Objectives: Facial nerve aberration is the most troublesome situation in congenital malformations of middle ear.The aim of our study is to investigate its imaging and clinical features as well as relevant choice of su...Objectives: Facial nerve aberration is the most troublesome situation in congenital malformations of middle ear.The aim of our study is to investigate its imaging and clinical features as well as relevant choice of surgical techniques for hearing improvement.Methods: A retrospective study involving review of clinical data of 227 patients(256 ears) with congenital middle ear anomaly was undertaken, including preoperative computed tomography(CT) data, surgical records and videos.Results: Aberration involving intratemporal facial nerve was found in 82/256 ears(32.03%) with congenital middle ear anomaly. The most common forms of aberration included overhanging over the oval window(50/82 ears, 60.98%), bifurcation(3/82 ears, 3.66%) and transverse over the promontory(3/82 ears, 3.66%), counting for 68.29%(56/82) of the cases with facial nerve aberration. Concomitant stapes malformation was found in 76/82 ears(92.68%) and atresia or stenosis of the oval window in 27/82 ears(32.93%). In 9/82 ears(10.98%) both stapes and oval window was absent. Elective surgeries for the purpose of hearing improvement included stapodotomy + piston implantation, labyrinthotomy, labyrinthotomy + total ossicular replacement prosthesis(TORP) implantation and Vibrant Soundbridge(VSB) implantation.Conclusion: The majority of facial nerve aberration in congenital malformation of middle ear involves displacement of facial nerve, in addition to concomitant malformations of the stapes and/or oval window, which may influence the choice of surgery for hearing improvement. VSB implantation may be considered as a useful option.展开更多
Hypertrophic scar is a fibrous hyperplastic disorder that arises from skin injuries.The current therapeutic modalities are constrained by the dense and rigid scar tissue which impedes effective drug delivery.Additiona...Hypertrophic scar is a fibrous hyperplastic disorder that arises from skin injuries.The current therapeutic modalities are constrained by the dense and rigid scar tissue which impedes effective drug delivery.Additionally,insufficient autophagic activity in fibroblasts hinders their apoptosis,leading to excessive matrix deposition.Here,we developed an active microneedle(MN)system to overcome these challenges by integrating micromotor-driven drug delivery with autophagy regulation to remodel the scar microenvironment.Specifically,sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were introduced into the MNs as a built-in engine to generate CO_(2)bubbles,thereby enabling enhanced lateral and vertical drug diffusion into dense scar tissue.The system concurrently encapsulated curcumin(Cur),an autophagy activator,and triamcinolone acetonide(TA),synergistically inducing fibroblast apoptosis by upregulating autophagic activity.In vitro studies demonstrated that active MNs achieved efficient drug penetration within isolated scar tissue.The rabbit hypertrophic scar model revealed that TA-Cur MNs significantly reduced the scar elevation index,suppressed collagen I and transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)expression,and elevated LC3 protein levels.These findings highlight the potential of the active MN system as an efficacious platform for autonomous augmented drug delivery and autophagy-targeted therapy in fibrotic disorder treatments.展开更多
The stakeholders'perceptions of forest ecosystem services(FESs)vary among different stakeholder groups.This study,using China's Shennongjia National Park Pilot(SNP)and Canada's Banff National Park(BNP)as c...The stakeholders'perceptions of forest ecosystem services(FESs)vary among different stakeholder groups.This study,using China's Shennongjia National Park Pilot(SNP)and Canada's Banff National Park(BNP)as case studies,identifies and evaluates the preference characteristics of key stakeholders(including farmers,individual operators,government officials,and tourists)toward various FESs.We utilized Q-methodology and semistructured interviews to conduct a sorting of 23 Q-statements regarding FESs,across 7 categories(ranging from−3 to+3),with 24 Q-participants.Stakeholders'preferences toward FESs were categorized into 3 common perspectives:tourism and culture,production and livelihood,and ecological conservation.Different types of stakeholders hold both consensus and divergence regarding their views on FESs.For instance,there was strong consensus on services related to“natural ecotourism and biodiversity conservation”,while stakeholders expressed strong opposition regarding services related to“forest protection”.Furthermore,stakeholders elucidated the reasons behind their preferences for different types of FESs.Overall,our study indicates that besides considering the services provided by forests themselves,policymakers also need to pay attention to the preferences and divergences in needs among stakeholders of national parks.This ensures a more comprehensive fulfillment of diverse societal needs and facilitates the formulation of more effective policies to promote the sustainable management and conservation of national parks.展开更多
基金supported by Beijing Municipal Science&Technology Commission(No.2171100001017079)for Prof. Shouqin Zhao
文摘Objectives: Facial nerve aberration is the most troublesome situation in congenital malformations of middle ear.The aim of our study is to investigate its imaging and clinical features as well as relevant choice of surgical techniques for hearing improvement.Methods: A retrospective study involving review of clinical data of 227 patients(256 ears) with congenital middle ear anomaly was undertaken, including preoperative computed tomography(CT) data, surgical records and videos.Results: Aberration involving intratemporal facial nerve was found in 82/256 ears(32.03%) with congenital middle ear anomaly. The most common forms of aberration included overhanging over the oval window(50/82 ears, 60.98%), bifurcation(3/82 ears, 3.66%) and transverse over the promontory(3/82 ears, 3.66%), counting for 68.29%(56/82) of the cases with facial nerve aberration. Concomitant stapes malformation was found in 76/82 ears(92.68%) and atresia or stenosis of the oval window in 27/82 ears(32.93%). In 9/82 ears(10.98%) both stapes and oval window was absent. Elective surgeries for the purpose of hearing improvement included stapodotomy + piston implantation, labyrinthotomy, labyrinthotomy + total ossicular replacement prosthesis(TORP) implantation and Vibrant Soundbridge(VSB) implantation.Conclusion: The majority of facial nerve aberration in congenital malformation of middle ear involves displacement of facial nerve, in addition to concomitant malformations of the stapes and/or oval window, which may influence the choice of surgery for hearing improvement. VSB implantation may be considered as a useful option.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.8217374782373803)+1 种基金the Keynote Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.82330112)the Special Fund Project for Science and Technology Innovation Strategy of Guangdong Province(No.2021TQ060944,China).
文摘Hypertrophic scar is a fibrous hyperplastic disorder that arises from skin injuries.The current therapeutic modalities are constrained by the dense and rigid scar tissue which impedes effective drug delivery.Additionally,insufficient autophagic activity in fibroblasts hinders their apoptosis,leading to excessive matrix deposition.Here,we developed an active microneedle(MN)system to overcome these challenges by integrating micromotor-driven drug delivery with autophagy regulation to remodel the scar microenvironment.Specifically,sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were introduced into the MNs as a built-in engine to generate CO_(2)bubbles,thereby enabling enhanced lateral and vertical drug diffusion into dense scar tissue.The system concurrently encapsulated curcumin(Cur),an autophagy activator,and triamcinolone acetonide(TA),synergistically inducing fibroblast apoptosis by upregulating autophagic activity.In vitro studies demonstrated that active MNs achieved efficient drug penetration within isolated scar tissue.The rabbit hypertrophic scar model revealed that TA-Cur MNs significantly reduced the scar elevation index,suppressed collagen I and transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)expression,and elevated LC3 protein levels.These findings highlight the potential of the active MN system as an efficacious platform for autonomous augmented drug delivery and autophagy-targeted therapy in fibrotic disorder treatments.
基金supported by the China Scholarship Council(grant no.202206760062)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant no.32471863)+2 种基金the Project of Background Resources Survey in Shennongjia National Park(SNJNP2023013)the Open Project Fund of Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Conservation Biology of Shennongjia Snubnosed Monkeys(SNJGKL2023013)UBC-APFNet National Park Research(grant no.GR025939)
文摘The stakeholders'perceptions of forest ecosystem services(FESs)vary among different stakeholder groups.This study,using China's Shennongjia National Park Pilot(SNP)and Canada's Banff National Park(BNP)as case studies,identifies and evaluates the preference characteristics of key stakeholders(including farmers,individual operators,government officials,and tourists)toward various FESs.We utilized Q-methodology and semistructured interviews to conduct a sorting of 23 Q-statements regarding FESs,across 7 categories(ranging from−3 to+3),with 24 Q-participants.Stakeholders'preferences toward FESs were categorized into 3 common perspectives:tourism and culture,production and livelihood,and ecological conservation.Different types of stakeholders hold both consensus and divergence regarding their views on FESs.For instance,there was strong consensus on services related to“natural ecotourism and biodiversity conservation”,while stakeholders expressed strong opposition regarding services related to“forest protection”.Furthermore,stakeholders elucidated the reasons behind their preferences for different types of FESs.Overall,our study indicates that besides considering the services provided by forests themselves,policymakers also need to pay attention to the preferences and divergences in needs among stakeholders of national parks.This ensures a more comprehensive fulfillment of diverse societal needs and facilitates the formulation of more effective policies to promote the sustainable management and conservation of national parks.
