To develop a novel polyamino acid-based nanohydrogel drug delivery system for dexamethasone to enhance its delivery efficiency to the inner ear.

Objective:To combine the conventional audiometric curves and extended high frequency audiometric curves of patients with sensorineural deafness to form a full-frequency audiometric curve and to perform typing, so as to comprehensively understand the hearing status of patients with sensorineural deafness.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. The study subjects included 249 patients with sensorineural hearing loss who visited the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery outpatient clinic of the PLA General Hospital between July 2019 and December 2020. Among them, 146 were male and 103 were female, aged 11 to 80 years. The cases included 123 with mild hearing loss, 70 with moderate hearing loss, 32 with moderately severe hearing loss, 17 with severe hearing loss, 6 with profound hearing loss, and 1 with total deafness. According to the national standard GB/T16403-1996, conventional pure-tone audiometry (125-8 000 Hz) was performed on the 249 patients with sensorineural hearing loss to obtain their conventional-frequency hearing curves, which were then classified. Extended high-frequency pure-tone threshold testing (9 000-20 000 Hz) was conducted using extended high-frequency headphones, specifically including eight frequencies: 9 000, 10 000, 11 200, 12 500, 14 000, 16 000, 18 000, and 20 000 Hz. Ultimately, the full-frequency hearing curves (125-20 000 Hz) of each patient were obtained. The K-means clustering analysis method was used to classify the hearing curves based on their characteristics, and the results of the K-means clustering analysis were partially adjusted through manual screening.Results:The conventional hearing curves of all 249 patients were consistent with sensorineural hearing loss. The detection rates for extended high frequencies (9 000, 10 000, 11 200, 12 500, 14 000, 16 000, 18 000, and 20 000 Hz) were 96.79% (241/249), 94.38% (235/249), 87.95% (219/249), 78.31% (195/249), 65.46% (163/249), 22.09% (55/249), 10.84% (27/249), and 0.80% (2/249), respectively. The conventional-frequency hearing curves of the patients could be classified into the following types: low-frequency descending type (50/249, 20.08%), conventional-frequency steep descending type (78/249, 31.33%), conventional-frequency gradual descending type (58/249, 23.29%), conventional-frequency flat type (25/249, 10.04%), conventional-frequency 4 000 Hz notch type (30/249, 12.05%), and other types (8/249, 3.21%). By incorporating extended high-frequency hearing data, the full-frequency hearing curves of 235 patients were further classified into the following types based on different characteristics: full-frequency hill type (32/235, 13.62%), full-frequency ascending type (28/235, 11.91%), full-frequency 8 000 Hz notch type (14/235, 5.96%), full-frequency steep descending type (82/235, 34.89%), full-frequency gradual descending type (34/235, 14.47%), full-frequency shoulder-raising type (7/235, 2.98%), full-frequency shoulder-dropping type (25/235, 10.64%), full-frequency flat type (8/235, 3.40%), and other full-frequency types (5/235, 2.13%).Conclusions:Compared to the classification based on conventional-frequency hearing curves, the full-frequency hearing curves of patients with sensorineural hearing loss provide a more comprehensive representation of their overall hearing status. Patients with the same conventional-frequency hearing curve classification may exhibit different full-frequency hearing curve types, suggesting potential differences in the location and extent of pathological damage within their auditory systems.

Objective:To combine the conventional audiometric curves and extended high frequency audiometric curves of patients with sensorineural deafness to form a full-frequency audiometric curve and to perform typing, so as to comprehensively understand the hearing status of patients with sensorineural deafness.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. The study subjects included 249 patients with sensorineural hearing loss who visited the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery outpatient clinic of the PLA General Hospital between July 2019 and December 2020. Among them, 146 were male and 103 were female, aged 11 to 80 years. The cases included 123 with mild hearing loss, 70 with moderate hearing loss, 32 with moderately severe hearing loss, 17 with severe hearing loss, 6 with profound hearing loss, and 1 with total deafness. According to the national standard GB/T16403-1996, conventional pure-tone audiometry (125-8 000 Hz) was performed on the 249 patients with sensorineural hearing loss to obtain their conventional-frequency hearing curves, which were then classified. Extended high-frequency pure-tone threshold testing (9 000-20 000 Hz) was conducted using extended high-frequency headphones, specifically including eight frequencies: 9 000, 10 000, 11 200, 12 500, 14 000, 16 000, 18 000, and 20 000 Hz. Ultimately, the full-frequency hearing curves (125-20 000 Hz) of each patient were obtained. The K-means clustering analysis method was used to classify the hearing curves based on their characteristics, and the results of the K-means clustering analysis were partially adjusted through manual screening.Results:The conventional hearing curves of all 249 patients were consistent with sensorineural hearing loss. The detection rates for extended high frequencies (9 000, 10 000, 11 200, 12 500, 14 000, 16 000, 18 000, and 20 000 Hz) were 96.79% (241/249), 94.38% (235/249), 87.95% (219/249), 78.31% (195/249), 65.46% (163/249), 22.09% (55/249), 10.84% (27/249), and 0.80% (2/249), respectively. The conventional-frequency hearing curves of the patients could be classified into the following types: low-frequency descending type (50/249, 20.08%), conventional-frequency steep descending type (78/249, 31.33%), conventional-frequency gradual descending type (58/249, 23.29%), conventional-frequency flat type (25/249, 10.04%), conventional-frequency 4 000 Hz notch type (30/249, 12.05%), and other types (8/249, 3.21%). By incorporating extended high-frequency hearing data, the full-frequency hearing curves of 235 patients were further classified into the following types based on different characteristics: full-frequency hill type (32/235, 13.62%), full-frequency ascending type (28/235, 11.91%), full-frequency 8 000 Hz notch type (14/235, 5.96%), full-frequency steep descending type (82/235, 34.89%), full-frequency gradual descending type (34/235, 14.47%), full-frequency shoulder-raising type (7/235, 2.98%), full-frequency shoulder-dropping type (25/235, 10.64%), full-frequency flat type (8/235, 3.40%), and other full-frequency types (5/235, 2.13%).Conclusions:Compared to the classification based on conventional-frequency hearing curves, the full-frequency hearing curves of patients with sensorineural hearing loss provide a more comprehensive representation of their overall hearing status. Patients with the same conventional-frequency hearing curve classification may exhibit different full-frequency hearing curve types, suggesting potential differences in the location and extent of pathological damage within their auditory systems.

A simple preparative strategy was proposed for the preparation of water-soluble, bright blue-emitting carbon nanoparticles ( CNPs ) at different temperatures by hydrothermal treatment using bean curd residue as carbon source for the first time. When the temperature reaches 240 ℃, quantum yield ( QY) can be up to 15. 24%. Most importantly, such fluorescent CNPs can be served as an effective sensing platform for label-free sensitive and selective detection of Fe3+ions with a detection of limit as low as 50 nmol/L, which is nearly 2 orders of magnitude lower than the maximum level of Fe3+ions in the drinking water permitted by the European Community. These outstanding properties give promising potential for reliable detection of Fe3+ in intracellular fluid and water samples, even bioimaging and optical imaging without being hazard in the future.

This study was aimed to observe the pharmacodynamics of genistein combined with tripterygium gly-cosides ( GTW ) in the rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) treatment of ovariectomized rats . SD rats were randomly divid-ed into four groups , which were the sham-operation group , model group , Methotrexate ( MTX ) treatment group ( 2.7 mg/kg ) , and genistein ( 30 mg/kg ) combined with GTW ( 70 mg/kg ) treatment group . There were ten rats in each group . Except the sham-operation group , rats in other groups were ovariectomized and immunized by collagen type II to prepare collagen induced arthritis ( CIA ) model . The intragastric administration of drugs was given once a day for two weeks . The arthritis index , joints swelling degree , and levels of anti-Col II , IL-6 and IL-10 in serum were tested . The results showed that the arthritis index , joints swelling degree , and levels of anti-Col II , IL-6 and IL-10 in serum were all significantly increased in the model group ( P < 0 . 05 or P< 0 . 01 ) . Compared with the model group , the arthritis index and joints swelling degree of both MTX and genistein combined with GTW were significantly decreased . The level of anti-Col II in serum of the MTX treatment group was significantly decreased ( P < 0 . 05 ) . However , there were no significant changes on levels of IL-6 and IL-10 . The levels of anti-Col II and IL-6 in serum of the genistein combined with GTW were significantly decreased ( P < 0 . 05 ) . The level of IL-10 was significantly increased ( P < 0 . 01 ) . It was conclud-ed that genistein combined with GTW can significantly inhibit the pathological progress of CIA on ovariec-tomized rats . Compared with MTX , the genistein combined with GTW received a better regulating effect on the expression of IL-6 and IL-10 . The results suggested that phytoestrogen combined with GTW played a good therapeutic effect on gonadal dysfunction type of RA . It provided novel strategies and experimental evidences on postmenopausal RA treatment in the clinical practice .