A Prospective Study of the Effect of Tinnitus Sound Matching Degree on the Efficacy of Customized Sound Therapy in Patients with Chronic Tinnitus.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore and compare the customized sound therapy effect between tinnitus sound matching and nonmatching patients in tinnitus customized sound therapy and therapy-related influencing factors. METHODS: This prospective study investigated a total of 100 patients with unilateral chronic tinnitus who received customized sound therapy. The participants were dichotomously divided into matching (group A) and nonmatching (group B) groups after 4 stages of tinnitus matching via the tinnitus assistant app (provided by Sound Ocean Company, SuZhou, China). Each group consists of 50 participants. Before and 6 months after the treatment, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), and tinnitus loudness Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were used to evaluate the customized sound therapy effect and explore other related influencing factors. RESULTS: (1) The HADS-A, HADS-D, THI, and VAS scores of 2 groups were both significantly decreased after treatment. (2) The HADS-A and THI scores improved markedly in group A than that in group B, which could be related to the hearing loss of the tinnitus side ear before treatment; the lighter the degree of hearing loss, the better the improvement. No statistically significant differences were detected in HADS-D and VAS scores between the 2 groups, and also, these were not related to the degree of hearing loss. The differences in age, gender, and tinnitus duration did not show any statistically significant effect on the improvement of the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both tinnitus sound matching and nonmatching of the customized sound therapy brought a significant effect to tinnitus participants. Our study also suggests that THI and HADS-A scores of those with tinnitus matching participants improved markedly as compared to those of nonmatching participants, and the customized sound therapy effect is negatively correlated with the severity of hearing loss.

Characterization of the effect of cis-3-hexen-1-ol on green tea aroma.

cis-3-Hexen-1-ol has been regarded as the main source of green aroma (or green odor) in green tea. However, no clear findings on the composition of green aroma components in tea and the effect of cis-3-hexen-1-ol on other aroma components have been reported. In this study, the main green aroma components in green tea were characterized, especially the role of cis-3-hexen-1-ol in green aroma was analyzed and how it affected other aroma components in green tea was studied. Based on the GC-MS detection, odor activity value evaluation, and monomer sniffing, 12 green components were identified. Through the chemometric analysis, cis-3-hexen-1-ol was proven as the most influential component of green aroma. Moreover, through the electronic nose analysis of different concentrations of cis-3-hexen-1-ol with 25 other aroma components in green tea, we showed that the effect of cis-3-hexen-1-ol plays a profound effect on the overall aroma based on the experiments of reconstitution solution and natural tea samples. GC-MS and CG-FID confirmed that the concentration range of the differential threshold of green odor and green aroma of cis-3-hexen-1-ol was 0.04-0.52 mg kg-1.

Time selection and course of treatment of cerebral resuscitation with hyperbaric oxygen / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To explore the effect of treatment opportunity and course of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on the curative effect of cerebral resuscitation patients after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).Methods:Eighty-nine patients who underwent cerebral resuscitation after CPR admitted to the second department of the First Hospital of Jilin University from June 2015 to June 2019 were enrolled. All patients underwent conventional drug therapy after admission, and HBO therapy was added on the basis of conventional drug therapy at different intervention times, and all patients received at least 3 courses of HBO treatment. Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score and amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) score on different treatment opportunity (i.e. intervention of HBO within 12 hours, 12-72 hours, 4-7 days, 8-21 days after successful CPR) and different course of HBO (i.e. 1, 2 and 3 courses of treatment) were recorded. Repeated measurement analysis of variance was used to assess whether the treatment opportunity or course of treatment affects the GCS score and aEEG score. Then, paired sample t test was used to further analyze the results of repeated measurement analysis of variance and evaluate the specific effect of treatment course or intervention time on the efficacy. Results:A total of 89 patients were enrolled. 8, 20, 33 and 28 patients started HBO treatment at < 12 hours, 12-72 hours, 4-7 days and 8-21 days after successful CPR. ① GCS score: repeated measurement analysis of variance (the Greenhouse-Geisser correction method was used) showed that the effect of course of HBO treatment on GCS score was statistically significant ( F = 71.735, P = 0.000). The interaction between the duration of HBO treatment and the timing of intervention was not statistically significant ( F = 0.455, P = 0.817). Paired sample t test showed that the means of GCS scores before HBO treatment and treatment 1, 2, 3 courses were 3.56, 4.80, 5.55 and 6.49 respectively, and the difference of pairwise pairing between different groups were statistically significant (all P < 0.01). ②aEEG score: repeated measurement analysis of variance (the Greenhouse-Geisser correction method was used) showed that the effect of course of HBO treatment on aEEG score was statistically significant ( F = 96.965, P = 0.000).The interaction between the duration of HBO treatment and the timing of intervention was not statistically significant ( F = 1.735, P = 0.112). Paired sample t test showed that the means of aEEG scores before HBO treatment and treatment 1, 2, 3 courses were 1.71, 2.21, 2.52 and 3.03 respectively (all P < 0.01). Conclusions:The effect of HBO on cerebral resuscitation after CPR is obvious. The longer the course of HBO is, the more significant the effect of cerebral resuscitation is. Within 21 days after successful CPR, the treatment opportunity of HBO had no significant effect on the effect of cerebral resuscitation.

Contrasting results of tests of peripheral vestibular function in patients with bilateral large vestibular aqueduct syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze and summarize the effect of bilateral large vestibular aqueducts in peripheral vestibular organ function. METHODS: Eighteen patients with bilateral large vestibular aqueduct syndrome (LVAS; Study Group) and 18 healthy volunteers (Control Group) were investigated using audiometry, caloric test, sensory organization test (SOT), and vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) tests. RESULTS: All 18 patients (36 ears) exhibited sensorineural hearing loss. For cervical VEMP (cVEMP), the Study Group showed lower thresholds (Study Group vs. CONTROL GROUP: 71.4vs. 75.3dBnHL; p=0.006), N1 latencies (24.1vs. 25.2ms; p=0.026) and shorter P1 (15.3vs. 16.6ms; p=0.003), and higher amplitudes (400.7vs. 247.2µV; p<0.001) than the Control Group. For ocular VEMP (oVEMP), the Study Group had lower thresholds (79.3vs. 81.8dBnHL; p=0.046) and higher amplitudes (40.6vs. 14.4µV; p<0.001) than the Control Group. Fourteen of 16 patients (87.5%) who completed caloric tests had abnormal results, and 10 of 18 patients (55.6%) exhibited abnormal results in SOTs. CONCLUSIONS: The hyperfunction of vestibular test in otolithic organs and the hypofunction of vestibular test in semicircular canals, as well as the dysfunction in the balance test were demonstrated in patients with LVAS. SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings can help clinicians gain a better understanding of the characteristics of vestibular organ function in patients with LVAS, which can facilitate optimal targeted treatment.

Efficacy of Sorafenib for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Prognostic Factors.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Sorafenib, a drug that inhibits Raf serine/threonine kinases mediating cell proliferation and receptor tyrosine kinases involved in angiogenesis, is approved for treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The study aims to evaluate the efficacy and analyze the prognostic factors of sorafenib treatment in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODOLOGY: Consecutive cases of HCC were treated with sorafenib (400 mg, Bid). Baseline clinical parameters, adverse events and survival were collected. RESULTS: A total of 60 patients received sorafenib and transarterial therapy. There was no CR; 2 (3.3%) patients achieved partial response, but 30 patients (50.0%) achieved stable disease. The median follow-up time was 16 months. The median OS and median TTP were 13.6 months and 4.4 months respectively. The common adverse events were dermal reaction (60.0%, 36/60), diarrhea (46.7.0%, 28/60), hypertension (5.0%, 3/60), hair loss (16.7%, 10/60), myelosuppression (20.0%, 12/60), and liver dysfunction (25.0%, 15/60). In most patients, these side effects were mild-to-moderate, and alleviated remarkably after symptomatic treatment. The patients with lower tumor burden and without extrahepatic spread had better prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Soafenib is effective for unresectable primary HCC with tolerable toxicity. Tumor stage is a predominant prognostic factor.