In recent years, hybrid brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have gained significant attention due to their demonstrated advantages in increasing the number of targets and enhancing robustness of the systems. However, Existing studies usually construct BCI systems using intense auditory stimulation and strong central visual stimulation, which lead to poor user experience and indicate a need for improving system comfort. Studies have proved that the use of peripheral visual stimulation and lower intensity of auditory stimulation can effectively boost the user's comfort. Therefore, this study used high-frequency peripheral visual stimulation and 40-dB weak auditory stimulation to elicit steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) and auditory steady-state response (ASSR) signals, building a high-comfort hybrid BCI based on weak audio-visual evoked responses. This system coded 40 targets via 20 high-frequency visual stimulation frequencies and two auditory stimulation frequencies, improving the coding efficiency of BCI systems. Results showed that the hybrid system's averaged classification accuracy was (78.00 ± 12.18) %, and the information transfer rate (ITR) could reached 27.47 bits/min. This study offers new ideas for the design of hybrid BCI paradigm based on imperceptible stimulation.
Brain-Computer Interfaces ; Humans ; Evoked Potentials, Visual/physiology* ; Acoustic Stimulation ; Photic Stimulation ; Electroencephalography ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory/physiology* ; Adult

Based on the previous transcriptomic experimental data of Trichinella spiralis(T.spira-lis)in this study,the larval stage specific gene TP12446 was screened and its identity in the ubiq-uitin ligase RNF family was predicted.In the study,bioinformatics methods were used to analyze its physicochemical properties and its activity to lay the foundation for further exploring the func-tion of TP12446 gene.The physicochemical properties and protein structure of TP12446 protein were predicted by bioinformatics.Its ubiquitin ligase activity was also verified by ubiquitination re-actions in vitro.The expression characteristics of TP12446 protein in different stage of T.spiralis infection were analyzed by qPCR and Western blot.Bioinformatics analysis showed that TP12446 protein was composed of 453 amino acids and its molecular weight was 51.48 kDa.The protein had a transmembrane structure and contained signal peptides.The results indicated that it was a secre-tory protein and mainly located in the cytoplasmic membrane.The protein structure analysis re-vealed that the protein contained RING and PA domain,its secondary structure was mainly com-posed of α-helix and irregular crimp and there were 10 B cell epitopes on TP12446 protein.The prediction of glycosylation and phosphorylation sites indicated that TP12446 protein contained 38 potential phosphorylation sites.Results of PPI interaction protein prediction showed that TP12446 protein had strong interaction with Usp8,Tmem37,Otub1,Otub2,Ubox5 and CD151.The results of qPCR and Western blot showed that TP12446 gene expression was the highest in the larva stage of T.spiralis,the activity of ubiquitin ligase was verified by ubiquitination reaction in vitro.TP12446 protein was a secretory hydrophobic protein with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity,which was involved in regulating cell cycle and apoptosis.

Based on the previous transcriptomic experimental data of Trichinella spiralis(T.spira-lis)in this study,the larval stage specific gene TP12446 was screened and its identity in the ubiq-uitin ligase RNF family was predicted.In the study,bioinformatics methods were used to analyze its physicochemical properties and its activity to lay the foundation for further exploring the func-tion of TP12446 gene.The physicochemical properties and protein structure of TP12446 protein were predicted by bioinformatics.Its ubiquitin ligase activity was also verified by ubiquitination re-actions in vitro.The expression characteristics of TP12446 protein in different stage of T.spiralis infection were analyzed by qPCR and Western blot.Bioinformatics analysis showed that TP12446 protein was composed of 453 amino acids and its molecular weight was 51.48 kDa.The protein had a transmembrane structure and contained signal peptides.The results indicated that it was a secre-tory protein and mainly located in the cytoplasmic membrane.The protein structure analysis re-vealed that the protein contained RING and PA domain,its secondary structure was mainly com-posed of α-helix and irregular crimp and there were 10 B cell epitopes on TP12446 protein.The prediction of glycosylation and phosphorylation sites indicated that TP12446 protein contained 38 potential phosphorylation sites.Results of PPI interaction protein prediction showed that TP12446 protein had strong interaction with Usp8,Tmem37,Otub1,Otub2,Ubox5 and CD151.The results of qPCR and Western blot showed that TP12446 gene expression was the highest in the larva stage of T.spiralis,the activity of ubiquitin ligase was verified by ubiquitination reaction in vitro.TP12446 protein was a secretory hydrophobic protein with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity,which was involved in regulating cell cycle and apoptosis.

This article summarized the general situation,impact and evaluation of voice disorders in children.According to the five models of clinical research in the field of speech therapy and audiology,the research on behav-ioral intervention of voice disorders in children was organized as follows:Model 1 involved studies on treatment se-lection and efficacy prediction.Model 2 focused on efficacy exploration and clinical trial preparation.Model 3 encom-passed studies on clinical implementation and efficacy verification.Model 4 involved comparative studies that explore different treatment methods.Model 5 focused on the analysis of social cost.These models could be used as a refer-ence for scientific research and clinical professionals.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect when Lee Silverman voice therapy (LSVT) is used to treat stroke survivors with dysarthria.Methods:Forty-nine stroke survivors with dysarthria were randomly divided into a control group ( n=25) and a treatment group ( n=24). The control group received conventional treatment, while the treatment group received daily one-hour sessions of LSVT, 4 times per week for 4 weeks. Before and after the treatment, both groups were given a speech intelligibility (SI) test, a Frenchay dysarthria assessment (FDA), and acoustic analysis including intensity, pitch, triangular vowel space area (tVSA), vowel articulation index (VAI), and formant centralization ratio (FCR). Their maximum phonation time (MPT) was measured and a voice handicap index (VHI) was assigned. Results:Before and after treatment, there were significant differences in VHI observed in the observation group, as well as significant differences in their average SI, FDA, MPT, tVSA, VAI and FCR values. In the control group the significant changes were limited to the VAI, FDA, MPT and FCR measurements. However, after the intervention, no significant differences were found between the two groups in VAI, nor in their SI, FDA, VHI, MPT, intensity, pitch, tVSA and FCR scores.Conclusions:LSVT has similar therapeutic effects to conventional treatment in relieving voice impairment, improving speech intelligibility, improving the motor functioning of articulation organs and improving the articulation accuracy of stroke survivors with dysarthria. Therefore, it is worthy of clinical application.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect when Lee Silverman voice therapy (LSVT) is used to treat stroke survivors with dysarthria.Methods:Forty-nine stroke survivors with dysarthria were randomly divided into a control group ( n=25) and a treatment group ( n=24). The control group received conventional treatment, while the treatment group received daily one-hour sessions of LSVT, 4 times per week for 4 weeks. Before and after the treatment, both groups were given a speech intelligibility (SI) test, a Frenchay dysarthria assessment (FDA), and acoustic analysis including intensity, pitch, triangular vowel space area (tVSA), vowel articulation index (VAI), and formant centralization ratio (FCR). Their maximum phonation time (MPT) was measured and a voice handicap index (VHI) was assigned. Results:Before and after treatment, there were significant differences in VHI observed in the observation group, as well as significant differences in their average SI, FDA, MPT, tVSA, VAI and FCR values. In the control group the significant changes were limited to the VAI, FDA, MPT and FCR measurements. However, after the intervention, no significant differences were found between the two groups in VAI, nor in their SI, FDA, VHI, MPT, intensity, pitch, tVSA and FCR scores.Conclusions:LSVT has similar therapeutic effects to conventional treatment in relieving voice impairment, improving speech intelligibility, improving the motor functioning of articulation organs and improving the articulation accuracy of stroke survivors with dysarthria. Therefore, it is worthy of clinical application.

The aldo-keto reductase super family (AKRs) has a wide range of substrate specificity. However, the systematic identification of insect AKR gene family members has not been reported. In this study, bioinformatics methods were used to predict the phylogenetic evolution, physical and chemical properties, chromosome location, conserved motifs, and gene structure of AKR family members in Bombyx mori (BmAKR). Transcriptome data or quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to analyze the expression level of BmAKR genes during different organizational periods and silkworm eggs in different developmental states. Moreover, Western blotting was used to detect the expression level of the BmAKR in silkworm eggs. The results showed that 11 BmAKR genes were identified. These genes were distributed on 4 chromosomes of the silkworm genome, all of which had the (α/β) 8-barrel motif, and their physical and chemical characteristics were relatively similar. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the BmAKR genes could be divided into 2 subgroups (AKR1 and AKR2). Transcriptome data analysis showed that the expression of BmAKR genes were quite different in different tissues and periods. Moreover, the expression analysis of BmAKR genes in silkworm eggs showed that some genes were expressed significantly higher in nondiapause eggs than in diapause eggs; but another gene, BmAKR1-1, was expressed significantly higher in diapause eggs than in nondiapause eggs. The detection of protein level found that the difference trend of BmAKR1-1 in diapause eggs and non-diapause eggs was consistent with the results of qRT-PCR. In conclusion, BmAKR1-1 was screened out as candidates through the identification and analysis of the BmAKR genes in silkworm, which may regulate silkworm egg development is worthy of further investigation.
Animals ; Bombyx/metabolism* ; Phylogeny ; Diapause ; Genes, Insect ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Insect Proteins/metabolism*

Objective:To observe any effect of long-distance application of Oral Reading for Language with Aphasia (ORLA) training on patients with post-stroke aphasia.Methods:A total of 42 stroke survivors with aphasia were randomly divided into an inpatient group, and two online groups, each of 14. All three groups had their routine rehabilitation treatment supplemented with ordinary multimodal language therapy and ORLA. The inpatient group completed the routine in the rehabilitation treatment room, while the online groups completed it at home using Tencent video conferencing software. The conventional multimodal language therapy was conducted once daily, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. For the inpatient group and online group 2 the daily session lasted 30 minutes, while for the online 1 groups the daily length was doubled. The ORLA therapy was also conducted once daily, 5 days a week for 4 weeks, for the inpatient group and online group 2 the daily session lasted 1h, while for the online 1 groups the daily length was 30min.The speech function, reading ability and life quality of the three groups were evaluated before and after the intervention using the Western Aphasia Battery, the Chinese Standard Aphasia Examination Scale and the Chinese version of the Stroke Aphasia Quality of Life Scale.Results:After treatment, the average aphasia quotient (AQ), reading, naming and quality of life scores in all three groups had improved significantly compared with those before treatment. And related language ability scores (such as retelling, fluency, information volume, listening comprehension, etc.) had also improved significantly in all three groups. However, the average AQ, reading, and oral fluency scores of the inpatient group and online group 2 were significantly higher than those of online group 1. Significant improvement was also observed in the reading aloud and life quality of all three groups, but the average improvement in reading aloud was significantly greater in the inpatient group and in online group 2 compared to online group 1. The average life quality of the online groups was significantly superior to that of the inpatient group.Conclusion:Medium- and high-intensity ORLA synchronous remote speech rehabilitation can significantly improve the speech ability, reading ability and life quality of aphasic stroke survivors.

Objective To investigate the effect of ERH gene knockdown on the proliferation and apoptosis of human bladder cancer T24 cells. Methods T24 cells infected by lentivirus with interference on ERH gene sequence were cloned to establish stable T24 cells clone in ERH gene suppression. The expression of ERH mRNA gene in bladder cancer was detected by using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The effects of ERH knockout on the cell proliferation and apoptosis were examined by using methylthiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, colony formation assay and flow cytometry. The effect of ERH knockout on the tumorigenic effect of T24 cells in vivo was verified by subcutaneous tumor formation in nude mice. Results After lentiviral transfection, qPCR results showed that the knockdown effect of ERH mRNA in ERH normal group (untreated T24 cells) was better than that in ERH gene knockdown group, and the difference was statistically significant [(1.006±0.126) vs. (0.079±0.007); t=12.72, P=0.0002]. After knocking out ERH gene, MTT assay showed that the proliferation ability of T24 cells in ERH gene knockdown group was weakened compared with ERH normal group, and the difference was statistically significant [A490 value: (0.13±0.00) vs. (0.66±0.01);t=104.61, P<0.0001]. Colony formation assay indicated that the ability of clone in ERH normal group was weakened compared with ERH gene knockdown group [(10.5 ±1.2) vs. (196.4 ±4.0); t= 73.63, P< 0.0001]. Flow cytometry showed that the cell apoptosis rate in ERH gene knockdown group was higher than that in ERH normal group [(11.0 ±0.5) ％ vs. (4.2 ±0.5) ％; t= 16.06, P<0.0001]. Imaging results of subcutaneous tumor formation in nude mice showed that the total fluorescence intensity of the tumor area in ERH gene knockdown group was (4.67 ±0.59) × 1010 μW/cm2, and the corresponding part in ERH normal group was (9.54±4.20) × 1010μW/cm2 (t=3.64, P=0.0051);tumor weight in ERH gene knockdown group was (0.80±0.62) g, and in ERH normal group was (1.79±0.71) g (t=3.33, P=0.0037). Conclusion ERH gene knockout can inhibit the proliferation of human bladder cancer T24 cells, and promote the cell apoptosis.

Objective To explore the aerodynamic features and rehabilitation of patients with dysarthria who speak mandarin.Methods From July, 2013 to December, 2016, 45 patients with dysarthria were rehabilitated with physiologic approach (especially the pushing method) for four weeks. The vital capacity, maximum sustained phonation and voicing efficiency were tested before and after intervention.Results After intervention, the peak expiratory airflow, mean sound pressure level during voicing, subglottal pressure and glottal resistance improved (t>2.474, P<0.05), and no significant improvement was found in the expiratory airflow duration, expiratory volume, pitch, maximum phonation time, mean flow rate and vocal efficiency (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in all the indexes among different types of dysarthria (P>0.05).Conclusion The aerodynamic assessment could be a good tool to evaluate the effects on dysarthria, however, it cannot help to define the various type of dysarthria.