Objective This study aims to explore the application value of tuberculosis T lymphocytes enzyme-linked immune SPOT test (T-SPOT.TB) on early diagnosis of tuberculosis.Methods The TB infection in 189 inpatients suspected tuberculosis in pneumology department of Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital was detected with T-SPOT.TB,fluorescence RQPCR,tuberculosis (TB-Ab)protein chip and PPD methods.Results The sensitivity of four methods was 91.54％ (119/130),73.85％(96/130),63.08％(82/130) and 57.69％ (75/130) respectively and the specificity of those was 89.83％ (53/59),86.44％(51/59),67.79％(40/59) and 66.10％(39/59),respectively.The sensitivity of T-SPOT.TB method was statistically higher than those of other three tests,respectively (P＜0.05).The specificity of T-SPOT.TB was significantly higher than those of TB-AB and PPD (P＜0.05),but there was no statistical difference between RQ-PCR and T-SPOT.TB (P＞0.05).The positive predictive values of T-SPOT.TB,fluorescent quantitative PCR,TB-Ab and PPD assays were 95.2％ (119/1250),92.3％ (96/104),81.2％ (82/101) and 78.9％ (75/95) respectively while the negative predictive values of those were 82.8％ (53/64),60％ (51/85),45.5％ (40/88) and 41.5％ (39/94),respectively.The false-positive rates (misdiagnosis rate) of four assays were 10.2％ (6/59),13.6％ (8/59),32.2％ (19/59) and 33.9％ (20/59) respectively and the false-negative rates (rates of missed diagnosis) of those were 8.5％ (11/130),26.2％ (34/130),36.9％ (48/130)and 42.3 ％ (55/130),respectively.The negative likelihood ratios of T SPOT.TB,fluorescent quantitative PCR,TB-Ab and PPD assays were 0.11,0.16,0.48 and 0.51 respectively,meanwhile the positive likelihood ratios of T-SPOT.TB,fluorescent quantitative PCR,TB-Ab andPPD assays were 9.0,5.4,2.0 and 1.7,respectively.What' s more,the diagnostic accordance rates of the four assays were 91.0％ (172 189),77.8％ (147 189).64.6％ (122/189) and 60.3％ (114/189),respectively.Conclusion T-SPOT.TB test is a more sensitive and specific method and of great significance to the early diagnosis of TB,which has more clinical value in different stages of tuberculosis diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the security and efficacy of one stage and bilateral resection of thymic tissue and clearance of mediastinal fat by uniportal-video-assisted thoracic surgery(VATS) to cure patients with myasthenia gravis(MG).Methods A number of 131 patients with MG who underwent resection of thymic tissue and clearance of mediastinal fat by VATS in one single center from February 2009 to December 2013 were selected in this retrospective study.76 patients underwent unilateral resection of thymic tissue and clearance of mediastinal fat by three portal VATS from February 2009 to March 2012 and 55 patients underwent one stage and bilateral resection of thymic tissue and clearance of mediastinal fat by small uniportal-VATS from April 2012 to December 2013.The time for operation,the bleeding volume during operation,the volume of postoperative drainage and drainage time,the improvement of symptoms,the postoperative pain,hospital stays and the occurrence of myasthenia gravis crisis were compared between the two groups.Results The general condition and pathological type did not have significant statistical differences between the two groups.The operating time in the uniportal-VATS group was significantly longer than that in three portal VATS group,but the pain was lighter,and the hospital stay was shorter.There were no significant differences between groups in terms of blood loss,postoperative drainage time,and volume of drainage.The follow-up was from 32 to 90 months,and 118 (90.08％)patients completed the follow up.94.5 ％ of the patients in uniportalVATS group acquired complete stable remission(CSR),while it was 84.2％ in three portal VATS group(P ＜ 0.05),and the uniportal-VATS group had lower rate of myasthenic crisis (P ＜0.05).Conclusion One stage and bilateral resection of thymic tissue and clearance of mediastinal fat by small uniportal-VATS is safe and effective with shorter hospital stay and less pain,and it can get higher CSR and less myasthenic crisis,its efficacy is superior to traditional three portal VATS.

Objective To investigate the correlations of serum eukaryotic translation promoter 2α(eIF2α)and activated transcription factor 4(ATF4)levels with the degree of renal tissue injury and renal function in patients with diabetic nephropathy(DN).Methods A total of 102 patients with DN(DN group)and 102 patients with simple diabetes(control group)were selected.According to the severe degree of renal tissue damage,the patients with DN were divided into microalbuminuria group(MG group,35 cases)and dominant albuminuria group(PG group,41 cases)and renal dysfunction group(RIG group,26 cases).Serum levels of eIF2α,ATF4,urea nitrogen(BUN),creatinine(Scr),cystatin C(CysC)and estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)were measured.Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the correlations of eIF2α and ATF4 with BUN,Scr,CysC and eGFR;multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the risk factors of DN;receiver op-erating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the value of eIF2α and ATF4 in diagnostic of DN.Results Serum levels of eIF2α,ATF4,BUN,Scr and CysC in the DN group were higher than those in control group,eGFR was lower than that in control group(P＜0.05).Serum eIF2α and ATF4levels in the RIG group were higher than those in PG and MG groups(P＜0.05).Serum eIF2α and ATF4 levels in DN patients were positively correlated with BUN,Scr and CysC,and neg-atively correlated with eGFR(P＜0.05).Long duration of diabetes,higher body mass index,high level of eIF2α and high level of ATF4 were risk factors for DN(P＜0.05).The area under the curve of eIF2α and ATF4 in diagnosis DN was 0.770 and 0.799,respectively,and the area under the curve of their combined diagnosis was 0.879,which was higher than that of single diagnosis(P＜0.05).Conclusion Serum levels of eIF2α and ATF4 are increased in patients with DN,which is related to the severity of renal injury and renal dysfunction in DN.The combination of eIF2α and ATF4 is of high value in the diagnosis of DN.

Objective To investigate the correlations of serum eukaryotic translation promoter 2α(eIF2α)and activated transcription factor 4(ATF4)levels with the degree of renal tissue injury and renal function in patients with diabetic nephropathy(DN).Methods A total of 102 patients with DN(DN group)and 102 patients with simple diabetes(control group)were selected.According to the severe degree of renal tissue damage,the patients with DN were divided into microalbuminuria group(MG group,35 cases)and dominant albuminuria group(PG group,41 cases)and renal dysfunction group(RIG group,26 cases).Serum levels of eIF2α,ATF4,urea nitrogen(BUN),creatinine(Scr),cystatin C(CysC)and estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)were measured.Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the correlations of eIF2α and ATF4 with BUN,Scr,CysC and eGFR;multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the risk factors of DN;receiver op-erating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the value of eIF2α and ATF4 in diagnostic of DN.Results Serum levels of eIF2α,ATF4,BUN,Scr and CysC in the DN group were higher than those in control group,eGFR was lower than that in control group(P＜0.05).Serum eIF2α and ATF4levels in the RIG group were higher than those in PG and MG groups(P＜0.05).Serum eIF2α and ATF4 levels in DN patients were positively correlated with BUN,Scr and CysC,and neg-atively correlated with eGFR(P＜0.05).Long duration of diabetes,higher body mass index,high level of eIF2α and high level of ATF4 were risk factors for DN(P＜0.05).The area under the curve of eIF2α and ATF4 in diagnosis DN was 0.770 and 0.799,respectively,and the area under the curve of their combined diagnosis was 0.879,which was higher than that of single diagnosis(P＜0.05).Conclusion Serum levels of eIF2α and ATF4 are increased in patients with DN,which is related to the severity of renal injury and renal dysfunction in DN.The combination of eIF2α and ATF4 is of high value in the diagnosis of DN.

Objective:To analyze the effects of electrical acoustic stimulation (EAS) on speech and tone recognition as well as music perception in children with low-frequency residual hearing (LFRH) after cochlear implant (CI).Methods:A total of twelve Mandarin patients with LFRH who underwent unilateral CI from January 2017 to October 2020 were recruited, including 8 males and 4 females. There were 5 cases of pre-lingual deafness and 7 cases of post-lingual deafness. The median age at implantation was 12 years old (3-62 years). All patients had residual hearing (RH) before surgery, wore hearing aid (HA) timely, had an effective rehabilitation and the duration of use of electrical stimulation was 37.0±16.2 months. On the implanted side, the thresholds of 125 Hz and 250 Hz were less than and equal to 80 dB HL after implantation. A two-month follow-up clinical study was conducted with the EAS devices. The EAS effects were evaluated before, immediately after and 2 months after upgrade, including speech recognition rate, tone recognition and music tests. SPSS 23.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results:A total of ten patients completed a two-month clinical follow-up and efficiency evaluation. Compared to the electrical stimulation, the recognition rate of spondee word significantly decreased after the immediate use of EAS (71.7±4.3 vs 79.6±3.1, P=0.018). Compared to the electrical stimulation as well as immediate use of EAS, the results of sentence in noise, tone in noise, and SRT of sentence in noise were all significantly improved at 2 months after use of EAS ( P<0.05). The pitch discrimination was significantly improved at 2 months after the use of EAS compared with that before the use of EAS ( P=0.042). Compared with before ( P=0.021) and immediately ( P=0.017) use of EAS, the ability of rhythm resolution was significantly improved. There were no significant differences in other test results ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The low-frequency acoustic information provided by EAS as well as the electrical-acoustic stimulation mode can provide rich auditory cues of speech perception in noise, tone recognition in noise, and musical discrimination for CI subjects. It can promote the improvement of complex listening ability of CI patients undergoing long-term electrical stimulation in a short time and comprehensively improve their hearing capacities.

Objective:To investigate the development of receptive and expressive vocabulary in Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants (CI) during the first year after CI activation.Methods:A total of 827 children (411 boys and 416 girls) who were implanted CI before 2.5 years of age from October 2019 to December 2022 in the Department of Auditory Implantation, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital were included in this study. The Infant Checklist of the Mandarin Early Vocabulary Inventory (EVI) was used to assess the quantity and content of receptive and expressive vocabulary at the time of CI activation and at the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th months post-activation. SPSS 22.0 was used to describe the receptive and expressive vocabulary of CI children at the first year after activation.Results:During the first year after CI activation, CI children′s receptive and expressive vocabulary consistently increased with the CI usage. The average number of receptive vocabulary and expressive vocabulary respectively increased from 0 to 178, and from 0 to 97. At the first year of post-activation, the number of receptive and expressive vocabulary of CI children were superior to that of hearing-age matched typical-hearing children, but fell behind of that of chronological age matched typical-hearing children. In terms of lexical categories, receptive and expressive vocabulary was acquired in the following order: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and pronouns. Among the top 50 words that CI children could express, nouns were the most common, then followed by verbs, adjectives, and pronouns. Father′s education level can significantly and positively predictethe receptive vocabulary of CI children at the first year post-activation. At the first year after CI activation, the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles were 113, 149, 178, 202, 223 for the receptive vocabulary, and 9, 37, 97, 148, 188 for expressive vocabulary.Conclusion:For Mandarin speaking children with CI, the receptive and expression vocabulary continuely increased within the first year after CI activation. The ability to grasp receptive vocabulary precedes the ability to express expressive vocabulary. Compared to hearing-age matched typical-hearing children, CI children showed faster rate of the vocabulary growth, and earlier and more frequently verb expression. However, it still larged behind that of chronological age matched hearing normal children. CI children respectively understood and expressed nouns and verbs the first. In children with CI, the first concepts understood and expressed were nouns and verbs. Among the first 50 words expressed, nouns were the most numerous, and the age at which verbs were acquired was earlier than that for hearing-age matched typical-hearing children.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of combining simultaneous triple semicircular canal plugging (TSCP) and cochlear implantation (CI) to treat vertigo and hearing loss in advanced Meniere's disease(MD) patients, so as to provide an alternative surgical procedure for treating this disorder. Methods: Data from seven patients, who were referred to our hospital and diagnosed with unilateral MD strictly meeting the criteria issued by Chinese Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Committee (2006), from Jan. 2015 to Jan. 2016, were retrospectively analyzed in this work. Seven patients, in whom the standardized conservative treatment had been given for at least one year and frequent vertigo still occurred, underwent simultaneous TSCP and CI under general anesthesia via mastoid approach. Postoperative follow-up time was more than six months. Vertigo control and auditory function were measured. Pure tone audiometry, speech perception scores, caloric test, head impulse test (HIT), and vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) were performed for evaluation of audiological and vestibular functions. Results: All patients had bilateral severe sensorineural hearing loss preoperatively. One side hearing loss was due to MD and another side was due to reasons including sudden sensorineural hearing loss, mumps and other unknown reason. The total control rate of vertigo in seven MD patients was 100.0% in the six-month follow-up, with complete control rate of 85.7% (6/7) and substantial control rate of 14.3% (1/7). Improved hearing threshold and speech perception scores were observed in all study participants. Postoperative average aided hearing threshold was 32.5 dBHL, the average monosyllabic word score was 42.6% and speech perception scores of sentences tested in quiet was 52.3%. Tinnitus improved in five cases, and no significant change in two patients. Post-operatively, all patients suffered from temporary vertigo and balance disorders. Vertigo was disappeared in all patients within 3-5 days, while, an average recovery time of balance disorders was 19.7 days. Six months after treatment, loss of semicircular canal function by caloric test was found in the operation side of all patients and no change in cVEMP or oVEMP test was noted. All patients had no facial paralysis, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and other complications. Conclusions A combined approach of TSCP and CI which could control vertigo effectively and improve hearing loss and tinnitus represents an effective and safe therapy for some advanced MD patients.