The sterile electrode acupuncture needle for single use is an innovative product that combines traditional acupuncture with modern electronic technology, and it has obtained Class Ⅱ medical device registration certificate. This acupuncture device consists of a needle body and a handle. The diameter of the needle body ranges from 0.16 mm to 0.55 mm, and the length from 7 mm to 150 mm. The spiral spray technology is adopted to modify the micron-level insulating coat on stainless steel needle body. The needle holder is connected to the electroacupuncture device (conductive), the micro-film insulated needle body (non-conductive) and the membrane-free needle tip (conductive) can provide a precise electrical stimulation for different tissue layers of acupoints (such as deep nerves and fascia). The intradermal stimulation test, cytotoxicity test and hypersensitivity reaction test have showed a favorable biocompatibility, laying a solid and reliable safety for clinical application. This acupuncture device is suitable for the in-depth invasive stimulation at the sites of human body surface in combination with electroacupuncture equipment in medical institutions.
Humans ; Needles ; Acupuncture Therapy/instrumentation* ; Electrodes ; Equipment Design ; Electroacupuncture/instrumentation* ; Acupuncture Points ; Animals

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between azimuth direction,angular intervals,and the accuracy of azimuthal sound source localization.METHODS Fifteen young subjects with normal hearing were tested using nine azimuth settings.The test results were presented as root mean square error and percentage confusion.RESULTS The confusion rate under high-frequency narrowband noise was significantly higher than that under broadband noise and three-syllable words.In the frontal direction,statistically significant differences were observed between the 20° and 10° intervals,as well as between the 20° and 15° intervals(P<0.05),but no significant difference was found between the 10° and 15° intervals(P>0.05).In the lateral and rear directions,statistically significant differences were found between the 30° and 15° intervals,as well as between the 30° and 20° intervals(P<0.05),but no significant difference was found between the 15° and 20° intervals(P>0.05).Statistically significant differences were observed between the frontal direction and both the lateral and rear directions(P<0.05),but no significant difference was found between the lateral and rear directions(P>0.05).CONCLUSION Using stimuli that contain broader bandwidth cues can more accurately reflect the subject's horizontal localization ability.For source azimuth identification tests using broadband noise and three-syllable words,it is recommended to use a 15° interval in the frontal direction,and a 20° interval in the lateral and rear directions.The frontal and lateral directions can be preferred for testing.

Objective:This study evaluates the horizontal sound localization ability of young and middle-aged individuals with symmetric sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in noisy environments. It also examines the impact of hearing loss severity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on localization accuracy.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, conducted from April 2023 to April 2024, 135 young and middle-aged patients (73 males and 62 females, aged 18-60 years) with SNHL who sought care at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, were categorized into mild, moderate, and moderate-to-severe hearing loss groups (45 per group), with 45 normal-hearing controls (23 males and 22 females, aged 20-60 years). Participants completed localization tasks in quiet and noisy environments with SNR levels of 5 dB, 0 dB, -5 dB, and-10 dB. Root mean square error (RMSE) was used to measure localization accuracy. Repeated measures ANOVA assessed the effects of hearing loss and SNR on RMSE, while, Pearson correlation evaluated the relationship between binaural 4-frequency pure-tone average (4fPTA) and RMSE. Multiple linear regression analyzed the predictive role of 4fPTA and age.Results:(1) Two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed that both hearing loss severity and SNR significantly affected RMSE ( F=92.67, P<0.01; F=430.29, P<0.01), with a significant interaction between the two factors( F=92.67, P<0.01). (2) RMSE increased with hearing loss severity. At SNRs of 5 dB, 0 dB, and-5 dB, the moderate-to-severe group had significantly higher RMSE than the mild and moderate groups ( P<0.01). No significant differences were found between mild and moderate groups ( P=0.53, 0.57, 0.22). At-10 dB SNR, significant differences were observed across all groups ( P<0.01). (3) RMSE increased non-linearly as SNR decreased. Mean RMSE values under quiet conditions and at SNRs of 5 dB, 0 dB, -5 dB, and-10 dB were (7.43±5.01)°, (9.80±5.74)°, (11.60±6.22)°, (14.56±7.07)°, and (18.74±8.02)°, respectively. (4) RMSE was significantly positively correlated with binaural 4fPTA ( r=0.54-0.58, P<0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the binaural average 4fPTA significantly predicted RMSE ( P<0.01), explaining 30.5%-34.1% of RMSE variance. Age did not significantly contribute to RMSE variation. Conclusions:The degree of hearing loss and background noise SNR significantly affect horizontal sound localization in young and middle-aged SNHL patients. RMSE increases with hearing loss severity and decreases with higher SNR. The interaction between hearing loss and SNR is significant, and RMSE correlates with binaural 4fPTA. However, the regression model based on 4fPTA and age explains only part of the RMSE variance, suggesting other contributing factors.

Objective:To explore the radiation protection awareness of pediatric CT chaperones and the guidance effects under different scenario modes.Methods:This study investigated 491 pediatric CT chaperones aged 24 to 63 who were treated in the Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center from October 2023 to January 2024. These pediatric CT chaperones were guided to wear lead protective equipment, including a lead apron, neck shield, and cap, in the order of the self-pickup mode, single voice-sign language prompt mode, and multiple voice-sign language prompt mode. They were assigned 0.5 to 3 points/piece for each wearing, and their scoring result under different guidance modes were recorded. Moreover, the relationship of the scoring result with the age, gender, education, residence, and accompanying frequency was statistically analyzed.Results:In the self-pickup mode, the wearing accuracy rates of three kinds of protective equipment decreased in the order of the lead apron (31.57%, 155/491), lead cap (23.01%, 113/491), and lead neck shield (16.29%, 80/491). The number of pediatric CT chaperones wearing three kinds of protective equipment properly in the self-pickup mode represented 15.48% (76/491), including two first-time chaperones (2.63%, 2/76) and 74 chaperones experiencing two or more accompanying examinations (97.37%, 74/76). In the single prompt mode, the wearing accuracy rates of three kinds of protective equipment decreased in the order of the lead cap (71.89%, 353/491), lead apron (65.99%, 324/491), and lead neck shield (60.08%, 295/491). The proportion of accurate wearing of three kinds of protective equipment in the single prompt mode was 45.82% (225/491). In the multi-prompt mode, the wearing accuracy rates of three kinds of protective equipment decreased in the order of the lead neck shield (23.63%, 116/491), lead cap (5.09%, 25/491), and lead apron (2.44%, 12/491). Among all the pediatric CT chaperones, 38.70% (190/491) completed the accurate wearing of the three kinds of protective equipment until the multi-prompt mode.Conclusions:Pediatric CT chaperones typically show poor radiation protection awareness, necessitating the guidance of standardized voice-sign language prompts.

Objective:To explore the radiation protection awareness of pediatric CT chaperones and the guidance effects under different scenario modes.Methods:This study investigated 491 pediatric CT chaperones aged 24 to 63 who were treated in the Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center from October 2023 to January 2024. These pediatric CT chaperones were guided to wear lead protective equipment, including a lead apron, neck shield, and cap, in the order of the self-pickup mode, single voice-sign language prompt mode, and multiple voice-sign language prompt mode. They were assigned 0.5 to 3 points/piece for each wearing, and their scoring result under different guidance modes were recorded. Moreover, the relationship of the scoring result with the age, gender, education, residence, and accompanying frequency was statistically analyzed.Results:In the self-pickup mode, the wearing accuracy rates of three kinds of protective equipment decreased in the order of the lead apron (31.57%, 155/491), lead cap (23.01%, 113/491), and lead neck shield (16.29%, 80/491). The number of pediatric CT chaperones wearing three kinds of protective equipment properly in the self-pickup mode represented 15.48% (76/491), including two first-time chaperones (2.63%, 2/76) and 74 chaperones experiencing two or more accompanying examinations (97.37%, 74/76). In the single prompt mode, the wearing accuracy rates of three kinds of protective equipment decreased in the order of the lead cap (71.89%, 353/491), lead apron (65.99%, 324/491), and lead neck shield (60.08%, 295/491). The proportion of accurate wearing of three kinds of protective equipment in the single prompt mode was 45.82% (225/491). In the multi-prompt mode, the wearing accuracy rates of three kinds of protective equipment decreased in the order of the lead neck shield (23.63%, 116/491), lead cap (5.09%, 25/491), and lead apron (2.44%, 12/491). Among all the pediatric CT chaperones, 38.70% (190/491) completed the accurate wearing of the three kinds of protective equipment until the multi-prompt mode.Conclusions:Pediatric CT chaperones typically show poor radiation protection awareness, necessitating the guidance of standardized voice-sign language prompts.

Objective:This study evaluates the horizontal sound localization ability of young and middle-aged individuals with symmetric sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in noisy environments. It also examines the impact of hearing loss severity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on localization accuracy.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, conducted from April 2023 to April 2024, 135 young and middle-aged patients (73 males and 62 females, aged 18-60 years) with SNHL who sought care at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, were categorized into mild, moderate, and moderate-to-severe hearing loss groups (45 per group), with 45 normal-hearing controls (23 males and 22 females, aged 20-60 years). Participants completed localization tasks in quiet and noisy environments with SNR levels of 5 dB, 0 dB, -5 dB, and-10 dB. Root mean square error (RMSE) was used to measure localization accuracy. Repeated measures ANOVA assessed the effects of hearing loss and SNR on RMSE, while, Pearson correlation evaluated the relationship between binaural 4-frequency pure-tone average (4fPTA) and RMSE. Multiple linear regression analyzed the predictive role of 4fPTA and age.Results:(1) Two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed that both hearing loss severity and SNR significantly affected RMSE ( F=92.67, P<0.01; F=430.29, P<0.01), with a significant interaction between the two factors( F=92.67, P<0.01). (2) RMSE increased with hearing loss severity. At SNRs of 5 dB, 0 dB, and-5 dB, the moderate-to-severe group had significantly higher RMSE than the mild and moderate groups ( P<0.01). No significant differences were found between mild and moderate groups ( P=0.53, 0.57, 0.22). At-10 dB SNR, significant differences were observed across all groups ( P<0.01). (3) RMSE increased non-linearly as SNR decreased. Mean RMSE values under quiet conditions and at SNRs of 5 dB, 0 dB, -5 dB, and-10 dB were (7.43±5.01)°, (9.80±5.74)°, (11.60±6.22)°, (14.56±7.07)°, and (18.74±8.02)°, respectively. (4) RMSE was significantly positively correlated with binaural 4fPTA ( r=0.54-0.58, P<0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the binaural average 4fPTA significantly predicted RMSE ( P<0.01), explaining 30.5%-34.1% of RMSE variance. Age did not significantly contribute to RMSE variation. Conclusions:The degree of hearing loss and background noise SNR significantly affect horizontal sound localization in young and middle-aged SNHL patients. RMSE increases with hearing loss severity and decreases with higher SNR. The interaction between hearing loss and SNR is significant, and RMSE correlates with binaural 4fPTA. However, the regression model based on 4fPTA and age explains only part of the RMSE variance, suggesting other contributing factors.

Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated(HCN)channels are widely expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems.They can generate hyperpolarization-activated current(Ih)that regulates the resting membrane potential and excitability of neurons.Furthermore,it can affect the precise processing and con-duction of hearing,which plays a crucial role in the accurate analysis of temporal information.Therefore,through the review of HCN channel structure and distribution,as well as electrophysiological effects,the role and mecha-nism of HCN channels in the auditory pathways of the normal and unilateral or bilateral deafness patients will be fur-ther investigated.

Objective We aimed to explore the clinical efficacy of precise electro-acupuncture stimulation in the pterygopalatine fossa for the treatment of chronic sinusitis.Methods In total,40 patients with chronic sinusitis who visited the Xiyuan Hospital,China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences between January 2022 and January 2023 were selected.The subjects were randomly divided into two groups:the treatment group(receiving precise electro-acupuncture in the pterygopalatine fossa)and the control group(receiving standard western medical treatment),with 20 cases in each groups.The treatments were administered twice a week for a period of 12 weeks.The effectiveness of the treatments was evaluated through computed tomography(CT)of the sinus changes and the Lund-Mackay scoring system.Results In cases of total opacity and partial opacity,there were significant differences between the two patient groups before and after treatment(P<0.05).Intra-group comparison revealed statistically significant improvements in both groups before and after treatment(P<0.05).The treatment group exhibited significant improvement in various sinus conditions(P<0.05),while in the control group,a significant improvement was only observed in the left maxillary sinus(P<0.05).Inter-group comparison also demonstrated that the treatment group's improvements were superior to those of the control group across multiple indicators(P<0.05).Conclusion The precise electro-acupuncture stimulation technique in the pterygopalatine fossa demonstrated significant therapeutic effects in the treatment of chronic sinusitis,with superior outcomes with respect to radiological changes compared to standard western medicine treatment.

Objective To evaluate the application of three deep learning algorithms in automatic segmentation of clinical target volumes (CTVs) in high-dose-rate brachytherapy after surgery for endometrial carcinoma. Methods A dataset comprising computed tomography scans from 306 post-surgery patients with endometrial carcinoma was divided into three subsets: 246 cases for training, 30 cases for validation, and 30 cases for testing. Three deep convolutional neural network models, 3D U-Net, 3D Res U-Net, and V-Net, were compared for CTV segmentation. Several commonly used quantitative metrics were employed, i.e., Dice similarity coefficient, Hausdorff distance, 95th percentile of Hausdorff distance, and Intersection over Union. Results During the testing phase, CTV segmentation with 3D U-Net, 3D Res U-Net, and V-Net showed a mean Dice similarity coefficient of 0.90 ± 0.07, 0.95 ± 0.06, and 0.95 ± 0.06, a mean Hausdorff distance of 2.51 ± 1.70, 0.96 ± 1.01, and 0.98 ± 0.95 mm, a mean 95th percentile of Hausdorff distance of 1.33 ± 1.02, 0.65 ± 0.91, and 0.40 ± 0.72 mm, and a mean Intersection over Union of 0.85 ± 0.11, 0.91 ± 0.09, and 0.92 ± 0.09, respectively. Segmentation based on V-Net was similarly to that performed by experienced radiation oncologists. The CTV segmentation time was < 3.2 s, which could save the work time of clinicians. Conclusion V-Net is better than other models in CTV segmentation as indicated by quantitative metrics and clinician assessment. Additionally, the method is highly consistent with the ground truth, reducing inter-doctor variability and treatment time.

In patients with single-sided deafness (SSD), the interaural time difference and the interaural level difference signals are insufficient or missing, which result in the lack of sound localization ability and the decrease of speech comprehension in the noise environments. SSD can also cause the morphological and functional changes of the central auditory system, resulting in auditory deprivation. In early stage of the development, the auditory center is more susceptible to ambient environment and auditory inputs. It is a critical period of auditory function and morphological refinement. It is also sensitive period of central adaptability after auditory deprivation. SSD in the sensitive period of development can cause significant laterality activities of bilateral sound localization pathway. Unilateral auditory deprivation can distort tonotopic maps, disrupt the binaural integration, reorganize the neural network and change the synaptic transmission in the primary auditory cortex or sub cortex. In order to compensate for the deficiency of the interaural time difference and interaural level difference cues, the auditory pathway is used to improve the ability of sound source localization by using the spectral-shape cues remaining unchanged. In order to improve the effectiveness of the functional areas of the cortex, auditory center is also reorganized by cross-modal. However, central compensation after SSD is a double-edged sword. If SSD onset in the sensitive period, the laterality of auditory pathway will be continued and difficult to reverse by even long term bilateral hearing in the post-sensitive period. Therefore, in order to improve the understanding of the characteristics of unilateral auditory deprivation, this paper reviewed the evidence for adaptive changes in spatial hearing following a developmental hearing loss in one ear.