Trends in prevalence of hearing loss in adults in the USA 1999-2018: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: A better understanding of how the prevalence of hearing loss and its associated factors change over time could help in developing an appropriate program to prevent the development of hearing loss. METHODS: Population-representative cross-sectional data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used to estimate the trends in the prevalence of hearing loss among adults in the USA over the period 1999-2018. A total of 15,498 adult participants aged 20 years or older had complete audiometric examination data. Logistic regression was employed to evaluate the trend in hearing loss; weighted Rao-Scott χ2 tests and univariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between hearing loss and relevant factors. RESULTS: The overall hearing loss prevalence in 1999-2018 was 19.1% 19.1 (95% CI, 18.0-20.2%). The prevalence of hearing loss decreased in cycles (P for trend < 0.001). For participants aged 20-69 years, the prevalence decreased from 15.6% (95% CI, 12.9-18.4%) in 1999-2000 to 14.9% (95% CI, 13.2- 16.6%) in 2015-2016; for participants aged > 70 years the prevalence decreased from 79.9% (95% CI, 76.1-83.8%) in 2005-2006 to 64.5% (95% CI, 58.8-70.2%) in 2017-2018. Participants with hearing loss were likely to be older, male, non-Hispanic white, and to have not completed high school. Mild hearing loss was more prevalent among those aged 20-79 years; in those aged over 80 years the prevalence of moderate hearing loss exceeded that of mild loss. Among all otologically normal participants, hearing thresholds increased with age across the entire frequency range. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of hearing loss in USA adults changed over the period 1999-2018. The trends observed provide valuable insight for making public health plans and allocating resources to hearing care. Further investigation is necessary to monitor hearing loss and its potential risk factors.

Vinculin Identified as a Potential Biomarker in Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome Based on iTRAQ and LC-MS/MS-Based Proteomic Analysis.

Local vibration can induce vascular injuries, one example is the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) caused by hand-transmitted vibration (HTV). Little is known about the molecular mechanism of HAVS-induced vascular injuries. Herein, the iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) proteomics approach was applied to conduct the quantitative proteomic analysis of plasma from specimens with HTV exposure or HAVS diagnosis. Overall, 726 proteins were identified in iTRAQ. 37 proteins upregulated and 43 downregulated in HAVS. Moreover, 37 upregulated and 40 downregulated when comparing severe HAVS and mild HAVS. Among them, Vinculin (VCL) was found to be downregulated in the whole process of HAVS. The concentration of vinculin was further verified by ELISA, and the results suggested that the proteomics data was reliable. Bioinformative analyses were used, and those proteins mainly engaged in specific biological processes like binding, focal adhesion, and integrins. The potential of vinculin application in HAVS diagnosis was validated by the receiver operating characteristic curve.

Phloridzin Highly Accumulated in Malus rockii Rehder and Its Structure Revision and Hypolipidemic Activity.

Phloridzin is a lead compound of the prestigious antidiabetic gliflozins. The present study found that phloridzin highly accumulated in Malus rockii Rehder. The content of phloridzin in M. rockii was the highest among wild plants, with the percentage of 15.54% in the dry leaves. The structure of phloridzin was revised by proton exchange experiments and extensive 2D NMR spectra. Phloridzin exhibited significant hypolipidemic activity in golden Syrian hamsters maybe by increasing the expression of CYP7A1, at the doses of 50 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg. The total performance of anti-hyperlipidemic effect of phloridzin may be superior to that of lovastatin, though lovastatin was more active than phloridzin. In addition, phloridzin exhibited moderate antimalarial activity with inhibition ratio of 31.3 ± 10.9% at a dose of 25 mg/kg/day, and showed moderate analgesic activity with 28.0% inhibition at a dose of 50 mg/kg.

Local vibration induced vascular pathological structural changes and abnormal levels of vascular damage indicators.

BACKGROUND: The vascular component of the hand-arm-vibration syndrome (HAVS) is often characterized by vibration-induced white fingers (VWF). Active substances secreted by the vascular endothelial cells (VEC) maintain a dynamic balance but damage to the blood vessels may occur when the equilibrium is altered, thus forming an important pathological basis for VWF. This study was aimed at investigating vascular damage indicators as a basis for an early detection of disorders caused by vibration, using the rat tail model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Experiments were conducted using a control group of rats not exposed to vibration while two exposed groups having different exposure durations of 7 and 14 days were randomly formed. Following exposure, the structural changes of tail tissue samples in anesthetized rats were observed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for analyzing four vascular damage indicators myosin regulatory light chain (MLC2), endothelin-1 (ET-1), vinculin (VCL) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in tail blood samples. We found that both vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells displayed changes in morphology characterized by vacuolization and swelling in the vibration-exposed group. The levels of vascular damage indicators were altered under the vibration. CONCLUSION: The degree of vascular pathology increased with the longer duration exposure. Furthermore, the levels of MLC2, ET-1 and 5-HT in rat plasma were associated with vascular injury caused by local vibration.

Diagnosis and surgical treatment of non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy with unilateral amygdala enlargement.

OBJECTIVE: Exploring the role of amygdala enlargement (AE) in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) without ipsilateral mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) using comprehensive presurgical workup tools including traditional tools, automatically volumetric analysis, high-density EEG (HD-EEG) source imaging (HD-ESI), and stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG). METHODS: Nine patients diagnosed with TLE-AE who underwent resective surgeries encompassing the amygdala were retrospectively studied. HD-ESI was obtained using 256-channel HD-EEG on the individualized head model. For automatic volumetric analysis, 48 matched controls were enrolled. Diagnosis and surgical strategies were based on a comprehensive workup following the anatomo-electro-clinical principle. RESULTS: At post-operative follow-up (average 30.9 months), eight patients had achieved Engel class I and one Engel class II recovery. HD-ESI yielded unifocal source estimates in anterior mesial temporal region in 85.7% of cases. Automatic volumetric analysis showed the AE sides were consistent with the values determined through other preoperative workup tools. Furthermore, the amygdala volume of the affected sides in AE was significantly greater than that of the larger sides in controls (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the amygdala volume lateral index (LI) of AE was significantly higher than in controls (p < 0.001). SEEG analysis showed that ictal onsets arose from the enlarged amygdala (and hippocampus) in all cases. CONCLUSION: In addition to traditional workup tools, automatic volumetric analysis, HD-ESI on individualized head model, and invasive SEEG can provide evidence of epileptogenicity in TLE-AE. Resective surgical strategies encompassing the amygdala result in better prognosis. In suspected TLE cases, more attention should be focused on detecting enlargement of amygdala which sometimes is "hidden" in "MR-negative" non-MTS cases.

The hand-arm vibration syndrome associated with the grinding of handheld workpieces in a subtropical environment.

OBJECTIVES: To study the characteristics and the factors influencing the occurrence of the Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) for a population grinding handheld workpieces in a subtropical environment. METHODS: A total of 803 workers grinding handheld workpieces formed the exposure group and 464 workers not exposed to hand-transmitted vibration (HTV) were recruited as the non-exposed group within the same factory in a subtropical climate area. The basic personal information and clinical symptoms reported were collected by trained physicians using a questionnaire and representative measurements were made of the HTV exposure levels and dose. RESULTS: The average HTV exposure dose A(8) was measured as 5.3 ± 2.0 m/s2. The proportion of grinders reporting finger blanching was 15.4% while it was 27.5% for finger numbness. Among the non-exposed group, that proportion was 0% and 6.3% respectively. There was a positive association between the vibration exposure duration and the occurrence of finger blanching, finger numbness and finger coldness. Riding a motorcycle to work was also identified as a factor that could contribute to a higher prevalence of finger blanching among the exposed workers, the OR value was found to be 1.75 (1.12, 2.75). CONCLUSIONS: Workers exposed to vibration in a subtropical area can also present evidence of finger blanching in addition to neurological symptoms. The reported rate of HAVS was positively associated with the exposure duration. And the levels of the duration of exposure relative to symptoms of vibration white finger in a subtropical temperate environment exposed to a high-frequency vibration might be deemphasized by the current ISO weighting. Motorcycle transportation to work was identified as a factor that could influence the development of the HAVS among the exposed population of grinders.

TJP2 hepatobiliary disorders: Novel variants and clinical diversity.

To assess the spectrum of pediatric clinical phenotypes in TJP2 disease, we reviewed records of our seven patients in whom intrahepatic cholestasis was associated with biallelic TJP2 variants (13; 12 novel) and correlated clinical manifestations with mutation type. The effect of a splicing variant was analyzed with a minigene assay. The effects of three missense variants were analyzed with protein expression in vitro. Our patients had both remitting and persistent cholestasis. Three exhibited growth retardation. Six responded to treatment with cholestyramine, ursodeoxycholic acid, or both. Two had cholecystolithiasis. None required liver transplantation or developed hepatocellular or cholangiocellular malignancy. None manifested extrahepatic disease not attributable to effects of cholestasis. The variant c.2180-5T>G resulted in exon 15 skipping with in-frame deletion of 32 amino acid residues in TJP2. The three missense variants decreased but did not abolish TJP2 expression. Patients with truncating or canonical splice-site variants had clinically more severe disease. TJP2 disease in children includes a full clinical spectrum of severity, with mild or intermittent forms as well as the severe and minimal forms hitherto described. Biallelic TJP2 variants must be considered in children with clinically intermittent or resolved intrahepatic cholestasis.

Abnormal Bilirubin Metabolism in Patients With Sodium Taurocholate Cotransporting Polypeptide Deficiency.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to explore the significance of sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) deficiency and its clinical features in Chinese children presenting with isolated persistent hypercholanemia. METHODS: The exon and adjacent regions of SLC10A1, the gene encoding NTCP, were sequenced in 33 Chinese children presenting with isolated hypercholanemia. Clinical history and medical data were reviewed. Growth milestones were compared with the national standard. The serum direct bilirubin concentration at last follow-up was compared with age- and sex-matched controls. RESULTS: A variant, c.800C>T, p. S267F of SLC10A1 was detected in all subjects; 30 patients were homozygotes and 3 were compound heterozygotes. Nine patients presented with transient neonatal cholestasis, and 1 with a persistent mild conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. The serum direct bilirubin level in NTCP-deficient patients was significantly higher than age- and sex-matched controls even after the neonatal cholestasis stage (2.85 ±â€Š1.50 vs 1.49 ±â€Š0.70 µmol/L, P = 0.00008). No growth delay or other severe long-term clinical consequences were observed. CONCLUSIONS: NTCP deficiency is the exclusive or major cause of isolated hypercholanemia in Han Chinese children, with c.800C>T the major contributing genetic variation. The defect may affect bilirubin metabolism and present as transient neonatal cholestasis and/or persistent mild conjugated hyperbilirubinmia, but with no apparent long-term clinical consequences.

Tracheal Injury during Endoscopic Transoral Vestibular Approach Thyroidectomy: A Case Report.

This report describes the intraoperative course of endoscopic thyroidectomy by oral vestibular approach in a female patient. This operation is new, and its perioperative management is not yet mature. In this case, the surgery resulted in trachea injury that could not be detected easily. As a result, the patient suddenly developed acute dyspnea and circulatory disorder. This procedure requires caution in surgical execution and anesthesia management.

Down-regulation of miR-383-5p suppresses apoptosis in oxidative stress rat hepatocytes by targeting Bcl2.

miRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs that are involved in various biological processes. In the preliminary work of the laboratory, found that miR-383-5p was down-regulated in the liver tissue of acute cold stress rats and has been shown to be an important regulatory factor in tumour proliferation, but there are very few studies involving the mediation of cold stress in rat liver tissues. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of miR-383-5p on the livers of cold stress rats by simulating the cold stress state of rat liver tissues in vitro using H2 O2 to induce rat hepatocyte oxidative stress. The results showed that MDA content, Caspase 3 and Cyto C protein levels increased significantly; GPx activity and SOD1 protein levels decreased significantly and miR-383-5p expression was significantly down-regulated in rat liver tissues after cold stress. Different concentrations of H2 O2 was added to rat hepatocytes, and the results showed that the expression of miR-383-5p, the ROS level, and the apoptosis rate in rat hepatocytes was increased significantly in a concentration-dependent fashion. Transfection of miR-383-5p inhibitor revealed that the apoptosis rate of rat hepatocytes, and the protein level of apoptosis-related protein Caspase 3 were reduced; the results of the dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that miR-383-5p targeted regulation of Bcl2. The results suggested that the expression of miR-383-5p was up-regulated in oxidative stress rat hepatocytes and may aggravate the apoptosis of rat hepatocytes induced by targeting inhibition of Bcl2 translation.

Predictors to quality of life improvements after subthalamic stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

INTRODUCTION: Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN DBS) has been reported to improve the quality of life (QoL) related to Parkinson's disease (PD). However, not all subjects are satisfied with the postsurgical QoL outcome. We aimed to detect the related factors and possible predictors to QoL improvement for those PD patients one year after STN DBS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 45 PD patients with bilateral STN DBS surgery were included and followed up for 1 year. The Reliable Change Index (RCI) was adapted to determine the individual postsurgical QoL outcome. The changes of QoL were correlated with baseline parameters and the changes of progression parameters using Pearson's correlation. The exploratory stepwise regressions were adopted to detect the extents of baseline variables and progression parameters. The predictors to QoL outcome were detected using the logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 51.1% of the patients reported a better QoL, 40.0% of patients reported an unchanged QoL, while 8.9% of patients reported a worsening of QoL. The subdomains of mobility, activity of daily living, cognition, and bodily discomfort improved significantly after the surgery. The presurgical factors including QoL, dopaminergic medication burden, disease stages, depression scores, and postsurgical reductions in depression and nonmotor scores were found to correlate with QoL changes. Furthermore, the greater presurgical QoL burden, lesser dopaminergic medication exposure, and earlier disease stages were predictors to QoL improvements. CONCLUSION: The clinicians should carefully evaluate the nonmotor symptoms and life quality in those patients at relatively earlier stages and with lower medicine dosage to get more successful DBS outcomes.

[Advances in respiratory assessment and treatment in children undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation].

The widespread use of mechanical ventilation technology has contributed to the successful treatment of many children with respiratory failure. At the same time, forced ventilation and changes in normal respiratory physiology and mechanics may lead to respiratory dysfunction and decreased airway clearance ability. Therefore, how to perform a comprehensive and accurate respiratory function assessment, conduct appropriate respiratory function rehabilitation, perform extubation as soon as possible, and shorten the duration of mechanical ventilation based on the children's own physiological characteristics, is a focus of the research on effective weaning from mechanical ventilation in children with severe conditions. This article reviews the advances in the respiratory function assessment and treatment methods in children undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation.

Pharmacological inhibition of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase induces apoptosis and differentiation in acute myeloid leukemia cells.

Acute myeloid leukemia is a disorder characterized by abnormal differentiation of myeloid cells and a clonal proliferation derived from primitive hematopoietic stem cells. Interventions that overcome myeloid differentiation have been shown to be a promising therapeutic strategy for acute myeloid leukemia. In this study, we demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase leads to apoptosis and normal differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia cells, indicating that dihydroorotate dehydrogenase is a potential differentiation regulator and a therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukemia. By screening a library of natural products, we identified a novel dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitor, isobavachalcone, derived from the traditional Chinese medicine Psoralea corylifolia Using enzymatic analysis, thermal shift assay, pull down, nuclear magnetic resonance, and isothermal titration calorimetry experiments, we demonstrate that isobavachalcone inhibits human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase directly, and triggers apoptosis and differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia cells. Oral administration of isobavachalcone suppresses subcutaneous HL60 xenograft tumor growth without obvious toxicity. Importantly, our results suggest that a combination of isobavachalcone and adriamycin prolonged survival in an intravenous HL60 leukemia model. In summary, this study demonstrates that isobavachalcone triggers apoptosis and differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia cells via pharmacological inhibition of human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, offering a potential therapeutic strategy for acute myeloid leukemia.

[Localization Establishment of an Interdisciplinary Intervention Model to Prevent Post-Operative Delirium in Older Patients Based on 'Hospital Elder Life Program'].

BACKGROUND: Postoperative delirium is a significant complication in elderly patients. The occurrence of delirium may increase the related physical and psychological risks, delay the length of hospital stays, and even lead to death. According to the current evidence-based model, the application of interdisciplinary intervention may effectively prevent delirium, shorten the length of hospital stays, and save costs. PURPOSE: To establish a culturally appropriate interdisciplinary intervention model for preventing postoperative delirium in older Chinese patients. METHODS: The authors adapted the original version of the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP©) from the Hebrew Senior Life Institute for Aging Research of Harvard University by localizing the content using additional medical resources and translating the modified instrument into Chinese. Furthermore, the final version of this interdisciplinary intervention model for postoperative delirium was developed in accordance with the "guideline of delirium: diagnosis, prevention and management produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in 2010" and the "clinical practice guideline for postoperative delirium in older adults" produced by American geriatrics society in 2014. Finally, the translated instrument was revised and improved using discussions, consultations, and pilot study. RESULTS: The abovementioned procedure generated an interdisciplinary intervention model for preventing postoperative delirium that is applicable to the Chinese medical environment. The content addresses personnel structure and assignment of responsibility; details of interdisciplinary intervention protocols and implementation procedures; and required personnel training. CONCLUSIONS: The revised model is expected to decrease the occurrence of post-operative delirium and other complications in elderly patients, to help them maintain and improve their function, to shorten the length of their hospital stays, and to facilitate recovery.

2-Arylbenzo[b]furan derivatives as potent human lipoxygenase inhibitors.

Human lipoxygenases (LOXs) have been emerging as effective therapeutic targets for inflammatory diseases. In this study, we found that four natural 2-arylbenzo[b]furan derivatives isolated from Artocarpus heterophyllus exhibited potent inhibitory activities against human LOXs, including moracin C (1), artoindonesianin B-1 (2), moracin D (3), moracin M (4). In our in vitro experiments, compound 1 was identified as the most potent LOX inhibitor and the moderate subtype selective inhibitor of 12-LOX. Compounds 1 and 2 act as competitive inhibitors of LOXs. Moreover, 1 significantly inhibits LTB4 production and chemotactic capacity of neutrophils, and is capable of protecting vascular barrier from plasma leakage in vivo. In addition, the preliminary structure-activity relationship analysis was performed based on the above four naturally occurring (1-4) and six additional synthetic 2-arylbenzo[b]furan derivatives. Taken together, these 2-arylbenzo[b]furan derivatives, as LOXs inhibitors, could represent valuable leads for the future development of therapeutic agents for inflammatory diseases.

Chiral d-Wave Superfluid in Periodically Driven Lattices.

A chiral d-wave superfluid is a preliminary example of interacting topological matter. However, unlike s-wave superfluids prevalent in nature, its existence requires a strong d-wave interaction, a criterion that is difficult to access in ordinary systems. There is no experimental observation of such unconventional superfluid at the moment. Here, we present a new principle for creating a two-dimensional (2D) chiral d-wave superfluid using periodically driven lattices. Because of an imprinted 2D pseudospin-orbit coupling, where the sublattice index serves as the pseudospin, the s-wave interaction between two hyperfine spin states naturally creates a chiral d-wave superfluid. This scheme can be directly implemented in current experiments.

[A novel HIF-1 inhibitor--manassantin A derivative LXY6099 inhibits tumor growth].

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a key transcription factor on hypoxia responses in mammalian tissues. HIF-1 plays as a positive factor in solid tumor and leads to hypoxia-driven responses that enhance its downstream gene expression for tumor growth and survival. LXY6099 was obtained by the structural modification and optimization of manassantin A (MA) as a high potent HIF-1 inhibitor. Antitumor activity of LXY6099 was observed in this study. LXY6099 with an IC50 value of 2.46 x 10(-10) mol x L(-1) showed more sensitive inhibition activity to HIF-1 than that of MA detected by reporter gene assay (> 100 folds). It showed strong inhibition on the growth of human solid tumor cell lines. Furthermore, LXY6099 exhibited significant antitumor activity against established human tumor xenografts in nu/nu mice with treatment of MX-1 breast cancer. Thus, LXY6099 as a novel HIF-1 inhibitor could be further developed into anti-cancer agents.

[Clinical efficacy of mouse nerve growth factor in treatment of occupational hand-arm vibration disease].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of mouse nerve growth factor (mNGF) in treating occupational hand-arm vibration disease (HAVD). METHODS: Sixty-four patients with HAVD were equally and randomly divided into treatment group and control group. The control group was given Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge and deproteinized extract of calf blood to improve circulation, and also given methylcobalamin tablets and vitamin B6 for neurotrophic treatment. In addition to the above treatments for the control group, the treatment group was also given 30 µg/d mNGF by intramuscular injection for two courses (4 weeks for each course) with a 15-day interval. RESULTS: Both the treatment group and the control group showed significant improvements in clinical symptoms and signs (hand numbness and pain, and reduced senses of touch, pain, and vibration), cold water loading test (CWLT), and electroneuromyography (ENMG) after treatments (P < 0.05). And the treatment group had significantly more improvements than the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: mNGF can significantly improve hand numbness and pain, reduced senses of touch, pain, and vibration, CWLT, and ENMG, so it has better clinical effect and safety in treating HAVD. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve the outcome of patients with HAVD.

Efficiency and safety of laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy: A study of intrathecal vs extrathecal Glissonean pedicle techniques.

BACKGROUND: Selective hemihepatic vascular occlusion is utilized in both right and left hemihepatectomies to preserve blood supply to the intact lobe, maintain hemodynamic stability, and mitigate surgical risks. While this technique encompasses both intrathecal and extrathecal Glissonean pedicle transection methods, there is a lack of systematic comparative reports on these two approaches. AIM: To retrospectively analyze the clinical data of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy in our hospital to explore the feasibility, safety, and short- and long-term efficacy of extrathecal and intrathecal Glissonean pedicle transection methods in laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed to analyze the clinical data of 49 HCC patients who underwent laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy from January 2019 to December 2022 in our hospital. These patients were divided into extrathecal Glissonean pedicle transection (EGP) group (n = 24) and intrathecal Glissonean pedicle transection (IGP) group (n = 25) according to the different approaches used for selective hemihepatic vascular occlusion. The perioperative indicators, liver function indexes, complications, and follow-up findings were compared between these two groups. RESULTS: The surgeries were smooth in both groups, and no perioperative death was noted. The hepatic pedicle transection time and the operation time were (16.1 ± 2.3) minutes and (129.6 ± 19.0) minutes, respectively, in the EGP group, which were significantly shorter than those in the IGP group [(25.5 ± 2.4) minutes and (184.8 ± 26.0) minutes, respectively], both P < 0.01. There were no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss, time to anal exhaust, hospital stay, drain indwelling time, and postoperative liver function between the two groups (all P > 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications showed no significant difference [16.67% (4/24) vs 16.0% (4/25), P > 0.05). All the 49 HCC patients were followed up after surgery (range: 11.2-53.3 months; median: 36.4 months). The overall survival rate and disease-free survival rate were not significantly different (both P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both extrathecal and intrathecal Glissonean pedicle approaches are effective and safe hepatic inflow occlusion techniques in laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy for HCC. However, the extrathecal approach simplifies the hepatic pedicle transection, shortens the operation time, and increases the surgical efficiency, making it a more feasible technique.

Interactions of genetic variations in FAS, GJB2 and PTPRN2 are associated with noise-induced hearing loss: a case-control study in China.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to screen and validate noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), construct genetic risk prediction models, and evaluate higher-order gene-gene, gene-environment interactions for NIHL in Chinese population. METHODS: First, 83 cases and 83 controls were recruited and 60 candidate SNPs were genotyped. Then SNPs with promising results were validated in another case-control study (153 cases and 252 controls). NIHL-associated SNPs were identified by logistic regression analysis, and a genetic risk model was constructed based on the genetic risk score (GRS), and classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used to evaluate interactions among gene-gene and gene-environment. RESULTS: Six SNPs in five genes were significantly associated with NIHL risk (p < 0.05). A positive dose-response relationship was found between GRS values and NIHL risk. CART analysis indicated that strongest interaction was among subjects with age ≥ 45 years and cumulative noise exposure ≥ 95 [dB(A)·years], without personal protective equipment, and carried GJB2 rs3751385 (AA/AB) and FAS rs1468063 (AA/AB) (OR = 10.038, 95% CI = 2.770, 47.792), compared with the referent group. CDH23, FAS, GJB2, PTPRN2 and SIK3 may be NIHL susceptibility genes. CONCLUSION: GRS values may be utilized in the evaluation of the cumulative effect of genetic risk for NIHL based on NIHL-associated SNPs. Gene-gene, gene-environment interaction patterns play an important role in the incidence of NIHL.