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Abstract Objective This study aimed to assess the correlation between residual hearing and audiologic outcomes after cochlear implant (CI) surgery in patients with cochlear nerve deficiency (CND). Methods This retrospective study included 57 patients with CND who underwent CI surgery. Patients were divided into four groups according to hearing level (80–95, 95–110, 110–120, and >120 dB) and three groups according to residual hearing (entire spectrum hearing, partial spectrum hearing, and no spectrum hearing) based on the measured response at each frequency. Auditory performance (categorical auditory performance [CAP], Infant–Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale [IT‐MAIS]) and speech perception (speech intelligibility rating [SIR] and meaningful use of speech scale [MUSS]) were assessed before and 2 years after the surgery. Results Forty‐seven (82.5%) patients had complete or total hearing loss (≥95 dB) and 17 (29.8%) had no spectrum hearing before CI surgery. Twenty‐nine (50.9%) patients did not exhibit residual hearing at 4 kHz. All patients demonstrated an improvement in auditory performance and speech perception: the CAP score in the 80–95 dB group was significantly higher than that in the 110–120 and >120 dB groups, and the entire spectrum hearing group showed significantly higher CAP, SIR, and IT‐MAIS scores than the partial spectrum hearing group and significantly higher CAP, SIR, IT‐MAIS, and MUSS scores than the no spectrum hearing group. Conclusion For patients with CND, residual hearing, especially high‐frequency residual hearing, was poor and postoperative audiologic outcomes were significantly associated with the range of residual hearing. Level of Evidence 4

Cochlear nerve deficiency (CND) is often associated with variable outcomes of cochlear implantation (CI). We assessed previous investigations aiming to identify the main factors that determine CI outcomes, which would enable us to develop predictive models. Seventy patients with CND and normal cochlea who underwent CI surgery were retrospectively examined. First, using a data-driven approach, we collected demographic information, radiographic measurements, audiological findings, and audition and speech assessments. Next, CI outcomes were evaluated based on the scores obtained after 2 years of CI from the Categories of Auditory Performance index, Speech Intelligibility Rating, Infant/Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale or Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale, and Meaningful Use of Speech Scale. Then, we measured and averaged the audiological and radiographic characteristics of the patients to form feature vectors, adopting a multivariate feature selection method, called stability selection, to select the features that were consistent within a certain range of model parameters. Stability selection analysis identified two out of six characteristics, namely the vestibulocochlear nerve (VCN) area and the number of nerve bundles, which played an important role in predicting the hearing and speech rehabilitation results of CND patients. Finally, we used a parameter-optimized support vector machine (SVM) as a classifier to study the postoperative hearing and speech rehabilitation of the patients. For hearing rehabilitation, the accuracy rate was 71% for both the SVM classification and the area under the curve (AUC), whereas for speech rehabilitation, the accuracy rate for SVM classification and AUC was 93% and 94%, respectively. Our results identified that a greater number of nerve bundles and a larger VCN area were associated with better CI outcomes. The number of nerve bundles and VCN area can predict CI outcomes in patients with CND. These findings can help surgeons in selecting the side for CI and provide reasonable expectations for the outcomes of CI surgery.

Purpose: Owing to the characteristic anatomy, cochlear implantation (CI) for common cavity deformity (CCD) has resulted in varied outcomes and frequent facial and vestibular nerve stimulation. The current study analyzed the correlation among the distance between each electrode and cavity wall (abbreviation, D), programming parameters, and performances outcomes.Materials and Methods: The current, retrospective study included 25 patients (27 ears) with CCD underwent CI. The multiplanar volume reconstruction (MPVR) techniques were employed to reconstruct and evaluate the postoperative temporal bone CT. The D and maximum comfortable level (MCL) 6 months after CI, facial and vestibular nerve stimulation, and outcomes 1, 2, and 3 years after CI pertaining to the questionnaires were documented and analyzed.Results: The patients were divided into symptomatic (10, 37%) and asymptomatic (17, 63%) groups according to with or without facial and vestibular nerve stimulation. The MCL pertaining to the symptomatic group was significantly lower than asymptomatic group, but Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) scores 1 year after surgery was better (p < 0.05). The subjects were divided into flat (12, 44.4%) and curved (15, 55.6%) groups based on the contour of MCL map. The MCL and D were lower and shorter in the curved group than the flat group, and CAP score 1 year after surgery and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) 3 years after surgery were better (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Although abnormal reactions such as facial and vestibular nerve stimulation were observed to be more frequent, lower MCL and better outcomes were observed in relation to the shorter D.

Hami melon 'Queen' (Cucumis melo ssp. melo var. ameri Pangalo) is the most widely cultivated and exported type of melon in Xinjiang Province, Northwest China. We previously found the unique traits of Hami melon 'Queen' for wave seeds and tight-placenta fruits. An analysis of the inheritance showed that these traits were controlled by two recessive genes wave seed (ws) gene and tight-placenta (tp) gene, respectively. Here, to identify these two traits and melon seed-related traits, segregation populations including BC1 and F2 derived from a cross between 'Queen' (P1) and MR-1 (P2) were used as mapping populations. Eighty-seven simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used in map construction of BC1P1 population, and as a result, ws and tp were identified on linkage group 1. Analysis of quantitative trait locus (QTL) referring seed traits showed that QTL ss1.1 for seed shape (SS) and QTL sl1.1 for seed length (SL) were located at LG 1, supported by likelihood of odds (LODs) of 15.6 and 13.4, respectively, and both linked with ws. Subsequently, the genetic linkage and parental re-sequence analysis were constructed for fine mapping ws and tp. Genetic analysis showed that ws and tp were located in CM3.5_scaffold00060 on LG 1, flanked by InDelchr1-3241 and InDelchr 1-3233. The 80.9-kb physical distance of this region included 11 candidate genes. Among them, MELO3C023549 and MELO3C023551 could be candidates for ws and tp by sequence alignment and allelic variation survey in parental lines. MELO3C023549 was predicted to encode an MYB46-like transcription factor related to positive regulation of secondary cell wall biogenesis. MELO3C023551 was annotated to encode a cellulose synthase A (CESA) associated with cellulose biosynthetic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]