The significance of masking for the poor hearing ear in pure tone audiometry.

Background: In pure tone audiometry, when the difference of the Average Air Conduction Threshold of pure tone (AACT) between bilateral ears is more than 40 dB HL masking must be performed on the poor side, However, we found that masking also make significance difference when the binaural AACT difference (AACT-d)was less than 40 dB HL in some patients.

Aims/objective: Assessing the significance of masking for the poor ear in pure tone audiometry in patients with different types of deafness to obtain preoperative accurate hearing.

Material And Methods: A comparative analysis of 163 cases (163 ears) with hearing difference between two ears was conducted, who were divided into three groups: G1 Congenital Malformation of the Middle and Outer Ear (CMMOE)as conductive deafness, 63 ears, G2 sudden deafness as sensorineural deafness, 65 ears, and G3 media otitis as conductive or mixed deafness,35 ears.

Tumoral Morphologic Features From Cervical Biopsies That Are Predictive of a Negligible Risk for Nodal Metastasis and Tumor Recurrence in Usual-type Cervical Adenocarcinomas: A Multi-institutional Study.

The metastatic or recurrent potential of localized human papillomavirus-associated endocervical adenocarcinoma (HPVA EAC) is difficult to predict, especially based upon biopsy alone. Recent analyses of small cohorts indicate that high tumor nuclear grade (TNG) and the presence of necrotic tumor debris (NTD) from HPVA EACs in cervical biopsy specimens are highly predictive of nodal metastasis (NM). In the present study, we aimed to investigate how reliably tumoral morphologic features from cervical biopsy specimens predict NM or tumor recurrence (TR) and patient outcomes in a large cohort of endocervical adenocarcinoma patients.

Transforming acidic coiled-coil protein-3: a novel marker for differential diagnosis and prognosis prediction in endocervical adenocarcinoma.

Background: Endocervical adenocarcinoma (ECA) is further classified as human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated (HPVA) or non-HPVA (NHPVA), per the International Endocervical Adenocarcinoma Criteria and Classification (IECC). HPVA is a glandular tumor with stromal invasion and/or exophytic expansile-type invasion, associated with the typical molecular characteristics of high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection. Transforming acidic coiled-coil protein-3 (TACC3),an oncogene that is frequently abnormally expressed,represents a vital biomarker for multiple human malignancies.

Shell Theory: A Statistical Model of Reality.

The foundational assumption of machine learning is that the data under consideration is separable into classes; while intuitively reasonable, separability constraints have proven remarkably difficult to formulate mathematically. We believe this problem is rooted in the mismatch between existing statistical techniques and commonly encountered data; object representations are typically high dimensional but statistical techniques tend to treat high dimensions a degenerate case. To address this problem, we develop a dedicated statistical framework for machine learning in high dimensions.

Coexpression of CMTM6 and PD-L1 as a predictor of poor prognosis in macrotrabecular-massive hepatocellular carcinoma.

The "macrotrabecular-massive" (MTM) pattern of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been suggested to represent a distinct HCC subtype and is associated with specific molecular features. Since the immune microenvironment is heterogenous in HCC, it is important to evaluate the immune microenvironment of this novel variant. CMTM6, a key regulator of PD-L1, is an important immunocheckpoint inhibitor.

[Topical application of clobetasol propionate cream in the treatment of phimosis in prepubertal children: A report of 237cases].

Objective: To investigate the clinical effect of 0.02% clobetasol propionate cream (CPC) on phimosis in prepubertal children.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data about 237 prepubertal children with phimosis present at the Outpatient Department from June 2012 to December 2015.

CODE: Coherence Based Decision Boundaries for Feature Correspondence.

A key challenge in feature correspondence is the difficulty in differentiating true and false matches at a local descriptor level. This forces adoption of strict similarity thresholds that discard many true matches. However, if analyzed at a global level, false matches are usually randomly scattered while true matches tend to be coherent (clustered around a few dominant motions), thus creating a coherence based separability constraint.

Patients with knee osteoarthritis undergoing total knee arthroplasty have a lower risk of subsequent severe cardiovascular events: propensity score and instrumental variable analysis.

Objective: This population-based study investigated the subsequent cardiovascular risk of patients with knee osteoarthritis underwent total knee arthroplasty in Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: This was a population-based follow-up study of 22931 patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis between 2008 and 2011. Each patient was followed for 3 years or until death.

Synthesis and rheological characterization of water-soluble glycidyltrimethylammonium-chitosan.

In this study, chitosan (CS) grafted by glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC) to form GTMAC-CS was synthesized, chemically identified, and rheologically characterized. The Maxwell Model can be applied to closely simulate the dynamic rheological performance of the chitosan and the GTMAC-CS solutions, revealing a single relaxation time pertains to both systems. The crossover point of G' and G" shifted toward lower frequencies as the CS concentration increased but remained almost constant frequencies as the GTMAC-CS concentration increased, indicating the solubility of GTMAC-CS in water is good enough to diminish influence from the interaction among polymer chains so as to ensure the relaxation time is independent of the concentration.

Taraxacum mongolicum extract exhibits a protective effect on hepatocytes and an antiviral effect against hepatitis B virus in animal and human cells.

In order to validate the antiviral effect against hepatitis B virus (HBV) of Taraxacum mongolicum (T. mongolicum), the protective effect on hepatocytes, and antiviral properties against duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) and HBV of T. mongolicum extract (TME) were evaluated in chemically-injured neonatal rat hepatocytes, DHBV-infected duck fetal hepatocytes and HBV-transfected HepG2.

[Histological effects of unilateral spermatic cord torsion without removal of the ipsilateral necrotic testis on the contralateral testis in rats].

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of retarded removal of the unilateral necrotic testis after long-time (> 24 h) spermatic cord torsion on the contralateral testis in rats.

Methods: Thirty-three male SD rats aged 21 -42 days were divided into a sham-operation group (n = 11), a torsion-reservation group (n = 12) and a torsion-orchiectomy group (n = 10). The rats of the sham-operation group received dartos pouch orchidopexy on the left testis, while those of the latter two groups underwent 720 degrees unilateral spermatic cord torsion on the left side.

Probiotic applications of two dominant gut Bacillus strains with antagonistic activity improved the growth performance and immune responses of grouper Epinephelus coioides.

The effect of dietary administration of Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus clausii, the dominant bacteria with antagonistic activity in the gut of fast growing fish, on the growth performance and immune responses of grouper Epinephelus coioides were assessed. The fish were fed for 60 days with three different diets: control (without probiotics), diet T1 supplemented with 1.0x10(8) cells g(-1) B.

[Studies on chemical constituents from herbs of Taraxacum mongolicum].

Objective: To investigate the chemical constituents of the herbs of Taraxacum mongolicum.

Method: The chemical constituents were isolated by various column chromatographic methods and their structures elucidated mainly by NMR and MS evidences.

Result: Forty-four components were obtained and identified were as artemetin (1), quercetin (2), quercetin-3', 4', 7-trime-thyl ether (3), luteolin (4), luteolin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5), luteolin-7-O-beta-D-galactopyranoside (6), genkwanin (7), isoetin (8), hesperetin (9), genkwanin-4'-O-beta-D-lutinoside (10), hesperidin (11), quercetin-7-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1-->6) -beta-D-glucopyranoside (12), quercetin-3, 7-O-beta-D-diglucopyranoside (13), isoetin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl- 2'-O-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside (14), isoetin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-O-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (15), isoetin-7- O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-O-beta-D-xyloypyranoside (16), caffeic acid (17), furulic acid (18), 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (19), 3, 5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (20), 3, 4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (21), 4, 5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (22), 1-hydroxymethyl-5-hydroxy-phenyl-2-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (23), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (24), p-coumaric acid (25), 3, 5-dihydroxylbenzoic acid (26), gallic acid (27), gallicin (28), syringic acid (29), 3, 4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (30), caffeic acid ethyl ester (31), esculetin (32), rufescidride (33), mongolicumin A [6, 9, 10-trihydroxy-benzoxanthene-1, 2-dicarboxylic acid] (34), mongolicumin B [1 l-hydroxy-2-oxo-guaia-1 (10), 3, 5-trien-8, 12-lactone] (35), isodonsesquitin A (36), taraxacin (37), sesquiterpene ketolactone (38), taraxasteryl acetate (39), phi-taraxasteryl acetate (40) and lupenol acetate (41), palmitic acid (42), beta-sitosterol (43), and stigmasterol (44).

[Studies on constitutes from Taraxacum mongolicum].

Objective: To study the chemical constituents of Taraxacum mongolicum.

Method: Repeated column chromatography over silica gel, C-18 and Sephadex LH-20 were used to isolate chemical constitutes and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR including 2D-NMR techniques and by direct comparing spectral data with those reported in literatures.

Result: Eight compounds were identified as artemetin (1), quercetin (2), luteolin (3), luteolin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), caffeic acid (5), esculetin (6), stigmasterol (7), taraxasteryl acetate (8), respectively.