Abstract The prevention and control of myopia in Chinese children and adolescents has become a major public health issue. While maintaining increased outdoor activity as a cornerstone intervention, there is an urgent need to explore new complementary approaches that can be effectively implemented in both indoor and outdoor settings. In recent years, environmental spatial frequency has gained increasing attention as one of the key environmental factors influencing the development and progression of myopia. Both animal studies and human research have confirmed that indoor environments lacking mid to high spatial frequency components, often characterized as "visually impoverished", can promote axial elongation and myopia through mechanisms such as disruption of retinal neural signaling, impaired accommodative function, and altered expression of related molecules. Based on the scientific consensus, it is recommended that "enriching of environmental spatial frequency" should be integrated into the myopia prevention and control framework. Following the principles of schoolled organization, family cooperation, community involvement, and student participation, specific measures are put forward in three areas：optimizing school visual settings, improving home spatial environments, and promoting healthy visual behavior. The aim is to create "visually friendly" indoor environments as an important supplement to outdoor activity, thereby providing a novel perspective and strategy for comprehensively advancing myopia prevention and control among children and adolescents.

Refractory inner ear disease refers to a spectrum of inner ear diseases that fail to achieve good therapeutic effects even after standardized treatment recommended by existing clinical practice guidelines. This disease spectrum is characterized by diverse etiological factors, high phenotypic heterogeneity, unclear subtype characteristics, unknown pathogenic mechanisms, and variable prognosis, making it difficult to define precisely. Refractory inner ear disease accounts for a significant proportion of the total population with inner ear diseases and has not been systematically summarized, refined, and deeply studied to date. This article, for the first time, clearly proposes the concept, definition, and scope of refractory inner ear disease, and elaborates on the current research status, challenges, and coping strategies for refractory inner ear disease. With the development and progress of science and technology, we believe that in the future we will witness more innovative technologies and new drugs applied to the treatment of refractory inner ear disease, bringing hope of cure to patients.
Humans ; Labyrinth Diseases/therapy*

Objective:To investigate the clinical features, imaging characteristics, surgical strategies, and therapeutic outcomes of otitis media complicated with inflammatory response of local meninges.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 8 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media complicated with inflammatory response of local meninges, treated by the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, PLA General Hospital from 2019 to 2023. Appropriate surgical strategies were selected based on the patient′s clinical manifestations, imaging characteristics, extent of lesions, and facial nerve function. Follow-up was performed postoperatively to assess the therapeutic outcomes.Results:Among the eight patients, there were six males and two females, with an average age of (55.9±12.6) years old. The primary clinical manifestations included otorrhea, hearing loss, facial paralysis, earache, headache, and fever. All patients had a history of chronic suppurative otitis media and tympanic membrane perforation, with varying degrees and types of hearing loss. Seven patients presented with peripheral facial palsy preoperatively, with the House-Brackmann (H-B) grading scale as follows: 4 cases (4/7) in grade Ⅳ, 1 case (1/7) in grade Ⅴ, and 2 cases (2/7) in grade Ⅵ. The mean duration of otorrhea and/or hearing loss was (24.68±12.18) years, while, the average duration of severe headache, aggravated otorrhea and facial paralysis was (2.73±3.92) months. Preoperative high-resolution CT scan of the temporal bone revealed soft tissue shadow in the middle ear and mastoid process, with partial defects in the mastoid cortex. Cranial MRI T1WI showed high signal in the meninges on the affected side, with contrast-enhanced MRI indicating localized meningeal thickening. Four patients (4/8) had diabetes mellitus, and 2 patients (2/8) had a history of middle ear/mastoid surgery. All patients underwent surgical treatment, including thorough removal of lesions, adequate drainage, and facial nerve decompression. Tympanoplasty and hearing reconstruction were performed when conditions permitted. Specifically, 5 patients underwent intact canal wall radical mastoidectomy with facial nerve decompression and tympanoplasty, 2 patients underwent canal wall down mastoidectomy with facial nerve exploration decompression, and 1 patient underwent modified radical mastoidectomy. Postoperatively, patients experienced significant relief and gradual disappearance of ear and head pain. The postoperative H-B grading scale of facial nerve function was as follows: 4 cases in grade Ⅰ (4/8, including 1 case without preoperatively facial palsy), 2 cases (2/8) in grade Ⅱ, and 2 cases (2/8) in grade Ⅲ. Postoperative cranial MRI showed a significant reduction in localized meningeal thickening on the affected side.Conclusions:Patients with long-term chronic suppurative otitis media and/or cholesteatoma who suddenly presented with headache, fever, aggravated otorrhea, and facial paralysis should be suspected of having inflammatory response of local meninges. High-resolution CT of temporal bone and cranial MRI provide crucial diagnostic information. Early surgical exploration and thorough lesion removal are effective treatment methods.

Objective:To explore the perioperative precautions, rehabilitation effect, and affecting factors in cochlear implantation (CI) among patients with hereditary syndromic hearing loss.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. 47 patients diagnosed as hereditary syndromic deafness were treated in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of the Chinese PLA General Hospital from 2010 to 2021, including 26 males and 21 females, aged 0.9-25 years. All patients received unilateral or bilateral CI. Clinical manifestation combined with genetic testing was used to diagnose syndromic hearing loss. The risks and precautions of CI in these patients were summarized from preoperative imaging, intraoperative observations, and postoperative complications. Single factor linear regression and multiple linear regression models in SPSS 26.0 software were used to evaluate the effects of various factors on auditory and speech rehabilitation after CI for syndromic hearing loss. The postoperative outcomes were analyzed through aided hearing thresholds, categories of auditory performance (CAP) scale, and speech intelligibility rate (SIR) scale.Results:Thirteen kinds of syndromes, totally 47 cases, including CHARGE (20 cases), Waardenburg (9 cases), Autosomal dominant deafness-onychodystrophy (DDOD, 4 cases), Pendred (3 cases), Noonan Syndrome with Multiple Lentigines (NSML, 2 cases), Branchio-Oto-Renal (BOR, 2 cases), Bart-Pumphery (1 case), Perrault (1 case), Kabuki (1 case), Frontometaphyseal dysplasia type 2 (FMD 2, 1 case), Mandibulofacial dysostosis Guion-Almeida type (MFDGA, 1 case), Coffin-Siris (1 case), and 10q26.12-q26.3 del (1 case), were enrolled. The perioperative special management included the following measures. For patients with cardiac and/or cartilage development issues, preoperative assessments of cardiac function and/or laryngeal cartilage development were performed to minimize anesthetic risks. For patients with mild intellectual disability and/or an auditory neuropathy phenotype, preoperative communication with the patients′ families was conducted to explain the limitations of CI and assist in setting reasonable expectations. For syndromic hearing loss patients who commonly present with inner ear malformations, facial nerve anomalies, and/or intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage, appropriate electrodes were selected prior to surgery, intraoperative facial nerve monitoring and careful cerebrospinal fluid leak repair were conducted, respectively. For patients with NSML accompanied by coagulation issues, the postoperative compression bandaging duration was extended to reduce the risk of hematoma formation. The daily duration of cochlear implant use, the presence of cochlear malformation, and developmental delay were independent factors influencing postoperative CAP scores. The daily duration of cochlear implant use, developmental delay, and unilateral or bilateral CI were independent factors influencing postoperative SIR scores.Conclusions:Hereditary syndrome deafness is a rare disease that affects multiple organs and causes extensive functional impairment. Before CI, a comprehensive evaluation of major affected organ functions is required to assess anesthetic and surgical risks. Genetic diagnosis not only identifies the molecular etiology of patients with syndromic hearing loss and reveals rare phenotypes, but also aids in prognostic evaluation. The main factors affecting CI outcomes in patients with syndromic hearing loss include the presence of cochlear malformations, developmental delays, daily duration of cochlear implant use, and bilateral implantation status.

Objective:To combine the conventional audiometric curves and extended high frequency audiometric curves of patients with sensorineural deafness to form a full-frequency audiometric curve and to perform typing, so as to comprehensively understand the hearing status of patients with sensorineural deafness.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. The study subjects included 249 patients with sensorineural hearing loss who visited the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery outpatient clinic of the PLA General Hospital between July 2019 and December 2020. Among them, 146 were male and 103 were female, aged 11 to 80 years. The cases included 123 with mild hearing loss, 70 with moderate hearing loss, 32 with moderately severe hearing loss, 17 with severe hearing loss, 6 with profound hearing loss, and 1 with total deafness. According to the national standard GB/T16403-1996, conventional pure-tone audiometry (125-8 000 Hz) was performed on the 249 patients with sensorineural hearing loss to obtain their conventional-frequency hearing curves, which were then classified. Extended high-frequency pure-tone threshold testing (9 000-20 000 Hz) was conducted using extended high-frequency headphones, specifically including eight frequencies: 9 000, 10 000, 11 200, 12 500, 14 000, 16 000, 18 000, and 20 000 Hz. Ultimately, the full-frequency hearing curves (125-20 000 Hz) of each patient were obtained. The K-means clustering analysis method was used to classify the hearing curves based on their characteristics, and the results of the K-means clustering analysis were partially adjusted through manual screening.Results:The conventional hearing curves of all 249 patients were consistent with sensorineural hearing loss. The detection rates for extended high frequencies (9 000, 10 000, 11 200, 12 500, 14 000, 16 000, 18 000, and 20 000 Hz) were 96.79% (241/249), 94.38% (235/249), 87.95% (219/249), 78.31% (195/249), 65.46% (163/249), 22.09% (55/249), 10.84% (27/249), and 0.80% (2/249), respectively. The conventional-frequency hearing curves of the patients could be classified into the following types: low-frequency descending type (50/249, 20.08%), conventional-frequency steep descending type (78/249, 31.33%), conventional-frequency gradual descending type (58/249, 23.29%), conventional-frequency flat type (25/249, 10.04%), conventional-frequency 4 000 Hz notch type (30/249, 12.05%), and other types (8/249, 3.21%). By incorporating extended high-frequency hearing data, the full-frequency hearing curves of 235 patients were further classified into the following types based on different characteristics: full-frequency hill type (32/235, 13.62%), full-frequency ascending type (28/235, 11.91%), full-frequency 8 000 Hz notch type (14/235, 5.96%), full-frequency steep descending type (82/235, 34.89%), full-frequency gradual descending type (34/235, 14.47%), full-frequency shoulder-raising type (7/235, 2.98%), full-frequency shoulder-dropping type (25/235, 10.64%), full-frequency flat type (8/235, 3.40%), and other full-frequency types (5/235, 2.13%).Conclusions:Compared to the classification based on conventional-frequency hearing curves, the full-frequency hearing curves of patients with sensorineural hearing loss provide a more comprehensive representation of their overall hearing status. Patients with the same conventional-frequency hearing curve classification may exhibit different full-frequency hearing curve types, suggesting potential differences in the location and extent of pathological damage within their auditory systems.

Objectives:To evaluate the outcomes of cochlear implantation in prelingually deafened late-implanted patients with regular cochlear implant use and to analyze the influencing factors of rehabilitation effects.Methods:This before-after self-controlled study design included 60 subjects, comprising 36 males and 24 females, who had received cochlear implantation at Chinese PLA General Hospital. Post-implantation, all patients demonstrated continuous and regular use of cochlear implants (≥8 hours daily). Rehabilitation outcomes were evaluated by using the Categories of Auditory Performance scale (CAP), Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS), Speech Intelligibility of Rating scale (SIR), Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS) and speech recognition score (SRS) in 2018 and 2023. 9 potential risk factors were analyzed by univariate analysis with SPSS 25.0. The influencing factors associated with outcomes were evaluated through multivariate logistic regression.Results:Longitudinal data of 60 participants followed-up in 2018 and 2023 were analyzed. The average duration of cochlear implant use for all patients was (11.3±3.0) years. The mean score of CAP, SIR and MUSS improved significantly over time. The mean CAP score before surgery was (1.0±0.9). From 2018 to 2023, the mean CAP score improved from (5.1±1.4) to (5.9±1.6), with a statistical significance ( P<0.01); the mean SIR score before surgery was (1.3±0.5), and the mean SIR score improved from (2.7±1.1) to (3.2±1.3), with a statistical significance ( P<0.01); the mean MUSS score increased from (16.8±9.7) to (21.1±10.9) between the two follow-ups, with a statistical significance ( P<0.01); the MAIS was only initiated in the 2023 follow-up, with a mean score of (31.0±10.2). The speech recognition score for monosyllabic words increased from (23.9±16.0)% to (25.2±13.0)%, with no statistically significant difference ( P=0.66). Preoperative residual hearing significantly predicted rehabilitation outcomes at univariate analysis ( P<0.05), but the statistical significance was lost at multivariate analysis ( P>0.05). Age at implantation was identified as an independent predictive factor by both univariate and multivariate analysis (Hazard Ratio, 0.88; 95% Confidence Interval 0.79-0.97; P=0.014). The cut-off point for predicting further rehabilitation effects was 19.2 years old. In the correlation analysis of different scales, the CAP score was positively correlated with the total score of MAIS. So were the SIR score and the total score of MUSS. Conclusions:For prelingually deafened late-implanted patients with regular CI use, there was still potential for further improvement of auditory and speech abilities even after 10 years post-implantation. Age at implantation was an independent predictive factor and the cut-off point was 19.2 years old.

Objectives:To describe, analyze, and compare the temporal trends of age and sex-specific burden of Otitis media(OM) in China and globally from 1992 to 2021.Methods:Data from the Global Burden of Disease(GBD) database from 1992 to 2021 were used to analyze the characteristics of OM burden in China and globally, including changes in incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years(DALYs). Epidemiological characteristics of OM were analyzed using methods such as Joinpoint analysis, age-period-cohort models, and decomposition analysis. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average(ARIMA) models were used to forecast the incidence and prevalence rates over the next 15 years.Results:From 1992 to 2021, the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of OM in China decreased from 4 183.54/100, 000 to 4 179.92/100, 000, while, the global ASIR increased from 5 345.09/100, 000 to 5 529.1/100, 000. The age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) in China decreased from 1 835.2/100, 000 to 1 332.11/100, 000, while, the global ASPR decreased from 1 786.56/100, 000 to 1 593.74/100, 000. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) in China decreased from 0.01/100, 000 to 0, while, the global ASMR decreased from 0.03/100, 000 to 0.01/100, 000. The age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) in China decreased from 37.39/100, 000 to 26.53/100, 000, while, the global ASDR decreased from 37.68/100, 000 to 32.54/100, 000. The average annual percent change (AAPC) for ASIR, ASPR, ASMR, and ASDR in China were -0.003%, -1.101%, -9.803%, and -1.178%, respectively, while, globally the AAPC were 0.116%, -0.395%, -4.396%, and -0.506%, respectively. The impact of age and sex on the burden of OM varied. The incidence rate was highest in children, especially in the group under 5 years old, followed by the elderly. The incidence and mortality of OM were higher in females than in males. Decomposition analysis indicated that the main factor contributing to the decline in DALYs in China was epidemiological changes, while, the main factor contributing to the increase in global DALYs was population growth. Over the next 15 years, it might be predicted that the prevalence of OM will decrease in both China and globally, with a decrease in incidence in China and an increase in the global incidence.Conclusion:From 1992 to 2021, the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALYs of OM in China have generally shown a declining trend, indicating a gradual reduction in the disease burden of OM in China. The disease burden of OM is age-related, with the highest incidence and prevalence observed in children and a higher mortality rate in the elderly population. OM remains a significant public health challenge in China.

To develop a novel polyamino acid-based nanohydrogel drug delivery system for dexamethasone to enhance its delivery efficiency to the inner ear.

Objective To investigate the diversity and composition of gut fungi microbiota in patients with polycystic kidney disease(PKD)and its correlation with clinical indicators.Methods A total of 44 PKD patients,44 patients with non-polycystic chronic kidney disease(NPCKD)and 22 healthy controls(HC)admitted to our hospital from February 2023 to February 2024 were recruited.ITS1 DNA sequencing was applied to analyze the gut fungal composition.Bioinformatics analysis was used to compare the diversity and structural differences of fungi among the 3 groups.Pearson correlation analysis was performed to analyze the relationship between gut fungi and clinical indicators.Results There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics(gender,age,body mass index,etc.)among the 3 groups,but statistical differences were seen in terms of serum indicators(such as serum creatinine,blood urea nitrogen,uric acid,estimated glomerular filtration rate,etc.)(P<0.01).Alpha diversity analysis showed no significant difference was seen between the PKD and HC groups,but the PKD group had significant differences to the NPCKD group(P<0.01).Beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences among the 3 groups and in pairwise comparisons(P=0.001).Fungi composition analysis found that the abundance of Candida was significantly higher in the PKD group than the other 2 groups(P<0.01),while the abundances of Aspergillus and Cladosporium were significantly lower in the PKD group than the HC group(P<0.05).Linear discriminant analysis(LEFSe)indicated that Candida was significantly enriched,while Aspergillus and Cladosporium were significantly reduced in the PKD group.Correlation analysis revealed that the abundance of Cladosporium was negatively correlated with cyst diameter and immunoglobulin light chain Kappa/Lambda ratio in the PKD group(P<0.05),while the abundance of Candida was positively correlated with liver/kidney cyst diameter(P<0.01).Conclusion PKD patients exhibit characteristic changes in gut fungi diversity and composition.The abundances of Cladosporium and Candida are closely associated with clinical indicators of PKD patients.

Objective To compare the gut fungal composition between gout patients and healthy individuals through high-throughput sequencing of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer 1(ITS1).Methods Gout patients and healthy volunteers who visited our hospital from January 2023 to December 2024 were enrolled in this study.Then based on established medical guidelines,the gout patients were categorized into 3 groups:Group H(asymptomatic hyperuricemia,n=14),Group G(acute gouty arthritis,n=14),and Group I(intercritical period of gouty arthritis,n=15),and the healthy individuals were assigned into Group N(n=9).Fecal samples were collected from all the participants to undergo ITS1 sequencing analysis.The differences in diversity and composition of gut mycobiome,and FunGuild-derived fungal functions and nutritional status were compared among the 4 groups,and the correlation between the gut mycobiome and clinical indicators was analyzed.Results There were no significant differences in baseline features such as gender,age,glomerular filtration rate(GFR),and levels of serum creatinine(SCr)and serum urea among Group N and other gout groups,but obvious differences were observed in body mass index(BMI),erythrocyte sedimentation rate,and levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),serum uric acid(SUA),and IL-1β and IL-6(P<0.05).In terms of gut fungal diversity,ITS1 analysis showed there were no statistical differences in α-diversity or the principal coordinate analysis(PCoA)of β-diversity among the groups.However,as gout progressed,significant changes were observed in β-diversity indices,indicating a shift in the gut fungal community composition with disease advancement(P<0.05).The phyla Ascomycota,Basidiomycota,and Mucoromycotina were the dominant fungal phyla in all groups.Compared with the other 3 gout groups,the abundance of Pichia was significantly increased in Group N(P<0.05),that of Saccharomyces was in Group H(P<0.05),and that of Starmerella was in Group G(P<0.05).Correlation analysis between the gut mycobiome and clinical indices indicated that the relative abundance of Starmerella was significantly positively correlated with IL-1β(P<0.01)and IL-6(P<0.05).The relative abundance of Pichia was significantly positively correlated with IL-1β and IL-6 levels(P<0.05),and negatively correlated with serum urea level(P<0.05),and the relative abundance of Saccharomyces was negatively correlated with IL-1β and IL-6 levels(P<0.05).Conclusion There exist significant alterations in both the diversity and composition of gut fungi among patients with gout at various stages.Notably,the fluctuations in the relative abundance of Starmerella,Pichia and Saccharomyces appear to correlate with key clinical indicators.