Prognostic factors for hearing outcomes in patients that undergo adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen therapy for sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to explore the potential factors in hearing outcomes and verify the role of oxidant-antioxidant equilibrium on the prognosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

Methods: Ninety-two patients who were diagnosed with SSNHL between January 2018 and December 2019 in our hearing clinic center were included in this study. All patients were treated with intravenous dexamethasone, and 72 cases were treated with additional HBOT for 10 consecutive days.

Scar Dancing Syndrome: Peripheral Trauma Induced Involuntary Hyperkinesia around Surgical Incision.

Background: Peripherally induced movement disorders represent a rare and debated complication of peripheral trauma. It is difficult to determine a causal relationship between peripheral injuries and subsequent movement disorders.

Cases: Here, we introduce and characterize four patients with post-surgical scar-associated movement disorders, a peripherally-induced rippling movement disorder confined to the muscles just under a long surgical incision scar, appearing weeks to months after surgery.

Primary immunodeficiency-related genes in neonatal intensive care unit patients with various genetic immune abnormalities: a multicentre study in China.

Objectives: The present phenotype-based disease classification causes ambiguity in diagnosing and determining timely, effective treatment options for primary immunodeficiency (PID). In this study, we aimed to examine the characteristics of early-onset PID and proposed a JAK-STATopathy subgroup based on their molecular defects.

Methods: We reviewed 72 patients (< 100 days) retrospectively.

Pancreatic β cells control glucose homeostasis via the secretion of exosomal miR-29 family.

Secreted microRNAs (miRNAs) are novel endocrine factors that play essential pathological and physiological roles. Here, we report that pancreatic β cell-released exosomal miR-29 family members (miR-29s) regulate hepatic insulin sensitivity and control glucose homeostasis. Cultured pancreatic islets were shown to secrete miR-29s in response to high levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) in vitro.

Novel Blood Cytokine-Based Model for Predicting Severe Acute Kidney Injury and Poor Outcomes After Cardiac Surgery.

Background Alterations in serum creatinine levels delay the identification of severe cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury. To provide timely diagnosis, novel predictive tools should be investigated. Methods and Results This prospective observational study consists of a screening cohort (n=204) and a validation cohort (n=198) from 2 centers from our hospital.

Pressure Overload Greatly Promotes Neonatal Right Ventricular Cardiomyocyte Proliferation: A New Model for the Study of Heart Regeneration.

Background Current mammalian models for heart regeneration research are limited to neonatal apex amputation and myocardial infarction, both of which are controversial. RNAseq has demonstrated a very limited set of differentially expressed genes between sham and operated hearts in myocardial infarction models. Here, we investigated in rats whether pressure overload in the right ventricle, a common phenomenon in children with congenital heart disease, could be used as a better animal model for heart regeneration studies when considering cardiomyocyte proliferation as the most important index.

Guidelines for parenteral and enteral nutrition in geriatric patients in China.

Based on the expert consensus on parenteral and enteral nutrition support for geriatric patients in China in 2013, domestic multidisciplinary experts were gathered to summarize the new evidence in the field of elderly nutritional support at home and abroad. The 2013 consensus was comprehensively updated and upgraded to a guideline by referring to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system for grading evidence. These guidelines were divided into two parts: general conditions and common diseases.

Early-Life Famine Exposure and Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases in Later Life: Findings From the REACTION Study.

Background Previous studies reported that early-life exposure to undernutrition is associated with the risk of diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome in adulthood, but the association with risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life remains unclear. The current study aimed to investigate whether exposure to Chinese famine in early life is associated with risk of CVD. Methods and Results We used data from REACTION (Risk Evaluation of Cancers in Chinese Diabetic Individuals: A Longitudinal Study), which recruited a total of 259 657 community-dwelling adults aged 40 years or older from 25 centers across mainland China between 2011 and 2012.

Association Between Serum Leptin Level and Calcific Aortic Valve Disease.

Background The pathophysiological process of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is similar to that of atherosclerosis. Leptin accelerates the process of atherosclerosis. We sought to examine the relationship between leptin and CAVD.

Effect of HIF-1α/miR-10b-5p/PTEN on Hypoxia-Induced Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis.

Background Few reports have addressed the mechanism by which microRNA miR-10b-5p regulates post-myocardial infarction (post-MI) cardiomyocyte apoptosis under hypoxic conditions. Methods and Results C57BL/6 mice underwent surgical ligation of the left anterior descending artery to create an MI or ischemia/reperfusion animal model. The expression of miR-10b-5p, PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog), and HIF-1α (hypoxia-inducible factor 1α) was detected in infarct border zone tissues at various time points.

Urinary Levels of Trimethylamine-N-Oxide and Incident Coronary Heart Disease: A Prospective Investigation Among Urban Chinese Adults.

Background Trimethylamine-N-oxide ( TMAO ), a diet-derived, gut microbial-host cometabolite, has been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patient populations; however, evidence is lacking from prospective studies conducted in general populations and non-Western populations. Methods and Results We evaluated urinary levels of TMAO and its precursor metabolites (ie, choline, betaine, and carnitine) in relation to risk of coronary heart disease ( CHD ) among Chinese adults in a nested case-control study, including 275 participants with incident CHD and 275 individually matched controls. We found that urinary TMAO , but not its precursors, was associated with risk of CHD .

Is Retinal Microvascular Abnormalities an Independent Risk Factor of Vertebral Fractures? A Prospective Study From a Chinese Population.

Low bone mineral density (BMD) and microvascular diseases (MVD) share various common risk factors; however, whether MVD is an independent risk factor of vertebral fractures is incompletely understood. The aim of this study is to clarify whether MVD is an independent risk factor of vertebral fractures. In this prospective study, calcaneal BMD and retinal microvascular abnormalities were assessed at baseline from June 2011 to January 2012.

Comparison between acute kidney injury (AKI) and non-AKI patients secondary to severe hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism was a rare cause of rhabdomyolysis, which finally progressed to acute kidney injury (AKI). We compared nine patients with AKI secondary to hypothyroidism and six patients with severe hypothyroidism. Besides creatine kinase, globulin could be an alternative biomarker of rhabdomyolysis related to hypothyroidism.

The characteristics of cognitive impairment in subjective chronic tinnitus.

Introduction: Subjective chronic tinnitus is a common medical syndrome with a high frequency of cognitive impairment; however, the characteristics of cognitive impairment in chronic tinnitus are poorly understood. Investigating the scope of cognitive impairment across the severity spectrum of tinnitus patients may shed light on the issue.

Methods: A consecutive series of 207 subjective chronic tinnitus patients were classified into mild tinnitus group ( = 95) and severe tinnitus group ( = 112) by THI score (the cutoff THI scores were 37/38).

Preferential CD8 rather than CD4 T-cell response to wear particles of polyether-ether-ketone and highly cross-linked polyethylene.

The efficacy of polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) as a bearing material in knee components, a potential alternative to the currently used highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE), has attracted a lot of attention recently. This study aimed to systematically assess the effect of particulate wear debris on CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses. HXLPE and PEEK particles (96% less than 5 μm) were generated by custom cryo-milling and pulverization in liquid nitrogen, and then incubated with blood collected from 25 donors.