Targeted Delivery of Peptide Nucleic Acid by Biomimetic Nanoparticles Based on Extracellular Vesicle-coated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles.

BACKGROUND: Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) plays an important role in antimicrobial activity, but its cellular permeability is poor. To overcome this limitation, we constructed biomimetic nanoparticles by using extracellular vesicle (EV)-coated mesoporous silicon nanoparticles (MSNs) to deliver PNA to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and improve its antisense therapeutic effect. METHOD: MSN was prepared by the sol-gel method, and EV was extracted by affinity resin chromatography. EV was coated on MSN by simple sonication (50 W, 3 min) to prepare biomimetic nanoparticles with PNA-loaded MSN as the core and EV isolated from S. aureus as the shell. RESULTS: The MSN prepared by the sol-gel method had a uniform particle size (100 nm) and well-defined pore size for loading PNA with good encapsulation efficiency (62.92%) and drug loading (7.74%). The concentration of EV extracted by affinity resin chromatography was about 1.74 mg/mL. EV could be well coated on MSN through simple ultrasonic treatment (50 W, 3 min), and the stability and blood compatibility of MSN@ EV were good. Internalization experiments showed that EV could selectively enhance the uptake of biomimetic nanoparticles by S. aureus. Preliminary in vitro antibacterial tests revealed that PNA@MSN@EV exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity against S. aureus and had stronger bactericidal activity than free PNA and PNA@MSN at equivalent PNA concentrations (8 µM). CONCLUSION: Biomimetic nanoparticles based on EV-coated MSN offer a new strategy to improve the efficacy of PNA for the treatment of bacterial infections, and the technology holds promise for extension to the delivery of antibiotics that are traditionally minimally effective or prone to resistance.

Three-Dimensional Electrochemical Sensors for Food Safety Applications.

Considering the increasing concern for food safety, electrochemical methods for detecting specific ingredients in the food are currently the most efficient method due to their low cost, fast response signal, high sensitivity, and ease of use. The detection efficiency of electrochemical sensors is determined by the electrode materials' electrochemical characteristics. Among them, three-dimensional (3D) electrodes have unique advantages in electronic transfer, adsorption capacity and exposure of active sites for energy storage, novel materials, and electrochemical sensing. Therefore, this review begins by outlining the benefits and drawbacks of 3D electrodes compared to other materials before going into more detail about how 3D materials are synthesized. Next, different types of 3D electrodes are outlined together with common modification techniques for enhancing electrochemical performance. After this, a demonstration of 3D electrochemical sensors for food safety applications, such as detecting components, additives, emerging pollutants, and bacteria in food, was given. Finally, improvement measures and development directions of electrodes with 3D electrochemical sensors are discussed. We think that this review will help with the creation of new 3D electrodes and offer fresh perspectives on how to achieve extremely sensitive electrochemical detection in the area of food safety.

Efficacy predictors of third-generation cephalosporins in treating spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

OBJECTIVE: Third-generation cephalosporins (3rd GCs) have recently become controversial as the first-line strategy for empirical spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) treatment. This study aimed to identify SBP treatment efficacy predictors of 3rd GCs. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, 279 cirrhosis patients with SBP who received 3rd GC monotherapy for initial empirical treatment from 2013 to 2019 were included. Nonresponse was defined as a decreased ascites polymorphonuclear (PMN) count < 25% from baseline after 48 hours of antibacterial treatment. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify efficacy predictors of 3rd GCs in treating SBP. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate survival data. RESULTS: The nonresponder group included 120 patients with no response, and the responder group included 159 patients with responses. The response rate to 3rd GCs was 57.0% among all patients. The common pathogens were Escherichia coli (40.6%), Staphylococcus (15.6%), Klebsiella pneumonia (12.5%), and Streptococcus (12.5%) in 32 ascites culture isolates. Nosocomial SBP (NSBP) (odds ratio [OR]: 2.371, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.323-4.249, P = .004), pneumonia (OR: 11.561, 95% CI: 1.876-71.257, P = .008), recurrent SBP (OR: 3.386, 95% CI: 1.804-6.357, P < .001), platelet count (≥113.5 × 109/L) (OR: 3.515, 95% CI: 1.973-6.263, P < .001), and ascites PMN count (≤0.760 × 109/L) (OR: 4.967, 95% CI: 2.553-9.663, P < .001) were independent predictors of nonresponse to 3rd GCs against SBP. Survival plot analysis at 30 days showed worse survival for the nonresponders (P = .003). CONCLUSION: NSBP, pneumonia, recurrent SBP, increased platelet count, and lower ascites PMN count were independent predictors of nonresponse to 3rd GC in treating SBP. Nonresponse to initial antibiotic treatment was associated with worse survival.

Formulation and development of novel control release transdermal patches of carvedilol to improve bioavailability for the treatment of heart failure.

The main aim of this study is to optimize and evaluate transdermal patch of Carvedilol by the use of different polymer and different permeation enhancers which help to release drug in controlled action and thereby increase the bioavailability of the drug. Main objective was to avoid first pass metabolism of Carvedilol. Transdermal patches were developed by solvent evaporation method. The combination of Eudragit RS-100 as rate controlling polymer and Span 80 as a permeation enhancer was found to be ideal formulation (Formulation F7) with maximum drug release i.e. 100.29 ± 0.44 % within 12 h. Formulation F7 showed maximum bioavailability and showed maximum drop of BP at 6 h. From this study the conclusion was, transdermal patch of Carvedilol which contains Eudragit RS-100 polymer and Span 80 as penetration enhancer produced sustained and continued drug release.

The proliferation and migration of atherosclerosis-related HVSMCs were inhibited by downregulation of lncRNA XIST via regulation of the miR-761/BMP9 axis.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can be caused by the proliferation and migration of human vascular smooth muscle cells (HVSMCs). Here, we found that lncRNA XIST was related to the abnormal proliferation and migration of HVSMCs, and thus, the mechanism by which XIST regulated HVSMCs was further investigated. HVSMCs were treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL, 100 µg/ml) as AS models. CCK8 assays, flow cytometry, Transwell assays and wound healing assays were applied to evaluate cell viability, cell cycle analysis, and cell migration, respectively. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed to verify the binding relationships between XIST and miR-761, miR-761, and BMP9. Ox-LDL induced the proliferation and migration of HVSMCs, upregulated the expression of XIST, downregulated miR-761 expression, and activated the BMP9/ALK1/endoglin pathway. Luciferase assays revealed that XIST sponged miR-761. XIST knockdown ameliorated ox-LDL-mediated effects in HVSMCs, which were largely abolished by miR-761 silencing. BMP9 was targeted-inhibited by miR-761. MiR-761 overexpression alleviated ox-LDL-mediated effects in HVSMCs. However, BMP9 overexpression abolished miR-761-mediated effects in HVSMCs treated with ox-LDL. Our findings suggested that XIST knockdown suppressed the proliferation and migration of HVSMCs by promoting miR-761, which targeted-inhibited the BMP9/ALK1/endoglin pathway.

A deep-learning pipeline for the diagnosis and discrimination of viral, non-viral and COVID-19 pneumonia from chest X-ray images.

Common lung diseases are first diagnosed using chest X-rays. Here, we show that a fully automated deep-learning pipeline for the standardization of chest X-ray images, for the visualization of lesions and for disease diagnosis can identify viral pneumonia caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and assess its severity, and can also discriminate between viral pneumonia caused by COVID-19 and other types of pneumonia. The deep-learning system was developed using a heterogeneous multicentre dataset of 145,202 images, and tested retrospectively and prospectively with thousands of additional images across four patient cohorts and multiple countries. The system generalized across settings, discriminating between viral pneumonia, other types of pneumonia and the absence of disease with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) of 0.94-0.98; between severe and non-severe COVID-19 with an AUC of 0.87; and between COVID-19 pneumonia and other viral or non-viral pneumonia with AUCs of 0.87-0.97. In an independent set of 440 chest X-rays, the system performed comparably to senior radiologists and improved the performance of junior radiologists. Automated deep-learning systems for the assessment of pneumonia could facilitate early intervention and provide support for clinical decision-making.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, an active ingredient of Traditional Chinese Medicines, inhibits the 3CLpro activity of SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 is the etiological agent responsible for the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The main protease of SARS-CoV-2, 3CLpro, is an attractive target for antiviral inhibitors due to its indispensable role in viral replication and gene expression of viral proteins. The search of compounds that can effectively inhibit the crucial activity of 3CLpro, which results to interference of the virus life cycle, is now widely pursued. Here, we report that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), an active ingredient of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), is a potent inhibitor of 3CLpro with half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.874 ± 0.005 µM. In the study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 123 cases of COVID-19 patients, and found three effective Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) prescriptions. Multiple strategies were performed to screen potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro from the active ingredients of TCMs, including network pharmacology, molecular docking, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) binding assay and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based inhibition assay. The SPR assay showed good interaction between EGCG and 3CLpro with KD ~6.17 µM, suggesting a relatively high affinity of EGCG with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. Our results provide critical insights into the mechanism of action of EGCG as a potential therapeutic agent against COVID-19.

[Role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of periodontitis].

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of periodontal tissues initiated by oral biofilm. Cellular autophagy is an effective weapon against bacterial infection. Recent studies have shown that autophagy not only promotes the removal of bacteria and toxins from infected cells, but also helps to suppress the inflammatory response to maintain the homeostasis of intracellular environment, which is closely related to the development of periodontitis. Here, we reviewed the relationship between autophagy and periodontitis from three aspects: the interactions between autophagy and periodontal pathogen infection, the regulation of autophagy and immune inflammatory responses, and the relationship between autophagy and alveolar bone metabolism. We aim to provide ideas for further study on the mechanisms of autophagy and periodontitis, and ultimately contribute to a better prevention and treatment of periodontitis.

Coffee consumption and risk of myocardial infarction: a dose-response meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiological studies have provided inconsistent conclusions on the effect of coffee consumption in the development of myocardial infarction (MI). The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of coffee consumption and its potential dose-response patterns on the risk of developing MI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three databases were searched for evidence of eligible studies. A random-effects model was used to pool the fully adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Dose-response analysis was performed to show the effect of each cup increased in daily coffee drinking on the risk of MI. RESULTS: Seventeen studies involving 233,617 participants were included in our study. The association between coffee consumption and risk of MI did not show statistical significance when pooling the outcome data for the coffee consumption categories of 1~2 vs. < 1 cup per day (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.94-1.19) and 2~3 vs. < 1 cup per day (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.94-1.23). Compared with < 1 cup, daily drinking of 3~4 cups and > 4 cups of coffee were significantly associated with the risk of MI, and the pooled ORs (95% CIs) were 1.40 (1.11-1.77) and 1.48 (1.22-1.79), respectively. The dose-response analysis showed a "J-shaped" curve relationship of the risk of MI with coffee consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Daily drinking of more than three cups of coffee was associated with a significantly increased risk of MI. This positive association was only found in men but not in women. The impact of gender on this association should be further evaluated.

Aldose reductase C-106T polymorphism is associated with the risk of essential hypertension.

Aldose Reductase (AR), encoded by AKR1B1, is a member of NADPH-dependent aldo-keto reductase superfamily. The C-106T polymorphism of AKR1B1 is closely related to the diabetic complications. Our previous studies have indicated that the expression of AR was increased in spontaneously hypertensive rats, suggesting the effect of AR in hypertension. Here we investigated whether AKR1B1 C-106T polymorphism was associated with essential hypertension (EH). AKR1B1 C-106T polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and the direct sequencing methods. 383 healthy subjects and 383 essential hypertensive patients were recruited in this study. The polymorphism of AKR1B1 C-106T in EH and normal tensive (NT) groups was in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. -106T allele of AKR1B1 C-106T variants was more frequent in EH patients compared with normal tensive subjects, indicating that -106T allele was a risk factor of EH (OR=1.841, 95%CI=1.366-2.481). In male patients, C-106T polymorphism was associated significantly with decreased serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol and higher systolic blood pressure levels. Our results suggest that -106T allele of AKR1B1 C-106T polymorphism may be associated with increased risk for EH in Chinese Han population.

Prevalence of Hearing Disorders Based Whole Population in Jilin Province, China / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective To investigate the prevalence, etiology, rehabilitation demands and service condition of hearing disorders based on the whole population in Jilin Province, China. Methods Using the probability proportion to size (PPS) sampling, 9246 (93.3%) out of 9909 residents sampled form 36 counties were targeted for investigation from August, 2014 to January, 2015, followed the WHO Ear and Hearing Disorders Survey Protocol. The hearing loss and disability were classified as WHO recommended and Classification and Grading Criteria of Disability (GB/T 26341-2010). Results The standardized prevalence of hearing loss and disability was 16.41%and 4.78%, re-spectively. Age, sex, residence, occupation and marriage status, education level and household income were significantly associated with hearing loss prevalence, while nationality was not. The main etiologies included non-infectious disease (47.33%), ear disease (14.17%), un-known causation (13.89%), and noise (8.59%). Among all people with hearing loss, those who accepted intervention service accounted for 11.02%. Among all people with hearing disability, those who used hearing aids accounted for 5.58%, and 0.67%used artificial cochlea. Con-clusion Demographics and socioeconomic factors are significantly associated with the prevalence of hearing loss. The main etiology con-tains non-infectious disease, ear disease and noise. Both the rate of service utilization among people with hearing loss and the rate of adopt-ing hearing aids among people with hearing disability are low. It is needed to do more in prevention and rehabilitation of hearing impairment.

Analysis of influencing factors on rehabilitation effects for 1 422 preschool deaf children following cochlear implantation / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the basic factors of the progress amplitude of hearing and speech rehabilitation effect of preschool deaf children with cochlear implants, and provide guidance for the improvement and optimization of rehabilitation strategies.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Using the standard hearing and language assessment tools, tracked and evaluated 1 422 CI preschool deaf children for a period of one year, and calculated the effect of hearing and speech rehabilitation, carried out the correlation analysis and variance analysis among different grouping variables.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>(1) There was a negative correlation (P<0.01) between the rehabilitation effect and cochlear implantation age, existed the different degree of positive correlation (P<0.01) between the rehabilitation effect and parents cultural level, but no correlation between the rehabilitation effect and parents hearing status.(2) Father's education level, in comparison to mother's education level, had greater impact on the children rehabilitation effect.(3)There was positive correlation(r=0.689, P<0.01) between the progress amplitude of hearing and speech rehabilitation effect. (4) The progress amplitude of auditory and language rehabilitation effect of 2-3 years old group was the highest value(the progress amplitude of hearing and speech recognition rate reached 77.5%, the progress amplitude of language age progress rate reached 2.02 years old), and there were significant differences (P<0.05) between over 3 years old groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>(1) To expect the better progress amplitude of rehabilitation effect, cochlear implant age should not be more than 3 years old. (2) Father's effect in the process of rehabilitation is more helpful for deaf children's learning enthusiasms.</p>

[Correlations between standing trees trunk decay degree and soil physical-chemical properties in Korean pine-broadleaved mixed forest in Xiao Xing'an Mountains of Northeast China].

Standing trees decay often causes vast loss of timber resources. To investigate the correlations between the standing trees decay and the site conditions is of importance to scientifically and reasonably manage forests and to decrease wood resources loss. By using Resistograph and meter ruler, a measurement was made on the decay degree of the trunk near root and the diameter at breast height (DBH) of 15 mature Korean pine standing trees in a Korean pine-broadleaved mixed forest in Xiao Xing' an Mountains in May, 2011. In the meantime, soil samples were collected from the root zones of standing trees and the upslope and downslope 5 meters away from the trunks, respectively. Five physical-chemical properties including moisture content, bulk density, total porosity, pH value, and organic matter content of the soil samples were tested. The regression equations concerning the trunk decay degree of the standing trees, their DBH, and the 5 soil properties were established. The results showed that the trunk decay degree of the mature Korean pine standing trees had higher correlations with the bulk density, total porosity, pH value, and organic matter content (R = 0.687), and significant positive correlation with the moisture content (R = 0.507) of the soils at the root zones of standing trees, but less correlation with the 5 properties of the soils at both upslope and downslope 5 meters away from the trunks. The trunk decay degree was decreased when the soil moisture content was below 18.4%. No significant correlation was observed between the trunk decay degree of mature Korean pine standing trees and the tree age.

Targeted introduction of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) at the AAVS1 locus in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and its stable and effective expression.

Thrombolytic therapy using tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) is an effective method for treating acute myocardial infarction. However, the systemic administration of TPA is associated with the risk of hemorrhage. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from bone marrow are characterized by low immunogenicity and homing toward damaged tissues and are therefore ideal cell carriers to achieve lesion-targeting medication. In this article, TPA gene was integrated into the AAVS1 of mesenchymal stem cells, which has been confirmed to be a safe chromosomal locus. The targeting efficiency was 83%. The clones with the site-specific integration retained the stem cell traits of MSCs, displayed a normal karyotype and could persistently and effectively express TPA, as demonstrated by an average expression activity of 1.5 units/mL (3.4-fold that of the control group). After subculture and subsequent growth for two weeks, the clones showed an average TPA activity of 1.43 units/mL and exhibited no significant differences among the individual clones. In summary, the foreign TPA gene can be specifically introduced to the AAVS1 locus, whereby it can be stably and effectively expressed. MSCs can serve as cell carriers for the targeted treatment of a thrombus using TPA.

Influence of ALDH2 Glu504Lys polymorphism on nitroglycerin response in chronic heart failure and involvement of Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide (CGRP).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the neuropeptide calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) contributes to nitroglycerin (GTN) response in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and the association with the mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) Glu504Lys (ALDH2*2) polymorphism. METHODS: This is a 2-period, placebo-controlled clinical study. An intravenous infusion of saline followed by GTN (20 µg/min), each for 2 hours, respectively, was given to 49 stable CHF patients. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) were measured at baseline, at 10 min, 30 min, 1.0 h, 1.5 h, and 2.0 h after initiation of saline infusion and initiation of GTN therapy. Blood samples were drawn for the determination of plasma CGRP for 49 patients at baseline, and at 2.0 h after initiation of saline and GTN infusion, respectively. Global clinical status of the patients was evaluated. Left ventricular ejection (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), stroke volume (SV) and cardiac output (CO) were measured with 2D echocardiography with Simpson's biplane method (Pillip HP sonos 5500) by the same investigator at baseline and at 2.0 h after initiation of saline and GTN infusion. RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) were decreased, while left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was increased at the end of GTN infusion (p < 0.001, respectively). Saline infusion showed no hemodynamic effects. At the end of GTN infusion, ALDH2*1/*1 homozygous patients showed higher degrees of both the absolute decrease in SBP (DSBP) (p < 0.001) and increase in LVEF (p < 0.001) than carriers of the ALDH2*2 allele. Mean plasma concentration of CGRP was increased after GTN infusion (p < 0.001), but not changed after saline infusion (p > 0.05). Changes in plasma concentration of CGRP correlated positively with the improvement in LVEF (r = 0.400, p = 0.004), while correlated negatively with changes in SBP (r = -0.300, p = 0.036) and LVEDV (r = -0.290, p = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: ALDH2*2 polymorphism is associated with contributions of CGRP to GTN response in CHF patients.

[Dendritic cells and coronary collateral circulation in coronary heart disease].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between the number,phenotype and functional status of dendritic cells (DCs) and coronary collateral circulation (CCC) in coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: Forty patients with severe coronary stenosis were recruited and divided into a CCC formation group (Group A, n=22) and a non-CCC formation group (Group B, n=18). Density gradient centrifugation was applied to separate the mononuclear cells (MNCs) from coronary artery blood samples, and MNCs were cultured and proliferated in vitro. The morphology of DCs was observed under converted microscope. The number of harvested cells and DCs was counted by hematocytometer. Flow cytometry was applied to investigate the phenotype and the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI). Mixed lymphocyte reaction was used to test the function of DCs to stimulate the proliferation of T lymphocytes. Stimulation index (SI) was calculated and compared. RESULTS: (1) After in vitro proliferation, DCs were cultured successfully from the mononuclear cells from coronary artery blood samples and the morphology of DCs was not different in the 2 groups. (2) The number of mononuclear cells (MNC no) was (3.95+/-1.41)*10(6), in the CCC group and (2.76+/-0.92)*10(6) in the non-CCC group. The MNC number was significantly increased in the CCC group (P=0.003). (3) The number of DCs was (1.54+/-0.96)*10(6) in the CCC group, and (0.99+/-0.46)*10(6) in the non-CCC group (P=0.033). (4)There was no statistical significance in the percent of CD1a+, CD1a+CD80+, CD1a+CD83+, CD1a+CD86+ cells, and MFI in the 2 groups (P>0.05). (5) SI was 4.96+/-2.30 in the CCC group, whereas 2.66+/-1.04 in the non-CCC group. The SI in the CCC group increased significantly(P=0.0003). CONCLUSION: In CHD patients with severe coronary stenosis, patients with CCC formation have higher number of DCs and stronger potential of T lymphocyte stimulation.

The Role of Plain X-Ray Aiding Cochlear Implant / 听力学及言语疾病杂志

Objective To know the position and shape of implanted electrode array with plain X-ray after cochlear implantation. Methods According to the Cochlear View developed by Xu plain X-ray was taken postoperatively to obtain the best view of electrode array. Results The Medical imaging of plain X- ray taken before switching on or following the concerning of the performance could assist in the detection of electrode arrays in improper position, partial insertion or bending inside the cochlea. It helped audiologists to make decisions to switch off affected electrodes for the optimization of the program, if functioning electrodes were insufficient and recipients failed. Conclusion It is recommended to conduct post-operative X-ray examination routinely for cochlear implant recipients. Audiologists should be able to use medical imaging to identify the position of intra-cochlear electrodes and apply the information to guide the mapping work.

The Development of Mandarin Monosyllable Lexical Neighborhood Test / 听力学及言语疾病杂志

Objective Base on the neighborhood activation model(NAM), to develop the Mandarin monosyllable lexical neighborhood test(M-LNT-monosyllable), which is expected to be useful for evaluating speech perception performance in children with hearing loss. Methods Test items were based on the lexical characteristics of word frequency and neighborhood density which addressed in the neighborhood activation model (NAM). M-LNT -monosyllable consisted of two parts: Lexically "easy" words with high word frequency, which were low phonemically similar to the target word and lexically "hard" words with low word frequency, which were high phonemically similar to the target word. 34 children of 3～5 year old with normal hearing were choosed as subjects to verify easy word and hard word lists. Results 1 979 words for children contained 487 easy words and 419 hard words. Three easy word lists and three hard word lists were developed to estimate the performance of word recognition among normal- hearing children. There were no differences among scores of three easy words lists(P＞0.05), and no difference among scores of three hard words lists(P＞0.05). But there were significant differences between scores of easy and hard words lists(P＜0.01). Conclusion The development of the lexicon was affected by the lexical characteristics. Normal-hearing children with some lexical techniques were affected by the lexical characteristics when they recognized the spoken words, but children with less lexical technique didn't show the same result because the recognition was processed on the phonetic level.

[Short and mid-term effects of percutaneous transcatheter closure of ventricular septal defects on the cardiac remodeling].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short and mid-term changes of the cardiac morphology after percutaneous transcatheter closure of ventricular septal defects (VSD) with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). METHODS: The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left atrial diameter (LAd), and right ventricular diameter (RVd) in 30 VSD patients were measured before the VSD closure,and on the 3rd day, 3rd month, and 6th month after the VSD closure by TTE. RESULTS: LVEDD and LVEDV significantly decreased on the 3rd day after the VSD closure compared with pre-VSD closure. LVEDD and LVEDV continuously decreased on the 3rd month and 6th month after the VSD closure. LAd was smaller on the 3rd month and 6th month after the VSD closure, but there was not significant difference between the 3rd and 6th month. RVd increased on the 3rd day after the VSD closure, while no significant difference was found among the 3rd month and 6th month before and after VSD closure. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous transcatheter VSD closure may effectively improve the cardiac remodeling in VSD patients in the short and mid-term follow-up.