Application of knee MRI in forensic age estimation: A retrospective cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Forensic age estimation is performed via clinical examination and utilizing various imaging modalities. Currently, radiography and CT are used. In this study we aim to evaluate if magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to determine stages of fusion in the epiphysis of the tibia and femur, and if these stages are significantly different regarding the mean age of subjects classified in each one. METHODS: A total of 193 subjects were included in the study. Knee MR imaging was performed on all of the patients, and the patients were categorized based on imaging findings of the tibial and femoral epiphysis. Tukey multiple comparison test and analysis of variance were used to assess if the difference in the mean age of the groups were significantly different. RESULTS: Analysis of variance revealed that the mean of the five groups, both in tibia and femur imaging were significantly different. Analysis of variance showed that in most of the cases, the groups mean age significantly differed from the other groups. Tukey multiple comparison tests showed that although the differences between stages I-III could not be regarded as significant, MR imaging was suitable in distinguishing stages IV-V from stages I-III. CONCLUSION: MR imaging of the knee may be a suitable imaging modality to assess an individual's age, does not involve ionizing radiation, and that with imaging a single anatomical location, at least two epiphyses could be used to determine the age. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Utilization of knee MRI by clinicians as a safe and practical age estimation method.

Zeolite Nanoparticles for Selective Sorption of Plasma Proteins.

The affinity of zeolite nanoparticles (diameter of 8-12 nm) possessing high surface area and high pore volume towards human plasma proteins has been investigated. The protein composition (corona) of zeolite nanoparticles has been shown to be more dependent on the plasma protein concentrations and the type of zeolites than zeolite nanoparticles concentration. The number of proteins present in the corona of zeolite nanoparticles at 100% plasma (in vivo state) is less than with 10% plasma exposure. This could be due to a competition between the proteins to occupy the corona of the zeolite nanoparticles. Moreover, a high selective adsorption for apolipoprotein C-III (APOC-III) and fibrinogen on the zeolite nanoparticles at high plasma concentration (100%) was observed. While the zeolite nanoparticles exposed to low plasma concentration (10%) exhibited a high selective adsorption for immunoglobulin gamma (i.e. IGHG1, IGHG2 and IGHG4) proteins. The zeolite nanoparticles can potentially be used for selectively capture of APOC-III in order to reduce the activation of lipoprotein lipase inhibition during hypertriglyceridemia treatment. The zeolite nanoparticles can be adapted to hemophilic patients (hemophilia A (F-VIII deficient) and hemophilia B (F-IX deficient)) with a risk of bleeding, and thus might be potentially used in combination with the existing therapy.

Visibility of different foreign bodies in the maxillofacial region using plain radiography, CT, MRI and ultrasonography: an in vitro study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the usefulness of four imaging modalities in visualizing various foreign bodies of different sizes. METHODS: Foreign bodies of four sizes (0.5, 1, 2 and 3 mm) including metal, tooth, wood, plastic, stone, glass and graphite were embedded in six fresh sheep heads on bone surface between the corpus mandible and muscle, and inside the tongue muscle. A human dry skull served as an air-filled space. Plain radiography, CT, MRI and ultrasonography were used, and four skilled radiologists rated the findings individually. RESULTS: All embedded foreign bodies except wood were best visualized using CT. Wood could only be detected using ultrasonography, and then only when fragments were >0.5 mm in size. Plain radiography and CT were almost equally accurate in visualizing metal and graphite. MRI was the least useful imaging technique. CONCLUSIONS: In cases with suspected foreign bodies in the maxillofacial region, CT seems to be the optimal initial imaging study. Wood, however, could only be detected using ultrasonography.

Intracranial physiological calcifications in adults on computed tomography in Tabriz, Iran.

Intracranial physiological calcifications are unaccompanied by any evidence of disease and have no demonstrable pathological cause. They are often due to calcium and sometimes iron deposition in the blood vessels of different structures of the brain. Computed tomography (CT) is the most sensitive means of detection of these calcifications. The aim of this study was the assessment of intracranial physiological calcifications in adults. We studied 1569 cases ranging in age from 15 to 85 in Tabriz Imam Khomeini Hospital, Iran. These patients had a history of head trauma and their CT scan did not show any evidence of pathological findings. The structures evaluated consisted of (A) the pineal gland, (B) the choroid plexus, (C) the habenula, (D) the basal ganglia, (E) the tentorium cerebelli, sagittal sinus and falx cerebri, (F) vessels and (G) lens and other structures which could be calcified. Of the 1569 subjects, 71.0% had pineal calcification, 66.2% had choroid plexus calcification, 20.1% had habenular calcification, 7.3% had tentorium cerebelli, sagittal sinus or falx cerebri calcifications, 6.6% had vascular calcification, 0.8% had basal ganglia calcification and 0.9% had lens and other non-defined calcifications. In general, the frequency of intracranial physiological calcifications was greater in men than in women. All types of calcification increased at older ages except for lens and other non-defined calcifications. We evaluated all the cranial structures and determined percentages for all types of intracranial physiological calcification. These statistics can be used for comparing physiological and pathological intracranial calcifications. Moreover, these statistics may be of interest from the clinical perspective and are potentially of clinical use.