Effects of Oral Steroids Combined with Postauricular Steroid Injection on Patients with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss with Delaying Intervention: A Retrospective Analysis.

Background: In the otology clinic, we often receive some sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) patients accompanied by annoying tinnitus, who usually visited over three weeks after the onset. Nevertheless, due to the high treatment cost and relatively low cure rate, there are still great disputes about hospitalization or not for these patients. Aim: This study aimed to perform a retrospective analysis for analyzing the efficacy of treatment with oral steroids combined with postauricular steroid injection in patients with delaying effective treatment. Material/Methods: A total of 157 eligible SSNHL patients with delaying effective treatment over three weeks were enrolled in this study. According to different treatment methods of oral steroids with or without postauricular steroid injection, these patients were divided into three groups: PO (prednisone oral) group, PSI (prednisone oral and postauricular steroid injection) group, and PII (prednisone oral and postauricular lidocaine injection) group. The changes in level of hearing, mean subjective tinnitus loudness, and side effects were analyzed in the three groups. Results: Hearing improvement and tinnitus remission were all observed in three groups after treatment. Compared with PO and PII groups, those patients in PSI groups had more improvement in level of hearing and mean subjective tinnitus. The level of tinnitus loudness was statistically significantly correlated with the level of PTA both before treatment and after treatment. Conclusion: Oral steroids combined with postauricular steroid injection should be employed for treatment of SSNHL patients with delaying effective treatment over three weeks.

Conophylline Suppresses Angiotensin II-Induced Myocardial Fibrosis In Vitro via the BMP4/JNK Pathway.

We studied the effects and mechanisms of action of conophylline in different concentrations in the original in vitro model of myocardial fibrosis (treatment of cardiac fibroblasts isolated form the hearts of newborn rats with angiotensin II). Viability, collagen content, and expression of related protein in cardiac fibroblasts were assessed using the MTT-test, Sircol assay, and Western blotting, respectively. Conophylline markedly protected the cultured cells against the development of angiotensin II-induced fibrosis, which was seen from reduced viability of fibroblasts, decreased collagen content, and down-regulation of the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Conophylline did not affect the TGF-ß pathway altered by angiotensin II, but markedly decreased the level of bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP4) enhanced by angiotensin II and BMP4 itself. Conophylline produced no effect on phosphorylation of α-SMA and Smad homologue-1/5/8, the classic BMP4 downstream pathway elements, but reduced the level of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) elevated by BMP4. Conophylline did not inhibit the development of myocardial fibrosis in the presence of JNK activator anisomycin. Thus, conophylline inhibited angiotensin II-provoked myocardial fibrosis via the BMP4/JNK pathway.

[Analysis of prognostic factors in patients with refractory sudden sensorineural hearing loss].

Objective:To explore the relationships between glucocorticoid (GC) sensitivity and the prognosis of refractory sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), and to analyze the related factors being affected the prognosis of SSNHL. Method:Ninety-one refractory SSNHL patients were enrolled in the present investigation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the refractory SSNHL were extracted to conduct GC proliferation dexamethasone (DEX) inhibition experiments. All patients accepted comprehensive treatment with methylprednisolone. Result:Total effective rate was 40.66% in refractory SSNHL patients. Gender, number of affected ear, age, accompanying with vertigo, tinnitus or not and the procedure of methylprednisolone treatment were irrelevant to the efficacy. Only the inhibitory rate of DEX and the time from onset to visit were related to GC treatment effect, especially for inhibitory rate of DEX. The DEX inhibition rate of the effective group was higher than that of the ineffective group. Conclusion:DEX inhibition rate can predict GC sensitivity and prognosis of SSNHL. GC sensitivity and the time from onset to treatment are two important factors affecting the prognosis of refractory SSNHL patients..

Genetic diversity and genetic structure of consecutive breeding generations of golden mandarin fish (Siniperca scherzeri Steindachner) using microsatellite markers.

In this study, 12 polymorphic microsatellites were inves-tigated to determine the genetic diversity and structure of 5 consecu-tive selected populations of golden mandarin fish (Siniperca scherzeri Steindachner). The total numbers of alleles, average heterozyosity, and average polymorphism information content showed that the genetic diversity of these breeding populations was decreasing. Additionally, pairwise fixation index FST values among populations and Da values in-creased from F1 generation to subsequent generations (FST values from 0.0221-0.1408; Da values from 0.0608-0.1951). Analysis of molecular variance indicated that most genetic variations arise from individuals within populations (about 92.05%), while variation among populations accounted for only 7.95%. The allele frequency of the loci SC75-220 and SC101-222 bp changed regularly in the 5 breeding generations. Their frequencies were gradually increased and showed an enrichment trend, indicating that there may be genetic correlations between these 2 loci and breeding traits. Our study indicated that microsatellite markers are effective for assessing the genetic variability in the golden mandarin fish breeding program.

Investigation of ERCC1 and ERCC2 gene polymorphisms and response to chemotherapy and overall survival in osteosarcoma.

We assessed the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ERCC1 and ERCC2 genes in the clinical outcomes for osteosarcoma patients receiving cisplatin-based treatment. A perspective study was conducted on 260 patients with osteosarcoma during 2010 and 2011. A polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay was used to assess the ERCC1 rs11615 and rs3212986, and the ERCC2 rs1799793 and rs13181 gene polymorphisms. After adjustment for clinical variables, we found that the CC genotype of ERCC1 rs11615 was significantly associated with better response to chemotherapy (OR = 2.87, 95%CI = 1.24-6.97). Our study found that those carrying the CC genotype of ERCC1 rs11615 had a longer overall survival compared with the TT genotype, and the OR (95%CI) was 0.35 (0.12-0.92). In conclusion, our results suggest that the ERCC1 rs11615 polymorphism might influence the response to cisplatin-based chemotherapy and affect the clinical outcome for osteosarcoma patients.

Microsatellite analysis of genetic diversity and genetic structure in five consecutive breeding generations of mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi (Basilewsky).

In this report, 10 polymorphic microsatellites were applied to assess the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation of 5 consecutive breeding generations of mandarin fish, Siniperca chuatsi (Basilewsky). The results from total number of alleles, average polymorphism information content, and average homozygosity and heterozygosity showed that the genetic diversity of the breeding population was decreasing. The genetic identity between F1 and its descendant generations (F2, F3, F4, F5) decreased (from 0.9248 to 0.8803), while the genetic distance (from 0.0782 to 0.1275) and fixation index (from 0.03796 to 0.07393) increased. The allele frequency of SS181-235 and SS211-246 changed regularly in the 5 breeding generations, and they may be negatively associated with the selected trait, which needs to be confirmed by further research. Our study indicated that selective breeding was an efficient strategy for mandarin fish. In the process of breeding, some deleterious genes were phased out, and the genetic structure of the breeding populations became stable.

Electric field manipulation of magnetic and transport properties in SrRuO3/Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 heterostructure.

The electric field manipulation of magnetic properties is currently of great interest for the opportunities provided in low-energy-consuming spintronics devices. Here, we report the effect of electric field on magnetic and transport properties of the ferromagnetic SrRuO(3) film which is epitaxially grown on Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O3-PbTiO(3) ferroelectric substrate. With the application of electric field on the substrate, the magnetization, Curie temperature and resistivity of SrRuO(3) are effectively modified. The mechanism of the electric field manipulation of these properties is ascribed to the rotations of RuO6 oxygen octahedra caused by the electric-field-induced strain, which changes the overlap and hybridization between the Ru 4d orbitals and O 2p orbitals, resulting in the modification of the magnetic and electronic properties.

Large magnetoelectric coupling in Co4Nb2O9.

Magnetoelectric materials which simultaneously exhibit electric polarization and magnetism have attracted more and more attention due to their novel physical properties and promising applications for next-generation devices. Exploring new materials with outstanding magnetoelectric performance, especially the manipulation of magnetization by electric field, is of great importance. Here, we demonstrate the cross-coupling between magnetic and electric orders in polycrystalline Co4Nb2O9, in which not only magnetic-field-induced electric polarization but also electric field control of magnetism is observed. These results reveal rich physical phenomenon and potential applications in this compound.

Large low-field magnetoresistance in nanocrystalline magnetite prepared by sol-gel method.

Nanocrystalline magnetite Fe3O4 samples with a grain size of about 40 nm have been synthesized by an optimized sol-gel method. The single phase of spinel magnetite was confirmed by both X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It has been found that the magnetoresistance of the samples at low field (LFMR) is relatively large, and with the decrease of temperature its value at a field of 0.5 T changes dramatically from -2.5% at 300 K to -17.0% at 55 K. With the further decrease of temperature a sharp drop occurs for the magnitude of the magnetoresistance (MR), regarded as a spin (cluster) glass transition in the surface region of the grains that can be confirmed by the zero-field-cooled and field-cooled magnetization and ac susceptibility measurement. The mechanism of the magnetic and transport properties was discussed.