The persistence of epiphyseal scars in the distal radius in adult individuals

The use of radiographic imaging in the estimation of chronological age facilitates the analysis of structures not visible on gross morphological inspection. Following the completion of epiphyseal fusion, a thin radio-opaque band, the epiphyseal scar, may be observed at the locus of the former growth plate. The obliteration of this feature has previously been interpreted as the final stage of skeletal maturation and consequently has been included as a criterion in several methods of age estimation, particularly from the distal radius. Due to the recommendations relating to age estimation in living individuals, accurate assessment of age from the distal radius is of great importance in human identification; however, the validity of the interpretation of the obliteration of the epiphyseal scar as an age-related process has not been tested. A study was undertaken to assess the persistence of epiphyseal scars in adults between 20 and 50 years of age through the assessment of 616 radiographs of left and right distal radii from a cross-sectional population. This study found that 86 % of females and 78 % of males retained some remnant of the epiphyseal scar in the distal radius. The relationships between chronological age, biological sex and the persistence of the epiphyseal scar were not statistically significant. The findings of this study indicate that the epiphyseal scars may persist in adult individuals until at least 50 years of age. No maximum age should therefore be applied to the persistence of an epiphyseal scar in the distal radius

Vitamin D in health and disease: Current perspectives

Despite the numerous reports of the association of vitamin D with a spectrum of development, disease treatment and health maintenance, vitamin D deficiency is common. Originating in part from the diet but with a key source resulting from transformation by exposure to sunshine, a great deal of the population suffers from vitamin D deficiency especially during winter months. It is linked to the treatment and pathogenesis and/or progression of several disorders including cancer, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness and diabetes. This widespread deficiency of Vitamin D merits consideration of widespread policies including increasing awareness among the public and healthcare professionals

Heavy-electron metals

A new class of metals has been found in which the electrons have effective masses orders of magnitude larger than the free-electron mass. Some of these metals are superconducting at low temperatures. This superconductivity seems to be unconventional, with an underlying mechanism different from that in all other known superconductors. © 1986 Nature Publishing Group

Double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial of bolus-dose vitamin D-3 supplementation in adults with asthma (ViDiAs)

RATIONALE: Asthma exacerbations are commonly precipitated by viral upper respiratory infections (URIs). Vitamin D insufficiency associates with susceptibility to URI in patients with asthma. Trials of vitamin D in adults with asthma with incidence of exacerbation and URI as primary outcome are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a randomised controlled trial of vitamin D3 supplementation for the prevention of asthma exacerbation and URI (coprimary outcomes). MEASUREMENTS AND METHODS: 250 adults with asthma in London, UK were allocated to receive six 2-monthly oral doses of 3 mg vitamin D3 (n=125) or placebo (n=125) over 1 year. Secondary outcomes included asthma control test and St George's Respiratory Questionnaire scores, fractional exhaled nitric oxide and concentrations of inflammatory markers in induced sputum. Subgroup analyses were performed to determine whether effects of supplementation were modified by baseline vitamin D status or genotype for 34 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 11 vitamin D pathway genes. MAIN RESULTS: 206/250 participants (82%) were vitamin D insufficient at baseline. Vitamin D3 did not influence time to first severe exacerbation (adjusted HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.53, p=0.91) or first URI (adjusted HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.16, p=0.34). No clinically important effect of vitamin D3 was seen on any of the secondary outcomes listed above. The influence of vitamin D3 on coprimary outcomes was not modified by baseline vitamin D status or genotype. CONCLUSIONS: Bolus-dose vitamin D3 supplementation did not influence time to exacerbation or URI in a population of adults with asthma with a high prevalence of baseline vitamin D insufficiency. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00978315 (ClinicalTrials.gov)