Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of endotoscopy,tympanometry,pure tone audiometry (PTA) and high resolution temporal bone CT in children with secretory otitis media (SOM).Methods The study comprised 414 ears in 207 children with adenoid hypertrophy.Endotoscopy,tympanometry,PTA and high resolution temporal bone CT were conducted to evaluate the function of middle ear.Based on the imaging findings of tympanic cavity fluid by high resolution temporal bone CT,the diagnostic accordance rate of endotoscopy,tympanograms and PTA for SOM were studied.Results The diagnostic accordance rate of endotoscopy,tympanometry and PTA for SOM were 98.79％(409/414),98.07％ (406/414) and 88.41％ (366/414),respectively.The sensitivity of the three examinations were 99.20％(124/125),100％ (125/125),63.20％ (79/125),respectively.The specificity of the three examinations were 98.62％ (285/289),97.23％ (281/289),99.31％ (287/289),respectively.The diagnostic accordance rate of endotoscopy combined with tympanometry for SOM was significantly higher than any single examination or any combined examinations.Conclusion Endotoscopy combined with tympanometry shows a great value in diagnosing SOM,which is accurate and safe.

Current treatment options of vestibular schwannomas should not be limited to conventional surgery because of the variability of tumor growth.Recent studies of vestibular schwannomas suggested that the development of the tumor tended to depend on the shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm,and the expression patterns of merlin protein.New drug targets for schwannoma therapies might be identified through future in-depth investigations of the function of merlin,thus contributing to tumor control.

Cochlear implantation has been a standard rehabilitation for children and adult patients with severe to profound sensorineural deafness.The intracochlear localization of the electrode array is one of the key factors related to the postoperative auditory and speech outcomes.Preservation of the residual hearing is related to the trauma to the inner ear structures caused in the insertion process.Optimal insertion depth and positioning of the electrode array is important for frequency discrimination.The post-operative position of the electrode array is evaluated by using plain X ray or computed tomography(CT).Compared to the plain X ray,CT produces three-dimensional(3D)imaging.With the application of post-operative CT evaluation,the integrity of the electrode array can be verified for surgical safety and improving programming accuracy.Different 3D reconstruction techniques and methods based on the post-operative CT imaging have been proposed to facilitate the precise recognition of position of each electrode,thus helpful to evaluate the possible insertion trauma to inner ear structures and the potential effect on auditory and speech outcomes.The post-operative CT evaluation has helped the electrode array design,brought progress to the soft surgery procedure and promoted new technologies such as robotic surgery and navigation.Therefore,it is getting more and more attention.This article reviews the clinical application values and the progress of techniques in post-operative CT evaluation of cochlear implantation.

Objective·To investigate the pathological and physiological changes underlying noise-induced cochlear nucleus damage and the regulating function of astrocytes on the damage,using a combination of morphological analysis,and molecular biology techniques.Methods·Forty-eight male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into two groups and exposed to 110 dB SPL(sound pressure level)broadband noise for 2 hours.Auditory brainstem response(ABR)tests were performed on the mice on days 1,7,14,30,and 90 after the noise exposure.Immunofluorescence staining of cochlear nuclear tissue was conducted to observe cochlear nuclear neurons and auditory synapses,as well as astrocyte activation levels.In addition,the damage to the cochlear nuclear neurons and synapses caused by noise was verified through Western blotting.Results·A significant decrease in cochlear nuclear Bushy cells after noise exposure was observed.The Western blotting results showed that there was severe loss of nerve fibers in cochlear nuclear neurons,indicating that noise caused significant damage to cochlear nucleus neurons.Moreover,a significant loss of auditory synapses labeled with vesicular glutamate transporter 1(Vglutl)was observed,which was the severest on day 14 after noise exposure and slowly recovered on day 90.Interestingly,astrocytes in the cochlear nucleus displayed obvious clustering and activation after noise exposure.By staining with glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP),most astrocytes were distributed around the cochlear nucleus,granule cell area,and auditory nerve root before noise exposure,and they had a small size.However,on day 14 after noise exposure,a large number of activated astrocytes aggregated in the ventral cochlear nucleus,and they all showed a pattern of growth around the synapses.Conclusion·Noise exposure leads to significant damage in the cochlear nucleus,and it is possible that astrocytes are involved in its damage and repair processes.These findings will provide a crucial foundation for further understanding the mechanisms of sound signal analysis,integration,and neural plasticity in the cochlear nucleus.

Objective·To study the alterations in vestibular hair cell morphology and function of ATPase plasma membrane Ca2+transporting 2 oblivion(Atp2b2 Oblivion)heterozygous mice at different ages.Methods·Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous male mice aged 2 months and 8 months were selected with ten in each kind and C57BL/6J wild-type mice with the same gender,age and number were selected as the control group.Expression patterns of ATP2B2 in vestibular hair cells and numbers of hair cells in the striola zone and the extra striola zone in the two groups of mice at different ages were observed and calculated respectively through immunofluorescence assay.Hair bundle structures were detected by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and mitochondria and ribbon synapse structures were observed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM).Vestibular evoked potential(VsEP),vestibular evoked myogenic potential(VEMP),rotarod rod test,and balance beam test were adopted for the evaluation of vestibular functions.Results·ATP2B2 was mainly expressed in the hair bundle of vestibular hair cells in the two groups of mice.Hair cell numbers in the striola zone and the extra-striola zone did not exhibit any differences between Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice and wild-type mice of 2-month-old and 8-month-old.No visible structural abnormality in the hair bundle could be seen through SEM.TEM results implied no morphological abnormality in mitochondria or ribbon synapses in the 2-month-old heterozygous mutant mice,while vacuolar degeneration was discovered in the mitochondria under the cuticular plate in the 8-month-old heterozygous mutant mice with the normal ribbon synapses and the normal mitochondria near the innervation site.VsEP and VEMP thresholds of 2-month-old and 8-month-old Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice were significantly elevated compared with the wild-type mice.Analysis of VsEP waveform manifested prolonged P1 latency and declined P1N1 amplitude in heterozygous mutant mice(P＜0.05).Results of rotarod rod test and balance beam test acquired from 2-month-old Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice were not significantly different from the wild-type mice,while the ability of the mutant mice to accomplish the tests descended significantly at 8 months of age compared with the wild-type mice(P＜0.05).Conclusion·Atp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice showed defective vestibular electrophysiological function at 2 months old,and abnormalities in vestibule-related behaviors can be detected at 8 months old.The vestibular function ofAtp2b2 Oblivion heterozygous mutant mice deteriorate progressively.

Objective·To develope an auditory brainstem implant(ABI)vocoder based on cochlear implant(CI)vocoder characteristics and ABI electrode array topology,and to verify its reliability.Methods·An"n-of-m"coding strategy CI/ABI vocoder was constructed based on MATLAB.Within each frame,only the envelopes of the n channels with the highest energy were selected.The interaction coefficient(IC)(range:1?3),channel numbers(range:5?22),and electrode array topology(CI/ABI)were adjustable parameters,allowing for the synthesis of simulated speech.Psychoacoustic evaluation was employed,recruiting normal hearing subjects to perform closed-set simulated phoneme perception.The phoneme recognition accuracy(20 vowel questions/condition,11 consonant questions/condition)was compared with the corresponding conditions of CI and ABI from reference literature to determine the IC value of the vocoder and verify its reliability.Results·The vocoder successfully synthesized all test stimuli.In the closed-set CI-simulated speech recognition,the simulated vowel and consonant recognition accuracy for IC2 and IC3 conditions showed no significant difference compared to the accuracy reported in the CI reference literature(P＞0.05).The difference in vowel and consonant accuracy between IC2 and the literature was smaller than that between IC3 and the literature(vowel|d|=1.6%vs.20%,consonant|d|=8.4%vs.9.9%),thus determining the optimal interaction coefficient of this model as 2.Subsequently,when modifying the electrode array topology to ABI,it was found that the simulated phoneme recognition accuracy for a 16-channel ABI was significantly lower than that for the 16-channel CI group,consistent with the reported literature.The simulated vowel and consonant accuracy within the 5?8 channel range for ABI showed no significant difference(P＞0.05),also aligning with the trend reported in the literature.Conclusion·A CI/ABI vocoder based on"n-of-m"coding strategy is established and the optimal IC is determined.The established ABI encoder has been evaluated for high reliability through psychoacoustic experiments.It provides suitable technical means for validating ABI-specific coding strategies.