Endoscopic cartilage underlay myringoplasty with or without balloon Eustachian tuboplasty for chronic perforation with Eustachian tube dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of endoscopic cartilage underlay myringoplasty(CNM) with or without balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) for the treatment of chronic perforation with Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 50 ears diagnosed with chronic perforation and ETD were randomly divided into receiving alone CNM and CNM + BET. During the 12 months follow-up, the Eustachian tube score (ETS), Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire-7 (ETDQ-7), ET inflammation scale, hearing results and graft success rate of the patients were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: The improvement in the ETDQ-7 score was 6.23 ± 2.51 in the CNM + BET group, which was significantly higher than that in the CNM group (4.22 ± 3.85, P < 0.01) at postoperative 3 months, however, no significant between-group difference was found at post-12 months.The graft success rate was 88.0 % in the CNM group and 92.0 % in the CNM + BET group at postoperative 3 months (P > 0.05). Also, no significant difference was found among two groups (84.0 % vs 88.0 %, P > 0.05).The ABG improvement was 13.16 ± 3.19 dB in the CNM + BET group and 9.74 ± 2.56 dB in the CNM group, with a statistically significant between-group difference (P < 0.01)at postoperative 3 months. However, no significant between-group difference was found at postoperative 12 months. During followup process, neither complications nor patulous symptoms were noted. No patients developted atelectasis or otitis media with effusion. However, myringitis was seen in 8 % patients in the CNM group and 12 % patients in the CNM + BET group. CONCLUSIONS: Although BET combined with endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty had better short-term improvement of hearing and ETDQ-7 scores compared with endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty for the treatment of chronic large perforation with ETD, the long-term outcomes was not satisfactory. Also, BET did not improve the 3-and 12 months graft success rate.

Dietary safety assessment of genetically modified rice EH rich in ß-carotene.

This 90-day study aimed to assess the dietary safety of transgenic rice EH which is rich in ß-carotene. Two experimental groups of Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing 45% rice flour of Zhonghua 11 rice and transgenic rice EH rich in ß-carotene, respectively. The reference group was fed a diet containing standard feed nutrition. During the trial period, each rat was weighed and the food intake was recorded twice a week. Their behaviors were observed daily. In the end, blood samples were obtained from all anesthetized rats to measure the hematologic and serum chemistry indicators. Growth performance, anatomy and pathology of all organs in each group were analyzed. Although a few parameters were found to be statistically significantly different across groups, they were within the normal reference range for this breed and age of rats. Therefore, the changes were not considered to be diet related. The results revealed that the transgenic rice EH rich in ß-carotene was as nutritious as Zhonghua 11 rice and showed a lack of biologically meaningful unintended effects.

Research on Evaluation of University Emergency Management Ability Based on BP Neural Network.

University emergency management ability is an important part of university safety management. To evaluate university emergency management ability scientifically, objectively, and accurately, this study constructs three first-level indexes, namely, pre-prevention ability, in-process control ability, and post-recovery ability, and 15 s-level indexes, including the establishment of emergency management institutions; the construction of emergency plans; the allocation of emergency personnel, equipment, and materials; and the training and exercise of emergency plans. On the basis of the backpropagation (BP) neural network method and MATLAB platform, an evaluation model of university emergency management ability is constructed. The neural network evaluation model is trained with sample data, and a university in Beijing is adopted as an example to verify the good prediction effect of the model. The results show that applying the evaluation model based on the BP neural network to the emergency management ability of colleges and universities is feasible. The model provides a new method to evaluate the emergency management ability of colleges and universities.

Correlation between pure tone audiometry at all frequencies and distortion product otoacoustic emission of patients with hidden hearing loss.

To explore the correlation between pure tone audiometry at all frequencies and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) of hidden hearing loss (HHL). The workers exposed to noise from a factory in Zhangjiakou (noise exposure group, n = 73) and normal young and middle-aged people recruited by society (control group, n = 77) from August 2021 to April 2022 were study subjects, and all of them underwent audiometry in clinic. Compared with the control group, the noise exposure group had significantly higher threshold by extended high-frequency audiometry at all frequencies and higher signal-to-noise ratio threshold (SNR50) (all P < 0.001), and higher amplitude ratio of SP to AP of the waveform induced by short sound at 96, 90, 80 and 70 dB nHL and lower SNR at 6 kHz and above (all P < 0.05). The pure tone audiometry was correlated with DPOAE test results at the frequencies of 6, 8, 9 and 10 kHz (P < 0.001). The results of speech audiometry in noise were related to the average SNR of DPOAE test at each frequency (P = 0.026,r = -0.265). The ratio of SP to AP in electrocochleogram recorded at the intensity of 96 dB nHL was correlated with the average SNR at 6 kHz and above in DPOAE test (P = 0.018,r = -0.461), and with the average auditory threshold at each frequency in extended high-frequency audiometry (P = 0.032, r = 0.421). DPOAE has certain value in detecting HHL.

Study on the influence of coal fire on the temporal and spatial distribution of CO2 and CH4 gas emissions.

In order to study the impact of gas released from coal fire combustion on the spatial-temporal distribution of CO2 and CH4 and other greenhouse gas emissions, the impact of regional coal fire on CO2 and CH4 emission flux was comprehensively evaluated using Landsat 8 and GOSAT satellite data in Xinjiang. In addition, typical fire areas are selected, a single-channel algorithm is used to invert the surface temperature of the coal field, the spatial distribution of the coal fire area is extracted by setting the threshold, and the influence law of CO2 and CH4 emissions in the typical fire area is accurately analyzed. The results show that during 2017-2018, CO2 and CH4 emissions in Xinjiang were generally dispersed and locally concentrated, while CO2-O and CH4-O were at low levels in most regions, fluctuating in the ranges of 0.01 ~ 0.14 g·m-2·day-1 and 0.001 ~ 0.003 g·m-2·day-1, respectively. However, the emission intensity of CO2-O and CH4-O in coal fire concentrated areas is higher, which are 1.6 ~ 3.8 g·m-2 day-1 and 0.013 ~ 0.026 g·m-2·day-1, respectively. CO2-F and CH4-ag have similar laws. The fire area of Daquan Lake is scattered, and there are four areas with the surface temperature over 35 °C: A, B, C, and D, respectively. The Sandaoba fire area is more concentrated, and only two areas are E and F when the surface temperature exceeds 35 °C. CO2 and CH4 released by burning in Daquan Lake and Sandaoba fire areas increased CO2-F and CH4-ag by 2.08 and 0.89 times, respectively. The results provide a reference for coal fire control and carbon emission reduction.

Comprehensive Evaluation of University Safety Culture Construction Level Based on "2-4" Model.

Based on the "2-4" model of accident causation, a comprehensive index system of the safety culture construction level in colleges and universities is set up. This system consists of 4 primary indicators and 28 secondary indicators. Taking a university as an example, applying the analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, this study establishes a comprehensive evaluation model to evaluate the construction level of the university's safety culture. The results show that the construction level of the university's safety culture is consistent with the actual situation. This study provides useful insights and feasible paths for promoting the safety and stability of colleges and universities and building a higher level of safety on campus.

MicroRNA-130a regulated by HPV18 E6 promotes proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cells by targeting TIMP2.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2019.7226.].

[Retracted] miR­22 inhibits proliferation and invasion in estrogen receptor α­positive endometrial endometrioid carcinomas cells.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that certain of the cell­cycle data shown in Fig. 4A and Transwell cell migration data shown in Fig. 5A were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles by different authors. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published elsewhere, or were already under consideration for publication, prior to its submission to Molecular Medicine Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive any reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in Molecular Medicine Reports 9: 2393­2399, 2014; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2014.2123].

[Diagnostic value of multi-slice spiral CT in tympanic wall destruction of middle ear cholesteatoma].

Objective:To investigate the correlation between preoperative temporal bone Computed Tomography （CT） findings and intraoperative manifestations in patients with middle ear cholesteatoma. Methods:The patients with cholesteatoma undergoing surgery in our hospital from March 2017 to November 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.The temporal bone CT findings of tympanoid wall status before operation and the state of tympanic wall during operation were compared. Results: A total of 148 cases （148 ears） were included in the analysis. Compared with intraoperative observation, 142 cases showed the same findings of tympanoid lid by preoperative CT examination, and 144 cases showed the same findings of mastoid lid by preoperative CT examination.The CT manifestations of facial nerve canal state in 18 patients was different from intraoperativen findings. Among the 12 cases of lateral wall destruction of the tympanic chamber observed by CT, 10 cases were consistent with the intraoperative findings.CT showed sigmoid sinus destruction in 6 cases, of which 5 cases were consistent with intraoperative findings. In 142 cases no sigmoid sinus destruction was found by CT , but in one case the CT findingswas different from intraoperative findings.The diagnostic efficiency of the exposed opposite neural tube was poor in the tympanoid wall observed by CT（Se=78.6%，Sp=90.0%，PPV=64.7%，NPV=94.7%，AUC=0.84，Kappa=0.63，P<0.05）, but the diagnostic efficiency of lateral wall failure of the drum chamber was good （Se=83.5%，Sp=98.5%，PPV=83.3%，NPV=98.6%，AUC=0.91，Kappa=0.82，P<0.05）. Conclusion:CT is effective in preoperative diagnosing of tympanic wall destruction caused by cholesteatoma of the middle ear, especially in detecting the destruction of tympanic lid, mastoid lid, lateral wall of the tympanic chamber and sigmoid sinus.Preoperative temporal bone CT scan is beneficial to clincal preoperative decision-making and intraoperative guidance.

Establishment of a porcine parvovirus (PPV) LAMP visual rapid detection method.

Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is one of the major causes of reproductive pig disease. Due to its serious nature, wide spread and consequent great damage to the swine industry, an effective, rapid and convenient method for its detection is needed. A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was established to detect PPV infection. Two pairs of primers were specifically designed to recognize the six different sequences of open reading frame1 (ORF1) gene. The optimized LAMP program was as follows: 50 min at 59 °C followed by 3 min at 80 °C.The amplified products were analyzed both by visual inspection after staining with SYBR Green I dye and by conventional agarose gel electrophoresis. Both methods showed the same sensitivity. The limit of detection (LOD) for PPV by LAMP was 10 copies, which is 100-fold lower than conventional PCR. Our LAMP assay did not cross-react with other viruses. We used the established LAMP system to test 1100 field samples and detected 660 positives. The LAMP detection method for PPV represents a visual, sensitive and rapid assay which can detect the virus in the field, offering an attractive alternative for the PPV detection methods currently in use.

MicroRNA-130a regulated by HPV18 E6 promotes proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cells by targeting TIMP2.

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have important roles in the development and progression of cervical cancer, but the underlying mechanisms are yet to be fully elucidated. MicroRNA-130a (miR-130a) has previously been reported to promote cervical cancer growth. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms by which miR-130a promotes cervical cancer progression have remained largely elusive. In the present study, polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses were performed to examine the expression levels of miR-130a and associated proteins. A wound healing assay and a Transwell assay were applied to study cell migration and invasion. A luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to confirm the targeting associations of miR-130a. It was observed that miR-130a was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer tissues compared with that in adjacent non-tumorous tissues. High expression of miR-130a was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and an advanced clinical stage of cervical cancer. Furthermore, the expression of miR-130a was also higher in HPV(+) cervical cancer cell lines compared with that in HPV(-) cells. Knockdown of HPV18 E6 significantly inhibited the expression of miR-130a in HeLa cervical cancer cells. Furthermore, knockdown of miR-130a reduced the migration and invasion of HeLa cells. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP2), an antagonist of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), was identified as a novel, direct target gene of miR-130a. The expression of TIMP2 was negatively mediated by miR-130a, and HPV18 E6 inhibited the expression of TIMP2 in HeLa cells. Furthermore, knockdown of TIMP2 rescued the suppressive effects of miR-130a downregulation on the migration and invasion of HeLa cells. In summary, the present study suggests that HPV18 E6 promotes the expression of miR-130a, which further inhibits the expression of TIMP2 and promotes cervical cancer cell invasion. Therefore, HPV/miR-130a/TIMP2 signaling may be a potential target for the prevention of cervical cancer metastasis.

A novel emulsion PCR method coupled with fluorescence spectrophotometry for simultaneous qualitative, quantitative and high-throughput detection of multiple DNA targets.

We constructed and validated a novel emulsion PCR method combined with fluorescence spectrophotometry (EPFS) for simultaneous qualitative, quantitative and high-throughput detection of multiple DNA targets. In a single reaction set, each pair of primers was labeled with a specific fluorophore. Through emulsion PCR, a target DNA was amplified in droplets that functioned as micro-reactors. After product purification, different fluorescent-labeled DNA products were qualitatively analyzed by the fluorescent intensity determination. The sensitivity and specificity of the system was examined using four kinds of genetically modified (GM) maize. The qualitative results revealed high specificity and sensitivity of 0.5% (w/w). In addition, the quantitative results revealed that the absolute limit of detection was 103 copies, showing good repeatability. Moreover, the reproducibility assays were further performed using four foodborne pathogenic bacteria to further evaluate the applicability of the system. Consequently, the same qualitative, quantitative and high-throughput results were confirmed with the four GM maize. To sum up, the new EPFS system is the first analytical technology of this kind that enables simultaneous qualitative, quantitative and high-throughput analysis of multiple genes.

HPV16E7 silencing enhances susceptibility of CaSki cells to natural killer cells.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells to CaSki cells following knockdown of the E7 protein of the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16E7). Recombinant adenovirus-short hairpin-E7 protein of the human panillomavirus type 16 (Ad­sh­HPV16E7) was constructed and used to infect CaSki cells. The expression of HPV16E7 in CaSki cells was assessed using western blot analysis. The expression of cell surface molecule major histocompatibility complex­I (MHC­I) in CaSki cells infected with Ad­sh­HPV16E7 was examined using flow cytometry. The cytotoxicity of NK cells isolated and expanded from healthy volunteers on Ad­sh­HPV16E7­infected CaSki cells was assessed using the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay. Ad­sh­HPV16E7 was successfully constructed and able to inhibit HPV16E7 the expression in CaSki cells. The expression of major histocompa-tibility complex I (MHC­I), a surface molecule, in CaSki cells was increased after infection with Ad­sh­HPV16E7. Compared with the controls, the cytotoxicity of NK cells on CaSki cells, which were infected with Ad­sh­HPV16E7, was decreased (p<0.05). In conclusion, HPV16E7 suppresses the expression of MHC­I on CaSki cells to evade cytotoxic T­cell (CTL) response. However, it was possible to enhance the cytotoxicity of expanded NK cells to cervical cancer cells or HPV16­infected cells in vitro, indicating that NK cells may be used for immunotherapy of cervical cancer.

miR-22 inhibits proliferation and invasion in estrogen receptor α-positive endometrial endometrioid carcinomas cells.

Endometrial endometrioid carcinomas (EECs) account for >80% of endometrial carcinomas (ECs). Continuous stimulation of the endometrium by estrogen is a risk factor for the tumorigenesis of estrogen receptor (ER) α-positive EEC. MicroRNA-22 (miR-22) has been reported to be implicated in the regulation of various types of cancer and directly targets ERα. However, an exact regulatory mechanism between miR-22 and ERα in EEC has yet to be investigated. To the best of our knowledge, the present study demonstrated for the first time that the expression of miR-22 was significantly downregulated in ERα-positive EEC tissues and cell lines, RL95-2 and Ishikawa, when compared with that in normal endometrium and ERα-negative EEC samples. This indicated that miR-22 may be important in ERα-positive EEC, possibly through an estrogen-dependent mechanism. miR-22 mimics were then transfected into RL95-2 and Ishikawa cells, respectively, and revealed that the introduction of miR-22 markedly downregulated the mRNA and protein levels of ERα. Further investigation demonstrated that miR-22 was able to effectively reverse 17ß-estradiol (E2)­induced cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and invasion of ERα-positive RL95-2 and Ishikawa cells, at least partially through inhibiting the expression of Cyclin D1 as well as the secretion of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. In conclusion, the present study, to the best of our knowledge, was the first to reveal an inhibitory role of miR-22 in ERα-positive EEC tissues and cells, indicating that miR-22 may be a novel candidate for the endocrine therapy of ERα-positive EEC.

The mTOR inhibitor AZD8055 inhibits proliferation and glycolysis in cervical cancer cells.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of AZD8055 on proliferation, apoptosis and glycolysis in the human cervical cancer cell line HeLa and to investigate the underlying mechanism(s) of action. HeLa human cervical cancer cells were treated with 10 nM AZD8055 for 24, 48 or 72 h. MTT was used to determine cell proliferation. Annexin V/propidium iodide staining was used to determine cell apoptosis analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Glycolytic activity was determined by measuring the activity of the key enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and lactate production. RNA and protein expression were examined by qRT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. Treatment with AZD8055 inhibited proliferation and glycolysis, and induced apoptosis in HeLa cells in a time-dependent manner. During the prolonged treatment with AZD8055, the phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) C1 substrates p70S6K and phosphorylation of the mTORC2 substrate Akt were deregulated, suggesting that the activity of mTOR was downregulated. Furthermore, our study showed that the expression of miR-143 was upregulated in a time-dependent manner in HeLa cells treated with AZD8055. In summary, the present study reveals a novel antitumor mechanism of AZD8055 in HeLa human cervical cancer cells.