Objective To study the characteristics and correlation of tone perception and production in Man-darin Chinese in children with autism spectrum disorder(ASD).Methods Thirty-one children with ASD and 26 normal children were tested on their recognition of the four Mandarin tones.Simultaneously,the acoustic features of the four tones produced in the words"wa1"(frog,with first tone),"wa2"(doll,with second tone),"wa3"(tile,with third tone),and"wa4"(sock,with fourth tone)were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Results The ASD group exhibited significantly lower recognition accuracy rates for all four tones compared to the control group(P＜0.05),with highly significant differences for the second and third tones(P＜0.001).Significant differ-ences were also found in the standard deviation of the fundamental frequency(F0)for the production of all four tones between the ASD and control groups.Furthermore,the slope of the second tone and the turning point F0 and falling slope of the third tone showed significant differences(P＜0.05 or P＜0.001).Correlation analysis revealed that the recognition accuracy of the second tone was positively correlated with the slope of the first and second tones and the F0 standard deviation.The recognition accuracy of the third tone was negatively correlated with the turning point F0,and that of the fourth tone was negatively correlated with the falling slope of the third tone.Conclusion Children with ASD demonstrate deficits in tone perception and production,with prominent difficulties in recognizing and producing the second and third tones,and overall instability in tone production.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of transpulmonary pressure (Ptp) and driving pressure (DP) in guiding lung-protective ventilation strategies in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).Methods:In this randomized controlled trial, 22 ARDS patients of either sex, aged 18-80 yr, with a body mass index of 18-30 kg/m 2, were divided into 2 groups ( n=11 each) using a random number table method: Ptp group and DP group. DP group received a tidal volume of 4-6 ml/kg with a plateau pressure<30 cmH 2O (1 cm H 2O=0.098 kPa) and driving pressure<16 cmH 2O. In Ptp group, the positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and tidal volume were adjusted to maintain end-inspiratory Ptp <25 cmH 2O and end-expiratory Ptp 0-5 cmH 2O based on the setting mentioned in DP group. Oxygenation index, PEEP, plateau pressure, central venous pressure, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, parameters of liver and kidney function, mechanical ventilation duration, and the mortality in the intensive care unit were recorded on admission to the operating room and at 24 and 48 h after treatment. Results:Compared to DP group, significant changes were found in the main effects of oxygenation indices and time effects in Ptp group, and significant changes were found in the main effect of PEEP, with mean arterial pressure increasing ( P<0.05), and no significant differences were observed in the other parameters regarding group effects, time effects, or interactions in PEEP group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Ptp provides a superior efficacy than DP in guiding lung-protective ventilation strategies for the patients with ARDS.

Objective:To observe and analyze the correlation between ectopic foveal inner layer (EIFL) and the EIFL-based idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) staging system and the anatomic and functional prognosis of ERM eyes post pars plana vitrectomy (PPV).Methods:A retrospective study. From January 1, 2020 to October 30, 2023, 345 eyes of 330 patients diagnosed with idiopathic ERM in Department of Ophthalmology of Peking University People's Hospital and treated with standard transciliary flat three-channel 25G PPV combined with ERM and internal limiting membrane exfoliation were included in the study. Among them, 96 were males (111 eyes) and 234 were females (234 eyes). The mean age was (66.8±7.7) years. All study eyes received standard three-port 25G PPV combined with ERM and internal limiting membrane peeling. All study eyes underwent best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) examinations. BCVA was performed using a standard logarithmic visual acuity chart and converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity for statistical analysis. EIFL thickness and central foveal thickness (CFT) on OCT were measured. ERM eyes were grouped into stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ according to ERM staging scheme based on EIFL; disorganization of the retinal inner layers (DRIL) of study eyes were assessed and grouped into no, mild and severe groups. The correlation between ERM staging as well as EIFL thickness and the anatomical and functional prognosis 6 months post-PPV were analyzed.Results:Among 345 study eyes, 12, 87, 174 and 72 eyes were stage Ⅰ-Ⅳ ERM respectively, 63 with no DRIL, 216 with mild DRIL and 66 with severe DRIL. Among the 153 eyes with macular edema, the edema subsided in 66 eyes (43.1%, 66/153) 6 months after the operation. Eighty-seven eyes (56.9%, 87/153) did not regress. The edema subsided 6 months after the operation was not significantly correlated with the ERM stage before the operation ( χ2=3.331, R=?0.145, P=0.304) or the degree of DRIL ( χ2=0.655, R=?0.108, P=0.445). The results of the correlation analysis showed that logMAR BCVA 6 months after the surgery was positively correlated with the degree of DRIL before the surgery ( Tau-b=0.236), ERM stage ( Tau-b=0.194), CFT ( r=0.383), and EIFL thickness ( r=0.317) ( P<0.05). There was no significant correlation with the thickness of the outer nuclear layer before the operation ( r=0.004, P>0.05). Preoperative ERM stage ( Tau-b=0.303, P<0.001) and DRIL severity ( Tau-b= 0.238, P=0.001) were positively correlated with CFT at 6 months after surgery. Conclusion:The ERM stage and EIFL thickness before the operation are positively correlated with logMAR BCVA and CFT 6 months after the operation.

Objective To study the characteristics and correlation of tone perception and production in Man-darin Chinese in children with autism spectrum disorder(ASD).Methods Thirty-one children with ASD and 26 normal children were tested on their recognition of the four Mandarin tones.Simultaneously,the acoustic features of the four tones produced in the words"wa1"(frog,with first tone),"wa2"(doll,with second tone),"wa3"(tile,with third tone),and"wa4"(sock,with fourth tone)were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Results The ASD group exhibited significantly lower recognition accuracy rates for all four tones compared to the control group(P＜0.05),with highly significant differences for the second and third tones(P＜0.001).Significant differ-ences were also found in the standard deviation of the fundamental frequency(F0)for the production of all four tones between the ASD and control groups.Furthermore,the slope of the second tone and the turning point F0 and falling slope of the third tone showed significant differences(P＜0.05 or P＜0.001).Correlation analysis revealed that the recognition accuracy of the second tone was positively correlated with the slope of the first and second tones and the F0 standard deviation.The recognition accuracy of the third tone was negatively correlated with the turning point F0,and that of the fourth tone was negatively correlated with the falling slope of the third tone.Conclusion Children with ASD demonstrate deficits in tone perception and production,with prominent difficulties in recognizing and producing the second and third tones,and overall instability in tone production.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of transpulmonary pressure (Ptp) and driving pressure (DP) in guiding lung-protective ventilation strategies in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).Methods:In this randomized controlled trial, 22 ARDS patients of either sex, aged 18-80 yr, with a body mass index of 18-30 kg/m 2, were divided into 2 groups ( n=11 each) using a random number table method: Ptp group and DP group. DP group received a tidal volume of 4-6 ml/kg with a plateau pressure<30 cmH 2O (1 cm H 2O=0.098 kPa) and driving pressure<16 cmH 2O. In Ptp group, the positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and tidal volume were adjusted to maintain end-inspiratory Ptp <25 cmH 2O and end-expiratory Ptp 0-5 cmH 2O based on the setting mentioned in DP group. Oxygenation index, PEEP, plateau pressure, central venous pressure, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, parameters of liver and kidney function, mechanical ventilation duration, and the mortality in the intensive care unit were recorded on admission to the operating room and at 24 and 48 h after treatment. Results:Compared to DP group, significant changes were found in the main effects of oxygenation indices and time effects in Ptp group, and significant changes were found in the main effect of PEEP, with mean arterial pressure increasing ( P<0.05), and no significant differences were observed in the other parameters regarding group effects, time effects, or interactions in PEEP group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Ptp provides a superior efficacy than DP in guiding lung-protective ventilation strategies for the patients with ARDS.

Objective:To observe and analyze the correlation between ectopic foveal inner layer (EIFL) and the EIFL-based idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) staging system and the anatomic and functional prognosis of ERM eyes post pars plana vitrectomy (PPV).Methods:A retrospective study. From January 1, 2020 to October 30, 2023, 345 eyes of 330 patients diagnosed with idiopathic ERM in Department of Ophthalmology of Peking University People's Hospital and treated with standard transciliary flat three-channel 25G PPV combined with ERM and internal limiting membrane exfoliation were included in the study. Among them, 96 were males (111 eyes) and 234 were females (234 eyes). The mean age was (66.8±7.7) years. All study eyes received standard three-port 25G PPV combined with ERM and internal limiting membrane peeling. All study eyes underwent best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) examinations. BCVA was performed using a standard logarithmic visual acuity chart and converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity for statistical analysis. EIFL thickness and central foveal thickness (CFT) on OCT were measured. ERM eyes were grouped into stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ according to ERM staging scheme based on EIFL; disorganization of the retinal inner layers (DRIL) of study eyes were assessed and grouped into no, mild and severe groups. The correlation between ERM staging as well as EIFL thickness and the anatomical and functional prognosis 6 months post-PPV were analyzed.Results:Among 345 study eyes, 12, 87, 174 and 72 eyes were stage Ⅰ-Ⅳ ERM respectively, 63 with no DRIL, 216 with mild DRIL and 66 with severe DRIL. Among the 153 eyes with macular edema, the edema subsided in 66 eyes (43.1%, 66/153) 6 months after the operation. Eighty-seven eyes (56.9%, 87/153) did not regress. The edema subsided 6 months after the operation was not significantly correlated with the ERM stage before the operation ( χ2=3.331, R=?0.145, P=0.304) or the degree of DRIL ( χ2=0.655, R=?0.108, P=0.445). The results of the correlation analysis showed that logMAR BCVA 6 months after the surgery was positively correlated with the degree of DRIL before the surgery ( Tau-b=0.236), ERM stage ( Tau-b=0.194), CFT ( r=0.383), and EIFL thickness ( r=0.317) ( P<0.05). There was no significant correlation with the thickness of the outer nuclear layer before the operation ( r=0.004, P>0.05). Preoperative ERM stage ( Tau-b=0.303, P<0.001) and DRIL severity ( Tau-b= 0.238, P=0.001) were positively correlated with CFT at 6 months after surgery. Conclusion:The ERM stage and EIFL thickness before the operation are positively correlated with logMAR BCVA and CFT 6 months after the operation.

The ultrasound endoscopic probes with very small size transducers are normally imaging by focused ultrasound beamforming technology. So the imaging frame rate is not very high, which cannot meet the needs of some clinical applications based on high imaging rate. In recent years, plane-wave ultrafast imaging technology can obtain high image frame rate and guarantee the image quality. In this paper, a plane wave ultra-fast imaging technique based on a home-made small line array ultrasound transducer is presented. Feasibility of the method is verified by simulation estimations and phantom experiments. The results show that for the small size transducer design of plane wave ultrafast imaging, it is necessary to fully consider the combination of the array element width and the number of array elements. So that a good plane wave imaging quality can be obtained. It lays a foundation for the ultra-fast imaging of plane wave in the interventional ultrasound imaging and ultrasound endoscopy.
Phantoms, Imaging ; Transducers ; Ultrasonography ; instrumentation

Objective To investigate the correlation between serum miR-320b and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods From January 2017 to December 2017,patients with acute ischemic stroke visited the Department of Neurology,the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University were enrolled.According to the findings of carotid artery ultrasonography,they were divided into plaque group and plaque-free group.The baseline clinical data such as demographic data,vascular risk factors,and blood biochemical indicators were collected.Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression level of serum miR-320b.Multivariatelogistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis.Results A total of 135 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled in this study,including 58 females and 77 males,aged 58.4 ± 10.6 years.There were 85 patients in the plaque group and 50 in the plaque-free group.The total cholesterol (t =5.523,P =0.023) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (t =4.415,P =0.044) in the plaque group were significantly higher than those in the plaque-free group,while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (t =5.849,P=0.017) and serum miR-320b (t =4.331,P=0.039) were significantly lower than those in the plaque-free group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that referring to the highest quartile group,the low serum miR-320b level might be an independent risk factor for carotid atherosclerosis (the first quartile group:odds ratio 2.701,95％ confidence interval 1.154-6.321,P =0.022;the second quartile group:odds ratio 2.521,95％ confidence interval 1.249-5.091,P =0.010;and the third quartile group:odds ratio 1.849,95％ confidence interval 1.041-3.283,P=0.036).Conclusion The low serum miR-320b level might be an independent risk factor for carotid atherosclerosis in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Objective? To analyze the bias of dimension measurement results of penis and testis by the self-design cylinder boy penis and testicles measurement (hereinafter called cylinder ruler) and it influencing factors. Methods? From June to December 2018, we selected 152 children of Department of Urinary Surgery in Hu'nan Children's Hospital as subjects by case sampling. Children's penis and testicles dimension were measured repeatedly by their patients and nurses with the self-designed cylinder ruler and three kinds of common clinical measurement tools (vernier caliper+tape measure+testis measurer, vernier caliper+straightedge, vernier caliper+round head probe), and the bias were counted based on medical reference value. Results? Measurement bias of length and diameter of penis in a resting state, length of penis in a traction state, length and width of testis in group of cylinder ruler were lower than those in other groups with statistical differences (P＜0.05) which not influenced by boys' ages and measurement time (P＞ 0.05). Bias of length of penis in a traction state, length and width of testis measured by nurses were lower than those by children's patients with statistical differences (P＜ 0.05). Interaction effect analysis showed that there were no statistical differences in dimension of penis and testis measured by different measurers with the cylinder ruler (P＞0.05); however, there were statistical differences in dimension of penis and testis measured with the cylinder ruler by different measurers at different times of a day (P＜0.05). The differences of interaction effects between measurement time and measurers were statistical (P＜0.05). Conclusions? Compared with other measurements, the self-designed cylinder ruler for measurement of penis and testis in boys has higher accuracy. The main influencing factors of bias of dimension of boys' penis and testis are ages of boys and measurement time. Bias of length of penis in a traction state, length and width of testis measured by nurses are lower than those by children's patients. Measurers and measurement time are not suggested as independent factors when analyzing the influencing factors of dimensions measurement bias of penis and testis. Dimensions of penis and testis are measured with the cylinder ruler at different times which have certain changes.