BACKGROUND: Deer antlers have been used as strong tonifying medicine in Asian countries, especially for the growth and development of children in pediatrics of Korean medicine. The safety of deer antler in adults cannot be applied directly to children because of their physiological characteristics. To accumulate reliable data on the safety of deer antler in pediatric populations, well-designed clinical studies are required.
METHODS: This research is a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating the safety of deer antler extract (DAE) in children. The DAE group received an intervention containing 1586 mg of DAE, whereas the control group received a placebo for 12 weeks. The safety was assessed by monitoring adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and laboratory test results.
RESULTS: One hundred participants were included in the safety analysis. Three and 2 participants in the DAE and control groups, respectively, reported ADRs. There was no significant difference in incidence between the 2 groups. ADRs are categorized into gastrointestinal and skin-related symptoms. No serious ADR was observed throughout the study. The laboratory test results were within or outside the normal range at clinically insignificant levels.
CONCLUSIONS: The research discovered that the DAE is safe in terms of ADRs and laboratory parameters under the conditions studied. Further studies are required to accumulate safety data about DAE dosage adjustment and potential interactions with other medicines.

BACKGROUND: Deer (Cervus elaphus Linnaeus) antler extract has been traditionally used in many Asian countries to prevent and treat various diseases. Deer antler extract is generally considered to be safe because humans have been exposed to it for a long time and it has been used as a tonic medicine originating from naturally occurring product. However, the comprehensive toxicological potential of deer antler extract during the juvenile period has not been investigated and its safety for juveniles remains unclear.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to comprehensively investigate the potential toxicological effects of deer antler extract during the juvenile period.
METHODS: As part of a safety assessment of the juvenile period, two separate studies, a juvenile toxicity study and a uterotrophic bioassay, were conducted in accordance with Good Laboratory Practice regulations and test guidelines. In the juvenile toxicity study, deer antler extract was administered daily by oral gavage to Sprague-Dawley rats at doses of 0, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg during the juvenile period to investigate potential toxicities on general systemic, developmental, and reproductive functions. For the uterotrophic bioassay, deer antler extract was administered daily by oral gavage to Sprague-Dawley rats at doses of 0, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg on postnatal days 19-21 to investigate the estrogen-mimicking effects.
RESULTS: The results showed that deer antler extract was non-toxic and no observable adverse effects on general systemic function, developmental and reproductive function, and estrogen-mimetic effects were observed with dosing up to 2000 mg/kg during the juvenile period.
CONCLUSIONS: The safety of deer antler extracts was demonstrated in these studies and the results of this study can be used to evaluate human risk or determine the maximum recommended starting dose of deer antler extract for further clinical trials.

We analyzed pedicle bone from roe bucks that had died around antler casting or shortly before or during the rutting period. Pedicles obtained around antler casting were highly porous and showed signs of intense osteoclastic activity that had caused the formation of an abscission line. Following the detachment of the antler plus a portion of pedicle bone, osteoclastic activity in the pedicles continued for some time, and new bone was deposited onto the separation plane of the pedicle stump, leading to partial pedicle restoration. Pedicles obtained around the rutting period were compact structures. The newly formed, often very large secondary osteons, which had filled the resorption cavities, exhibited a lower mineral density than the persisting older bone. The middle zones of the lamellar infilling frequently showed hypomineralized lamellae and enlarged osteocyte lacunae. This indicates a deficiency in mineral elements during the formation of these zones that occurred along with peak antler mineralization. We suggest that growing antlers and compacting pedicles compete for mineral elements, with the rapidly growing antlers being the more effective sinks. The competition between the two simultaneously mineralizing structures is probably more severe in Capreolus capreolus than in other cervids. This is because roe bucks regrow their antlers during late autumn and winter, a period of limited food and associated mineral supply. The pedicle is a heavily remodeled bone structure with distinct seasonal variation in porosity. Pedicle remodeling differs in several aspects from the normal bone remodeling process in the mammalian skeleton.

BACKGROUND: Cervi parvum cornu is a dried section of the young horns of Cervus nippon Temminck, Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, or Cervus canadensis Erxleben. It is a representative yang-tonifying medicine that warms the viscera and bowels, activates the overall physiological function, and has effects such as tonifying kidney yang, replenishing essence and blood, and strengthening muscles and bones.
OBJECTIVE: This clinical study is aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of deer antler extract on child growth.
METHODS: This clinical trial is designed to be conducted on 100 children aged 3 to 12 years for 12 weeks (Trial registration code: KCT0007386). We will evaluate changes in height, height percentile, standard deviation score of height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, bone age, predicted adult height estimated by bone age, human growth hormone level, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) level, IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) level, IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio, and estradiol level. Additionally, we also will evaluate the adverse events during the study.

Here, we report on the exceptionally well-preserved deer record from the locality of Pantalla (central Italy), dated in the Early Pleistocene (ca. 2.1-2.0 million years ago). The fossils show a combination of characters that allows an unambiguous attribution to \'Pseudodama\' nestii, of which they represent one of the most informative collections to date. Our comparisons-also conducted through CT-based methods on endocranial structures-reveal that the cranial and postcranial skeleton of \'P.\' nestii displays a mosaic of intermediate characters between extant Dama and Cervus, but also that the affinities with Dama are prevalent. Some Cervus-like features especially in cranial morphology, can be interpreted as plesiomorphic characters supporting a basal position of \'Pseudodama\' among the Cervini. Interestingly, three bone anomalies are described in the two male crania of \'P.\' nestii from Pantalla and are interpreted as palaeotraumatological evidence resulting from different injuries suffered by the deer during their life. This allows opening a treasure trove of information on paleobiological aspects, including ontogeny and antler cycle and function.

Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is considered as a prerequisite in some cases of implant dentistry. For this purpose, bone materials are commonly used. Calcium compounds and Ca-P based materials like hydroxyapatite (HA, Ca10 (PO4)6(OH)2), due to their similarity with the human bone, can be used as graft materials for bone regeneration. This study aimed to evaluate biocompatibility of antler xenograft and compare the osteoconduction effects of antler xenograft with Cerabone in regeneration of calvarium bony defects of rabbits.
Five defects with a diameter of 6 mm and a depth of 3 mm were prepared in the calvarium of four rabbits. Thereafter, two defects were randomly grafted with antler xenograft, two defects were filled with Cerabone, and one defect remained as the untreated group. Histological evaluations, including measuring percentage of new regenerated bone and the amounts of osteoblast, osteoclast, and osteocyte cells, were also performed. To do statistical analyses, paired t-test, chi-square, and Fisher tests were applied.
The percentage of new bone formation was significantly higher in antler xenograft (73.33%) and in Cerabone (48.91%) compared to the untreated group (18.91%). The amounts of osteocytes and osteoblasts were obtained as 3.52 ± 0.17 and 2.41 ± 0.24 in the Antler xenograft and as 2.57 ± 0.29 and 2.31 ± 0.32 in the Cerabone group, respectively. Bone marrow formation were significantly higher in antler xenograft (6.66 ± 5.34) and Cerabone (1.99 ± 3.17) compared to the untreated group.
According to this pilot study, results of using antler xenograft as an osteoconductive materials in regeneration of rabbit calvarial defects are comparable with Cerabone. Although more clinical studies are needed.

INTRODUCTION In medical literature, attempts are often made to de-identify facial photos using black bars across the eyes, but the effectiveness is probably limited. I hypothesized that compared to the original photo the relative risk of recognition is > 50% when such techniques are employed. METHODS Randomized controlled trial among 33 participants, who each completed an electronic questionnaire showing 24 facial photographs of Danish politicians and had to provide the name of each politician in free text. The photographs were either unmodified or had been covered by small black bars, large black bars, T-shapes, Christmas hats or reindeer antlers and nose. A pseudo-random number generator assigned each participant to one of six questionnaires, which had the same photos in the same order, and always had four photos with each kind of modification (unmodified, T-shape etc.). Across the six questionnaires, each photo appeared once with each type of modification. The relative risk of recognition was calculated using a generalized linear model adjusted for the order of presentation of the photos. Confidence intervals were derived by bootstrapping to account for the interdependence of observations. The analysis protocol was published before data collection began. RESULTS The relative risk of identification was approximately 1 and statistically significantly different from 0.5 for all methods, with the original photos as reference. CONCLUSION Attempts to de-identify facial photos using bars and similar are ineffective and should be discouraged. Funding: none. Trial registration: none.

We analyzed the lead content in antlers of 90 adult European roe bucks (Capreolus capreolus) that had been culled between 1901 and 2019 in an agricultural-dominated hunting district in Lower Saxony (Northern Germany). Antler lead values ranged between 0.2 and 10.9 mg/kg dry weight. Median lead concentration was highest after World War II, during a period (1956-1984) of rapidly increasing mass motorization and use of leaded gasoline. Lead levels in antlers decreased markedly after the phase-out of leaded gasoline, but high values were still found in some recently collected antlers. This could indicate persistent lead pollution from former use of lead additives to gasoline, other traffic-related sources, or from agricultural sources (e.g., sewage sludge, fertilizers). This study highlights the suitability of analyzing roe deer antlers for the historical monitoring of changing lead levels in the environment. By collecting antlers and providing them for study, local hunters can significantly contribute to environmental surveillance and the monitoring of environmental pollution by bone-seeking contaminants.

Cervi Colla, deer\'s gelatin, had two kinds of original sources historically, including the skin and antler of deer, known as Cervi Corii Colla(Lupijiao, LPJ) and Cervi Cornus Colla(Lujiaojiao, LJJ) respectively.LJJ is the mainstream of the market, while LPJ is only used by common people in Guizhou and Jilin etc. This article sorted out the ancient and modern literature(since Rites of the Zhou in Zhou Dynasty) on Cervi Colla and conducted the herbalogical study. The results of the study include:① In ancient China, there were six types of commonly-used Colla derived from six animals, including deer, horse, cow, rat, fish and rhinoceros. Cervi Colla was ranked the most top among them, and it was often used as adhesive to make bow and Chinese inksticks and more commonly used as a medicine.Cervi Cornus Colla was first described as a medicinal by the name "Bai Jiao"(white gelatin)in The Divine Husbandman\'s Classic of Material Medica(Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing).② Initially, both the skin and antler were used as raw materials to make Cervi Colla, but antler became the only raw material, and deer skin disappeared from the mainstream of raw materials for Cervi Colla. This can be attributed to other diverse and luxurious uses of the skin, such as making dress and hats, etc., and the easy accessibility of deer antlers. ③ The sources of Cervi Colla were not limited to Cervus elaphus(red deer) or C. nippon(sika deer), and it also included animal from the family Cervidae, such as Elaphurus davidianus(elk) and C. unicolor(sambar). ④ The processing method was passed down from ancient times to the present, and no significant changes had occurred. ⑤ LPJ and LJJ had many similar effects, and their nature was both warm. The effect of LJJ was to warm the liver and kidney, replenish vital essence and blood, and to reinforce Yang. While the effect of LPJ was to reinforce both Yin and Yang, replenish blood, and stop bleeding. It has a unique advantage for both reinforcing Yin and Yang. The findings of this paper can provide support for the promotion of LPJ and the development of its medicinal value.

Dental implants are important tools for restoring the loss of teeth. The rapid growth and periodic regeneration of antlers make Sika deer a good and less invasive alternative model for studying bone remodelling in mammals. We developed a special loading device for antlers and analysed the bone reaction around unloaded implants and under immediate loading conditions until osseointegration occurred. In micro-computed tomography images, the density of antler tissue around the implants increased as the loading time increased. This finding was histologically confirmed by the good osseointegration observed in unloaded and loaded specimens. Antler tissue displays a similar healing process to human bone. The use of an antler model is a promising alternative for implant studies that does not require animal sacrifice.