溶的影响

通过土柱淋溶实验研究了骨炭、磷矿粉与生物调理剂对赣南稀土矿区土壤稀土元素淋溶的影响.结果表明:土壤中添加骨炭、磷矿粉和生物调理剂均显著地提高了淋溶液的p H值.不管是高钇型重稀土土壤还是富镧少钇型轻稀土土壤,添加骨炭均显著地降低了淋溶液中稀土元素的浓度,7 d时淋溶液中15个稀土元素浓度比对照处理降低10.4%~86.7%(重稀土土壤)和4.6%~87.8%(轻稀土土壤),铈、镧、钇、钕、镝、钆等稀土元素浓度降低最明显.培养时间越长稀土元素淋溶量越少,骨炭的降低作用越小.在轻稀土土壤中添加磷矿粉7 d和14 d后,淋溶液中稀土元素浓度均比对照处理有所降低,而在重稀土土壤中添加磷矿粉7~28 d后,均导致淋溶液中稀土元素浓度比对照升高(除了个别元素外).土壤中添加生物调理剂均导致淋溶液中稀土元素浓度急剧提高,7 d时淋溶液中15个稀土元素浓度比对照处理提高0.86~123.4倍(重稀土土壤)和5.4~250.2倍(轻稀土土壤),在重稀土土壤中钇、铒、镱、镝、钆、钕等浓度提高最明显,而在轻稀土土壤中浓度提高最明显的为铈、镧、钕、镨、钆等.另外,还研究了骨炭、磷矿粉和生物调理剂对土壤总稀土元素淋溶的影响.研究表明,骨炭是可以用来修复稀土元素污染土壤的潜力改良剂,而磷矿粉和生物调理剂的应用将提高环境污染的风险.     

Epidemiology and patterns of facial fractures due to road traffic accidents in Taiwan: A 15-year retrospective study

Objective: The facial region is a commonly fractured site, but the etiology varies widely by country and geographic region. To date, there are no population-based studies of facial fractures in Taiwan.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with facial fracture and registered in the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan between 1997 and 2011. The epidemiological characteristics of this cohort were analyzed, including the etiology, fracture site, associated injuries, and sex and age distributions.

Results: A total of 6,013 cases were identified that involved facial fractures. Most patients were male (69.8%), aged 18–29 years (35.8%), and had fractures caused by road traffic accidents (RTAs; 55.2%), particularly motorcycle accidents (31.5%). Falls increased in frequency with advancing age, reaching 23.9% among the elderly (age > 65 years). The most common sites of involvement were the malar and maxillary bones (54.0%), but nasal bone fractures were more common among those younger than 18 years.

Conclusion: Most facial injuries in Taiwan occur in young males and typically result from RTAs, particularly involving motorcycles. However, with increasing age, there is an increase in the proportion of facial injuries due to falls.     

牛骨炭与伊/蒙黏土组配改良剂对土壤中Cd的钝化效果

农田土壤Cd污染是我国最为突出的环境问题之一,开展新型钝化修复Cd污染土壤材料的研究和技术开发对保障农产品安全及保护人体健康具有重要意义.以北京某蔬菜生产基地设施大棚Cd污染土壤为试验对象,温室条件下采用盆栽试验,研究牛骨炭与伊/蒙黏土复合组配的改良剂对Cd污染土壤的钝化效果,探讨不同配比的组配改良剂对土壤Cd有效态含量以及小白菜Cd吸收量的影响.结果表明:在污染土壤中添加1%、2%和5%的组配改良剂,可明显降低土壤有效态Cd含量及小白菜对Cd的吸收,土壤有效态Cd含量降幅最大值达42.3%,小白菜地上部分Cd含量降幅最大值达22.7%,组配改良剂中骨炭成分比例越高,钝化效果越好,尤其以添加5%组配改良剂（添加组配改良剂中牛骨炭含量为50%）对Cd的稳定化效果最佳,且不同组配改良剂处理均不会对小白菜生长产生不良影响,表明牛骨炭与伊/蒙黏土组配的改良剂在修复Cd污染土壤上具有较好的应用潜力.研究显示,牛骨炭与伊/蒙黏土组配的改良剂符合绿色修复技术的发展要求,可作为钝化修复农田重金属污染土壤的环保新材料.      

饮水中^234U,^235U,^238U比活度及其评价

本文报道了新疆居民饮水中~(234)U、~(235)U和~(238)U比活度.它们的人口加权几何均值和算术均值分别为,~(234)U:113和186mBq/L;~(235)U: 3.0和 5.0mBq/L;~(238)U:65.9和108mBq/L.~(238)U的几何标准偏差为2.79.~(234)U/~(238)U活度比值为1.72.居民由饮水摄入~(234)U和~(238)U所受的有效剂量当量为13.5μSv/a,诱发1348万居民骨癌期望数约为1例/年.     

The Orange-Brown Patina of Salisbury Cathedral (West Porch) Surfaces: Evidence of its Man-Made Origin (5 pp)

Goal, Scope and Background In this paper, we attempt to elucidate the composition and origin of the orange patina on the surfaces of the West-Porch of Salisbury Cathedral by comparison to other known patinas: (i) the orange-brown patina on the marble surfaces of the Acropolis in Athens and the Arch of Titus in Rome whose analyses have shown very high amounts of phosphates, and generally amino acids from animal-skin glue or other protein binders; (ii) the phosphated patinas which also contain oxalates, found in 1996 on Catalonian calcareous sandstones and in the calcareous dolomites of the Monastery of Silos, Spain, whose origin is either the application of calcium caseinate, or egg yolk and animal glue; and (iii) the patinas with only oxalates found in some of Verona's monuments (St Zeno) and Spanish sites as in the Monastery of Guadalupe and Cuenca cathedral, formed either by the mineralization of algal filaments or by biological reactions yielding oxalate from yolk egg (added to stone as part of preservative empirical treatments). Methods In the winter of 2003, the West-Porch of Salisbury Cathedral received conservation works, but the old patina was not entirely removed. This fact has allowed us to collect the samples for its study. The IR spectra were registered with a Golden Gate ATR Mk II system using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR/FTIR) spectrometry. Mineral composition was determined by XRD (Philips PW 1710 spectrometer with Cu tube), whereas major and trace elements analyses were performed by XRF (Philips PW1480 PW). Microscopy examination was performed on a Leica M655 microscope. Phosphate, oxalate, calcium and sulphate contents were analysed by usual chemical methods. Results ATD-FTIR spectra of the Salisbury's patina exhibit peaks at 2361, 2341 and 671 cm–1 (assigned to phosphates); 3410, 1680, 1620, 1122 and 602 cm–1 (assigned to sulphates); and 1447/1437 and 876 cm–1 (attributed to carbonates). The little peaks at 1620 and 798 cm–1 could be assigned to oxalates. XRD and XRF have led to identify the carbonates, phosphates and sulphates as pertaining to the species dolomite, hydroxyapatite and gypsum, respectively. Oxalates are detected only in small amounts by chemical analyses but wewellite and weddellite have not been well identified. The interface between the patina and the calcareous dolomite is very uneven and full of cavities in certain cases, but well-defined and rather smooth in other cases. In accord with the very small amounts of the oxalates found, remnants of micro-organisms are not detected in the patinas. Discussion The Salisbury's patina is a composite material formed by particulates and matrix constituents. Regarding the patina particulate, e.g. animal bones, it is necessary to refer to the apatite phase composition. The bone mineral contains 4–8 wt % of carbonate in animal body and its presence in the apatite phase is advantageous as it increases the mechanical strength. We think that FTIR bands at around 1440 and 876 cm–1 arise from vibration of CO32– ions, but not necessarily from the limestone. They could be attributed to carbonated hydroxyapatite through the substitution of groups PO43– for CO32– in the lattice of hydroxyapatite. Concerning the matrix and also from the FTIR spectra, the absence of specific bands of the following species: proteins (3350–3225, 1660, 1550–1535, 1270–1230 and 620 cm–1), oils (1778, 1738 and 1051 cm–1), bee waxes (3000, 1470, 720–730 and 1700 cm–1) and aged egg-yolk (2954, 2920, 2850, 1650, 1549, 1465 and 1240 cm–1) had led us to exclude these usual binders. On the other hand, the amount of sulphates in the paste that covers the walls of the Salisbury's Cathedral is excessively high (above 20% in weight) to consider it as a biotransformation product of calcium oxalate from fungal biofilms. Consequently, we must think that the gypsum found in the samples has a man-made origin (it was deliberately added as part of a protective paste) and that it is the matrix searched for. Thus, we deduce that the patina of Salisbury's Cathedral is a special stucco made mixing plaster with powdered bone (the colour of the bones is the same that it exhibits in the patina), low quantities of an uncharacterized binder (collagen, possibly) and water. Conclusion We believe that the patina of the Salisbury's Cathedral is a variant of the Greco-Latin empirical protective treatment that included bone as a hardening material. Nevertheless, we also think that the presence of the bones in the paste could be related to an aesthetical intention: gaining a warm tone for the original stone through the ochre colour of the bones. Recommendation and Perspective Our results have been an excuse to contribute to the controversy started at the 80's on the origin of orange-brown patinas observed on stone surfaces of Greco-Latin and medieval monuments. There are two major theories on provenance: biological vs. man-made. In Salisbury Cathedral, neither of them has been proven through scientific evidence as yet. Our opinion is that Salisbury patina can be classified into the man-made group.     

Temporal changes in the fluoride levels of jaws of European deer in industrial regions of Western Pomerania,Poland

The factories processing natural phosphates and apatites in Poland release into the atmosphere considerable amounts of fluorine compounds. Fluoride is known to accumulate in the hard tissues of animals and humans. This paper describes the determination of fluoride in mandibles of deer in the years 1982 and 1990. In recent years, the establishments have restricted their output and modernized the technology of phosphate fertilizer production. The fluoride content in jaws has decreased, particularly in those animals having their habitat in the vicinity of the two factories.