Table_1_Detecting Noise-Induced Cochlear Synaptopathy by Auditory Brainstem Response in Tinnitus Patients With Normal Hearing Thresholds: A Meta-Analysis.docx

Noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy (CS) is defined as a permanent loss of synapses in the auditory nerve pathway following noise exposure. Several studies using auditory brainstem response (ABR) have indicated the presence of CS and increased central gain in tinnitus patients with normal hearing thresholds (TNHT), but the results were inconsistent. This meta-analysis aimed to review the evidence of CS and its pathological changes in the central auditory system in TNHT. Published studies using ABR to study TNHT were reviewed. PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases were selected to search for relevant literature. Studies (489) were retrieved, and 11 were included for meta-analysis. The results supported significantly reduced wave I amplitude in TNHT, whereas the alternations in wave V amplitude were inconsistent among the studies. Consistently increased V/I ratio indicated noise-induced central gain enhancement. The results indicated the evidence of noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy in tinnitus patients with normal hearing. However, inconsistent changes in wave V amplitude may be explained by that the failure of central gain that triggers the pathological neural changes in the central auditory system and/or that increased central gain may be necessary to generate tinnitus but not to maintain tinnitus.</p

Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Autoimmune Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Autoimmune diseases may cause various kinds of conflicts in and outside the target organ, and some evidence brings forward the suggestion that autoimmune diseases may damage the auditory nerve and cause sensorineural hearing loss. However, this relationship is not clearly defined yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess sensorineural hearing loss in autoimmune diseases through systematic review and metaanalysis. The literature databases of PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of knowledge, and Cochrane library were thoroughly searched, and a meta-analysis study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Eighteen articles were included, involving 27 859 cases affected by autoimmune diseases. The prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss in systemic lupus erythematosus cases was 21.26 [3.80, 38.71]%, which was significant, and pooled analysis of odds ratio observed in individual studies showed that the odds of sensorineural hearing loss prevalence was 12.11 [7.4, 24.12] (P < .001). The prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss in rheumatoid arthritis cases was 16.14 [−9.03, 41.31]%, which was significant, and pooled analysis of odds ratio observed in individual studies showed that the odds of sensorineural hearing loss prevalence was 2.23 [1.84, 2.32] (P < .001). In vitiligo cases, the prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss was 38.80 [22.36, 55.25]%, which was significant, and pooled analysis of odds ratio observed in individual studies showed that the odds of sensorineural hearing loss prevalence was 5.82 [3.74, 9.68] (P < .001). The present study showed that sensorineural hearing loss is significantly related to the autoimmune diseases of systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and vitiligo. Therefore, these cases need a routine evaluation of sensorineural hearing loss.</p

Photonic Crystal Fiber for Efficient Raman Scattering of CdTe Quantum Dots in Aqueous Solution

A novel hollow-core photonic crystal fiber platform was used for the first time to observe clear vibrational modes of the CdTe core, CdS0.7Te0.3 interface, and carboxylate-metal complexes in dilute aqueous CdTe quantum dot (QD) solutions. These modes demonstrate the presence of crystalline cores, defects, and surface passivation responsible for photoluminescent efficiency and stability. In addition, 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)-capped QDs show higher crystallinity and stability than those capped with thioglycolic acid (TGA) and 1–thioglycerol (TG). This detailed, nondestructive characterization was carried out using Raman spectroscopy for solutions with QD concentration of 2 mg/mL, which is similar to their concentration during synthesis process. This platform can be extended to the in situ studies of any colloidal nanoparticles and aqueous solutions of relevant biological samples using Raman spectroscopy

Table1_The value of plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 and interleukin-18 in the diagnosis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature infants.xls

ObjectiveTo explore the diagnostic value of IGF-1 and IL-18 in premature infants with BPD.MethodsThrough a prospective observational study, the serum samples of infants in the BPD group and the non-BPD group were collected at different targeted time points, and the serum IGF-1 and IL-18 concentrations were dynamically monitored by ELISA. The Student t-test and one-way analysis of variance were adopted to analyze data, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to test the diagnostic value.ResultA total of 90 VLBW premature infants admitted to NICU between January 2020 and 2021 were finally included. Compared with the non-BPD group, infants diagnosed with BPD had a significantly lower serum concentration of IGF-1 (P ConclusionIGF-1 and IL-18 might be closely involved in the occurrence and development of BPD. The serum concentration of IGF-1 combined with IL-18 could be potentially sensitive markers for the early diagnosis and severity of BPD.</p

Table_1_Identification of QTL associated with resistance to Phytophthora fruit rot in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).xlsx

Phytophthora fruit rot (PFR) caused by the soilborne oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora capsici, can cause severe yield loss in cucumber. With no resistant variety available, genetic resources are needed to develop resistant varieties. The goal of this work was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance to PFR using multiple genomic approaches and populations. Two types of resistances have been identified: age-related resistance (ARR) and young fruit resistance. ARR occurs at 12-16 days post pollination (dpp), coinciding with the end of exponential fruit growth. A major QTL for ARR was discovered on chromosome 3 and a candidate gene identified based on comparative transcriptomic analysis. Young fruit resistance, which is observed during the state of rapid fruit growth prior to commercial harvest, is a quantitative trait for which multiple QTL were identified. The largest effect QTL, qPFR5.1, located on chromosome 5 was fine mapped to a 1-Mb region. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and extreme-phenotype genome-wide association study (XP-GWAS) for young fruit resistance were also performed on a cucumber core collection representing > 96% of the genetic diversity of the USDA cucumber germplasm. Several SNPs overlapped with the QTL identified from QTL-seq analysis on biparental populations. In addition, novel SNPs associated with the resistance were identified from the germplasm. The resistant alleles were found mostly in accessions from India and South Asia, the center of diversity for cucumber. The results from this work can be applied to future disease resistance studies and marker-assisted selection in breeding programs.</p

Machine Learning in Diagnosing Middle Ear Disorders Using Tympanic Membrane Images: A Meta-Analysis

 Objective:To systematically evaluate the development of Machine Learning (ML) models and compare their diagnosticaccuracy for the classification of Middle Ear Disorders (MED) using Tympanic Membrane (TM) images.Methods:PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and CENTRAL were searched up until November 30, 2021. Studies on the develop-ment of ML approaches for diagnosing MED using TM images were selected according to the inclusion criteria. PRISMA guide-lines were followed with study design, analysis method, and outcomes extracted. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under thecurve (AUC) were used to summarize the performance metrics of the meta-analysis. Risk of Bias was assessed using the QualityAssessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool in combination with the Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool.Results:Sixteen studies were included, encompassing 20254 TM images (7025 normal TM and 13229 MED). The samplesize ranged from 45 to 6066 per study. The accuracy of the 25 included ML approaches ranged from 76.00% to 98.26%.Eleven studies (68.8%) were rated as having a low risk of bias, with the reference standard as the major domain of high riskof bias (37.5%). Sensitivity and specificity were 93% (95% CI, 90%–95%) and 85% (95% CI, 82%–88%), respectively. TheAUC of total TM images was 94% (95% CI, 91%–96%). The greater AUC was found using otoendoscopic images than otoscopicimages.Conclusions:ML approaches perform robustly in distinguishing between normal ears and MED, however, it is proposedthat a standardized TM image acquisition and annotation protocol should be developed. </p

Presentation_1_Identification of QTL associated with resistance to Phytophthora fruit rot in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).pptx

Phytophthora fruit rot (PFR) caused by the soilborne oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora capsici, can cause severe yield loss in cucumber. With no resistant variety available, genetic resources are needed to develop resistant varieties. The goal of this work was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance to PFR using multiple genomic approaches and populations. Two types of resistances have been identified: age-related resistance (ARR) and young fruit resistance. ARR occurs at 12-16 days post pollination (dpp), coinciding with the end of exponential fruit growth. A major QTL for ARR was discovered on chromosome 3 and a candidate gene identified based on comparative transcriptomic analysis. Young fruit resistance, which is observed during the state of rapid fruit growth prior to commercial harvest, is a quantitative trait for which multiple QTL were identified. The largest effect QTL, qPFR5.1, located on chromosome 5 was fine mapped to a 1-Mb region. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and extreme-phenotype genome-wide association study (XP-GWAS) for young fruit resistance were also performed on a cucumber core collection representing > 96% of the genetic diversity of the USDA cucumber germplasm. Several SNPs overlapped with the QTL identified from QTL-seq analysis on biparental populations. In addition, novel SNPs associated with the resistance were identified from the germplasm. The resistant alleles were found mostly in accessions from India and South Asia, the center of diversity for cucumber. The results from this work can be applied to future disease resistance studies and marker-assisted selection in breeding programs.</p

Halide Ions Regulating the Morphologies of PbS and Au@PbS Core–Shell Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Electrical Transport Properties

The geometry and surface state of nanocrystals (NCs) strongly affect their physiochemical properties, self-assembly behaviors, and potential applications, but there is still a lack of a facile method to regulate the exposed facets of the NCs, especially metal@semiconductor core–shell NCs. Herein, we present a reproducible approach for tuning the morphology of PbS NCs from nanocubes to nano-octahedrons by introducing lead halides as precursors. Excitingly, the method can be easily extended to the synthesis of metal@PbS core–shell NCs with single-crystalline shells and specific exposed facets. In addition, the halide passivation layers on the NCs are found to greatly improve their antioxidant ability. Therefore, the Cl-passivated NCs can self-assemble into atomic-coupled monolayer films via oriented attachment under ambient conditions, which exhibit enhanced electrical conductivities compared with uncoupled counterparts. The precise synthesis of nanocrystals with tunable shapes and the construction of self-assembled films provide a way to expand their application in high-performance optoelectronic devices

Generalized Colloidal Approach for Preparing Epitaxial 1D/2D Heterostructures

1D/2D heterostructures, in particular those that consist of a 1D nanorod core and a 2D nanoplate (NPL) shell, enable the combination of the merits and mitigation of the demerits of distinct dimensionalities into one system, providing a new platform to study their intriguing properties. However, there is still lack of effective strategies to rationally integrate the components with different dimensionalities together. Here, we report a general seeded growth method for the construction of epitaxial 1D/2D heterostructures with a variety of compositional combinations, in which ordered 2D NPL arrays are vertically grown along the c-axis of 1D wurtzite nanomaterials, including II–VI and I–III–VI2 semiconductors. The loading densities of NPLs on the 1D nanomaterials are very high, up to 280 piece/μm. The same crystal structure of the grown NPLs and 1D seeds ensures the epitaxial growth relationship between these two materials. It is found that the secondary 2D growth mode is a kinetic-dominated process, in addition to the effect of the anionic sulfur precursor. The as-prepared 1D/2D CdSe/CdS heterostructures exhibit enhanced activity for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution compared to that of the single-component CdSe NRs and CdS/CdS homostructures. This work greatly enriches the variety and architecture of the available heterostructures and also provides a toolbox for exploring their promising applications

Templated Synthesis of Ultrathin Indium-Based Ternary Metal Sulfide (MIn₂S₄, M = Zn, Cd, and Ni) Nanoplates for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Ternary metal sulfide emerged as an important semiconductor for optoelectronic and photocatalytic applications. However, controlled synthesis of ultrathin ternary metal sulfide nanoplates is still difficult due to the lack of strategies to fulfill the anisotropic growth. Here, we report a wet-chemistry method for the preparation of ultrathin indium-based ternary metal sulfide (MIn2S4, M = Zn, Cd, and Ni) nanoplates with thickness within 2 nm, in which the as-grown β-In2S3 nanoplates are used as templates. As a proof of concept, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution of ZnIn2S4 nanoplates is performed, which shows a remarkable photocatalytic performance under the irradiation of simulated sunlight. After loading of Ni nanoparticles as cocatalysts, it is found that the 3.0 wt % Ni/ZnIn2S4 photocatalysts exhibit the best performance for hydrogen generation with a rate of 19.9 mmol·g–1·h–1, which is 6 times larger than that of ZnIn2S4 nanoplates. The present work provides a method for the development of high-quality ultrathin multinary sulfide nanoplates