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We conducted a study to assess the use of the chorda tympani nerve in reconstruction of the ossicular chain. We retrospectively examined the medical records of 141 patients (154 ears) who had undergone middle ear surgery with 12 months of follow-up. The study population was made up of 58 males and 83 females, aged 9 to 83 years (mean: 45). These patients were divided into three groups based on the specific type of surgery they had undergone: in 35patients, the chorda tympani nerve was used to spring and press the auricular bone prosthesis (CTN group); in 67 patients, the tympanic membrane was used to spring and press the auricular bone prosthesis (TM group); and in 39 patients, a gelatin sponge was used to support the auricular bone prosthesis (GS group). We compared pre- and postoperative air-bone gaps (ABGs) in each group, as well as the differences between these gaps among the three groups. We found significant differences between the pre- and postoperative ABGs in all three groups (all p < 0.01). These differences were also compared between the CTN and TM groups (t = 0.41; p > 0.05), between the CTN and GS groups (t = 2.07; p < 0.05), and between the TM and GS groups (t = 2.51; p < 0.05). In the CTN group, 1 patient experienced temporary postoperative hypogeusia, and another developed a mild case of delayed facial paralysis; both patients recovered within 2 weeks. We conclude that the chorda tympani nerve can be used to repair the ossicular chain to improve hearing without causing taste and facial nerve dysfunction and without the need for a second operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two modified Mayer-sampling methods are described based on Transition Matrix Monte Carlo (TMMC) and overlap sampling for calculating the integrated diagrams appearing in the coefficients of the bridge function; bn(r) constructed in terms of the total correlation function h(r) for a hard-sphere system. Calculations are performed using prescribed h(r) for reduced densities at 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8 up to the third-order expansion in density. The results from these methods compared with the generic Monte Carlo Mayer-sampling are analysed in detail. It was found that the TMMC Mayer-sampling approach shows better precision over core and tail regions of b2(r) and b3(r), and the overlap sampling method shows overall improvement in the precision of the bridge coefficients. Both methods can be straightforwardly applied to calculate higher order bridge function coefficients and to any model systems with relatively simple modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel iron-catalyzed intermolecular decarboxylative Csp3−Csp2coupling reaction using proline derivatives as starting materials is developed. In this process, a series of potentially useful ligands (tertiary aminonaphthol) for catalysis was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to observe differences in the efficacy of laser and surgical treatments of middle-ear conductive hearing loss (MECHL). MATERIALS and METHODS: A total of 276 ears of 267 patients with MECHL were divided into laser (n=172) and surgical (n=104) treatment groups according to the treatment method. Changes in the air–bone gap (ABG) after treatment and at the time of final follow-up were compared. An ABG value <20 dB was defined as effective and an ABG value <10 dB, significantly effective. The long-term treatment effects were also compared at the time of final follow-up. Additionally, postoperative adverse reactions were recorded for both the groups. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 76.77±43.62 months (range: 12–168 months). No significant difference in ABG was found between the two groups (21.31±11.64 dB vs. 19.14±9.79 dB, p>0.05). However, the laser treatment group showed slightly better results than the surgical treatment group at the final follow-up, although the difference between the groups was not found to be significant (11.69±9.98 dB vs. 12.62±10.94 dB, p>0.05). There was no difference in the long-term treatment effects between the two groups (effective: 87.21% vs. 88.46%, p>0.05; significantly effective: 55.81% vs. 56.73%, p>0.05). The incidence rates of postoperative adverse reactions were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: The treatment efficacy of laser and surgical treatments for MECHL are similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world, with clinical manifestations of resting tremor, akinesia (or bradykinesia), rigidity, and postural instability. However, the molecular pathogenesis of PD is still unclear, and its effective treatments are limited. Substantial evidence demonstrates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have important functions in various human diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to review the role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of PD., Methods: The role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of PD is summarized by reviewing Pubmed., Results: Thirty different lncRNAs are aberrantly expressed in PD and promote or inhibit PD by mediating ubiquitin-proteasome system, autophagy-lysosomal pathway, dopamine (DA) neuronal apoptosis, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation., Conclusion: In this direction, lncRNA may contribute to the treatment of PD as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for PD., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)