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Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the epidemiology of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to COVID-19 in China., Methods: This study was conducted by 45 tertiary Grade-A hospitals in China. Online and offline questionnaire data were obtained from patients infected with COVID-19 between December 28, 2022, and February 21, 2023. The collected information included basic demographics, medical history, smoking and drinking history, vaccination history, changes in olfactory and gustatory functions before and after infection, and other postinfection symptoms, as well as the duration and improvement status of olfactory and gustatory disorders., Results: Complete questionnaires were obtained from 35,566 subjects. The overall incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunction was 67.75%. Being female or being a cigarette smoker increased the likelihood of developing olfactory and taste dysfunction. Having received four doses of the vaccine or having good oral health or being a alcohol drinker decreased the risk of such dysfunction. Before infection, the average olfactory and taste VAS scores were 8.41 and 8.51, respectively; after infection, they decreased to 3.69 and 4.29 and recovered to 5.83 and 6.55 by the time of the survey. The median duration of dysosmia and dysgeusia was 15 and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% of patients having symptoms lasting for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate was 59.16%. Recovery was higher in males, never smokers, those who received two or three vaccine doses, and those that had never experienced dental health issues, or chronic accompanying symptoms., Conclusions: The incidence of dysosmia and dysgeusia following infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is high in China. Incidence and prognosis are influenced by several factors, including sex, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, history of head-facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking and drinking history, and the persistence of accompanying symptoms., Competing Interests: Professor Lei Cheng, Hua‐Bin Li, Jian‐Feng Liu, Zhen‐Lin Wang, Chang‐Qing Zhao and Dong‐Dong Zhu are the members of World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology ‐ Head and Neck Surgery editorial board and are not involved in the peer review process of this article. The other authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Authors. World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology ‐ Head and Neck Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Chinese Medical Association.)

A new species of Leptobrachella , L.wumingensis sp. nov. , was described from the Damingshan National Nature Reserve, Wuming District, Nanning City, Guangxi, China based on morphological, molecular and bioacoustic data. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S mtDNA fragments revealed that the new species is closely related to L.damingshanensis . Uncorrected p -distances between the new species and all homologous DNA sequences available for the 16S gene of Leptobrachella are greater than 7.1%. Morphologically, L.wumingensis sp. nov. differs from its congeners in several ways, including a medium body size (SVL 26.0-26.7 mm in males, 30.6-34.8 mm in females), lack of toe webbing and lateral fringes, shagreened and granular dorsal surface, pale brown dorsum with darker brown markings, iris bicolored, with the upper half copper and fading to silver in the lower half, and the presence of small irregular black spots and tangerine tubercles on the flanks. Furthermore, we found the new species to have two types of advertisement calls and relatively high dominant frequencies, making it distinct from its congeners., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Wei-Cai Chen, Wan-Xiao Peng, Peng Li, Gui-Dong Yu.)

Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P <0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P <0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender( OR =1.564, 95% CI : 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status ( OR =1.334, 95% CI : 1.164-1.530), oral health status ( OR =0.881, 95% CI : 0.839-0.926), smoking history ( OR =1.152, 95% CI =1.080-1.229), and drinking history ( OR =0.854, 95% CI : 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P <0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P =0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender( OR =0.893, 95% CI : 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status ( OR =1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma( OR =1.180, 95% CI : 1.036-1.344, P =0.013), nose ( OR =1.104, 95% CI : 1.042-1.171, P =0.001) and oral ( OR =1.162, 95% CI : 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history( OR =0.765, 95% CI : 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms ( OR =0.359, 95% CI : 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P <0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.

Background: The impact of lymphocyte-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) on clinical outcomes has been reported in liver cancer such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), but the results remain inconsistent. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library databases for relevant studies evaluating the association of LCR with survival outcomes and clinicopathological parameters. Results: Eight studies with 4316 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Low LCR was significantly associated with poor overall survival, disease-free survival/relapse-free survival and disease progression clinicopathological parameters in patients with HCC or ICC. Conclusion:  Low pretreatment LCR was an adverse prognostic indicator in patients with HCC or ICC. In addition, it was correlated with clinicopathological parameters indicating a higher stage of malignancy.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common inflammatory disease in otolaryngology, mainly manifested as nasal congestion, nasal discharge, facial pain/pressure, and smell disorder. CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), an important phenotype of CRS, has a high recurrence rate even after receiving corticosteroids and/or functional endoscopic sinus surgery. In recent years, clinicians have focused on the application of biological agents in CRSwNP. However, it has not reached a consensus on the timing and selection of biologics for the treatment of CRS so far., Summary: We reviewed the previous studies of biologics in CRS and summarized the indications, contraindications, efficacy assessment, prognosis, and adverse effects of biologics. Also, we evaluated the treatment response and adverse reactions of dupilumab, omalizumab, and mepolizumab in the management of CRS and made recommendations., Key Messages: Dupilumab, omalizumab, and mepolizumab have been approved for the treatment of CRSwNP by the US Food and Drug Administration. Type 2 and eosinophilic inflammation, need for systemic steroids or contraindication to systemic steroids, significantly impaired quality of life, anosmia, and comorbid asthma are required for the use of biologics. Based on current evidence, dupilumab has the prominent advantage in improving quality of life and reducing the risk of comorbid asthma in CRSwNP among the approved monoclonal antibodies. Most patients tolerate biological agents well in general with few major or severe adverse effects. Biologics have provided more options for severe uncontrolled CRSwNP patients or patients who refuse to have surgery. In the future, more novel biologics will be assessed in high-quality clinical trials and applied clinically., (© 2023 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

A new species of music frog, Nidiranaguibeiensis sp. nov. , is described from northern Guangxi, China. Based on two mtDNA fragments analyzed, phylogenetic trees reveal that N.guibeiensis sp. nov. is most closely related to N.leishanensis . However, the new species can be identified by conspicuous diagnostic morphological characteristics as well as bioacoustics. In contrast to the known Nidirana species, the advertisement calls of the new species can be divided into three types, calls with one, two, and three notes. In addition, the new species has nest construction behavior, which is inconsistent with N.leishanensis . Nidiranaguibeiensis sp. nov. occurs in paddy fields or still pools at 300-1300 m a.s.l., (Wei-Cai Chen, Jian-Ping Ye, Wan-Xiao Peng, Peng Li, Tong-Ping Su, Gui-Dong Yu, Zhi-Ying Cheng.)

Two new aspidosperma-type monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, 16- O -methylvoafinine ( 1 ) and 14,15- diepi -voafinidine ( 2 ) were isolated from the aerial parts of Ervatamia officinalis . Their structures were established by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, and electronic circular dichroism calculation. The isolated compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activities against HepG2, MCF-7, and A549 cell lines by CCK-8 assay.

Objective: By analyzing the expression of pepsin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues, to investigate the correlation between laryngeal reflux (LPR) and NPC, as well as the effect of LPR on the quality of life of patients with NPC after radiotherapy. Methods: A total of 133 patients with NPC who underwent radiotherapy at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from 2005 to 2019 were enrolled consecutively, including 90 males and 43 females, aged (44.32±7.47) years old. At the same period, 58 patients with chronic nasopharyngitis who underwent nasopharyngeal biopsy were selected as the control group. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of pepsin in nasopharyngeal specimens of the two groups. In addition, 188 normal individuals were selected as the normal group in the same period. NPC patients before and within 6 months after radiotherapy were inverstigated by the General Information Questionnaire and the Quality of Life Scale, and the pepsin levels in saliva of NPC patients before and after radiotherapy and the individuals in normal group were measured. SPSS 21.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: Pepsin expression in 133 specimens of NPC patients was strongly positive in 24 cases (18.05%), positive in 21 cases (15.79%), weakly positive in 69 cases (51.88%), and negative in 19 cases (14.29%). The specimens of control group had 10 cases of weakly positive (17.24%), 48 cases of negative (82.76%), but no strong positive or positive pepsin expression. The rate of positive pepsin expression in the NPC group was higher than that in the control group, with a statistically significant (χ 2 =83.15, P< 0.001). The pepsin content in the saliva of NPC patients after radiotherapy ((30.31±7.82) ng/ml) was higher than that before radiotherapy ((20.47±8.21) ng/ml) and the normal group (5.11±2.13) ng/ml), and the pepsin content in saliva before radiotherapy was higher than that in the normal group, and all differences were statistically significant (all P< 0.05). After radiotherapy, the five functional domains of quality of life and overall quality of life of NPC patients decreased, while the related symptom scores increased (all P< 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that pepsin content in saliva was the influential factor of five functional domains of quality of life, related symptoms and overall quality of life in NPC patients after radiotherapy (all P< 0.05). Conclusion: The positive rate of pepsin expression in NPC tissues is high, and the pepsin in saliva before and after radiotherapy of NPC patients is significantly higher than that in normal, suggesting that LPR may be involved in the process of NPC and affect the quality of life after radiotherapy in NPC patients.

Objective: To analyze whether there are differences and related influencing factors in liver injury associated with different strains of 2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: Data of epidemiology, clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, and treatment outcomes of patients with COVID-19 infection confirmed with Alpha and Delta virus strain in Zhejiang Province were retrospectively collected. Statistical analysis was performed using independent samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, χ 2 test or Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 788 and 381 cases with Alpha and Delta virus strain were included. Vaccination ratio was 0% in Alpha and 85.30% in Delta group ( P <0.001), The proportion of patients with fever (80.71% vs . 40.94%, P <0.001) was significantly higher in Alpha than Delta strain group. The proportion of critical ill patients was significantly higher in Delta group (9.90% vs . 1.57%, respectively, P <0.001). The virus negative conversion time was significantly longer in Delta than Alpha group (22 d vs. 11 d, P <0.001), but the incidence of liver injury was significantly higher in Alpha than Delta group (20.05% vs . 13.91%, P =0.011). Univariate analysis showed that Alpha virus strain infection, male sex, body mass index, chronic liver disease, fever, diarrhea, shortness of breath, severe/critical illness, elevated creatine kinase (CK), elevated international normalized ratio (INR) and an elevated neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio was significantly associated with an increased risk of liver injury occurrence, and in patients with pharyngeal pain the risk of liver injury occurrence was significantly reduced. Multivariate analysis showed that shortness of breath [ OR , 2.667 ( CI : 1.389-5.122); P =0.003], increased CK [ OR , 2.544 ( CI : 1.414-4.576); P =0.002] and increased INR [OR, 1.721] ( CI : 1.074-2.758); P =0.024] was significantly associated with an increased risk of liver injury occurrence, and in patients with pharyngeal pain the risk of liver injury occurrence was significantly reduced [ OR , 0.424 ( CI : 0.254-0.709); P =0.001]. Conclusion: Although the virulence of the Delta is stronger than Alpha strain, most patients infected with Delta strain vaccinated against COVID-19 in Zhejiang province had milder clinical symptoms and a lower incidence and degree of liver injury. Notably, the infection risk even remains after vaccination; however, symptoms and the incidence of severe and critical illness can be significantly reduced.

Objective: To explore the relationship between NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis and olfactory dysfunction (OD) in allergic rhinitis (AR), and to evaluate the therapeutic potential of CY-09, a selective NLRP3 inhibitor for OD. Methods: An AR mouse model was established with ovalbumin, and the olfactory function of AR mice was detected by the buried food pellet test. Mice with OD were intraperitoneally injected with CY-09 or saline. The activation of microglia and astrocytes in olfactory bulb was detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression level of pyroptosis associated protein was detected by Western blot. The level of pyroptosis associated proinflammatory factor mRNA was determined by real-time PCR. SPSS 24.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: After the test, ovalbumin successfully established AR mice model, in which 52.5% (21/40) of them showed OD. The number of activated microglia and astroglia in olfactory bulb tissue in OD group were more than those in non-OD group (all P <0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1 and gasdermin D (GSDMD) was significantly increased in the olfactory bulb of the OD group (all P <0.05). CY-09 could significantly reduce the level of NLRP3, caspase-1, GSDMD, IL-1β and IL-18 expression, and inhibite the activation of microglia and astrocytes in the olfactory bulb tissues (all P <0.05). Conclusion: NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis is closely related to the OD associated with AR. CY-09 could improve the olfactory function in AR mice, which may be related to blocking the NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis.

Four new iboga-type alkaloids, ervaoffines H-K (1-4), along with five known compounds were obtained from the aerial parts of Ervatamia officinalis. The absolute configurations of 1-4 were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analyses. The isolates were tested for their anti-inflammatory activity. Compounds 1, 5, 6, and 9 showed potential inhibitory effect of NO production in LPS-stimulated BV2 and RAW264.7 cells., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare the value of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-(OH)D3) with other clinical parameters in the prediction and diagnosis of eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (ECRSwNP). Methods: Eligible chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) patients and healthy subjects in the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from January to April of 2021 were included for this study. The age, gender, past history and other basic characteristics of all subjects were recorded. The CRSwNP patients were classified into ECRSwNP and non-eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (nECRSwNP) endotypes by the percentage of tissue eosinophils. Serum 25-(OH)D3 levels measurements were performed in all subjects. Paranasal sinus CT scans, blood eosinophil counts, and determination of total immunoglobulin E (total IgE), Th1/Th2 plasma cytokines and nasal nitric oxide (nNO) levels were performed before surgery. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the related factors of ECRSwNP. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was used to evaluate the predictive potential of the clinical parameters. Results: One hundred and twenty-seven CRSwNP patients and 40 healthy subjects were recruited, including 74 males and 93 females of the patients, with the age of (38.73±13.05) years. In patients with ECRSwNP, serum 25-(OH)D3 levels were significantly lower than those in nECRSwNP patients ((26.14±4.58) ng/ml vs (35.71±7.86) ng/ml, t =-8.564, P <0.01). The prevalence of asthma, prevalence of allergic rhinitis, peripheral blood eosinophil counts, total IgE levels, nNO levels and CT scores ratio for ethmoid sinus and maxillary sinus (E/M ratio) of ECRSwNP patients were significantly higher than those in nECRSwNP patients (all P <0.05). However, there was no significant difference in Th1/Th2 cytokines levels between the histological types of CRSwNP (all P >0.05). Among the predictive indicators, 25-(OH)D3 had the highest predictive value, with ROC area under curve (AUC) value of 0.882. The best cut-off point of 28.5 ng/ml for 25-(OH)D3 demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.871 and a specificity of 0.762 for ECRSwNP. Conclusion: Measurement of serum 25-(OH)D3 level may be used as an effective method to distinguish between ECRSwNP and nECRSwNP.