Objective:Ménière's disease（MD） is a common disorder of the inner ear. The fluctuating clinical symptoms and the absence of gold standards for diagnosis have posed serious problems for clinical diagnosis and treatment over the years. With the development of science and technology, artificial intelligence （AI） has been widely used in the field of medicine, and the potential of AI application to MD is demonstrated. The purpose of this review is to outline the use of AI in MD. Initially, specific instances where AI aids in differentiating MD from other causes of vertigo are presented. Furthermore, the role of AI in the evaluation of Endolymphatic Hydrops （EH）, particularly through imaging and biochemical assays, is highlighted due to its correlation with MD. Additionally, the effectiveness of AI in managing MD patients and forecasting disease progression is examined. In conclusion, the prevalent challenges hindering the clinical integration of AI in MD treatment are discussed, alongside potential strategies to surmount these barriers.
Humans ; Meniere Disease/diagnosis* ; Artificial Intelligence ; Endolymphatic Hydrops/diagnosis*

Objective:To investigate the mechanism by which non-enterotoxin-producing Bacteroides fragilis (NTBF) inhibits TNF-α-induced inflammatory responses in human normal colonic epithelial cells hcoEPIC, and explore new probiotic therapies for the prevention and treatment of colitis. Methods:The co-culture system of NTBF and hcoEPIC cells was established, and the adhesion and invasion ability of NTBF were detected, respectively. TNF-α was added to induce cellular inflammation after 4 h of co-culture of NTBF and hcoEPIC cells, and cell survival and apoptosis were detected by the CCK-8 assay and the AnnexinⅤ-FITC/PI assay respectively after 24 h. Key proteins of the NF-κB signalling pathway in hcoEPIC cells in different treatment groups were detected by Western blot and RT-qPCR, and the expression of downstream cytokines of this pathway incluing IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10 were detected by ELISA. The effect of NTBF intervention on dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)-induced colitis mice was assessed by in vivo animal experiments. Results:NTBF adhered to hcoEPIC cells, and was non-toxic to the cells. Compared with control group, NTBF treatment alone did not affect cell survival and apoptosis of hcoEPIC cells ( P>0.05), but significantly reduced cell damage and apoptosis induced by TNF-α ( P<0.05); Compared with the TNF-α treatment alone group, the expression levels of p-NF-κB p65 and p-IκBα protein as well as NF-κB and IκBα mRNA were significantly reduced ( P<0.05); the production of IL-1β and TNF-α in the cell supernatant was reduced and the release of IL-10 was increased ( P<0.05). Animal experiments demonstrated that NTBF was indeed effective in alleviating DSS-induced colitis in ulcerative colitis model mice, which was mainly manifested by inhibiting weight loss, lowering DAI scores, improving colonic shortening, and attenuating colonic pathological damage in colitis-induced mice. Conclusions:NTBF may inhibit TNF-α-induced inflammatory responses in colonic epithelial cells by down-regulating the NF-κB pathway.

Aim To investigate the relationship between carotid artery perivascular fat density and carotid artery stenosis,prognosis.Methods A total of 209 consecutive patients with extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis in Taizhou Central Hospital(Taizhou University Affiliated Hospital)were retrospectively included from January 2017 to Janu-ary 2021.The carotid artery perivascular fat density in the narrowest axial layer and in the same contralateral axial layer was evaluated by computed tomography angiography.Clinical data of patients were collected.The stenosis was graded according to the guidelines.Symptomatic carotid stenosis was determined according to the medical history.The patients were followed up for one year.Results Carotid artery perivascular fat density was 4.2％higher on the stenosis side than those on the opposite side(P＜0.001).The fat density increased with the stenosis severity.On the stenosis side,carotid artery perivascular fat density was 6.25％higher in symptomatic patients than that in asymptomatic patients(P=0.015).In asymptomatic patients,perivascular fat density in patients with stenosis related cerebrovascular events oc-curred within 1 year was 12.4％higher than that in patients without related cerebrovascular events(P=O.017),and the difference remained after adjusting the clinical parameters by Logistic regression analysis(OR=1.060,95％CI:1.006～1.117,P=0.028).Conclusions Carotid artery perivascular fat density is positively correlated with the degree of ca-rotid stenosis.Patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis or recurrent related ischemic cerebrovascular outcome e-vents have higher carotid artery perivascular fat density.

Objective:To identify gene variants and investigate clinical features of nonmuscle myosin heavy chain 9-related disease (MYH9-RD).Methods:In this retrospective study, the data of patients with MYH9-RD admitted to Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from July 2017 to September 2020 were extracted. The gene variants, clinical features and laboratory tests results were summarized.Results:Among the 6 children, 4 were males and 2 were females, aged 4.0 (0.5-7.6) years. Main clinical manifestations included thrombocytopenia (6 cases), epistaxis (3 cases), petechias (2 cases), traumatic hematoma (1 case), and abnormal liver enzymes (1 case). One patient had no family history, and the other 5 cases were pedigrees. Two pedigrees (2 cases) had long-term microscopic hematuria, one pedigree (2 cases) had history of early cataract, and three pedigrees (5 cases) had chronic mild elevation of liver enzymes. Four MYH9 gene variants were found in 12 patients, including c.2104C>T(p.R702C) in exon 17, c.4270G>A(p.D1424N) in exon 31, c.5521G>A (p.E1841K) in exon 39, and c.5797C>T (p.R1933X) in exon 41. According to the family pedigrees analysis, except for the case of variant in exon 17 which was spontaneous mutation with no family history, the other variants were from their father or mother. The complete blood count results showed a decreased platelet number in these patients, and the counting results of the automated hematology analyzer were significantly lower than that of manual counting method ((33.4±17.2) × 10? vs. (60.4±21.0) × 10 9/L, t=-5.83, P<0.05). The examination of the peripheral blood smear revealed the presence of thrombocytopenia with giant platelets and granulocyte inclusion bodies. The MYH9 gene variant (R702C) located at the N-terminus head domain of non-muscle myosin heavy chain ⅡA (NMMHC-ⅡA), which has ATPase activity, led to severe reduction of platelet number (<20×10 9/L) and obscure granulocyte inclusion bodies. However, higher platelet numbers (40×10 9-80×10 9/L) and obvious granulocyte inclusion bodies were observed in patients with tail-position mutations at C-terminus. Conclusions:The clinical phenotypes of MYH9-RD were variable. The mutations in certain regions of MYH9 gene were related to platelet count and granulocyte inclusion bodies. MYH9-RD should be considered in individuals with unknown etiology and persistent thrombocytopenia which is non-responsive to conventional treatment, regardless of family history. Complete blood count and blood smear morphology examinations are the first steps to screen and diagnose the disease. The laboratory should pay attention to the morphological review rules and standardized reports.