Objective:This study aimed to compare the audiological characteristics between children with unilateral auditory neuropathy (UAN) and single-sided deafness (SSD) to establish a valid basis for the differential diagnosis of children with UAN.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on audiological and imaging evaluations of children with UAN and SSD who were treated at Beijing Children′s Hospital of Capital Medical University between May 2015 and June 2023. There were 17 children with UAN, comprising 10 males and 7 females, with an average age of 4.7 years. Additionally, there were 43 children with SSD, consisting of 27 males and 16 females, with an average age of 6.5 years. Audiological assessments included Auditory brainstem response (ABR), Steady-state auditory evoked potential (ASSR), Behavioural audiometry, Cochlear microphonic potential (CM), Distortino-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), and acoustic immittance test. The results of the audiological assessment and imaging phenotypic between the two groups of children were compared and analyzed by applying SPSS 27.0 statistical software.Results:(1) The UAN group (77.8%) had a significantly higher rate of ABR wave III L than the SSD group (20.9%) ( P<0.01). The PA thresholds at 500 Hz and 1 000 Hz of children with SSD were higher than those of children with UAN, while the ASSR thresholds at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2 000 Hz, and 4 000 Hz of children with SSD were significantly higher than those of children with UAN ( P<0.05). (2) The degree of hearing loss in both UAN and SSD children was predominantly complete hearing loss. The percentage of complete hearing loss was significantly higher (χ2=4.353, P=0.037) in the SSD group (93.0%, 40/43) than in the UAN group (63.6%, 7/11). However, the percentage of profound hearing loss was significantly higher in the UAN group (27.3%, 3/11) than in the SSD group (2.3%, 1/43) ( Fisher′s exact test, P=0.023). In terms of hearing curve configuration, the percentage of flat type was significantly higher in the SSD group (76.7%, 33/43) than in the UAN group (36.4%, 4/11). The proportion of the UAN group (27.3%, 3/11) was significantly higher than that in the SSD group (2.3%, 1/43) in ascending type ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the hearing curves of the declining type and other types between the two groups ( P>0.05). (3) The proportion of imaging assessment without abnormality was significantly more common in the UAN group (81.8%) than in the SSD group (37.1%) (χ2=6.695, P=0.015). Conclusions:Compared to children with SSD, the occurrence of wave III L on the ABR test was significantly more common in children with UAN. The percentage of ascending hearing curves was significantly higher in children with UAN than in children with SSD. ASSR thresholds were significantly lower in children with UAN. The normal imaging phenotype was significantly more common in children with UAN than in children with SSD.

The increasing incidence of peripheral nerve injuries brought on by trauma or tumors is substantially interfering with people's lives due to the causal sensory and motor dysfunctions.Peripheral nerves have some self-repair ability after injury,but they are limited by the degree of injury and the body's condition.The postoperative recovery of nerve function in patients is not satisfactory,which is closely related to the local inflammatory microenvironment after injury.Melatonin,a compound naturally synthesized in the pineal gland,protects peripheral nervous system cells from oxidative inflammation after injury and regulates their behavior and fate.Therefore,it has good application prospect in nerve tissue engineering.In this paper,we review the synthesis,metabolic processes un-derlying melatonin,mechanism of action as well as the current status of its application in peripheral nerve regeneration as well as poten-tial application for oral diseases.In this way,it further provides a new idea for the clinical treatment of peripheral nerve injury.

The development, progression, and curative efficacy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are influenced by complex interactions between epithelial and immune cells. Nevertheless, the specific changes in the nature of these interactions and their underlying molecular mechanisms in HNSCC are not yet fully understood. Cuproptosis, a form of programmed cell death that is dependent on copper, has been implicated in cancer pathogenesis. However, the understanding of cuproptosis in the context of HNSCC remains limited. In this study, we have discovered that cuproptosis-related long non-coding RNAs (CRLs) known as JPX play a role in promoting the expression of the oncogene urokinase-type plasminogen activator (PLAU) by competitively binding to miR-193b-3p in HNSCC. The increased activity of the JPX/miR-193b-3p/PLAU axis in malignant epithelial cells leads to enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in HNSCC. Moreover, the overexpression of PLAU in tumor epithelial cells facilitates its interaction with the receptor PLAUR, predominantly expressed on macrophages, thereby influencing the abnormal epithelial-immune interactome in HNSCC. Notably, the JPX inhibitor Axitinib and the PLAU inhibitor Palbociclib may not only exert their effects on the JPX/miR-193b-3p/PLAU axis that impacts the malignant tumor behaviors and the epithelial-immune cell interactions but also exhibit synergistic effects in terms of suppressing tumor cell growth and arresting cell cycle by targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK4/6) for the treatment of HNSCC.
Humans ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism* ; Head and Neck Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/genetics* ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator/genetics* ; Cell Movement ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/genetics* ; Neoplasm Invasiveness

Objective To investigate the accuracy of body mass index (BMI) as the evaluation standard for obesity in Miao adults in Guangxi, to find out the BMI cutoff value suitable for the evaluation standard of adult obesity, and to provide an accurate and reliable reference value for the prevention and treatment of obesity in Miao nationality adults. Methods Using a cross-sectional design, residents aged 18 years or older in the Miao villages in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, Guangxi, were selected as the research subjects, and their body composition was measured. The percent body fat (PBF) standard was used as the ^“gold standard^” for obesity, and the BMI standard for obesity in Chinese adults was used as the positive screening standard. The accuracy of the BMI standard was evaluated, and the ROC curve analysis was used to determine the optimal BMI cutoff value for obesity in Miao adults. Results The detection rate of obesity of Miao adults in Guangxi by BMI method was lower than that by PBF method (10.3% vs 19.0%, χ²=426.62, P<0.001). The results of reliability evaluation showed that BMI was in good agreement with PBF in judging obesity (Kappa=0.59, P<0.001). BMI as a screening criterion for obesity in Miao adults showed high specificity and low sensitivity, low Yordon index, high positive predictive value and high positive likelihood ratio, and low negative predictive value and high negative likelihood ratio. When the PBF was used as the ^“gold standard^”, BMI had a good diagnostic performance for obesity in Miao adults (AUC=0.959, P<0.001). The optimal BMI cutoff points for obesity in adults of Miao nationality in Guangxi were 25.85 kg/m² and 25.55 kg/m² for men and women, respectively. Conclusion BMI is of great value for the diagnosis of obesity in Miao adults, but it should not be used as an exclusion criterion for obesity. Especially in the case of a small sample size, the risk of misclassification bias is relatively high.

Objective: To verify the safety and efficacy of IONTRIS particle therapy system (IONTRIS) in clinical implementation. Methods: Between 6.2014 and 8.2014, a total of 35 patients were enrolled into this trial: 31 males and 4 females with a median age of 69 yrs (range 39-80). Ten patients had locally recurrent head and neck tumors after surgery, 4 cases with thoracic malignancies, 1 case with hepatocellular carcinoma, 1 case with retroperitoneal sarcoma, and 19 cases with non-metastatic prostate carcinomas. Phantom dose verification was mandatory for each field before the start of radiation. Results: Twenty-two patients received carbon ion and 13 had proton irradiation. With a median follow-up time of 1 year, all patients were alive. Among the 16 patients with head and neck, thoracic, and abdominal/pelvic tumors, 2, 1, 12, and 1 cases developed complete response, partial response, stable disease, or disease progression, respectively. Progression-free survival rate was 93.8% (15/16). Among the 19 patients with prostate cancer, biological-recurrence free survival was 100%. Particle therapy was well tolerated in all 35 patients. Twenty-five patients (71.4%) experienced 33 grade 1 acute adverse effects, which subsided at 1 year follow-up. Six (17.1%) patients developed grade 1 late adverse effects. No significant change in ECOG or body weight was observed. Conclusions IONTRIS is safe and effective for clinical use. However, long term follow-up is needed to observe the late toxicity and long term result.

Objective To verify the safety and efficacy of IONTRIS particle therapy system ( IONTRIS) in clinical implementation. Methods Between 6.2014 and 8.2014, a total of 35 patients were enrolled into this trial:31 males and 4 females with a median age of 69 yrs ( range 39?80) . Ten patients had locally recurrent head and neck tumors after surgery, 4 cases with thoracic malignancies, 1 case with hepatocellular carcinoma, 1 case with retroperitoneal sarcoma, and 19 cases with non?metastatic prostate carcinomas. Phantom dose verification was mandatory for each field before the start of radiation. Results Twenty?two patients received carbon ion and 13 had proton irradiation. With a median follow?up time of 1 year, all patients were alive. Among the 16 patients with head and neck, thoracic, and abdominal/pelvic tumors, 2, 1, 12, and 1 cases developed complete response, partial response, stable disease, or disease progression, respectively. Progression?free survival rate was 93.8％ (15/16). Among the 19 patients with prostate cancer, biological?recurrence free survival was 100％. Particle therapy was well tolerated in all 35 patients. Twenty?five patients (71.4％) experienced 33 grade 1 acute adverse effects, which subsided at 1 year follow?up. Six ( 17.1％) patients developed grade 1 late adverse effects. No significant change in ECOG or body weight was observed. Conclusions IONTRIS is safe and effective for clinical use. However, long term follow?up is needed to observe the late toxicity and long term result.

Objective To verify the safety and efficacy of IONTRIS particle therapy system ( IONTRIS) in clinical implementation. Methods Between 6.2014 and 8.2014, a total of 35 patients were enrolled into this trial:31 males and 4 females with a median age of 69 yrs ( range 39?80) . Ten patients had locally recurrent head and neck tumors after surgery, 4 cases with thoracic malignancies, 1 case with hepatocellular carcinoma, 1 case with retroperitoneal sarcoma, and 19 cases with non?metastatic prostate carcinomas. Phantom dose verification was mandatory for each field before the start of radiation. Results Twenty?two patients received carbon ion and 13 had proton irradiation. With a median follow?up time of 1 year, all patients were alive. Among the 16 patients with head and neck, thoracic, and abdominal/pelvic tumors, 2, 1, 12, and 1 cases developed complete response, partial response, stable disease, or disease progression, respectively. Progression?free survival rate was 93.8％ (15/16). Among the 19 patients with prostate cancer, biological?recurrence free survival was 100％. Particle therapy was well tolerated in all 35 patients. Twenty?five patients (71.4％) experienced 33 grade 1 acute adverse effects, which subsided at 1 year follow?up. Six ( 17.1％) patients developed grade 1 late adverse effects. No significant change in ECOG or body weight was observed. Conclusions IONTRIS is safe and effective for clinical use. However, long term follow?up is needed to observe the late toxicity and long term result.

Objective To elucidate the efficiency lncRNA GAS5 and miR-21 as biomarkers in diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy.Methods The patients were divided into three groups,diabetic nephropathy group (DN group proven by renal biopsy,n=25,14 males and 11 females),diabetes group (DM group,with normal urine albumin creatinine ratio,n=10,4 males and 6 females),and normal control group (NC group,n=9,4 males and 5 females).The expressions of lncRNA GAS5 and miR-21 in serum samples were detected by real-time quantitative PCR.The correlation between serum lncRNA GAS5 and miR-21 expressions and the clinical parameters was analyzed by T-test,Pearson,Spearman test and multivariate linear regression analysis.Differences of lncRNA GAS5 and miR-21 in different groups were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance.The ROC curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of lncRNA GAS5 and miR-21 in diabetes and diabetic nephropathy.All data were analyzed by SPSS 20.0 and GraphPad software,with P ＜ 0.05 as considered statistically significant.Results (1) The expression of serum lncRNA GAS5 was significantly down-regulated and serum miR-21 was significantly up-regulated in both diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy patients compared to the NC group all (P ＜ 0.05).(2) In DN patients,the expression of serum lncRNA GAS5 was gradually up-regulated along with the increment of 24 h urinary protein.The expression of serum miR-21 was gradually up-regulated along with renal biopsy stage Ⅱb-Ⅲ of DN (P ＜ 0.05).(3)FBG and HbA1c were all negatively correlated with serum lncRNA GAS5 (P ＜ 0.05),and FBG was independently correlated with serum lncRNA GAS5 (P ＜ 0.05).Urine microalbumin,Total cholesterol (TC),Scr,Urea and SBP were all positively correlated with serum miR-21(P ＜ 0.05).Albumin (ALB)and estimated GFR (eGFR) were negatively correlated with serum miR-21(P ＜ 0.05),and ALB was independently correlated with serum miR-21 (P ＜ 0.05).(4) The diagnostic efficiency of serum lncRNA GAS5,miR-21 and lncRNA GAS5/miR-21 as "diagnostic signature" for DM were was good (P ＜ 0.05).(5) The diagnostic efficiency of serum miR-21 and lncRNA GAS5/miR-21 as "diagnostic signature" for DN were was good (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions (1) Serum lncRNA GAS5 had good diagnostic efficiency in diabetes mellitus.The sensitivity of lncRNA GAS5/miR-21 for diagnosis of diabetes was 85.71％,and specificity was 88.89％.(2) The level of serum miR-21 can be used as a noninvasive diagnostic marker for diabetic nephropathy.

Objective To observe the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of podocyte induced by high glucose,and to explore the potential protective mechanism of ursolic acid (UA).Methods The podocytes cultured in vitro were divided into four groups:normal group (glucose 5.5 mmol/L),mannitol group (glucose 5.5 mmol/L+mannitol 19.5 mmol/L),high glucose group (glucose 25 mmol/L) and UA group (glucose 25 mmol/L + UA 5 μmol/L).Podocyte morphology changes were observed by inverted phase contract microscope.The expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were detected by immunofluorescence.The expressions of β-catenin and glycogen synthesis kinase-3β (GSK3β) were detected by Western blotting.The expressions of Wnt1,Wnt3a,Wnt5a,Wnt5b and GSK3β were detected by real-time PCR.Results Podocytes showed irregular arborization shape in normal glucose and transited to longer cobblestone-like shape as mesenchyme cell by high glucose culture.Compared with normal group,the expression of ZO-1 protein was down-regulated and the expression of α-SMA was up-regulated by high glucose culture (P ＜ 0.05).The expression of Wnt5a mRNA was down-regulated;β-catenin mRNA and protein were up-regulated (P ＜ 0.05);and GSK3β protein was down-regulated by high glucose culture (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with high glucose group,ursolic acid inhibited podocyte EMT,up-regulated the expression of ZO-1 protein,Wnt5a mRNA,GSK3β (P ＜ 0.05),and down-regulated the expressions of α-SMA protein,β-catenin mRNA and protein (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Ursolic acid attenuates high glucose induced epithelial mesenchymal transition of podocyte by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the expression difference of microRNA -21 (miRNA-21) in patients with chronic cardiac function and analyze its clinical significance. Methods Patients with chronic heart failure (trial group,150 cases) and the subjects without chronic heart failure (control group,45 cases) were enrolled. Patients with chronic heart failure were divided into three subgroups according to NYHA: group A (heart function classⅡ,49 cases),group B (classⅢ, 51 cases) and group C (class Ⅳ, 50 cases). miRNA-21 levels were detected by qRT-PCR method. The levels of B type natriuretic peptide urea (BNP),left ventricular end diastole diameter (LVEDD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were determined. Results miRNA-21 expression in patients with heart failure were higher than that of control group (P < 0.01),and miRNA-21 expression in group C was higher than that of group A.Correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between expression of BNP (r = 0.763,P < 0.01), LVEDD (r = 0.691,P<0.01), and the level of miRNA-21 in patients with chronic heart failure.And a negative correlation between LVEF value and the level of miRNA-21 (r = -0.918,P < 0.01). Conclusion miRNA-21 might be a potential marker for diagnosis of heart failure and could be a basis for reference about prognosis evaluation.