Recent studies have revealed temporal waveform envelope cues as a function of time having significant influence on tone recognition in continuous interleaved sampling (CIS) of cochlear implants. In this study, temporal cues of speech signal have been modulated so that to different tones have nearly the same temporal waveform envelope. The processing signal is named modulated signal. The modulated signals and original signals are processed through software emulations of cochlear-implant signal processors. The recognition score of the modulated signals and originals are compared. The result indicates that temporal cues have great influence on tone recognition, but spectral cues are the principal factor determining the identification of tones.
Acoustic Stimulation ; instrumentation ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cochlear Implants ; Cues ; Deafness ; therapy ; Equipment Design ; Humans ; Pitch Perception ; physiology ; Speech Acoustics ; Speech Perception

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of 4 different methods for disinfection of simple breathing vesicles and microbial residue.

METHODSThe disinfection tests were divided into 4 groups: G1 group (43 cases) with 500 mg/L chlorine dioxide spray, G2 group (28 cases) with alcohol spray, G3 group (47 cases) with 50 mg/L trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) immersion, and G4 group (46 cases) with 50 mg/L chlorine dioxide solution immersion. After 30 min of disinfection, each group was examined by bacterial culture and colony count. The residual bacteria were identified and typed.

RESULTSThe 4 methods showed significant differences in bacterial colony count (P<0.001). The rate of bacterial residue was 0% in G1 group, 53.6% in G2 group, 27.7% in G3 group, and 21.7% in G4 group, showing significant differences between the 4 groups (P<0.001). The residual bacteria included antibiotic-resistant common opportunistic pathogen such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus haemolytic.

CONCLUSIONSDisinfection with 500 mg/L chlorine dioxide spray is the best for simple breathing vesicles. Prolonged immersion in TCCA may lead to the growth of drug-resistant pathogens in the breathing vesicles.

Bacteria ; isolation & purification ; Colony Count, Microbial ; Disinfection ; methods ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Ventilators, Mechanical

OBJECTIVETo establish a HPLC method to determine the carnosic acid in the stomach and intestine of rats and study its tissue distribution characteristics.

METHODAfter intragastric administration of carnosic acid (90 mg x kg(-1)), rats for each time-point were sacrificed by decapitation. After removal of the blood, various tissues were rapidly removed and weighted, all tissues were treated with a series of pretreatment before HPLC. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Kromasil C18 column (4.6 mm x 150 mm, 5 microm) protected by an ODS guard column at 25 degrees C, using acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid solution (55:45) as mobile phase, at a flow rate of 1 mL x min(-1). The wavelength of the UV detector was set at 210 nm for carnosic acid and internal standard.

RESULTGood linearities were obtained in every tissue over a range of 0.3212-160.6 mg x L(-1). The recovery, intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy of three concentrations of carnosic acid in tissues met the requirements of methodology. And the stability of the tissue samples were also validated. The results of distribution in stomach and intestine showed that the highest concentration was (307.1 +/- 119.2) microg x g(-1) in stomach and (33.32 +/- 17.70) microg x g(-1) in intestine after intragastric administration of carnosic acid.

CONCLUSIONThe HPLC method was established to determine the concentration of carnosic acid in tissues. This method is quick, precise, and reproducible. It is the first time to study the tissue distribution of carnosic acid in rats after intragastric administration.

Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacokinetics ; Calibration ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; pharmacokinetics ; Intestines ; metabolism ; Linear Models ; Male ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacokinetics ; Rats ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stomach ; metabolism ; Time Factors ; Tissue Distribution

OBJECTIVETo investigate the chemical constituents of the leaves of Aquilaria sinensis, and provide a certain of basis for the comprehensive uses of the plant of A. sinensis.

METHODThe chemical constituents were isolated by various column chromatographic method. The structures were identified by spectral analyses of NMR, MS, et al.

RESULTThirteen compounds were isolated and identified as 7-hyroxy-5, 4'-dimethoxy flovone (1), 5-hydroxy-7, 4'-dimethoxy flavone (2), luteolin-7-3',4'-trimethyl (3), isocorydine (4), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (5), triacontenoic (6), hentriacontane (7), alpha-stigmasterol (8), epifriedelanol (9), friedelan (10), friedelin (11), genkwanin (12), 5, 4'-dihyroxy-7, 3'-dimethoxy flovone (13).

CONCLUSIONCompound 4 was obtained from this genus for the first time, compounds 1, 6-11, 13 were obtained from this species for the first time.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Organic Chemicals ; analysis ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Thymelaeaceae ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical manifestations and laboratory examination characteristics of neonatal dengue fever.

METHODA retrospective analysis of 12 cases of neonatal dengue fever treated in the Guangdong Women and Children's Hospital and Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center was conducted, and related literature was reviewed.

RESULTTwelve cases of neonatal dengue fever included 9 males and 3 females; their age was 30 min after birth to 29 d, the age of onset was 30 min-24 d. (1) CLINICAL FEATURES: fever was present in 11 cases, rash in 6 cases, bleeding in 1 case, jaundice in 5 cases, cough in 1 case, coagulopathy in 2 cases. (2) Mothers' perinatal conditions: 7 mothers were confirmed to have dengue fever, 2 mothers had suspected dengue fever, and in 3 mothers the dengue fever was excluded. Eight mothers prenatally had fever. (3) LABORATORY TESTS: Thrombocytopenia was found in 11 cases (19×10(9)-156×10(9)/L), activated partial thromboplastin time prolonged in 11 cases (44.0-89.8 s), fibrinogen decreased in 5 cases (1.17-3.02 g/L), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increased in 5 cases (28-78 U/L), creatine kinase (CK-MB) increased in 4 cases (13-86 U/L), hypokalemia in 1 case (2.8-5.1 mmol/L ), C- reactive protein (CRP) increased in 6 cases (0.04-46.05 mg/L). (4) Treatment and prognosis: platelet transfusion was used in 2 cases, anti-infective therapy was given to 6 cases, intravenous gamma globulin treatment was used in 5 cases, hospitalization was 4-17 d, 10 cases were cured, 2 cases were discharged after condition was improved. Literature search was performed with "neonatal dengue" as keywords at Wanfang, Weipu, and CNKI, no relevant reports were found. Pubmed search was done with "neonatal dengue" and "case report" as keywords, 15 reports were retrieved during 1990 and 2014, which reported 30 cases, all acquired the disease via vertical transmission; the main clinical manifestations were fever, rash, petechiae, anemia, jaundice, tachycardia, and hepatomegaly; laboratory test: all had visible purpura due to thrombocytopenia; anti-infective treatment, platelet transfusion and symptomatic treatment were given, and all the 30 cases of infants were cured.

CONCLUSIONThe clinical manifestations of neonatal dengue fever are characterized by fever and the disorder of blood coagulation system. The course of disease is mild, lack of specific clinical symptoms, and the prognosis is good. Mother to infant vertical transmission of dengue virus is one of the ways of transmission.

China ; epidemiology ; Dengue ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Thrombocytopenia