[Analyses of audiological examination in children without auditory brainstem response].

Objective: To investigate residual hearing of children severe and profound sensorineural deafness in whom wave V was not found in auditory brainstem response(ABR) testing, and to emphasize the importance of objective audiological tests. Methods: Two hundred and fifty-two children who were admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between January 2015 and April 2018, with an average age of 20 months from 72 days to 4 years, received a full battery of objective audiological tests consisting of distortion product otoacoustic emission(DPOAEs), tympanometry, auditory brainstem responses(ABRs), 40 Hz auditory event related potential(40 HzAERP) and auditory steady-state response(ASSRs).There were 159 males(318 ears) and 93 females(186 ears). Residual hearing obtained by 40 HzAERP、ASSR of 252 children with sensorineural deafness was studied in relation to the absence of wave V in click ABR. SPSS 16.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results: Four hundred and forty-four ears of 504 ears have residual hearing of different degrees at different frequencies(88.1%),60 ears (11.9%) were found in whom responses was not found in 40 HzAERP、ASSR testing; Seventy-two ears(14.3%) in 38 patients were tested cochlear microphonic potentials (CMs). Conclusion: In children hearing evaluations,a full battery of objective audiological tests could better investigate residual hearing; The CMs were tested could provide the Audiotery Neuropathy diagnosis in infants with OAEs and ABR absent.

[Clinical analysis of 54 patients with non-syndromic enlarged vestibular aqueduct].

Objective:To further recognize the clinical characteristics of non-syndromic enlarged vestibular aqueduct through the retrospective analysis of cases, with the purpose of providing references for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Method:Collect 54 cases of non-syndromic enlarged vestibular aqueduct, and analyze their clinical characteristics after history taking, physical examination, audiometry and imaging examination. Measure the biggest width of midpoint between internal and external of vestibular aqueduct on temporal bone thin-section CT, and analyze the relationship between the pipe width and sides of ear, types of hearing loss and degree of hearing loss through t test. Result:All 54 patients with non-syndromic enlarged vestibular aqueduct had bilateral ear involvement. There were 42 cases with prelingual deafness, 12 cases with postlingual deafness, and there were 38 ears with severe deafness, 70 ears with profound deafness. Ninety-six ears of hearing loss showed sensorineural deafness, and 12 ears manifested mixed deafness. The biggest width of midpoint between internal and external of vestibular aqueduct spread over 1.60-3.90 mm, and the average was 2.60 mm. There were no significant differences in data between left and right sides, degree of hearing loss and type of hearing loss. Conclusion:Non-syndromic enlarged vestibular aqueduct mainly manifests serious sensorineural deafness, and the diagnosis depends on imaging examination. There is no difference in the degree of expanding between left and right ear, and the extent of enlargement is not related to the type and the severity of hearing loss.

Shock wave propagation, plasticity, and void collapse in open-cell nanoporous Ta.

We systematically investigate the wave propagation, plasticity and void collapse, as well as the effects of porosity, specific surface area and impact velocity, in a set of open-cell nanoporous Ta, during shock compression, via performing large-scale non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. The shock wave propagation presents an impedance, sensitive to porosity, but not to specific surface area. Such surprising phenomena are due to the similar sensitivities in density and stress variations to porosity or specific surface area. Upon impact, shock front shapes change from ramped to steep ones, with increasing porosity, specific surface area or impact velocity, owing to the transition from the heterogeneous to homogeneous plasticity along transverse directions. This transition of plasticity arises by (i) the strong impedance on large deformation bands as porosity increases; and (ii) the transition from deformation twinning to dislocation slips, and to amorphization, as the specific surface area or impact velocity increases. Shock-induced plasticity, including their nucleation, growth and interactions, also facilitates the collapse of voids.

Surface premelting/recrystallization governing the collapse of open-cell nanoporous Cu via thermal annealing.

We systematically investigate the collapse of a set of open-cell nanoporous Cu (np-Cu) materials with the same porosity and shape but different specific surface areas, during thermal annealing, by performing large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. Two mechanisms govern the collapse of np-Cu. One is direct surface premelting, facilitating the collapse of np-Cu, when the specific surface area is less than a critical value (∼2.38 nm-1). The other is recrystallization followed by surface premelting, accelerating the sloughing of ligaments and the annihilation of voids, when the critical specific surface area is exceeded. Surface premelting results from surface reconstruction by prompting localized "disordering" and "chaos" on the surface, and the melting temperature reduces linearly with the increase of the specific surface area. Recrystallization is followed by surface premelting as the melting temperature is below the supercooling point, where a liquid is unstable and instantaneously recrystallizes.

Identification and expression analysis of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase in humphead snapper Lutjanus sanguineus.

A tdt gene was identified successfully from humphead snapper Lutjanus sanguineus, which contained 1710 bp encoding a protein of 463 amino acids. Results of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) indicated that tdt mainly expressed in thymus and head kidney and the transcripts of tdt in these tissues were up-regulated significantly at 36 and 48 h after Vibrio harveyi infection. Meanwhile Tdt-producing cells were found in thymus and head kidney.

Comparative RNA profile analysis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Previous research has focused on revealing the functions of each individual gene and/or pathway in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) or ischemic cardiomyopathy (IC). However, the common or specific pathways of the initiation and processes of DCM and IC are still unclear. Here, we attempted to uncover the critical genes and potential molecular networks that play important roles in DCM and IC progression commonly or specifically. The transcriptional profiles from normal and DCM or IC patient samples were analyzed and compared using bioinformatic methods. Initially, the normal and DCM or IC sample data were processed and the most notable differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from DCM or IC were identified. By comparing the DEGs from DCM with those from IC, the DCM- and IC-specific DEGs were identified. The gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses indicated the significance of multiple biological processes as well as signaling pathways that affect heart function and DCM or IC progression. Protein-protein interaction network analysis identified the relationships between different genes, and some important genes such as MYC and FN1 were found to be hubs, which master each individual module of DCM-specific and IC-specific DEGs, respectively. We discovered commonalities and differences of gene expression profiles and molecular pathways between different cardiomyopathies. The gene discovery and molecular signature analysis in this study could offer insights into disease mechanisms and also identify markers useful for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic purposes.

Molecular cloning and characterization of lymphocyte cell kinase from humphead snapper (Lutjanus sanguineus).

Lymphocyte cell kinase (LCK) belongs to the Src family of tyrosine kinases, which involves in the proliferation control of lymphocytes. In this study, we cloned the LCK gene of humphead snapper (Lutjanus sanguineus) (designed as LsLCK). Sequence analysis showed that the full-length cDNA of LsLCK was 2279 bp, contained a 1506-bp open reading frame (ORF), encoding a polypeptide of 501 amino acids. The deduced amino acid possessed the typical structural features of known LCK proteins, including four Src homology (SH) domains arranged as the SH1 domain followed by a regulatory C-terminal tail (COOH-domain), SH2 and SH3 adapter domains and SH4 domain which required for membrane attachment and CD4/CD8 binding. Fluorescent quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that LsLCK transcripts were expressed mainly in thymus, spleen and head kidney in healthy fish. Moreover, the mRNA expressions in these tissues were significantly up-regulated after challenge with Vibrio harveyi. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that LsLCK protein localized distinctly in cytoplasm of cell in thymus, spleen and head kidney. Taken together, these findings indicated that LsLCK may play an important role in the immune response of humphead snapper against bacterial infection.

Association of two glyoxalase I gene polymorphisms with nephropathy and retinopathy in Type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Glyoxalase I (GLO1), which is the major enzyme that catalyzes the metabolism of methylglyoxal (MG), may play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular complications. AIM: To investigate whether the C-7T and A419C polymorphisms of the GLO1 gene are associated with nephropathy and retinopathy in Chinese Type 2 diabetic patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 364 Type 2 diabetic patients and 301 healthy controls were enroled in the study. Diabetic microvascular complications were determined by urinary albumin excretion measurements and ophthalmological examinations. Genetic analyses were performed using either Taqman PCR or direct sequencing. The effect of C-7T polymorphism on promoter activity was measured by reporter gene assays. RESULTS: The albumin/ creatinine ratio (ACR) and prevalence of nephropathy and retinopathy were significantly higher in diabetic patients with GLO1 -7CC genotype than in patients with -7CT and -7TT genotypes (p=0.02, p=0.02, and p=0.04, respectively). The - 7CC genotype is independently associated with ACR (ß=0.13, p=0.01) and the risk for retinopathy [odds ratio (OR): 2.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25-4.24, p<0.01]. The luciferase activity of the -7T promoter was higher than that of the -7C promoter (13.2±0.2 vs 11.7±0.8, p=0.04). No differences were found between ACR and the prevalence of nephropathy and retinopathy for A419C polymorphism in Type 2 diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: GLO1 C-7T polymorphism alters promoter activity and confers susceptibility to nephropathy and retinopathy to Type 2 diabetic patients.

Galanin inhibits leptin expression and secretion in rat adipose tissue and 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

In addition to serving as a fat depot, adipose tissue is also considered as an important endocrine organ that synthesizes and secretes a number of factors. Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that plays a vital role in energy balance. Expression of leptin is regulated by dietary status and hormones. In the present study, we report that galanin, an orexigenic peptide, inhibits leptin expression and secretion in rat adipose tissue and in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Treatment with galanin (25 micro g/animal) induced approximately 46% down-regulation of leptin secretion at 15 min, followed by 40, 37 and 47% decreases in leptin secretion at 1, 2 and 4 h respectively. Although Northern blot analysis of adipose tissue from the same animals showed that leptin mRNA expression in adipose tissue was unaffected by galanin treatment for 2 h, galanin treatment for 4 h led to decline of leptin mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, treating the rats with galanin had no effect on leptin mRNA expression in the hypothalamus. The inhibitory action of the galanin on leptin mRNA and protein levels was also observed in vitro. When incubated with 10 nM galanin for 48 h, leptin mRNA expression and protein secretion also decreased in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. On the other hand, galanin was found not only to express in rat adipose tissue, but also to increase about 8-fold after fasting. Based on these data, we speculate that increased galanin expression in rat adipose tissue after fasting may be involved in reducing leptin expression and secretion in fasting rats.

One hundred and one new microsatellite loci derived from ESTs (EST-SSRs) in bread wheat.

Four hundred and seventy-eight microsatellite markers derived from expressed sequence tags (EST-SSRs) were screened among three mapping populations (W-7984xOpata 85, WOpop; LumaixHanxuan, LHpop; WenmaixShanhongmai, WSpop). The number of polymorphic EST-SSR primer pairs found in WOpop, LHpop and WSpop was 92, 58 and 29 respectively. A total of 101 EST-SSR loci amplified from 88 primer sets were distributed over the 20 chromosomes of the reference maps (no markers were located on chromosome 4B). These 101 mapped EST-SSR markers add to the existing 450 microsatellite loci previously mapped in bread wheat. Seventy-four of the 101 loci showed significant similarities to known genes, including 24 genes involved in metabolism, 4 in cellular structures, 9 in stress resistance, 12 in transcription, 2 in development, 2 transporters and 21 storage proteins. Besides gliadin and glutenin, most of the 53 genes with putative functions were mapped for the first time by EST-SSR markers in bread wheat. Sequence alignment of the mapped wheat EST-SSR loci allowed tentative assignment of functionality to the other members of grasses family. Colinearity combined with homology information offers an attractive approach to comparative genomics.

Low-voltage thin-film electroluminescent devices with low-resistivity stacked insulators.

The characteristics and mechanism of low-voltage-driven thin-film electroluminescent (TFEL) devices with low-resistivity (10(6)-10(7)-ohms cm) SiO(2)/Ta(2)O(5) and Al(2)O(3)/Ta(2)O(5) stacked insulating films have been studied. At 50-Hz sinusoidal wave voltage excitation, the threshold voltage of devices with a ZnS:Mn emitting layer is below 40 V, and the brightness and luminous efficiency are above 1000 cd/m(2) and 4 lm/W, respectively, with 60 V voltage. The characteristics of brightness versus voltage (B-V) curves, integrated charge versus voltage (Q-V) figures, and luminous efficiency versus voltage (eta-V) characteristics are different from conventional devices. The study of a special semiconductor layer--a thin probe-doped layer located at a different part of the pure ZnS layer--has proved that the excitation efficiency is not homogeneous across the emitting layer in this kind of device, and its value decreases from the anode toward the cathode, which is opposite of that made with TFEL devices with high-resistivity insulators. By offering a model of space-charge-limited current, the mechanism of low-voltage-driven thin-film electroluminescence, its optoelectronic characteristics, and the distribution characteristics of excitation efficiency across the emitting layer can be thoroughly explained.

Estimation of optical constants of thin film by the use of artificial neural networks.

A system for analyzing single-layer optical thin films has been formulated by the use of artificial neural networks. The training data sets stem from the computational results of the physical model of thin films, and they are used to train the artificial neural network, which, when done, can give values of film parameters in the millisecond time regime. The fast backpropagation algorithm is employed during training. The results of training are also given.

Infrared optical absorption loss of antireflection coatings on germanium and potassium chloride substrates at the 10-µm wavelength by the photothermal deflection technique.

The photothermal deflection technique is used to study the infrared absorption of antireflection coatings on Ge and KCl substrates. The thin films deposited by the thermal resistance evaporation technique, both with and without ion-assisted deposition, are investigated. The experimental results show that Ar-ion bombardment with low energy can evidently reduce the absorption of the coatings.

[The effect of nifedipine on pulmonary hemodynamics after injection of oleic acid in rabbits].

Twelve rabbits were divided into two groups, A: control group; B: nifedipine group. Oleic acid (0.1 ml/kg) was injected into pulmonary arteries of 12 rabbits. Nifedipine (1 mg/kg) was given sublingually before oleic acid injected in B group. The results showed that the pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) were obviously increased and cardiac output (CO) heart rate (HR) decreased in two groups (P less than 0.05, P less than 0.01, P less than 0.001). The degree of increase of PVR, and the degree of decrease of CO were obviously less in B group than that of A group (P less than 0.05, P less than 0.01, P less than 0.001 in different periods). The results showed that nifedipine improved pulmonary hemodynamics of pulmonary damage by oleic acid.

Optimum design and preparation of multilayered magnetooptic recording media.

A new computation of the optical performance of a magnetooptic multilayer structure has been developed, and the statistical testing method is used in the automatic design of multilayered MO recording media. With this method we have succeeded in preparing MO recording media with a bilayer structure. The prepared bilayer structures have excellent magnetic properties and their MO performance agrees well with theoretical predictions.

Characterization of thin film surfaces over an extended spatial wavelength range.

The statistical properties of a thin film surface over an extended spatial wavelength have been studied by using the methods of differential scattering and digital analysis of replica micrographs. It can be concluded that, for a given film thickness, the surface features corresponding to long spatial wavelengths greater than several thousand angstroms are dominated mainly by the substrate surface, while the fine details corresponding to short spatial wavelengths are dominated by the thin film material and deposition process. Effects of ion-beam bombardment during deposition on surface roughness are also discussed.

Transparent conducting indium doped ZnO films by dc reactive S-gun magnetron sputtering.

Transparent conducting ZnO films have been prepared by modified S-gun reactive dc magnetron sputtering using an indium doped Zn target. Films with a resistivity of 1.08 x 10(-3) Omega cm and average transmittance of over 80% in the visible region were obtained. The influence of indium content at the surface of Zn target on the resistivity and transmittance of ZnO films was investigated. Optical properties of ZnO films in the 0.2-2.5-microm range were modeled by the Drude theory of free electrons. The reflectance of ZnO films in the 2.5-26.0-microm region was calculated.

Apparatus for wideband monitoring of optical coatings and its uses.

A computer controlled rapid-scanning monochromator has been constructed for monitoring optical coatings in situ, determining the optical constants of films, and measuring the optical instability of filters. In this paper are given the main specifications of the apparatus, some results in the production of a number of broadband AR coatings, and characterization of some passband filters.