Application of clinical indicators in evaluating vestibular compensation efficacy in benign recurrent vestibular vertigo patients with short-term personalized vestibular rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: Short-term personalized vestibular rehabilitation (ST-PVR) can establish stable vestibular compensation. However, there is a lack of a clear definition for clinical indicators that can dynamically reflect the progress of vestibular rehabilitation (VR). OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical indicators suitable for evaluating the effectiveness of ST-PVR in treating benign recurrent vertigo (BRV). METHODS: In total, 50 patients diagnosed with BRV were enrolled. All patients received the ST-PVR treatment program. At 2 and 4 weeks after rehabilitation, subjective scales, including the visual analogue scale (VAS), dizziness handicap inventory scale (DHI), activities-specific balance confidence scale (ABC) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) were assessed. Objective vestibular function tests were performed. VR grading was determined. RESULTS: At 2 weeks after rehabilitation, significant enhancements were observed in VAS, DHI, ABC, GAD-7, UW, vHIT results, and VR grading scores (p < 0.05). The sensory organization test (SOT) results demonstrated statistically significant improvements at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after rehabilitation (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Both subjective scales and partial examination results in objective assessment can serve as indicators to dynamically monitor the compensatory process of vestibular function in patients with BRV. The VR efficacy grading score, which incorporates the above indicators, allows for quantification of the changes that occur during the vestibular rehabilitation process.

Understanding food waste sorting behavior in institutional food services: An integrated psychological framework.

Food waste from institutional food services accounts for a significant part of global food waste. Food waste sorting (FWS) at the source reduces waste management costs and environmental impacts in organizations. Yet what drives individual FWS behavior remains underexplored. This study explores the psychological process of FWS in institutional catering environments, integrating the value-belief-norm model, the theory of planned behavior, and self-determination theory. Data were collected from 431 university students in China and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results indicated the interplay of values, beliefs, norms, and motivations in shaping FWS behaviors. Social value orientations (SVO) indirectly affected FWS through awareness of consequences and personal norms. Subjective norms, potentially attributed to external regulations in canteens, influenced FWS intention through personal norms and induced FWS primarily via controlled motivations. The findings imply that behavioral strategies to induce FWS may leverage social influence and external regulation while also translating values and knowledge into intrinsic motivations through educational programs and awareness campaigns.

Addressing the influencing path of social noise exposure risk perception on noise mitigation behavior.

Noise interference has become a common health risk in population-densified urban areas where social noise occurs frequently. However, the influence of an individual's perception of social noise exposure risk on reactive behavior remains unknown. This study developed an integrative psychosocial perspective-based model that includes constructs from two theoretical frameworks (the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Value-Belief-Norm theory) to analyze noise risk perception and behavioral intention for social noise mitigation. Haidian District, Beijing, was selected as the case study area and 300 questionnaires were distributed. The results showed that personal attributes had significant effects on residents' noise exposure risk perception and noise-mitigation behavioral intentions. Noise perception, as represented by awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility, was significantly related to noise mitigation behavioral intention. Awareness of consequences directly positively influenced behavioral intention (ß = 0.235, p < 0.001) and indirectly positively influenced behavioral intention through the mediating effect of the ascription of responsibility, which accounted for 24 % of the total effect of awareness of consequences on behavioral intention. This study provides valuable insights into the risks of social noise and encourages adaptive measures to reduce it.

Aqueous synthesis of Cu-doped ZnCdS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals with a new and highly reactive sulfur source.

A new sulfur precursor with a highly reactive chemical nature was prepared with S powder and NaBH4 at the high temperature of 180 °C in a closed autoclave and made it possible to carry out the synthesis of high quality metal sulfide nanocrystals (NCs) with diverse composition and structure. Using this new sulfur source, we demonstrated aqueous synthesis of colloidal Cu-doped ZnCdS NCs (d-dots) with pure, color-tunable photoluminescence (PL) in a wide spectral range (from 517 to 650 nm) based on the 'co-nucleation doping' strategy. The influences of the various experimental variables, including Cd/Zn ratio, Cu-doping concentration, pH value and amount of mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), on the optical properties of Cu-doped ZnCdS NCs were systematically investigated. Furthermore, highly efficient and stable dopant emission from Cu:ZnCdS/ZnS core/shell d-dots with PL quantum yield as high as 40% was achieved by the deposition of a ZnS shell around the bare Cu:ZnCdS cores; this is the highest reported to date for aqueous doped NCs. The optical properties and structure of the d-dots were characterized by UV-vis absorption spectra, PL spectra, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, powder x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The experimental results indicated that this facile synthesis route would provide a versatile approach for the preparation of other water-soluble sulfide NCs.

Interactions between noncontiguous haplotypes in the adiponectin gene ACDC are associated with plasma adiponectin.

Adiponectin, an adipocyte protein important in insulin sensitization and cardioprotection, has a strong genetic component. We hypothesized that variants in the adiponectin gene (adipocyte collagen-domain containing [ACDC]) contribute to adiponectin levels in a biracial adolescent cohort. We genotyped 11 ACDC single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 631 non-Hispanic white and 553 African-American unrelated adolescents in grades 5-12 randomly selected from the Princeton School District Study. ACDC SNPs -11,391 (A allele), -10,068 (G allele), and +276 (T allele) were associated with higher adiponectin, adjusting for sex, puberty stage, BMI Z score, and waist Z score. Contiguous two-SNP haplotypes of promoter variants -11,391/-10,068 were significantly associated with adiponectin levels in whites and African Americans (P < 0.0001 and 0.03, respectively). Extended haplotypes from the promoter through the second intron (-11,391 to +349) strongly associated with adiponectin in whites (P = 6 x 10(-11)) and African Americans (P = 0.004), but haplotypes of first intron SNPs -4,521 to -657 did not (P > 0.2). Noncontiguous haplotypes or interactions between two-SNP (-11,391/-10,068) and three-SNP (+45, +276, and +349) haplotypes predicted adiponectin better than either region alone. Variants of ACDC are associated with adiponectin levels in whites and African Americans. Interactions between noncontiguous ACDC haplotypes strongly influence adiponectin levels, suggesting nonadditive and potentially cis relationships between these regions.

A rare polymorphism of the COX7B2 gene in a Cantonese family with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common head and neck cancer in southern China, and the genetic susceptibility is believed to play an important role in the aetiology of this malignancy. In our previous studies, one candidate susceptibility locus has been mapped to chromosome 4p11-p14 in a subset of NPC families. In the present study, we screened the cytochrome oxidase VIIb2 (COX7B2) gene which resides in this region and investigated the relationship of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of this gene with these familial NPC patients. We identified five novel SNPs in this gene, among them -158101G > T and -157322G > A in promoter region, -109602A > G in intron 2, 78T > A in exon 3, and 354T > A in 3'-untranslational region. The change 78T > A at codon 26 which leads to CAT26CAA (His26Gln) was shared by patients from family 31 that carried the susceptibility haplotype, but not found in cases from other NPC families nor in sporadic cases. However, the frequency of allele A was relatively low in normal controls both from Guangdong and eastern China (0.45% and 0.26%, respectively), and this variant was not found in pooled DNA samples from the white and the black population. Protein sequence alignment showed that the 26His of COX7B2 protein is consistent among different species. Our results suggested that the codon 26 of COX7B2 gene might be conservative during the process of evolution, and the rare variation His26Gln was probably associated with the high risk in NPC pedigree 31.

[Long-term effect of trabeculotomy on primary congenital glaucoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term effect of trabeculotomy on primary congenital glaucoma. METHODS: This retrospective study included primary congenital glaucoma patients who underwent trabeculotomy as an initial surgery between 1988 and 1999 with follow-up at least one year. Definitions of successful operation were determined as (1) intraocular pressure (IOP) /= 0.4, 29.1% between 0.1 and 0.3, and 29.2% 0.8 (P = 0.013) was risk factor responsible for poor vision. Among 18 eyes that were examined for visual field, glaucomatous visual field loss was found in 14 eyes (77.7%). Early-stage defect was seen in 42.8%, intermediate-stage in 28.6%, and late-stage in 28.6% of eyes. Hyphema was found in 14 eyes (42.4%). However, hyphema in 10 out of 14 eyes (71.4%) was absorbed in just one day. Therefore, hyphema should not be considered as a high risk for surgical failure (P = 0.795). CONCLUSIONS: Trabeculotomy had a high success rate in treatment of primary congenital glaucoma with fewer complications during the follow-up time. Observation from repeated operations also showed satisfactory results. Therefore, the optimal goal in preserving useful visual acuity and visual field is to obtain better control of glaucoma with trabeculotomy and treatment of amblyopia.

Linkage disequilibrium sharing and haplotype-tagged SNP portability between populations.

The discovery of the block-like structure of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in human populations holds the promise of delineating the etiology of common diseases. However, understanding the magnitude, mechanism, and utility of between-population LD sharing is critical for future genome-wide association studies. In this study, substantial LD sharing between six non-African populations was observed, although much less between African-American and non-African, based on 20,000 SNPs of chromosome 21. We also demonstrated the respective roles of recombination and demographic events in shaping LD sharing. Furthermore, we showed that the haplotype-tagged SNPs chosen from one population are portable to the others in East Asia. Therefore, we concluded that the magnitude of LD sharing between human populations justifies the use of representative populations for selecting haplotype-tagged SNPs in genome-wide association studies of complex diseases.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in promoter of angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene associated with essential hypertension and coronary heart disease in Chinese population.

AIM: To discover single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1) gene and evaluate their associations with the occurrence of essential hypertension (EH) and coronary heart disease (CHD) in Chinese Han population. METHODS: SNPs detection was performed by PCR-sequencing. The genotype was determined by the same method in a total number of 473 unrelated patients including 160 EH cases, 128 CHD cases, and 185 EH combined with CHD cases as well as 160 healthy controls. RESULTS: Six SNPs were discovered in the promoter region of AT1 gene. -810A/T was almost in completely linkage disequilibrium with -713G/T, -214A/C, -213G/C, and -153A/G polymorphisms. No statistically association was found in our population between -810A/T polymorphism and EH, the association of -810A allele and CHD was of borderline significant (chi2=3.649, P=0.056). However, significant differences of genotype distributions were observed in the EH combined with CHD group (TT=126, TA=51, AA=8) compared with the EH patients (TT=127,TA=26, AA=7, chi2=6.410, P=0.041) and the healthy controls (TT=130, TA=24, AA=6, chi2=7.742, P=0.021). The EH combined with CHD patients had a significantly increased A allele frequency than the normal references (0.181 vs 0.106, chi2=7.690, P=0.006) and the EH subjects (0.181 vs 0.125, chi2=4.119, P=0.042). Hypertensive patients carrying TA genotype (OR=1.977, 95 % CI 1.160-3.354, P=0.011) or A allele (OR=1.548, 95 % CI 1.015-2.361, P=0.043) had an increased risk for CHD morbidity. CONCLUSION: we firstly report that -810A/T polymorphism in the promoter region of AT1 gene might be a genetic risk factor for the pathogenesis of CHD complicated with EH in Chinese Han population.

Divergence of the genes on human chromosome 21 between human and other hominoids and variation of substitution rates among transcription units.

The study of genomic divergence between humans and primates may provide insight into the origins of human beings and the genetic basis of unique human traits and diseases. Chromosome 21 is the smallest chromosome in the human genome, and some of its regions have been implicated in mental retardation and other diseases. In this study, we sequenced the coding and regulatory regions of 127 known genes on human chromosome 21 in DNA samples from human and chimpanzees and a part of the corresponding genes from orangutan, gorilla, and macaque. Overall, 3,003 nucleotide differences between human and chimpanzee were identified over approximately 400 kb. The differences in coding, promoter, and exon-intron junction regions were 0.51 +/- 0.02%, 0.88 +/- 0.03%, and 0.85 +/- 0.02%, respectively, much lower than the previously reported 1.23% in genomic regions, which suggests the presence of purifying selection. Significant variation in substitution rate among genes was observed by comparing the divergence between human and chimpanzee. Furthermore, by implementing a bioinformatics-based approach, we showed that the identification of genetic variants specific to the human lineage might lead to an understanding of the mechanisms that are attributable to the phenotypes that unique to humans, by changing the structure and/or dosage of the proteins expressed. A phylogenetic analysis unambiguously confirms the conclusion that chimpanzees were our closest relatives to the exclusion of other primates and the relative divergence of the Homo-Pan and that of (Homo-Pan)-Gorilla are 4.93 million years and 7.26 million years, respectively.