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Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text, Objective: To investigate the association of serum bilirubin level with hearing outcomes in bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (BSSHL) patients. Participants: One hundred thirteen in-patient BSSHL patients were consecutively enrolled between July 2008 and December 2015 in a tertiary center. Main Outcome Measures: Multivariable linear regression, generalized estimating equations (GEE), and stratified analyses were applied to examine the association between serum bilirubin level and hearing outcome measures such as final hearing threshold and absolute and relative hearing gains in BSSHL. Results: After full adjustment for potential confounders, total bilirubin levels (TBIL) were observed to be positively and independently associated with hearing outcomes as measured by final hearing (β [95% confidence interval {CI}]: −1.5 [−2.7, −0.2] dB HL per 1 μmol/L increase in TBIL) and absolute and relative hearing gains (β [95% CI]: 1.4 [0.2, 2.7] dB and 1.6 [0.2, 3.1] dB, respectively) in the severe to profound hearing loss subpopulation. Conclusions: Higher TBIL levels, within the normal or mildly elevated ranges, were independently and significantly associated with better hearing outcome in BSSHL patients with severe to profound hearing loss. Given bilirubin elevation treatments exist, our finding suggests a novel pharmacological strategy for this specific subpopulation.

Objective Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is a multifactorial disorder with high heterogeneity, thus the outcomes vary widely. This study aimed to develop predictive models based on four machine learning methods for SSHL, identifying the best performer for clinical application. Design Single-centre retrospective study. Setting Chinese People's liberation army (PLA) hospital, Beijing, China. Participants A total of 1220 in-patient SSHL patients were enrolled between June 2008 and December 2015. Main outcome measures An advanced deep learning technique, deep belief network (DBN), together with the conventional logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) were developed to predict the dichotomised hearing outcome of SSHL by inputting six feature collections derived from 149 potential predictors. Accuracy, precision, recall, F-score and the area under the receiver operator characteristic curves (ROC-AUC) were exploited to compare the prediction performance of different models. Results Overall the best predictive ability was provided by the DBN model when tested in the raw data set with 149 variables, achieving an accuracy of 77.58% and AUC of 0.84. Nevertheless, DBN yielded inferior performance after feature pruning. In contrast, the LR, SVM and MLP models demonstrated opposite trend as the greatest individual prediction powers were obtained when included merely three variables, with the ROC-AUC ranging from 0.79 to 0.81, and then decreased with the increasing size of input features combinations. Conclusions With the input of enough features, DBN can be a robust prediction tool for SSHL. But LR is more practical for early prediction in routine clinical application using three readily available variables, that is time elapse between symptom onset and study entry, initial hearing level and audiogram.

Background: Bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (BSSHL) is rare and assumed to be a different clinical entity compared to unilateral SSHL (USSHL). This study examined the differences between the idiopathic BSSHL and USSHL. Methods: Forty-six sequential BSSHL patients (Se-BSSHL) and 68 simultaneous BSSHL (Si-BSSHL) were consecutively admitted between June 2008 and December 2015. Two sets of patients served as control groups: (1) USSHL patients with healthy contralateral ear and (2) USSHL patients with contralateral preexisting hearing loss (USSHLwCHL). We retrospectively analyzed differences among four cohorts using analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, Welch’s t-test, and Chi-square test as appropriate before and after propensity score matching (PSM) based on age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). Results: The prevalence of idiopathic BSSHL was 8.6% (114/1329) among the total SSHL patients. In the total cohort, USSHL patients tended to be younger, female, and tended to have lower BMI, renal parameters, and total cholesterol in addition to higher high-density lipoprotein compared to the other three groups. Most routine blood indicators, some coagulation markers, and immunoglobulin M (H = 13.4, P = 0.004) were significantly different among the study groups. After PSM, the major significant differences were found in audiometric characteristics. Si-BSSHL and Se-BSSHL patients demonstrated similar hearing thresholds as USSHL but were significantly better than the USSHLwCHL patients across most frequencies before and after treatment (H = 30.0, P < 0.001 for initial hearing and H= 12.0, P = 0.007 for final hearing). Moreover, the BSSHL patients showed different hearing loss distribution patterns (more descending type, χ2 = 33.8, P = 0.001) with less hearing gain (H = 17.5, P < 0.001) compared to the USSHL patients. Conclusions: Idiopathic BSSHL is a relatively rare subtype of SSHL with a higher rate of descending audiogram type and inferior hearing outcome rather than being classified as a completely different disease entity compared to USSHL. Key words: Bilateral Hearing Loss; Propensity Score; Sudden Hearing Loss; Unilateral Hearing Loss

// Zhanwei Zhao 1, 2 , Pengfei Yu 2 , Xiangying Feng 2 , Zifang Yin 3 , Shiqi Wang 2 , Zhaoyan Qiu 4 and Qingchuan Zhao 2 1 Department of Surgery, Navy General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China 2 Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China 3 Shaanxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, China 4 The General Hospital of The People’s Liberation Army, Department of General Surgery, Beijing, China Correspondence to: Qingchuan Zhao, email: zhaoqc@fmmu.edu.cn Keywords: meta-analysis; fruit; vegetable; pancreatic cancer; risk Received: April 21, 2017 Accepted: November 14, 2017 Epub: December 08, 2017 Published: August 14, 2018 ABSTRACT The associations between fruit and vegetable consumption and pancreatic cancer risk are inconclusive. We conducted a meta-analysis of prospective studies to investigate the associations. The search was conducted systemically using the PubMed and EMBASE databases up to March 2017. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals for the highest versus lowest consumption and dose-response analyses were assessed. Subtype and subgroup analyses were performed. Twelve studies were eligible. The summary relative risks of the highest versus lowest consumption were 0.95 (0.80–1.12) for total fruits and vegetables without heterogeneity ( I 2 = 0%, P = 0.44), 0.96 (0.82–1.12) for fruits without low heterogeneity ( I 2 = 37%, P = 0.12) and 0.94 (0.84–1.06) for vegetables with low heterogeneity ( I 2 = 9%, P = 0.36). Dose-response analyses also showed no significantly inverse associations for each 100 g/day increase; the summary relative risks were 1.00 (0.98–1.02) for total fruits and vegetables, 1.01 (0.97–1.05) for fruits and 1.00 (0.97–1.03) for vegetables. The results of subtype analyses were consistent with the fruit and vegetable analyses; the relative risks were 0.97 (0.80–1.17) for citrus fruit without low heterogeneity ( I 2 = 39%, P = 0.15) and 0.89 (0.76–1.05) for cruciferous vegetables without low heterogeneity ( I 2 = 14%, P = 0.32). In conclusion, this meta-analysis does not support significant associations between fruit and vegetable consumption and pancreatic cancer risk.

// Zhanwei Zhao 1 , Quanxin Feng 1 , Zifang Yin 2 , Jianbo Shuang 3 , Bin Bai 1 , Pengfei Yu 1 , Min Guo 1 and Qingchuan Zhao 1 1 Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi′an, China 2 Department of Obstetrics, Northwestern Women and Children’s Hospital, Xi′an, China 3 Department of General Surgery, Chinese PLA 323 Hospital, Xi′an, China Correspondence to: Qingchuan Zhao, email: zhaoqc@fmmu.edu.cn Keywords: nutrition, red meat, processed meat, colorectal cancer, meta-analysis Received: December 28, 2016 Accepted: June 09, 2017 Published: September 06, 2017 ABSTRACT The associations between red and processed meat consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer types have not been conclusively defined. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze these associations. We searched PubMed and EMBASE to identify studies published from inception through September 2016. Dose-response, subgroup and subtype analyses of colorectal cancer (colon cancer, proximal colon cancer, distal colon cancer and rectal cancer) were performed. We ultimately selected 60 eligible studies. Positive associations were observed for colorectal cancer in case-control studies (red meat, P

The feasible of minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (MIPD) remains controversial when compared with open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD). We conducted a systemic review and meta-analysis to summarise the available evidence to compare MIPD vs OPD. We systemically searched PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science for studies published through February 2016. The primary endpoint was postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF, grade B/C). A total of 27 studies involving 14,231 patients (2,377 MIPD and 11,854 OPD) were included. MIPD was associated with longer operative times (P P P P P P = 0.03) and shorter hospital stays (P P = 0.43), tumor size (P = 0.17), lymph nodes harvest (P = 0.57), POPF (P = 0.84), reoperation (P = 0.25) and 5-year survival rates (P = 0.82) for MIPD compared with OPD. Although there was an increased operative cost (P P P = 0.28). MIPD can be a reasonable alternative to OPD with the potential advantage of being minimally invasive. However, MIPD should be performed in high-volume centers and more randomized-controlled trials are needed to evaluate the appropriate indications of MIPD.

Background and Aim:Chromoendoscopy (CE) is widely used in the diagnosis of early gastric cancer (EGC) and premalignant gastric lesions (PGLs). We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of CE for EGC and PGLs.Methods:We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane

The ossicles represent one of the most fundamental morphological features in evolutionary biology of the mammalians. The mobile ossicular morphology abnormalities result in the severe conductive hearing loss. Development and patterning of the middle ear malformation depend on genetic and environmental causes. However, the genetic basis for the risk of congenital ossicle malformation is poorly understood. We show here nine affected individuals in a Chinese pedigree who had bilateral conductive hearing loss with ptosis. We performed whole-genome sequencing and array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analysis on DNA samples from the Chinese pedigree. We confirmed the presence of a novel 60 kb heterozygous deletion in size, encompassing SIX2 in our family. Mutation screening in 169 sporadic cases with external ear and middle ear malformations identified no pathogenic variant or polymorphism. We suggest SIX2 haploinsufficiency as a potential congenital factor could be attributed to developmental malformation of the middle ear ossicles and upper eyelid. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to provide a description of copy number variation in the SIX2 gene resulting in syndromic conductive hearing loss.

Temperature sensitive auditory neuropathy is a very rare and puzzling disorder. In the present study, we reported three unrelated 2 to 6 year-old children who were diagnosed as auditory neuropathy patients who complained of severe hearing loss when they had fever. Their hearing thresholds varied from the morning to the afternoon. Two of these patients' hearing improved with age, and one patient received positive results from cochlear implant. Genetic analysis revealed that these three patients had otoferlin (OTOF) homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations with the genotypes c.2975_2978delAG/c.4819C>T, c.4819C>T/c.4819C>T, or c.2382_2383delC/c.1621G>A, respectively. Our study suggests that these gene mutations may be the cause of temperature sensitive auditory neuropathy. The long term follow up results suggest that the hearing loss in this type of auditory neuropathy may recover with age.

Background: The prevalence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in children (CSSNHL) is consistently increasing. However, the pathology and prognosis of CSSNHL are still poorly understood. This retrospective study evaluated clinical characteristics and possible associated factors of CSSNHL. Methods: One hundred and thirty-six CSSNHL patients treated in Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Institute of Otolaryngology at Chinese PLA General Hospital between July 2008 and August 2015 were included in this study. These patients were analyzed for clinical characteristics, audiological characteristics, laboratory examinations, and prognostic factors. Results: Among the 136 patients (151 ears), 121 patients (121 ears, 80.1%) were diagnosed with unilaterally CSSNHL, and 15 patients (30 ears, 19.9%) with bilateral CSSNHL. The complete recovery rate of CSSNHL was 9.3%, and the overall recovery rate was 37.7%. We found that initial degree of hearing loss, onset of treatment, tinnitus, the ascending type audiogram, gender, side of hearing loss, the recorded auditory brainstem response (ABR), and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) had prognostic significance. Age, ear fullness, and vertigo had no significant correlation with recovery. Furthermore, the relevant blood tests showed 30.8% of the children had abnormal white blood cell (WBC) counts, 22.1% had elevated homocysteine levels, 65.8% had high alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 33.8% had high IgE antibody levels, and 86.1% had positive cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgG antibodies. Conclusions: CSSNHL commonly occurs unilaterally and results in severe hearing loss. Initial severe hearing loss and bilateral hearing loss are negative prognostic factors for hearing recovery, while positive prognostic factors include tinnitus, gender, the ascending type audiogram, early treatment, identifiable ABR waves, and DPOAEs. Age, vertigo, and ear fullness are not correlated with the recovery. Some serologic indicators, including the level of WBC, platelet, homocysteine, ALP, positive CMV IgG antibody, fibrinogen, and some immunologic indicators, are closely related to CSSNHL.

Background Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) refers to the sudden occurrence of unexplained sensorineural hearing loss. The present study showed that different systemic diseases had different influence on the occurrence and hearing outcome of SSHL. Thyroid hormone is one of the important factors for the development of fetal ear and auditory function. However, the distribution of thyroid dysfunction in SSHL patients and the effect of thyroid dysfunction on the occurrence and hearing outcome of SSHL has not been studied. Methods In this study, a retrospective analysis had been done in 676 patients with SSHL. We had described the distribution of thyroid function in patients with SSHL in detail, and by the statistical method, analyzed the relationship between the hearing outcome and thyroid dysfunction, respectively. Results In all patients, 24.41% (165/676) had abnormal thyroid function testing results. The onset age of SSHL in FT3 abnormal group (including low and high group) was younger than that in normal FT3 group. Recovery group had more patients with lower-than-normal T3 level as compared to non-recovery patients. Significant associations between T3 levels and hearing outcome were observed in the subgroup with longer time elapse between symptom onset and treatment (≥14 d). Conclusion The incidence of thyroid dysfunction in SSHL is significantly higher than in the general population. There was obvious relationship between T3 and FT3 item of thyroid dysfunction and the onset time and hearing outcome of SSHL, which indicated that T3 or FT3 indicator may be one of the affecting factors for the SSHL. Early screening and diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction, especial T3 level, may help to evaluate the prognosis in SSHL patients.

Background Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) is a form of hearing loss in which auditory signal transmission from the inner ear to the auditory nerve and brain stem is distorted, giving rise to speech perception difficulties beyond that expected for the observed degree of hearing loss. For many cases of ANSD, the underlying molecular pathology and the site of lesion remain unclear. The X-linked form of the condition, AUNX1, has been mapped to Xq23-q27.3, although the causative gene has yet to be identified. Methods We performed whole-exome sequencing on DNA samples from the AUNX1 family and another small phenotypically similar but unrelated ANSD family. Results We identified two missense mutations in AIFM1 in these families: c.1352G>A (p.R451Q) in the AUNX1 family and c.1030C>T (p.L344F) in the second ANSD family. Mutation screening in a large cohort of 3 additional unrelated families and 93 sporadic cases with ANSD identified 9 more missense mutations in AIFM1. Bioinformatics analysis and expression studies support this gene as being causative of ANSD. Conclusions Variants in AIFM1 gene are a common cause of familial and sporadic ANSD and provide insight into the expanded spectrum of AIFM1-associated diseases. The finding of cochlear nerve hypoplasia in some patients was AIFM1-related ANSD implies that MRI may be of value in localising the site of lesion and suggests that cochlea implantation in these patients may have limited success.

// Zhanwei Zhao 1 , Zifang Yin 2 and Qingchuan Zhao 1 1 Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China 2 Department of Obstetrics, Northwestern Women and Children’s Hospital, Shaanxi, China Correspondence to: Qingchuan Zhao, email: // Keywords : diet; gastric cancer; red meat; processed meat; meta-analysis Received : December 02, 2016 Accepted : February 07, 2017 Published : February 25, 2017 Abstract The associations between red and processed meat consumption and gastric cancer risk have remained inconclusive. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze these associations. We searched PubMed and EMBASE to identify studies published from inception through October 2016. Subtype analyses of gastric cancer (gastric cardia adenocarcinoma and gastric non-cardiac adenocarcinoma) and dose-response analyses were performed. We finally selected 42 eligible studies. The summary relative risks of highest versus lowest consumption were positive for case-control studies with 1.67 (1.36-2.05) for red meat and 1.76 (1.51-2.05) for processed meat, but negative for cohort studies with 1.14 (0.97-1.34) for red meat and 1.23 (0.98-1.55) for processed meat. Subtype analyses of cohort studies suggested null results for gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (red meat, P = 0.79; processed meat, P = 0.89) and gastric non-cardiac adenocarcinoma (red meat, P = 0.12; processed meat, P = 0.12). In conclusion, the present analysis suggested null results between red and processed meat consumption and gastric cancer risk in cohort studies, although case-control studies yielded positive associations. Further well-designed prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.

Autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) is a highly heterogeneous genetic condition. PDZD7 has emerged as a new genetic etiology of ARNSHL. Biallelic mutations in the PDZD7 gene have been reported in two German families, four Iranian families, and a Pakistani family with ARNSHL. The effect of PDZD7 on ARNSHL in other population has yet to be elucidated. Two Chinese ARNSHL families, each of which had two affected siblings, were included in this study. The families underwent target region capture and high-throughput sequencing to analyze the exonic, splice-site, and intronic sequences of 128 genes. Furthermore, 1751 normal Chinese individuals served as controls, and 122 Chinese families segregating with apparent ARNSHL, who had been previously excluded for variants in the common deafness genes GJB2 and SLC26A4, were subjected to screening for candidate mutations. We identified a novel homozygous missense mutation (p.Arg66Leu) and novel compound heterozygous frameshift mutations (p.Arg56fsTer24 and p.His403fsTer36) in Chinese families with ARNSHL. This is the first report to identify PDZD7 as an ARNSHL-associated gene in the Chinese population. Our finding could expand the pathogenic spectrum and strengthens the clinical diagnostic role of the PDZD7 gene in ARNSHL patients.

The relationship between consumption of red and processed meat and pancreatic cancer risk is inconclusive. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze this relationship.We performed a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science to identify studies that examined associations between consumption of different kinds of meat with pancreatic cancer and were published through February 2016. By using data from these articles, we associated level of consumption with cancer risk and performed subgroup, meta-regression, and publication bias analyses.We collected and analyzed data from a total of 28 studies that involved 3,143,777 participants (11,325 consumers of red meat) and 2,904,866 participants (9955 consumers of processed meat). We observed statistically significant differences between consumers and non-consumers of these meats in case-control studies (red meat, P = .02; processed meat, P.01) but not in cohort studies (red meat, P = .09; processed meat, P = .18). In cohort studies, a 100 g/day increase in red meat consumption was associated with significant increase in risk of pancreatic cancer (P = .01); a 50 g/day increase in processed meat consumption was not associated with significant increase in risk of pancreatic cancer (P = .90). In cohort studies, we observed associations in consumption of red meat by men and pancreatic cancer (P.01) and consumption of processed meat by men and pancreatic cancer (P.01) but no associations for women (red meat, P = .61; processed meat, P = .88).In a systematic review and meta-analysis, we found case-control but not cohort studies to associate consumption of red and processed meat with risk of pancreatic cancer. However, in cohort studies, consumption of red and processed meat appeared to increase risk of pancreatic cancer in men but not in women.

The relationships between dietary fruit, vegetable, fat and red and processed meat intakes and Barrett’s esophagus (BE) risk remain inconclusive. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the available evidence on these issues. PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies published from inception through October 2015. A total of eight studies were included in this analysis. Fruit intake was not associated with BE risk (OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.37–1.13), but vegetable intake was strongly associated with BE risk (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.29–0.71). Saturated fat, red meat and processed meat intakes were not associated with BE risk with OR = 1.25 (95% CI = 0.82–1.91), OR = 0.85 (95% CI = 0.61–1.17) and OR = 1.03 (95% CI = 0.73–1.46), respectively. Dietary vegetable not fruits intake may be associated with decreased BE risk. Fat and red and processed meat intakes may not contribute to an increased BE risk. Well-designed, large prospective studies with better established dose-response relationships are needed to further validate these issues.

The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the recovery rate of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in children, and explore the prognostic factors in order to guide the clinical diagnosis and treatment.A retrospective review was conducted for the prognosis of children with sudden sensorineural hearing loss during the past 5 years (from November 2010 to May 2015) in Chinese PLA General Hospital. This paper have a complete clinical data of 101 patients (113 ears)with sudden hearing loss, ranging from 0 to 18 years old Patients were divided into four groups according to hearing recovery and eight putative prognostic factors were analyzed.Among 101 patients (113 ears), the ratio of male and female was 60:53. Treatment was initiated from 1 to 183 days after disease onset, with an average of (18.5 ± 22.1) d. Bilateral and unilateral hearing loss were 24 ears and 89 ears, respectively. The proportion of mild hearing loss, moderate hearing loss, severe hearing loss and profound hearing loss were 7.1%, 6.2%, 23.9% and 62.8%, respectively. Vertigo and tinnitus occurred in 54.9% and 77.9% of the patients, respectively. After the treatment, the complete recovery rate was 9.7% and the overall recovery rate was 36.3%. The degree of hearing loss, earlier treatment onset, sex and bilateral involvement were significantly associated with hearing recovery (P0.05).Sudden sensorineural hearing loss in children was generally identified as severe and profound hearing loss, but after positive and timely treatment, it can be improved or even cured. The mild hearing loss, earlier treatment onset, unilateral hearing loss and female were positive prognostic factors. The concurrence of tinnitus or vertigo, the results of ABR and DPOAE had no significant influence on prognosis.

To analyze the clinical characteristics, prognosis and therapeutic effects of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) patients associated with vertigo, and to investigate the strategy of diagnosis and treatment.We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics of 240 patients diagnosed as SSHL with vertigo, who were treated in the Chinese PLA General Hospital from July 2008 to August 2012. Various factors affecting the therapeutic effects were analyzed, such as audiological features, vestibular function tests, genders, audiograms, lasting before seeing a doctor, courses of vertigo and vascular factors.Among the contemporaneous SSHL patients (873 cases), the cases with vertigo accounted for 27.49% (240/873). Among the 240 patients with vertigo, the cases with different hearing impaired degree of mild, moderate, severe and profound were 30, 13, 28 and 34, respectively, primarily by the profound cases. Detailed vestibular function tests were performed in 97 patients, with 54 cases having unilateral vestibular disfunction and 43 patients having normal vestibular function, among which 23 cases were diagnosed as benign paroxymal positional vertigo (BBPV). The relationship between vestibular function and different hearing impaired degrees or various audiogram types had no statistically significant difference. 219 cases had detailed records of the onset time of cochlear and vestibular symptoms, including 122 patients with cochlear symptoms and dizziness occurring simultaneously. After standardized drug treatment, the total effective rate was 46.67%, with recovery in 17 cases, excellent in 34 cases, better in 61 cases and poor in 128 cases, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that different genders, audiogram types, vertigo courses of time, the results of vestibular function and neck vascular ultrasounds were not related to the curative effects, while, the treatment time after onset was significantly associated with treatment effects.SSHL with vertigo has a high incidence, primarily single side affected, with relatively severe hearing impairment, and total deafness and downslope hearing curve mainly. Vestibular function can be normal or low in SSHL patients with vertigo, with a higher incidence of BPPV. Vestibular and cochlear symptoms occur simultaneously in more than half of the patients. The detection rate of vestibular dysfunction gradually increased, as the degree of hearing loss increased, without statistical significance although. The therapeutic effects of sudden hearing loss with vertigo cases have no relationship with dizziness duration or vestibular function, while the disease course plays an important role in treatment.

Chromoendoscopy (CE) is widely used in the diagnosis of early gastric cancer (EGC) and premalignant gastric lesions (PGLs). We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of CE for EGC and PGLs.We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library to identify all eligible studies according to inclusion and exclusion standards. Publication bias was tested using Funnel plots and Egger's test. The possible sources of the heterogeneity were explored by performing a meta-regression analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed by the Q test and I(2) statistic.Ten studies met the inclusion standards, including a total of 699 patients and 902 lesions. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of CE were 0.90 (95% confidence interval, 0.87-0.92), 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.79-0.86), and 0.9464, respectively. In subgroup analysis of diagnostic accuracy, CE showed higher accuracy versus standard white light endoscopy for EGC (P = 0.005) and PGLs (P = 0.001).Chromoendoscopy seems to have a high diagnostic efficacy and improve the detection of EGC and PGLs compared with standard white light endoscopy.

To investigate the characteristics of tinnitus in patients with auditory neuropathy spec- trum disorder (ANSD).This study recruited 14 ANSD patients with tinnitus. All the ANSD patients un- derwent detailed history taking, audiological examinations and assessments of tinnitus. This study analyzed the correlation of tinnitus status and hearing loss, and discussed the effects of sex, age, and the course of disease on tinnitus in ANSD patients.(1) In the ANSD patients, tinnitus often occurred in 3 years after the onset of hearing loss; (2) Tinnitus was highly prevalent in ANSD patients, and the severity of tinnitus was mostly from mild to moderate; (3) There was no obvious correlation between the subjective grading of tinnitus and hearing loss de- gree, and the impact of curve patterns of hearing loss on the level of tinnitus need much more evidence-based proof; (4) Along with the course extension, the impact of tinnitus on the quality of life was much more obvious; (5) Some risk factors such as noise exposure could be the reasons of aggravating the degree of tinnitus.Tinnitus in ANSD patients has its unique clinical features. The study of Tinnitus in ANSD patients can provide clinical basis for further research in ANSD.

To investigate the pure tone audiometry characteristics and curative effect in sudden hearing loss patients with hypertension.One hundred and fifty-seven inpatients (168 ears) with hypertension suffered from sudden hearing loss were included in this study. We retrospectively analyzed the audiological index of these patients by comparing the pure tone audiometry (PTA) among patients in the aspects of gender, age, affected side, duration of hypertension, with or without inducement, concomitant symptoms and other combined diseases. The hearing threshold at different frequency was also compared, as well as the curative effect among patients with diverse audiological characteristics.Of the contemporaneous sudden hearing loss patients (874 cases), the prevalence of hypertension was 17.96%, where the male ones accounted for. 28.69% (103/359) and the female ones accounted for 19.42% (54/278) respectively with statistically significant difference between genders (P0.01). The prevalence of hypertension in 34-44 years old group, 45-49 years old group, 60-69 years old group and over 70 years old group was 12.69% (25/197), 22.51% (70/311), 47.62% (40/84), 48.89% (22/45) respectively, which were statistically different (P0.01). The number of impaired ears with audiogram configuration characterized by rise type, downslope type, flat type and completely deafness type was 18 (10.71%), 61 (36.31%), 41 (24.40%), and 48 (28.57%), respectively. The decrease of hearing threshold in PTA were increasingly severe as the increasing impaired-frequency, and the difference of the degree of hearing impairment among these three types of frequencies was statistically significant (P0.01). The hearing threshold means of each frequency had no significant difference among patients with various gender, age and Cardiovascular Risk Stratification (P0.05). The hearing threshold means of each frequency of unilateral hearing loss patients was significantly higher than that of bilateral hearing loss patients (P0.05). The hearing threshold means at 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz and 1 kHz showed significant difference among patients with different duration of hypertension (P0.05). The total effective rate of sudden hearing loss in patients with hypertension was significantly lower than that in the sudden hearing loss patients without hypertension (19.64%, 61.57% respectively, P0.01). The total effective rate presented significant difference among patients with different duration of hypertension and different Cardiovascular Risk Stratification (P0.05).The prevalence of sudden hearing loss in hypertension patients was higher in male than in female, which rose with age and combined disease. The hearing threshold means at mid-frequency and high-frequency were higher than that at low-frequency. The total effective rate of sudden hearing loss was relatively low in patients with hypertension. The longer the duration of hypertension and the higher the Cardiovascular Risk Stratification, the lower the total effective rate. Comprehensive understanding of audiological characteristics and hypertension condition plays a crucial role in type-specific treatment of sudden hearing loss.

A couple with a proband child of GJB2 (encoding the gap junction protein connexin 26)-associated hearing impairment and a previous pregnancy miscarriage sought for a reproductive solution to bear a healthy child. Our study aimed to develop a customized preconception-to-neonate care trajectory to fulfill this clinical demand by integrating preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), and noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) into the strategy. Auditory and genetic diagnosis of the proband child was carried out to identify the disease causative mutations. The couple then received in-vitro-fertilization treatment, and eight embryos were obtained for day 5 biopsy. PGD was performed by short-tandem-repeat linkage analysis and Sanger sequencing of GJB2 gene. Transfer of a GJB2c.235delC heterozygous embryo resulted in a singleton pregnancy. At the 13th week of gestation, genomic DNA (gDNA) from the trio family and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from maternal plasma were obtained for assessment of fetal chromosomal aneuploidy and GJB2 mutations. NIPT and NIPD showed the absence of chromosomal aneuploidy and GJB2-associated disease in the fetus, which was later confirmed by invasive procedures and postnatal genetic/auditory diagnosis. This strategy successfully prevented the transmission of hearing impairment in the newborn, thus providing a valuable experience in reproductive management of similar cases and potentially other monogenic disorders.

To analysis the characteristics of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) patients with tinnitus, and explore the relationship of characteristics of tinnitus and audiology.Patients diagnosed as SSHL with tinnitus were studied in the research. All patients' clinical features were analyzed, such as tinnitus frequency, pure tone audiometry, tinnitus, hearing loss degree, results of residual inhibition test.Thirty cases were identified as mild degree hearing loss, 13 cases as moderate degree, 28 cases as severe degree and 34 cases as profound degree. And hearing impaired frequency of 13 cases was ascertained at low-frequency, 39 cases at middle-high-frequency, and 53 cases at full-range-frequency. The incidence of patients with low-frequency was about 41. 9% (44/105), and it was about 21. 9% (23/105) in those with middle-frequency. And it was 36. 2% (38/105) in cases of high-frequency tinnitus. The chi-square test show statistically significant differences between patients with the low-frequency, middle-frequency and high-frequency of the hearing loss (P0. 05). In tinnitus residual inhibition test, positive rate of convergence type masking curve was about 72.0%, tinnitus separated type masking curve 20.0%, overlapping type was 57.9%, and the spacing type was 43.5%. There was a statistically significant difference among cases with different type masking curve (P0. 05)with the spacing residual inhibition test positive rate.There are individual differences of clinical characteristics among SSHL patients with tinnitus. Tinnitus frequency is consistent with the frequency of hearing loss. Patients had the more serious the degree of hearing loss, who had more serious tinnitus grading. Cases with the converged type curve will be fit for tinnitus masking. Therefore, combining the tinnitus detection with the audiological tests, we could obtain the clinical characteristics of SSHL patients with tinnitus.

Autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss (ADNSHL) is highly heterogeneous, among them, KCNQ4 is one of the most frequent disease-causing genes. More than twenty KCNQ4 mutations have been reported, but none of them were detected in Chinese mainland families. In this study, we identified a novel KCNQ4 mutation in a five generation Chinese family with 84 members and a known KCNQ4 mutation in a six generation Chinese family with 66 members. Mutation screening of 30 genes for ADNSHL was performed in the probands from thirty large Chinese families with ADNSHL by targeted region capture and high-throughput sequencing. The candidate variants and the co-segregation of the phenotype were verified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and Sanger sequencing in all ascertained family members. Then we identified a novel KCNQ4 mutation p.W275R in exon 5 and a known KCNQ4 mutation p.G285S in exon 6 in two large Chinese ADNSHL families segregating with post-lingual high frequency-involved and progressive sensorineural hearing loss. This is the first report of KCNQ4 mutation in Chinese mainland families. KCNQ4, a member of voltage-gated potassium channel family, is likely to be a common gene in Chinese patients with ADNSHL. The results also support that the combination of targeted enrichment and high-throughput sequencing is a valuable molecular diagnostic tool for autosomal dominant hereditary deafness.