Music perception and its correlation with auditory speech perception in pediatric Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant users.

Background: Cochlear implants (CI) help regain perception of sound for patients with sensorineural hearing loss. The ability to recognize music pitch may be crucial for recognizing and producing speech for Mandarin.

Aims/objectives: This study aims to search for possible influencing factors of music perception and correlations between music perception and auditory speech abilities among prelingually deaf pediatric Mandarin-speaking CI users.

Effect of second iron injection on growth performance, hematological parameters, and fecal microbiome of piglets fed different dietary iron levels.

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of a second iron injection for suckling pigs fed diets with different dietary iron levels in the nursery period on growth performance, hematological parameters, serum and liver trace mineral content, fecal score, microbiome, and metabolites. A total of 70 newborn pigs from 7 litters were assigned to either one or two iron injections within litter and received the first i.m.

Analysis of the application value of SUV in quantitative SPECT/CT for diagnosing benign and malignant bone lesions.

Objective: To analyze the application value of standardized uptake value (SUV) in quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) based on the maximum expectation reconstruction algorithm for diagnosing benign and malignant bone lesions.

Subjects And Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 83 patients suspected of bone metastasis who underwent quantitative SPECT/CT bone scans in our hospital from September 2023 to July 2024. A total of 91 high-metabolic bone lesions were outlined for SUV measurement, while the spinal SUV of patients with normal bone metabolism were outlined as the control group (46 vertebral bodies).

Seed and foliar application of nano-selenium improves sesame triacylglycerols and oil yield via photosynthetic pigment and enzymatic and chemical antioxidant enhancement revealed by spectrophotometric, UHPLC-analysis and chemometric modeling.

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of plant-mediated selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) on plant growth, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant activity, and the triacylglycerol profile of sesame ( L.). The green synthesis of SeNPs was achieved using garlic extract, resulting in spherical nanoparticles with an average size range of 70-75 nm.

The nonlineard association between triglyceride to HDL cholesterol ratio and long-term heart disease risk: findings from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C) and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in middle-aged and elderly Chinese population. CVD has high morbidity and mortality in China, with 5.09 million CVD deaths in 2019 and a mortality rate of 364.

Antagonistic-contracting high-power photo-oscillators for multifunctional actuations.

High-power autonomous soft actuators are in high demand yet face challenges related to tethered power and dedicated control. Light-driven oscillation by stimuli-responsive polymers allows for remote energy input and control autonomy, but generating high output power density is a daunting challenge requiring an advanced material design principle. Here, inspired by the flight muscle structure of insects, we develop a self-oscillator based on two antagonistically contracting photo-active layers sandwiching an inactive layer.

Differences in Advanced Therapeutic Modalities for Overactive Bladder in the United States by Race.

Objective: To investigate the impact of race on prescription patterns of therapies for overactive bladder (OAB).

Methods: The TriNetX Diamond network was queried to identify adult females with a diagnosis of urinary urgency incontinence (UUI) or OAB, excluding those with stress incontinence or mixed incontinence. Treatments were defined as behavioral, medical, or minimally invasive in accordance with American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines.

Effects of Somatosensory Games on Heart Rate Variability and Sleep-Related Biomarkers in Menopausal Women With Poor Sleep Quality.

Background And Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 12-week somatosensory games on heart rate variability and sleep-related biomarkers in middle-aged women with poor sleep quality.

Research Design And Methods: Twenty-nine women with poor sleep quality were recruited as participants randomly assigned into ring fit adventure exergame group (RFA,  = 15) and control group (CON,  = 14). The RFA group received ring fit adventure exergame for 60 min each time, 2 times a week, for 12 weeks.

Prognosis of early-stage HFpEF in the community-dwelling elderly: The Northern Shanghai Study.

Objective: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a growing concern among the elderly population, significantly impacting morbidity and mortality rates. This study aimed to screen and investigate the characteristics and prognosis of early-stage HFpEF in the elderly.

Methods: A total of 1789 community-dwelling individuals aged over 65 from northern Shanghai were enrolled.

Diversity and characteristics of species complex (FSSC) isolates causing collar rot and fruit rot of passion fruit in Taiwan.

species complex (FSSC) is a causal agent of collar rot and fruit rot in passion fruit worldwide. This study investigated the diversity and characteristics of FSSC isolates causing collar rot and fruit rot in Taiwanese passion fruit. Thirty-five FSSC isolates were harvested from collar rot and fruit rot samples of passion fruit from various cultivars and different geographical locations in Taiwan.

Ultrahigh Pyridinic/Pyrrolic N Enabling N/S Co-Doped Holey Graphene with Accelerated Kinetics for Alkali-Ion Batteries.

Carbonaceous materials hold great promise for K-ion batteries due to their low cost, adjustable interlayer spacing, and high electronic conductivity. Nevertheless, the narrow interlayer spacing significantly restricts their potassium storage ability. Herein, hierarchical N, S co-doped exfoliated holey graphene (NSEHG) with ultrahigh pyridinic/pyrrolic N (90.

Cadmium exposure induces skeletal muscle insulin resistance through the reactive oxygen species-mediated PINK1/Parkin pathway.

Epidemiological studies have suggested a positive association between environmental cadmium (Cd) exposure and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Skeletal muscle insulin resistance (IR) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of T2DM. This study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic low-level Cd exposure on skeletal muscle IR and its potential mechanism.

TLR2 Derangements Likely Play a Significant Role in the Inflammatory Response and Thrombosis in Patients with (-) Classical Myeloproliferative Neoplasm.

We investigated the role of toll-like receptors (TLRs) in inflammatory pathways in Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms ((-)MPNs). TLR2 expression was increased in ET, PV, and MPN (grouped as (PV + (ET) + MF)), whereas TLR4 was elevated only in MPN. TLR3, 7, and 9 were not elevated.

Strong support effect induced by MXene for the synthesis of metal sulfides nanosheet arrays with sulfur vacancies towards selective CO-to-CO photoreduction.

Selective CO-to-CO photoreduction is under intensive research and requires photocatalysts with tuned microstructures to accelerate the reaction kinetics. Here, we report CuInS nanosheet arrays with sulfur vacancies (V) grown on the two-dimensional (2D) support of TiCT MXene for CO-to-CO photoreduction. Our results reveal that the use of TiCT induces strong support effect, which causes the hierarchical nanosheet arrays growth of CuInS and simultaneously leads to charge transfer from CuInS to TiCT support, resulting in V formed in CuInS.

Recurrence risk prediction models for hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation.

Liver transplantation (LT) is an effective method for curing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However postoperative tumor recurrence can lead to higher mortality rates. To select suitable candidates for LT, the Milan Criteria (MC) were first proposed based on tumor morphological characteristics.

Dehydration Achieving the Iron Spin State Regulation of Prussian Blue for Boosted Sodium-Ion Storage Performance.

Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) show promise as cathodes for sodium-ion batteries due to their notable cycle stability, cost-effectiveness, and eco-friendly nature, yet the presence of interstitial water limits the specific capacity and obstructs Na mobility within the material. Although considerable experimental efforts are focused on dehydrating water for capacity enhancement, there is still a deficiency of a comprehensive understanding of the low capacity of low-spin Fe resulting from interstitial water, which holds significance in Na storage. This study introduces a novel gas-assisted heat treatment method to efficiently remove interstitial water from Fe-based PBA (NaFeHCF) electrodes and combines experiments and theoretical calculations to reveal the iron spin state regulation that is related to the capacity enhancement mechanism.

DPP9 regulates NQO1 and ROS to promote resistance to chemotherapy in liver cancer cells.

Chemotherapy has been the standard treatment for liver cancer. However, intrinsic or acquired drug resistance remains a major barrier to successful treatment. At present, the underlying molecular mechanisms of chemoresistance in liver cancer have not been elucidated.

Influence of Epoxy Resin Interlayer Interfaces on Electrical Tree Growth and Breakdown Characteristics.

The solid-solid insulation interface structure is a typical interface in extra-high-voltage power equipment, in which the multilayer epoxy resin material is a key component in the insulation structure of the power equipment, and the study of its interface characteristics is the most important. In this paper, epoxy-epoxy cross-linking interface specimens were prepared through experiments, and the degree of cross-linking between the interfaces was analyzed by changing the ratio of the curing agent and adding hydroxyl-terminated liquid nitrile rubber (HTBN) particles; it can be concluded that there exists a weak cross-linking reaction between the interfaces. The electrical tree measurement and alternating current (AC) breakdown test platform were set up, and three different cases of no interface, the electric field direction parallel to the interface, and the electric field direction perpendicular to the interface were tested, through which it was concluded that the existence of the interface inhibited the development of the electrical tree.

Versatile Dehydration-Assisted Functionalization of Quantum Dots and Rods.

Functionalization of quantum dots (QDs) and quantum rods (QRs) with ligands is essential for their further practical application across various domains. Dehydration-assisted functionalization (DAF) is a versatile method applicable to a wide range of hydrophilic ligands with an affinity to the surface of QDs and QRs. This approach facilitates rapid one-pot ligand exchange and dense modification by efficiently transferring these ligands onto the surface of QDs and QRs.