Hearing loss has become increasingly prevalent and causes considerable disability, thus gravely burdening the global economy. Irreversible loss of hair cells is a main cause of sensorineural hearing loss, and currently, the only relatively effective clinical treatments are limited to digital hearing equipment like cochlear implants and hearing aids, but these are of limited benefit in patients. It is therefore urgent to understand the mechanisms of damage repair in order to develop new neuroprotective strategies. At present, how to promote the regeneration of functional hair cells is a key scientific question in the field of hearing research. Multiple signaling pathways and transcriptional factors trigger the activation of hair cell progenitors and ensure the maturation of newborn hair cells, and in this article, we first review the principal mechanisms underlying hair cell reproduction. We then further discuss therapeutic strategies involving the co-regulation of multiple signaling pathways in order to induce effective functional hair cell regeneration after degeneration, and we summarize current achievements in hair cell regeneration. Lastly, we discuss potential future approaches, such as small molecule drugs and gene therapy, which might be applied for regenerating functional hair cells in the clinic.
Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner/physiology* ; Ear, Inner/physiology* ; Hair Cells, Auditory/physiology* ; Regeneration/genetics* ; Stem Cells

Sj?gren′s syndrome is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by exocrine gland and extraglandular involvement. Cases of Sj?gren′s syndrome-associated aseptic meningitis (SS-AM) are relatively rare, and a case of recurrent aseptic meningitis with leukopenia and mild anemia associated with primary Sj?gren′s syndrome is reported, whose symptoms basically disappeared after treatment with prednison and hydroxychloroquine. The purpose of reporting this case is to raise awareness of SS-AM among fellow clinicians.

Tuberculous meningitis is a central nervous system infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Its clinical manifestations are nonspecific, and effective pathogenic diagnostic methods are lacking, which often lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment, impacting the prognosis of patients. Therefore, early and rapid etiological diagnosis is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculous meningitis. This article provides a review of novel detection technologies developed in recent years that can be used for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis, covering nucleic acid detection methods, metabolomics, and proteomics, and offering prospects for future development.

Objective:To explore the caregiving feelings and needs of caregivers of children with β-thalassemia major.Methods:A semi-structured interview was conducted with 14 caregivers of children with β-thalassemia major who were treated at the Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities from December 2022 to March 2023, and the data were analyzed using the Colaizzi 7-step analysis method.Results:Caregivers of children with β-thalassemia major felt a greater burden of care, including declining physical and mental health, disruption of daily life rhythms and heavy financial burden. And their caregiving needs included psychological and emotional support, guidance on the physical and mental health of children, assurance of a stable blood supply and medical and social support.Conclusions:Caregivers of children with β-thalassemia major have a heavy burden of care and face various nursing difficulties in the daily care of children. Medical staff should actively take measures to meet their care needs and improve their care quality and quality of life.

The Ehlers-Danlos syndrome(EDS)is a rare inherent connective tissue disorder.The prev-alence of EDS in the population is estimated at one out of ten thousand to one out of a hundred thousand.The vascular EDS(vEDS)are rare among the subtypes but are the worst in prognosis.The article reports a case of vEDS admitted to the hospital.The patient was a young man complaining of a sudden onset of aphasia in right hemiparalysis and severe left abdominal pain for unknown reasons.The diagnosis was made after the genetic testing.The patient suffered from vEDS.Then,the multi-disciplinary team(MDT)made a treatment plan tailored to this young patient.The complexity in classification and delusive presentations of the EDS make the correct diagnosis very challenging.This article hopes to report this case and to share the experiences to the bet-ter understanding of this disease.

Objective:To explore the differential efficacies of conventional chemotherapy, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for T lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) .Method:From January 2012 to December 2022, the relevant clinical data were retrospectively reviewed for 82 T-LBL patients hospitalized at Affiliated Tongji Hospital. According to different treatments, they were assigned into two groups of non-transplantation (49 cases) and transplantation (33 cases). The transplantation group was divided further into two groups of allo-HSCT (22 cases) and auto-HSCT (11 cases) according to different transplantation modes. In non-transplantation group, remission was induced mostly by cyclophosphamide+messosodium+doxorubicin+dexamethasone+vincrine/methotrexate+Hyper CAVD A/B. Six patients achieved remission based upon cyclophosphamide+cytarabine+6-mercaptopurine (CAT), etoposide+vincristine+doxorubicin+cyclophosphamide+cyclophosphamide+ prednisone (EPOCH), high-dose methotrexate+dexamethasone and vincristine+pirubicin+ cyclophosphamide+ pemasase+prednisone (VDCLP). The transplantation group underwent HSCT after multi-drug combination intensive induction therapy. Efficacy and survival were analyzed by observing the rates of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) .Result:There were 64 males and 18 females with a median age of 23 (11~74) year. Among them, 62 cases (75.61%) had clinical stage Ⅲ~Ⅳ. And 43 cases (53.44%) had systemic symptoms (B symptom) of fever, night sweats and weight loss at an onset of disease. Fifty cases (61.00%) had an involvement of bone marrow and 33 cases (80.5%) belonged to Ann Arbor stage Ⅲ and above. There were 65 cases (79.27%) with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score ≤2 and 17 cases (20.73%) with ECOG score >2. International Prognostic Index (IPI) was ≤3 (63 cases, 76.83%) and >3 (19 cases, 23.17%). Follow-up period was 27.5 (5~118) month. And 3-year OS and PFS were 53.64% (95% CI: 42.35%~64.62%) and 47.56% (95% CI: 36.53%~58.82%). Significant inter-group difference existed in 3-year OS[42.86% (95% CI: 29.12%~57.71%) vs 69.70% (95% CI: 51.13%~83.79%), P=0.014]and 3-year PFS was 38.76% (95% CI: 25.54%~53.76%) and 60.61% (95% CI: 42.24%~76.57%). And the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.032) . Conclusion:As a consolidation therapy, HSCT may improve the long-term outcomes of T-LBL patients as compared with chemotherapy alone.

Enzyme-driven micro/nanomotors consuming in situ chemical fuels have attracted lots of attention for biomedical applications. However, motor systems composed by organism-derived organics that maximize the therapeutic efficacy of enzymatic products remain challenging. Herein, swimming proteomotors based on biocompatible urease and human serum albumin are constructed for enhanced antitumor therapy via active motion and ammonia amplification. By decomposing urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia, the designed proteomotors are endowed with self-propulsive capability, which leads to improved internalization and enhanced penetration in vitro. As a glutamine synthetase inhibitor, the loaded l-methionine sulfoximine further prevents the conversion of toxic ammonia into non-toxic glutamine in both tumor and stromal cells, resulting in local ammonia amplification. After intravesical instillation, the proteomotors achieve longer bladder retention and thus significantly inhibit the growth of orthotopic bladder tumor in vivo without adverse effects. We envision that the as-developed swimming proteomotors with amplification of the product toxicity may be a potential platform for active cancer treatment.

Objective:To explore the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency in the treatment of overactive bladder(OAB).Methods:A prospective, multicenter, non-randomized controlled trial was conducted. Eligible patients were divided into test group and control group in Zhejiang Provincial People’Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, and Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine from March 2019 to June 2020. Inclusion criteria: patients diagnosed with OAB, and bladder capacity>100ml. Exclusion criteria: pregnant and lactating women; patients with secondary OAB symptoms such as urinary tract obstruction; patients with uncontrolled urinary tract infection within 1 week; patients in stable stage by using other treatment methods; patients implanted with any nerve stimulator, cardiac pacemaker or implantable defibrillator; patients with malignant tumors, serious cardiovascular, cerebrovascular diseases, renal insufficiency or received BTX treatment in recent 12 months. The patients were allocated to test group and the control group in a ratio of 2∶1 according to the time sequence of the visit. The patients in the test group were treated with radiofrequency treatment. After entering the group, they were treated for 4 times at the 1st, 2nd, 7th and 8th week respectively. In the control group, the energy was turned off during the radiofrequency treatment. The patients were followed-up every week until the end of the 12th week. The treatment success rate [the average frequency of urination in 24 h was reduced more than 50% from the baseline or returned to the normal (≤8 times/day) or the average frequency of urgent urination in 24 h was reduced more than 50% from the baseline], the frequency of urination, urgent urination and nocturnal urination before and after treatment, the residual urine volume of the bladder, the quality of life (QOL) score and the occurrence of catheter related adverse events in two groups were compared.Results:114 patients were enrolled in the study, including 76 patients in the test group and 38 patients in the control group. There were no significant differences in the age [(44.2±12.8) vs. (41.7 ± 12.1) years old], male female ratio (13/63 vs. 4/34), average course of disease [2.0(1.2, 5.0) vs. 2.0 (1.0, 4.0) years], the frequency of urination[12.8 (10.6, 16.8) vs. 12.8 (10.3, 17.0) times], urgency urination [11.8(9.3, 15.8) vs. 11.8 (9.0, 17.0) times], nocturia [2.7 (1.3, 3.7) vs. 2.3(0.7, 3.3) times], residual urine volume of bladder [12.0 (3.0, 28.0) vs. 14.0 (3.7, 20.0) ml ] and the QOL score [5.0(4.0, 5.0) vs. 4.0(4.0, 5.0)]before the treatment between the two groups ( P>0.05). The treatment success rate in the test group was 76.3% (58/76), while 26.3% (10/38) in the control group, with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.01). There were significant differences between the test group and control group in the frequency of urination [9.7 (7.7, 12.0) vs. 12.9 (9.6, 15.7) times], urgent urination [7.3 (5.0, 10.0) vs. 11.7 (7.3, 15.3) times], nocturia [1.3 (0.7, 2.0) vs. 1.7 (1.0, 3.0) times] and the QOL score of the patients[3.0(1.0, 3.0) vs. 4.0(3.0, 4.5)]after the treatment(all P<0.05). The frequency of urination, urgency urination, nocturia, the residual urine volume and the QOL score in the test group were significantly improved ( P<0.05) after the treatment.The frequency of urination, nocturia, residual urine volume and the QOL score in the control group were improved ( P<0.05) after the treatment. 13 (11.4%) patients had catheter related adverse events. In the test group and the control group, there were 7 cases of macroscopic hemorrhage caused by the placement of instruments (5/76 vs. 2/38), 5 cases of acute urinary tract infection within 3 days (3/76 vs. 2/38), and 1 case of instrument breakage (catheter breakage) (0/76 vs. 1/38). There were no significant differences in the adverse events between the two groups ( P> 0.05). Conclusions:Radiofrequency treatment of OAB can effectively improve the symptoms of patients, improve the QOL of patients, and has low incidence of adverse events, with good efficacy and safety.

Objective To explore the effect of chronic intermittent hypoxia(CIH)combined with high-fat diet(HFD)on gastroc-nemius muscle in mice and its possible mechanism.Methods A mouse model of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS)combined with obesity was established by simulating CIH and HFD.Mice were divided into normal control group(NC),CIH group,HFD group,and CIH+HFD group.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was used to observe the structural changes of the gastrocnemius in each group of mice,and adenosine triphosphate(ATP)enzyme staining was used to analyze the changes in the types of muscle fibers in the gastrocnemius.Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)was used to detect the mRNA expression level of MHC i-sotype genes(MHC1,MHC2),mitochondrial function related genes(Cs,Ant,NQO1,Hmox1,OGG1)gastrocnemius cells of mice;Western blot was used to detect the expression level of apoptosis-related proteins(cleaved-caspase-3),mitochondrial fusion proteins(Mfn1,Mfn2,OPA1)and mitochondrial division proteins(Drp1 Ser616,Fis1)in gastrocnemius cells of mice.Results Compared with the NC group,the gastrocnemius structure of the mice in the CIH+HFD group was significantly damaged.while the type Ⅰ muscle fibers in the gastrocnemius were decreased,the type Ⅱ muscle fibers in the gastrocnemius were increased.The expression level of MHC1mRNA in the gastrocnemius cells was decreased,and the expression level of MHC2mRNA was increased.In addition,the protein expressions of cleaved-caspase-3,mitochondrial division proteins(Drp1 Ser616 and Fis1)were significantly up-regulated in the CIH+HFD group.The mRNA or protein expressions of Cs,Ant,NQO1,Hmox1,OGG1,Mfn1 were down-regulated.Conclusion CIH combined with HFD can lead to structural and functional damage of gastrocnemius in mice,which may be related to mitochondrial dysfunction caused by mitochondrial dynamics disorder.

  Objective  To evaluate the clinical and paraclinical features of Chinese patients with anti- LGI1 encephalitis.  Methods  Patients with memory deficits, psychiatric symptoms, seizures or altered level of consciousness, suspicious of encephalitis, at presentation to Peking Union Medical College Hospital were recruited between July 2013 and January 2018, and tested for anti-LGI1 antibodies in their serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) samples. Patients with anti-LGI1 antibodies were enrolled. The demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory examination results, neuroimaging features, immunotherapy, follow-up practices and outcomes for included patients were registered and analyzed.  Results  The study enrolled 120 patients, of whom 66.7% were male. The median age was 61 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 49-66 years). Seizures(65.0%) were the most common initial symptoms. Most patients developed seizures (95.0%), including faciobrachial dystonic seizures (54.2%), memory deficits (92.5%), and psychiatric symptoms (69.1%). Brain MRI and ¹⁸F-FDG PET / CT showed that the lesions were mainly located in unilateral or bilateral medial temporal lobes, and (or) basal ganglia. Of the patients, 95.0% received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) or corticosteroids, 47.5% received mycophenolate mofetil as long-term immunotherapy, and no one received second-line immunotherapy. The median follow-up was 34.2 months(IQR: 22.0-45.6 months). 91.2% had a good outcome (modified Rankin Scale score≤2 points). Residual mild memory deficits were present in 47.8% of the patients. Nine deaths were documented. Relapses occurred in 24.8% of the patients in the first year. In total, 24 (20%)cases were young patients(onset age ≤45 years).There were fewer males among the younger patients(37.5% vs. 74.0%, P < 0.01). Besides, there were fewer younger patients with psychiatric symptoms(50.0% vs. 74.0%, P=0.02), hyponatremia(33.3% vs. 68.8%, P < 0.01), and abnormalities on brain ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT(20.8% vs. 47.9%, P=0.02). The relapse-free survival rate was significantly higher in the young patients.  Conclusions  Elderly males were predominant in patients with anti-LGI1 encephalitis. Most patients developed symptoms of limbic encephalitis and/or FDBS during the disease course. Several patients were young adults and lacked typical symptoms. Neuroimaging features were consistent with the involvement of limbic system or basal ganglia. Patients with anti-LGI1 encephalitis respond well to immunotherapy, irrespective of the age.