Removal of biofilm is essential for long-term ventilation tuberetention

BACKGROUND Although long-term retention of a ventilation tube is required in many ear diseases,spontaneous removal of conventional ventilation tube is observed in patients within 3 to 12 mo.To address this issue,we aimed to determine a new method for long-term retention of the ventilation tube.AIM To explore the value of removing the biofilm for long-term retention of tympanostomy ventilation tubes.METHODS A case-control study design was used to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of long-term tube retention by directly removing the biofilm(via surgical exfoliation)in patients who underwent myringotomy with ventilation tube placement.The patients were randomly divided into two groups:Control group and treatment group.Patients in the treatment group underwent regular biofilm exfoliation surgery in the clinic,whereas those in the control group did not have their biofilm removed.Only conventional ventilation tubes were placed in this study.Outcome measures were tube position and patency.Tube retention time and any complications were documented.RESULTS Eight patients with biofilm removal and eight patients without biofilm removal as a control group were enrolled in the study.The tympanostomy tube retention time was significantly longer in the treatment group(43.5±26.4 mo)than in the control group(9.5±6.9 mo)(P=0.003).More tympanostomy tubes were found to be patent and in correct position in the treatment group during the follow-up intervals than in the control group(P=0.01).CONCLUSION Despite the use of short-term ventilation tubes,direct biofilm removal can be a well-tolerated and effective treatment for long-term tube retention of tympanostomy ventilation tubes in patients who underwent myringotomy.

Effect of depression on the immune function and tumor load in patients with advanced gastric cancer

Objective:To study the correlation between depression and immune function as well as tumor load in patients with advanced gastric cancer.Methods: 98 patients diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer in our hospital between May 2013 and September 2016 were selected and divided into depression group (n=39) with HAMD scores >50 and non-depression group with HAMD scores≤50 (n=39), serum was collected to detect the levels of cytokines interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-10, IL-17, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and transforming growth factorβ1 (TGF-β1) as well as tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), CA724, TK-1 and sLAG-3, and gastric cancer tissues were collected to determine the expression of cell cycle-related proteins CyclinD1, CDK4 and E2F.Results:Serum IL-2, IFN-γand IL-17 levels of depression group were significantly lower than those of non-depression group (P<0.05) while IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β1, CEA, CA199, CA724, TK-1 and sLAG-3 levels were significantly higher than those of non-depression group (P<0.05);CyclinD1, CDK4 and E2F protein expression in tumor tissues of depression group were significantly higher than those of non-depression group (P<0.05).Conclusions:Depression can inhibit the anti-tumor immune response in patients with advanced gastric cancer, and then promote cancer cell proliferation and increase tumor load.

Multisensory Exercise Improves Balance in People with Balance Disorders: A Systematic Review

Objective To examine the effect of multisensory exercise on balance disorders.Methods PubMed,Scopus and Web of Science were searched to identify eligible studies published before January 1,2020.Eligible studies included randomized control trials(RCTs),non-randomized studies,case-control studies,and cohort studies.The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using JBI Critical Appraisal Checklists for RCTs and for Quasi-Experimental Studies by two researchers independently.A narrative synthesis of intervention characteristics and health-related outcomes was performed.Results A total of 11 non-randomized studies and 9 RCTs were eligible,including 667 participants.The results supported our assumption that multisensory exercise improved balance in people with balance disorders.All of the 20 studies were believed to be of high or moderate quality.Conclusion Our study confirmed that multisensory exercise was effective in improving balance in people with balance disorders.Multisensory exercises could lower the risk of fall and enhance confidence level to improve the quality of life.Further research is needed to investigate the optimal strategy of multisensory exercises and explore the underlying neural and molecular mechanisms of balance improvement brought by multisensory exercises.

A novel POU domain class 3 transcription factor 4 mutation causes X-linked non-syndromic hearing loss in a Chinese family

To the Editor: POU domain class 3 transcription factor 4 or BRN-4 (POU3F4) is a causative gene of non-syndromic X-linked hearing loss (HL), which is characterized by inner ear anomalies. To date, six X-linked non-syndromic HL loci (DFNX1-6) have been mapped to chromosome X and five of these genes have been identified: phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase 1 (PRPS1)(DFNX1, OMIM: 304500), POU3F4 (DFNX2, OMIM: 304400),[1] small muscle protein, X-linked (SMPX)(DFNX4, OMIM: 300066), apoptosis-inducing factor, mitochondria-associated, 1 (AIFM1)(DFNX5, OMIM: 300614), and collagen, type IV alpha-6 (COL4A6)(DFNX6, OMIM;300914). POU3F4 mutation accounts for nearly 50% of all cases of DFNX.