Objective The study was to investigate the spectrum and incidence of the hot-spot deafness gene mutations from non-syndromic hearing loss(NSHL)in Guizhou province.Methods Genomic DNAs of 356 patients of NSHI in Guizhou were obtained from peripheral blood and a deafness gene test chip was used to screen nine hot spot mutation in the gene GJB2,SLC26A4,GJB3 and mitochondria 12SrRNA.Results Eighty-eight (24.72%)out of 356 patients were found carrying at least one pathogenic gene mutation.Among them,40 patients with the GJB2 mutations were found(11.24%),including 19 cases(5.34%)of homozygous matutions,5 cases(1.40%)of com-pound heterozygous mutations,and 15 cases(4.21%)of single heterozygous mutations.Twenty-nine patients with the SLC26A4 mutations were found (8.15%),including 9 cases(2.53%)of homozygous mutations and 19 cases (5.34%)of single heterozygous mutations.Homogenic mitochondrial 12SrRNA 1555A>G mutations were in 10 patients(2.81%)and 1494C>T mutations in 10 patients (0.56%),and heterogeneous mitochondrial 12SrRNA 1555A>G mutations in 7 patients(1.97%).GJB3 gene c.538C>T heterozygous mutations was found in 1 patients. Conclusion The mutations of GJB2 and SLC26A4 gene are two major pathogenic genes for patients with NSHL in Guizhou province.Our study provides a theoretical basis for the early diagnosis,genetic counseling and treatment of deafness.

Objective The hearing and speech rehabilitation effects by hearing aid use and cochlear implanta‐tion in hearing -impaired children were compared .Methods A total of infants aged from 6 months to 3 years with severe hearing loss of prelingual nature were included .They were divided into 2 groups :group 1 (18 with hearing aids) and group 2 (14 with cochlear implantation) .There was no significant difference in the degree of hearing loss and age between the 2 groups .They received rehabilitation education of the same content for a year .Their unaided and aided thresholds were tested in sound field while the IT -MAIS was used for evaluating hearing ability of two groups before and after 3 ,6 ,9 ,and 12 months of hearing aid use and cochlear implantation .Results In both groups ,hearing were better in aided conditions than those of in unaided ,while those from the cochlear group were significantly improved at more frequencies than those of the hearing aid group .In general ,the longer use and train‐ing ,the better hearing improvement .The mean scores of auditory performance in the cochlear implantation group at 6 months were significantly higher in comparison with those at 3 months (P<0 .05) .There were significant differ‐ences in mean scores between the two groups at 6 ,9 ,12 months after fitting (P<0 .05) .The verbal ability scores ,hearing and speech rehabilitation levels in the cochlear group were higher than those of in the hearing aid group (P<0 .05) .Conclusion For severe hearing loss children ,cochlear implantation could produce more noticeable effects than hearing aids .

【Objective】 To investigate whether 17β-estradiol (βE2) can activate the NF-E2-related factor 2(Nrf2) pathway to resist the downregulation of retinal function induced by light damage. 【Methods】 Two weeks after female SD rats were castrated, they were divided into the following six groups: control group (control), light-damage group (LD), saline group, saline light-damage group (saline-LD), βE2 group, and βE2 light-damage group (βE2-LD). Rats in the light-damage were exposed to 8000-lux fluorescence for 12 h after 18 h of dark adaptation. Then electroretinogram (ERG), immunofluorescence, Real-time PCR and immunohistochemical detection were performed after one day of dark recovery. 【Results】 The results of ERG showed that ERG was lower in LD group than in control group (P<0.05). After light damage, ROS was increased and the mRNA expressions of antioxidant genes, such as Sod1, Sod2, Cat, Glrx1, Glrx2, Txn1, and Txn2 were decreased (all P<0.05). After βE2 administration, compared with those in saline-LD, ROS level was decreased, the levels of Nrf2 protein and antioxidant genes were increased, and ERG was recovered to a certain extent in βE2-LD (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 βE2 can restore the function of rat retina, and its mechanism might be related to the upregulation of Nrf2 and antioxidant genes.