Sensory intelligence for extraction of abstract auditory rules from a speech sound stream in children with cochlear implants.

OBJECTIVE: Sensory intelligence in the brain helps listeners automatically extract abstract auditory rules formed by invariant acoustic features from complex speech sound streams, presumably serving as the neural basis for speech comprehension. However, whether this intelligence is deficient in children with cochlear implants (CIs) remains unclear. METHODS: Mandarin Chinese monosyllables shared a flat lexical tone contour to form an abstract auditory rule but differed in other acoustic features to construct a complex speech sound stream. The abstract rule was occasionally violated by monosyllables with a rising or falling lexical tone. RESULTS: In normal hearing (NH) children, the abstract auditory rule could be extracted, as revealed by a mismatch negativity (MMN) and a late discriminative negativity (LDN). However, the MMN and LDN were only evoked in CI children with good hearing and speech performance. NH children with a higher speech perception or spatial hearing score had a greater MMN. The LDN was attenuated with increasing age in NH children. CONCLUSIONS: The sensory intelligence for extraction of auditory abstract rules, associated with speech perception, is deficient in CI children. This intelligence may gradually develop during childhood and adolescence. SIGNIFICANCE: Deficient sensory intelligence in CI children may aid in understanding poor speech comprehension in complex environments.

[Relationship between oral Candida albicans and flora in children with severe early childhood caries].

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between oral Candida albicans and flora in children with severe infant caries. METHODS: Forty-two children with severe infant caries (experimental group) and 40 caries-free children (control group) treated in Peking University Shenzhen Hospital from March 2018 to June 2019 were enrolled. The samples of saliva and plaque were collected and cultured. According to the culture results, the experimental group was further divided into two subgroups: Candida albicans positive group and Candida albicans negative group. The samples were sequenced by high-throughput sequencing technology, then the diversity and abundance of bacteria were analyzed. The data were processed by SPSS 23.0 software package. RESULTS: The positive rates of Candida albicans in saliva and plaque were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group(P<0.05). The abundance of Leptotrichia and Cardiobacterium in the saliva of children with positive Candida albicans in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of children with negative Candida albicans(P<0.05). The abundance of Prevotella in plaque of children with positive Candida albicans in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of children with negative Candida albicans and control group(P<0.05). The abundance of Leptotrichia in saliva of children with positive Candida albicans in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of children with negative Candida albicans (P<0.05), while the abundances of Capnocytophaga, Cardiobacterium hominis, and Capnocytophaga granulose were significantly lower than those of children with negative Candida albicans(P<0.05). The abundance of Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Lactobacillus vaginalis in the plaque of positive Candida albicans in the experimental group were significantly higher than those of children with negative Candida albicans(P<0.05), while the abundance of Lactobacillus plantarum was significantly lower than that of children with negative Candida albicans (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Candida albicans in children with severe infant caries children is closely correlated with the abundance of Leptotrichia, Capnocytophaga, Cardiobacterium hominis, Capnocytophaga granulosa, Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus, which may play a synergistic or antagonistic role.

[Investigation of related risk factors of temporomandibular disorders in 109 patients].

PURPOSE: To investigate the related risk factors of temporomandibular disorders(TMD), and to provide evidences for clinical prevention. METHODS: One hundred and nine TMD patients were included in the study as case group, while 109 people with no TMJ symptoms and signs were selected randomly as control group. All subjects fulfilled questionaires. Logistics regression analysis was used to analyze the data with SPSS 22.0 software package. RESULTS: Females patients were more common than males, with 20~29 age group accounting for 44%. The proportions of patients with habits of bruxism or clenching, unilateral mastication and maxillofacial injure history were significantly greater than those of control group (P<0.05). The proportions of patients with life stress and habits of stay-up late, chewing hard food and orthodontic treatment history showed no significant difference compared with the control group (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TMD has a higher prevalence in female than in male, with a peak incidence in 20-29 age group. Habits of bruxism or clenching, unilateral mastication and maxillofacial injury history may be risk factors of TMD, while life stress, habits of stay-up late, chewing hard food and orthodontic treatments show no significant correlation with TMD.