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Objective: The relationship between tinnitus in the elderly with hearing loss remains elusive. This study aimed to reveal the association between tinnitus and hearing impairment among older adults with age-related hearing loss (ARHL)., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among a population of outpatients diagnosed with ARHL at four medical centers in different regions of China, from June 2020 to June 2023. ARHL patients were divided into two groups based on their self-reported tinnitus: tinnitus and non-tinnitus. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess the association between tinnitus and hearing impairment in ARHL patients. Subgroup analyses, stratified by gender and age, were performed to further evaluate the association., Results: A total of 418 older adults with ARHL were included in the study. Compared to the non-tinnitus group, ARHL patients with tinnitus had lower hearing thresholds ( β  = -5.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) -9.32 to -0.81; p  = 0.020). On subgroup analyses stratified by gender and age, the male ARHL patients with tinnitus still had lower hearing thresholds compared to those without tinnitus ( β  = -6.96; 95% CI -12.70 to 1.22; p  = 0.018). In females, tinnitus was not associated with hearing thresholds ( β  = -3.69; 95% CI -10.11 to 2.74, p  = 0.262). There was no association between tinnitus and hearing thresholds in both the age group of ≥70 years ( β  = -4.31; 95% CI -9.65 to 1.03; p  = 0.116) and the age group of <70 years ( β  = -3.54; 95% CI -9.96 to 2.89; p  = 0.282)., Conclusion: Based on this multi-center cross-sectional study, we reveal that there is no evidence for the assumption that tinnitus may exacerbate hearing loss in the elderly for the first time. On the contrary, tinnitus is associated with better hearing in the male elderly with ARHL. More extensive longitudinal studies are needed to give a comprehensive insight of the present findings and the underlying mechanisms., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Chen, Lu, Chen, Lin, Xie, Luo, Lin, Chen, Feng, Xiong, Ma, Zeng and Lin.)

Introduction: The Songnen Plain is one of the three major saline-alkali areas in China, covering a vast area, where drought and overgrazing have exacerbated the salinization trend, and will have great potential for development if utilized rationally. Phosphorus, as one of important soil nutrients, plays a crucial role in plant growth. How to minimize its loss and migration has become a current research hotspot. The objective of the present study was to elucidate the adsorption properties of phosphorus in soils affected by salinization and to establish the correlation between the potential for phosphorus release and soil properties., Methods: A batch treatment test was conducted in this study using three soils with the various salinization degrees to examine the impact of environmental factors on the adsorption properties and potential release of phosphorus., Results and Discussion: It was found that the maximum phosphorus adsorption by the three salinization soils in 0-360 minutes accounted for 86.8%-90.5% of the total adsorption capacity; the equilibrium adsorption capacity was: HS> MS> LS. In cases where the phosphorus level in the surrounding liquid is low, the three levels of salinized soils exhibited varying levels of phosphorus discharge, with the adsorbent acting as the origin of contaminants. The Pseudo-second-order model kinetics and Langmuir equation can well describe the adsorption process, and the adsorption process is spontaneous heat absorption with entropy increase. Increasing the pH led to an increase in the adsorption of phosphorus from the three salinized soils. Additionally, the adsorption was enhanced by introducing varying concentrations of Na + , Ca 2+ , and Al 3+ to the background solution. The phosphorus eutrophication release risk (ERI) demonstrated a gradual decline as temperature increased. Correlation analysis revealed a noteworthy positive correlation between TN, TP, and ERI, as well as a significant negative correlation between CEC, K + , and ERI. Furthermore, there was a highly significant negative correlation between coarse silt and fine silt. Considering local climatic and environmental factors is crucial for controlling the adsorption capacity of phosphorus in various salinized soils, as it can unveil the mechanism of phosphorus adsorption and impact its migration and release risk., Competing Interests: Author YX was employed by the company Jilin Huan Zhi Technology Co., LTD. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jiang, Yan, Liu, Xu, Han, Ma and Wang.)

Introduction: Although sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) has been attempted to be understood for 70 years, diagnosis and treatment strategies still have strong heterogeneity worldwide, which are reflected in the guidelines issued by countries and the clinical practice of otolaryngologists., Methods: Questionnaires were sent to registered otolaryngologists nationwide via an online questionnaire system. We investigated the current views and clinical practices of otolaryngologists in mainland China about the diagnosis, examination, and treatment strategies of SSNHL., Results: Most otolaryngologists supported diagnostic classification via audiograms. Regional economic situation and hospital grade affected application strategies for differential diagnosis. Regarding corticosteroid therapy, 54.9% of respondents opted to discontinue the drug 5 days after systemic administration. Both intratympanic therapy and post-auricular injections were selected by more than half of the respondents as initial and salvage treatments., Discussion: Chinese otolaryngologists exhibit heterogeneity in clinical practices for SSNHL, including distinct approaches to combination therapy and local application of steroids. This study pointed out Chinese doctors' similarities, differences, and unique strategies in diagnosing and treating SSNHL and analyzed the possible reasons to help the world understand the current otolaryngology practices in China., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Chen, Karpeta, Ma, Ning, Liu, Song, Jiang, Ma, Liu, Zhong, Sun, Liu, Chen, Duan and Yu.)

Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with ototoxicity, which is caused by external factors. Mitophagy plays a key role in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and function and is regulated by a series of key mitophagy regulatory proteins and signaling pathways. The results of ototoxicity models indicate the importance of this process in the etiology of ototoxicity. A number of recent investigations of the control of cell fate by mitophagy have enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms by which mitophagy regulates ototoxicity and other hearing-related diseases, providing opportunities for targeting mitochondria to treat ototoxicity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Han, Hu, Hu, Liu, Zhou, Liu, Ma and Dong.)

Objectives: To investigate the possible effects of anxiety and/or depression symptoms on the treatment outcomes and recurrence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)., Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted at a single institution. 142 consecutive patients diagnosed with idiopathic BPPV at the Department of Otology in Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University between October 2016 and July 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. 127 patients were finally included in this study. Zung self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and Zung self-rating depression scale (SDS) were used to evaluate the presence of anxiety and/or depression, respectively, in our BPPV patients. A significant score (at or above 50 for SAS and 53 for SDS) represents the presence of clinically significant symptoms. Two-tailed Student's t -test, χ 2 test, and logistic regression analysis were used as appropriate. A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: The prevalence of anxiety and/or depression symptoms in BPPV patients in the present study was 49.61%. The effectiveness of the first time canalith repositioning maneuver (CRM) was 70.08%. With weekly follow-up treatments of CRM, the success rate increased to 97.64% by 1 month. The total recurrence rate at 6-month follow-up post-cure was 14.17%. Holding all other variables constant, patients with psychiatric symptoms (Relative-risk ratio: 3.160; p  = 0.027) and patients with non-posterior semicircular canal (PSC) involvement (Relative-risk ratio: 7.828, p  = 0.013) were more likely to experience residual dizziness (RD) even after effective CRM treatment. Psychiatric symptoms (Relative-risk ratio: 6.543; p  = 0.001) and female gender (Relative-risk ratio: 4.563; p  = 0.010) are risk factors for the failure of first time CRM. In addition, BPPV patients with psychiatric symptoms (Odds ratio: 9.184, p  = 0.008) were significantly more likely to experience recurrences within the first 6 months after a successful maneuver., Conclusion: Anxiety-depression status significantly reduced the efficacy of the first time CRM and increased the risk for recurrence. Other factors, such as female gender and non-PSC involvement are also susceptible risk factors for BPPV patients to require multiple treatments and experience delayed recovery. A screening for psychiatric symptoms in BPPV patients and active treatment of these symptoms would benefit both physicians and patients in understanding and improving the prognosis of the disease and treatment options.