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[Objective] In order to explore the loss pattern of VC in kiwifruit pork jerky by twin-screw extrusion and solve the "black box" problem of nutrient loss during the extrusion process. [Methods] In this paper, a twin-screw extruder was used to produce kiwifruit pork jerky, and the VC content of the material before and after extrusion was determined by high performance liquid chromatography, and the Mean Residence Time （MRT） was used as the reaction time of the material in the barrel, and the VC loss rate under different extrusion conditions was dynamically analyzed. [Results] Increasing the temperature and moisture content of the barrel, decreasing the screw speed, and increasing the amount of dried fruit added during the extrusion process will increase the VC loss rate of the extruded material. The variation pattern of MRT and VC loss rate is basically consistent. Dynamic analysis shows that VC loss during the extrusion process follows a first-order dynamic model, and the VC loss rate constant is between 0.003 54 and 0.006 05 s-1. [Conclusion] MRT is an important factor affecting the variation of VC loss rate. A predictive model for VC loss rate can be obtained through multiple regression analysis, which can achieve reasonable prediction of the variation pattern of VC loss rate under different conditions and reduce production costs.

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decoding speech envelopes from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals holds potential as a research tool for objectively assessing auditory processing, which could contribute to future developments in hearing loss diagnosis. However, current methods struggle to meet both high accuracy and interpretability. We propose a deep learning model called the auditory decoding transformer (ADT) network for speech envelope reconstruction from EEG signals to address these issues. The ADT network uses spatio-temporal convolution for feature extraction, followed by a transformer decoder to decode the speech envelopes. Through anticausal masking, the ADT considers only the current and future EEG features to match the natural relationship of speech and EEG. Performance evaluation shows that the ADT network achieves average reconstruction scores of 0.168 and 0.167 on the SparrKULee and DTU datasets, respectively, rivaling those of other nonlinear models. Furthermore, by visualizing the weights of the spatio-temporal convolution layer as time-domain filters and brain topographies, combined with an ablation study of the temporal convolution kernels, we analyze the behavioral patterns of the ADT network in decoding speech envelopes. The results indicate that low- (0.5-8 Hz) and high-frequency (14-32 Hz) EEG signals are more critical for envelope reconstruction and that the active brain regions are primarily distributed bilaterally in the auditory cortex, consistent with previous research. Visualization of attention scores further validated previous research. In summary, the ADT network balances high performance and interpretability, making it a promising tool for studying neural speech envelope tracking., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Cholesteatoma of the middle ear is a common disease in otolaryngology that is receiving increasing attention. It is estimated that over five million people around the world have suffered from middle ear cholesteatoma. The annual incidence of middle ear cholesteatoma has been reported to be 9.2 per 100,000 in adults and 3 per 100,000 in children. Without timely discovery and intervention, cholesteatomas can become perilously large and damage intratemporal structures, causing various intracranial and extracranial complications. No practical nonsurgical treatments are currently available. Although multiple hypotheses exist, research directions have consistently focused on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and bone destruction. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), especially microRNAs (miRNAs), long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), have recently received increasing attention because of their key roles in gene expression, cell cycle regulation, and the development of many diseases. Although ncRNAs are not involved in protein translation, they are abundant in the genome, with only approximately 2% of genes encoding proteins and the remaining approximately 98% encoding ncRNAs. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the specific role of ncRNAs in middle ear cholesteatoma.

The main clinical manifestations of the tumors in the middle ear are hearing loss, intact tympanic membrane, and conductive hearing damage. CT shows soft tissue lesions and abnormal bony lesions in the middle ear. The tumors were completely removed by operation and confirmed by pathology as myxoma and bony structure tumor., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)