[Recognition of unilateral auditory neuropathy in children].

Objective: This study aimed to compare the audiological characteristics between children with unilateral auditory neuropathy (UAN) and single-sided deafness (SSD) to establish a valid basis for the differential diagnosis of children with UAN. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on audiological and imaging evaluations of children with UAN and SSD who were treated at Beijing Children's Hospital of Capital Medical University between May 2015 and June 2023. There were 17 children with UAN, comprising 10 males and 7 females, with an average age of 4.7 years. Additionally, there were 43 children with SSD, consisting of 27 males and 16 females, with an average age of 6.5 years. Audiological assessments included Auditory brainstem response (ABR), Steady-state auditory evoked potential (ASSR), Behavioural audiometry, Cochlear microphonic potential (CM), Distortino-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), and acoustic immittance test. The results of the audiological assessment and imaging phenotypic between the two groups of children were compared and analyzed by applying SPSS 27.0 statistical software. Results: (1) The UAN group (77.8%) had a significantly higher rate of ABR wave IIIL than the SSD group (20.9%) (P<0.01). The PA thresholds at 500 Hz and 1 000 Hz of children with SSD were higher than those of children with UAN, while the ASSR thresholds at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2 000 Hz, and 4 000 Hz of children with SSD were significantly higher than those of children with UAN (P<0.05). (2) The degree of hearing loss in both UAN and SSD children was predominantly complete hearing loss. The percentage of complete hearing loss was significantly higher (χ²=4.353, P=0.037) in the SSD group (93.0%, 40/43) than in the UAN group (63.6%, 7/11). However, the percentage of profound hearing loss was significantly higher in the UAN group (27.3%, 3/11) than in the SSD group (2.3%, 1/43) (Fisher's exact test, P=0.023). In terms of hearing curve configuration, the percentage of flat type was significantly higher in the SSD group (76.7%, 33/43) than in the UAN group (36.4%, 4/11). The proportion of the UAN group (27.3%, 3/11) was significantly higher than that in the SSD group (2.3%, 1/43) in ascending type (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the hearing curves of the declining type and other types between the two groups (P>0.05). (3) The proportion of imaging assessment without abnormality was significantly more common in the UAN group (81.8%) than in the SSD group (37.1%) (χ²=6.695, P=0.015). Conclusions: Compared to children with SSD, the occurrence of wave IIIL on the ABR test was significantly more common in children with UAN. The percentage of ascending hearing curves was significantly higher in children with UAN than in children with SSD. ASSR thresholds were significantly lower in children with UAN. The normal imaging phenotype was significantly more common in children with UAN than in children with SSD.

[Normative wideband absorbance measures in children: a cross-sectional study].

Objective: This study was to investigate the main characteristics and related factors of wideband absorbance (WBA) in children with normal hearing and to obtain age-specific reference range of WBA. Methods: 384 children between 0-12 years old (615 ears) who visited the Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University from October 2019 to February 2021 were enrolled, including 230 males (376 ears) and 154 females (239 ears), with totally 306 left ears and 309 right ears. Wideband tympanometry (WBT) was performed and normative WBA data were analyzed by SPSS 24.0 statistical software. Repeated measures and multivariate analysis of variance were applied to the data from 16 points at 1/3-octave frequencies (226, 324, 408, 500, 667, 841, 1 000, 1 297, 1 682, 2 000, 2 670, 3 364, 4 000, 5 339, 6 727 and 8 000 Hz) to evaluate the effects of frequency, age, external auditory canal pressures, gender and ear on WBA. Results: According to the WBT frequency-absorbance curve, the subjects were divided into seven groups: 1-month old group, 2-month old group, 3-month old group, 4-5 month old group, 6-24 month old group,>2-6 year old group and>6-12 year old group. The WBA of normal-hearing children underwent a series of developmental changes with age at both ambient pressure and tympanometric peak pressures. WBA results for 1-month group and 2-month old group exhibited a multipeaked pattern, with the peaks occurring around 2 000 and 4 897 Hz, and a notch around 3 886 Hz. WBA results for 3-month group and 4-5 month old group exhibited a single broad-peaked pattern, with the peak occurring between 2 000-4 757 Hz. The WBA of 1-month old group to 4-5 month old group decreased gradually at low frequency (226-408 Hz) and 6 727 Hz, and increased at middle to high frequency (2 670-4 000 Hz). The WBA of 6-24 month old group were significantly lower than that of 2-month old group to 4-5 month old group at all frequencies except 3 364 and 4 000 Hz. WBA results for 6-24 month old group,>2-6 year old group and>6-12 year old group exhibited a single-peaked pattern, and the peak frequency of WBA moved to the lower frequency successively. From 6-24 month old group to>6-12 year old group, the WBA gradually increased at low to middle frequencies (667-2 670 Hz) and 8 000 Hz, and decreased at middle to high frequencies (3 364-5 339 Hz). Among the 16 frequencies of all age groups, the difference between WBA under ambient pressure and tympanometric peak pressure were -0.09-0.06, and 43.75%-81.25% frequency points had statistically significant difference, which was mainly manifested in that WBA under ambient pressure were lower than that under tympanometric peak pressure at 226-1 682 Hz. There was no significant ear effect on all of the age groups. Similarly, there was no significant gender effect except for 3-month old group and 4-5 month old group. Conclusions: The WBA of normal-hearing children measured at ambient pressure and tympanometric peak pressure varied across the frequencies with age from 1 month to 12 years old, and different frequencies followed different change patterns (increase vs. decrease) in WBA. There was also significant external auditory canal pressures effect on all of the age groups. The establishment of age-specific reference range of WBA for 0-12 years old normal-hearing children in this study would be useful for clinical practice of determining normative data regarding WBT.

[Characteristics and recovery of hearing loss in 573 patients with bacterial meningitis].

Objective: To analyze the characteristics and prognosis of hearing loss in children with bacterial meningitis. Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study. Patients diagnosed with bacterial meningitis who were hospitalized in Beijing Children's Hospital between 2010 and 2016 and older than 28 days and younger than 18 years at symptom onset were included in this study (n=573). All clinical information including hearing assessment results during hospitalization were reviewed. All patients with hearing loss were followed up to repeat their hearing test and assess their hearing condition with parents' evaluation of aural and (or) oral performance of children (PEACH). Patients were grouped according to their hearing assessment results, and Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors for hearing loss in patients with bacterial meningitis. Results: Five hundred and seventy-three patients were enrolled in this study, including 347 males and 226 females. The onset age ranged from 29 days to 15.8 years. Two hundred and forty-six patients had identified causative pathogens, among whom 92 cases (37.4%) were pneumococcal meningitis cases. Hearing loss was found in 160 cases (27.9%) during hospitalization, involving 240 ears. Permanent hearing loss was found in 20 cases (16.9%), involving 32 ears. In the patients with permanent hearing loss, 87.5% (28/32) of ears were identified as severe or profound hearing loss during hospitalization. Logistic regression analysis showed that dystonia, the protein concentration level in cerebrospinal fluid>1 g/L, glucose concentration level lower than 1 mmol/L and subdural effusion were independent risk factors for hearing loss (OR=2.426 (1.450-4.059), 1.865 (1.186-2.932), 1.544 (1.002-2.381) and 1.904 (1.291-2.809)). Conclusions: Hearing loss is a common sequela of bacterial meningitis in children. Most patients have transient hearing loss, but patients with severe or profound hearing impairment have a higher risk of developing permanent hearing loss.

[Effects of noise competition on monosyllabic and disyllabic word perception in children].

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of noise competition on word perception in normal hearing (NH) children and children with cochlear implantation (CI). Methods: To estimate the contribution of noise competition on speech perception, word perception in speech-shaped noise(SSN)and 4-talker babble noise(BN) with Mandarin Lexical Neighborhood Test were performed in 80 NH children and 89 children with CI. Corrected perception percentages were acquired in each group. Results: Both signal to noise ratio (SNR) and noise type influenced the word perception. In NH group, corrected percentages of disyllabic word perception in SSN were 24.2%, 55.9%, 77.1%, 85.1% and 88.9% at -8, -4, 0, 4 and 8 dB SNR, corresponding corrected percentages of monosyllabic word were 13.9%, 39.5%, 60.1%, 68.8% and 80.1%, respectively. In BN noise, corrected percentages of disyllabic word were 2.4%, 24.3%, 55.6%, 74.3% and 86.2%, corresponding monosyllabic word were 2.3%, 20.8%, 47.2%, 61.1% and 74.8%, respectively. In CI group, corrected percentages of dissyllabic word in SSN and BN at 10 dB SNR were 65.5% and 58.1%, respectively. Corresponding monosyllabic word were 49.0% and 41.0%. For SNR=5 dB, corrected percentages of disyllabic word in SSN and BN were 50.0% and 38.1%, corresponding corrected percentages of monosyllabic word were 40.8% and 25.1%, respectively. Analysis indicated that the masking effect were significantly higher in BN compared with SSN. Conclusions: Noise competition influence word perception performance significantly. In specific, the influence of noise on word perception is bigger in children with CI than in NH children. The masking effect is higher in BN noise when compared with SSN.

Genetic analysis of agronomic traits associated with plant architecture by QTL mapping in maize.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important cereal crops worldwide, and increasing the grain yield and biomass has been among the most important goals of maize production. The plant architecture can determine the grain yield and biomass to some extent; however, the genetic basis of the link between the plant architecture and grain yield/biomass is unclear. In this study, an immortal F9 recombinant inbred line population, derived from the cross Mo17 x Huangzao4, was used to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for 3 traits associated with plant architecture under two nitrogen regimes: plant height, ear height, and leaf number. As a result, 8 and 10 QTLs were identified under the high nitrogen regime and low nitrogen regime, respectively. These QTLs mapped to chromosomes 1 (six QTLs), 2 (one QTL), 3 (one QTL), 7 (two QTLs), and 9 (eight QTLs), and had different genetic distances to their closest markers, ranging from 0 to 22.0 cM, explaining 4.7 to 20.5% of the phenotypic variance. Because of an additive effect, 9 and 9 could make the phenotypic values of traits increase and decrease to some extent, respectively. These results are beneficial for understanding the genetic basis of agronomic traits associated with plant architecture and for performing marker-assisted selection in maize breeding programs.

QTL identification of ear leaf morphometric traits under different nitrogen regimes in maize.

The ear leaf is one of the most important leaves in maize (Zea mays); it affects plant morphology and yield. To better understand its genetic basis, we examined ear leaf length, ear leaf width, and ear leaf area for quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in a recombinant inbred line population under two nitrogen regimes. Nine QTLs, on chromosomes 1 (one), 2 (one), 3 (one), 4 (three), 7 (one), and 8 (two), were mapped under the high nitrogen regime, which explained phenotypic variation ranging from 5.4 to 14.8%. Under the low nitrogen regime, 7 QTLs were located on chromosomes 1 (one), 4 (two), 7 (one), and 8 (three), which accounted for phenotypic variation ranging from 5.5 to 20.5%. These QTLs had different mapping intervals to their nearest markers, ranging from 0.3 to 21.0 cM. Due to additive effects, 3 and 13 QTLs can cause phenotypic values of these traits to increase or decrease to some extent, respectively. This information will help understand the genetic basis of ear leaf formation and will be useful for developing marker-assisted selection in maize-breeding projects.

QTLs for days to silking in a recombinant inbred line maize population subjected to high and low nitrogen regimes.

Days to silking (DTS) is one of the most important traits in maize (Zea mays). To investigate its genetic basis, a recombinant inbred line population was subjected to high and low nitrogen (N) regimes to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with DTS. Three QTLs were identified under the high N regime; these explained 25.4% of the phenotypic variance. Due to additive effects, the QTL on chromosome 6 increased DTS up to 0.66 days; while the other two QTLs mapped on chromosome 9 (one linked with Phi061 and the other linked with Nc134) decreased DTS 0.89 and 0.91 days, respectively. Under low N regime, two QTLs were mapped on chromosomes 6 and 9, which accounted for 25.9% of the phenotypic variance. Owing to additive effects, the QTL on chromosome 6 increased DTS 0.67 days, while the other QTL on chromosome 9 decreased it 1.48 days. The QTL on chromosome 6, flanked by microsatellite markers Bnlg1600 and Phi077, was detected under both N regimes. In conclusion, we identified four QTLs, one on chromosome 6 and three on chromosome 9. These results contribute to our understanding of the genetic basis of DTS and will be useful for developing marker-assisted selection in maize breeding programs.

Genetic loci mapping associated with maize kernel number per ear based on a recombinant inbred line population grown under different nitrogen regimes.

Kernel number per ear (KNE) is one of the most important yield-related agronomic traits in maize (Zea mays). To clarify its genetic basis, we made a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of KNE in a recombinant inbred line population derived from lines Mo17 and Huangzao4, under two nitrogen (N) regimes. Seven QTLs, on chromosomes 4, 6 and 9, were mapped under the high N regime, which explained phenotypic variation ranging from 5.03 to 15.49%. Under the low N regime, three QTLs were located on chromosomes 6 and 9, which accounted for phenotypic variation ranging from 8.54 to 12.21%. These QTLs had different mapping intervals to their nearest markers, ranging from 0 to 16.5 cM. According to the chromosome positions and genetic effects of these QTLs, only seven QTLs for KNE were identified in our experiment, out of which three were found under both N regimes, on chromosomes 6 (one) and 9 (two); the other four were mapped only under the high N regime, on chromosomes 4 (three) and 6 (one). This information could be useful for developing marker-assisted selection in maize-breeding projects.

Genetic analysis of two new quantitative trait loci for ear weight in maize inbred line Huangzao4.

Ear weight is one of the most important agronomic traits considered necessary in maize (Zea mays L.) breeding projects. To determine its genetic basis, a population consisting of 239 recombinant inbred lines, derived from the cross Mo17 x Huangzao4, was used to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for ear weight under two nitrogen regimes. Under a high nitrogen fertilization regime, one QTL was identified in chromosome bin 2.08-2.09, which explained 7.46% of phenotypic variance and an increase in ear weight of about 5.79 g, owing to an additive effect. Under a low nitrogen regime, another QTL was identified in chromosome bin 1.10-1.11; it accounted for 7.11% of phenotypic variance and a decrease of 5.24 g in ear weight, due to an additive effect. Based on comparisons with previous studies, these two QTLs are new loci associated with ear weight in maize. These findings contribute to our knowledge about the genetic basis of ear weight in maize.

[Comparison of the content of delusions of schizophrenics in China and Japan: cross-cultural psychiatric investigation].

A comparative cross-cultural psychiatric study was carried out in order to evaluate the theme of delusions of the present day between China and Japan in schizophrenia in relation to their socio-cultural background. The data base was comprised of the schizophrenic cases with the first admission in each hospital--Shanghai in the period 1983, Tokyo in the period 1981-1983 (Shanghai 200 cases, Tokyo 186 cases), and the analysis was focused on those cases with delusions (Shanghai: 129 cases with 70 male and 59 female; Tokyo: 112 cases with 53 male and 59 female). The incidence of delusions with persecution, reference, physical persecution and grandeur was relatively high in patients in Shanghai or Tokyo, while the incidence of delusions with hypochondriacal and guilt was low in both hospitals. Only the incidence of delusion of poisoning was significantly higher in Shanghai than in Tokyo (chi 2 = 12.97, P less than 0.001). The authors have discussed the influence of social-cultural background on the formation of delusions of poisoning, persecution, grandeur, descent and possession about two countries.