Implantable bone conduction devices enhance functional ear reconstruction in patients with pediatric microtia.

Purpose: This study evaluated the audiometric outcomes and complications of simultaneous bone conduction device (BCD) implantation and auricular reconstruction, and the comparative effectiveness of three BCDs.

Methods: In total, 41 patients with bilateral microtia (ranging from 8 to 16 years old) who underwent combined surgery from January 2018 to January 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Audiometric parameters (free-field thresholds and speech recognition scores) and complications were compared across the groups of patients who received the Baha Attract ( = 13), Sophono ( = 18), and Bonebridge ( = 10) devices.

Interference Pattern Caused by Bilateral Bone Conduction Stimulation Impairs Sound Localization.

While bilateral fitting of bone conduction hearing devices (BCHDs) enhances spatial hearing, further improvements are constrained by the unresolved effects of crosstalk - an influential factor that disrupts binaural acoustic cues, such as interaural level difference (ILD) and interaural phase differences (IPD), essential for accurate sound localization. This paper introduces a simplified theoretical model to describe the crosstalk phenomenon and predict the cochlear vibrational responses under bilateral bone conduction (BC) based on principles of wave interference and superposition. The model reveals sound lateralization patterns across different ILD and IPD combinations, different from well-established principles governing air conduction (AC) sound localization, including the precedence effect and intensity rule.

[Progress in the metabolic and biotransformation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives in humans].

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） are organic compounds produced primarily through the incomplete combustion of coal， petroleum， and other carbon-based materials. These compounds are environmentally ubiquitous and have attracted widespread attention because they are significantly biologically toxic and have far-reaching implications for public health and societal wellbeing. Consequently， developing a comprehensive understanding of how PAHs and their derivatives metabolically biotransform in the human body is critical for devising precise preventive strategies and targeted health interventions.

Application and Effectiveness of the Perioperative Position Management in Patients with Congenital Microtia.

Background: The reconstructed ear structure is fragile, necessitating strict avoidance of postoperative pressure to ensure surgical outcome. The study aimed to evaluate the clinical application and effectiveness of a perioperative position management program constructed for patients with congenital microtia.

Methods: A quasi-trial design with non-randomized grouping was adopted.

Artificial intelligence assisted identification of newborn auricular deformities via smartphone application.

Background: Auricular deformities are common in newborns and require early diagnosis and timely intervention. Several factors highlight the necessity of a machine learning-based diagnostic solution: the high prevalence of these conditions, the narrow time window for effective non-surgical treatment, limited medical resources, and the importance of both physical and mental well-being. This study presents a novel artificial intelligence (AI) model to identify and classify common sub-types of auricle deformities, using photos taken with mobile devices.

A predictive model based on the gut microbiota improves the diagnostic effect in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, destructive autoimmune disorder predominantly targeting the joints, with gut microbiota dysbiosis being intricately associated with its progression. The aim of the present study is to develop effective early diagnostic methods for early RA based on gut microbiota.

Methods: A cohort comprising 262 RA patients and 475 healthy controls (HCs) was recruited.

Asynchronous quantum repeater using multiple quantum memory.

A full-fledged quantum network relies on the formation of entangled links between remote location with the help of quantum repeaters. The famous Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller quantum repeater protocol is based on long distance single-photon interference (SPI), which not only requires high phase stability but also cannot generate maximally entangled state. Here, we propose a quantum repeater protocol using the idea of post-matching, which retains the same efficiency as the SPI protocol, reduces the phase-stability requirement and can generate maximally entangled state in principle.

Discovery of PANoptosis-related signatures correlates with immune cell infiltration in psoriasis.

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease that relapses frequently. Keratinocyte apoptosis dysregulation plays a crucial role in the pathological mechanisms of psoriasis. PANoptosis is a process with intermolecular interaction among pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis.

The PANoptosis-related hippocampal molecular subtypes and key biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease patients.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, and various molecules associated with PANoptosis are involved in neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. This work aims to identify key genes, and characterize PANoptosis-related molecular subtypes in AD. Moreover, we establish a scoring system for distinguishing PANoptosis molecular subtypes and constructing diagnostic models for AD differentiation.

Pd(II)/,'-Disulfonyl Bisimidazoline-Catalyzed Enantioselective Synthesis of Cyclic Quaternary Centers and Mechanistic Investigations.

A Pd(II)/,'-disulfonyl bisimidazoline-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-conjugate addition reaction of low-cost arylboronic acids with readily available βsubstituted cyclic enones is described, providing a straightforward way of constructing cyclic all-carbon quaternary stereocenters with high enantioselectivity, in which ≥96% ee was obtained in most cases. The reaction proceeded without the protection of inert gas, making the operation process simple. Theoretical calculations have been applied to understand the origins of enantioselectivity.

Perioperative position management of 46 cases with simultaneous bilateral auricle reconstruction: A summary of experience.

Objectives: The primary problem in simultaneous bilateral auricle reconstruction is the fragility of the reconstructed ear structure. Postoperative pressure is strictly prohibited to ensure the operation's effectiveness. The study aimed to summarize the experience of perioperative postural management in simultaneous bilateral auricular reconstruction.

A publicly available newborn ear shape dataset for medical diagnosis of auricular deformities.

Early and accurate diagnosis of ear deformities in newborns is crucial for an effective non-surgical correction treatment, since this commonly seen ear anomalies would affect aesthetics and cause mental problems if untreated. It is not easy even for experienced physicians to diagnose the auricular deformities of newborns and the classification of the sub-types, because of the rich bio-metric features embedded in the ear shape. Machine learning has already been introduced to analyze the auricular shape.

Distinct molecular subtypes of systemic sclerosis and gene signature with diagnostic capability.

Background: As Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue ailment that impacts various bodily systems. The study aims to clarify the molecular subtypes of SSc, with the ultimate objective of establishing a diagnostic model that can inform clinical treatment decisions.

Methods: Five microarray datasets of SSc were retrieved from the GEO database.

The Effects of BCDs in Unilateral Conductive Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review.

Bone conduction devices (BCDs) are widely used in the treatment of conductive hearing loss (CHL), but their applications on unilateral CHL (UCHL) patients remain controversial. To evaluate the effects of BCDs in UCHL, a systematic search was undertaken until May 2023 following the PRISMA guidelines. Among the 391 references, 21 studies met the inclusion criteria and were ultimately selected for review.

Quantitative Framework Fabrication with Autogenous Costal Cartilage in Microtia Reconstruction.

Hearing improvement is another basic requirement for microtia patients in addition to aesthetic needs. This quantitative framework fabrication method can reduce the learning curve, obtain satisfactory aesthetic results with few complications, and reserve a certain space for future canalplasty. Laryngoscope, 134:148-153, 2024.

Quantum Neural Network for Quantum Neural Computing.

Neural networks have achieved impressive breakthroughs in both industry and academia. How to effectively develop neural networks on quantum computing devices is a challenging open problem. Here, we propose a new quantum neural network model for quantum neural computing using (classically controlled) single-qubit operations and measurements on real-world quantum systems with naturally occurring environment-induced decoherence, which greatly reduces the difficulties of physical implementations.

Experimental quantum secure network with digital signatures and encryption.

Cryptography promises four information security objectives, namely, confidentiality, integrity, authenticity and non-repudiation, to support trillions of transactions annually in the digital economy. Efficient digital signatures, ensuring integrity, authenticity and non-repudiation of data with information-theoretical security are highly urgent and intractable open problems in cryptography. Here, we propose a high-efficiency quantum digital signature (QDS) protocol using asymmetric quantum keys acquired via secret sharing, one-time universal hashing and a one-time pad.

All-photonic quantum repeater for multipartite entanglement generation.

Quantum network applications such as distributed quantum computing and quantum secret sharing represent a promising future network equipped with quantum resources. Entanglement generation and distribution over long distances are critical and unavoidable when utilizing quantum technology in a fully connected network. The distribution of bipartite entanglement over long distances has seen some progress, while the distribution of multipartite entanglement over long distances remains unsolved.

Strain-Release-Controlled [4 + 2 + 1] Reaction of Cyclopropyl-Capped Diene-ynes/Diene-enes and Carbon Monoxide Catalyzed by Rhodium.

Achieving transition-metal-catalyzed reactions of diene-ynes/diene-enes and carbon monoxide (CO) to deliver [4 + 2 + 1] cycloadducts, rather than the kinetically favored [2 + 2 + 1] products, is challenging. Here, we report that this can be solved by adding a cyclopropyl (CP) cap to the diene moiety of the original substrates. The resulting CP-capped diene-ynes/diene-enes can react with CO under Rh catalysis to give [4 + 2 + 1] cycloadducts exclusively without forming [2 + 2 + 1] products.

A Single Electronic Tattoo for Multisensory Integration.

Wearable electronics are garnering growing interest in various emerging fields including intelligent sensors, artificial limbs, and human-machine interfaces. A remaining challenge is to develop multisensory devices that can conformally adhere to the skin even during dynamic-moving environments. Here, a single electronic tattoo (E-tattoo) based on a mixed-dimensional matrix network, which integrates two-dimensional  MXene nanosheets and one-dimensional cellulose nanofibers/Ag nanowires, is presented for multisensory integration.

Three-dimensional finite element analysis on cochlear implantation electrode insertion.

Studying the insertion process of cochlear implant (CI) electrode array (EA) is important to ensure successful, sufficient, and safe implantation. A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model was developed to simulate the insertion process. The cochlear structures were reconstructed from an average statistical shape model (SSM) of human cochlea.

DFT Study of Mechanism and Stereochemistry of Nickel-Catalyzed -Arylative Desymmetrizing Cyclization of Alkyne-Tethered Malononitriles.

Present here is a density functional theory (DFT) study of the mechanism and origin of enantioselectivity of Ni-catalyzed desymmetric cyclization of alkyne-tethered malononitriles and aryl boronic acids. The reaction starts from transmetalation and arylnickel addition, followed by to isomerization to give -alkenyl nickel species. The stereodetermining step is the CN insertion, which prefers a transition state with the bystander CN group staying away from the ligand to reduce steric repulsion, and gives the final ()-product.

Why [4 + 2 + 1] but Not [2 + 2 + 1]? Why Allenes? A Mechanistic Study of the Rhodium-Catalyzed [4 + 2 + 1] Cycloaddition of Generated Ene-Ene-Allenes and Carbon Monoxide.

Transition metal-catalyzed [4 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition of generated ene/yne-ene-allenes (from ene/yne-ene propargyl esters) and carbon monoxide (CO) gives the [4 + 2 + 1] cycloadducts rather than [2 + 2 + 1] cycloadducts. Investigating the mechanism of this [4 + 2 + 1] reaction and understanding why the [2 + 2 + 1] reaction does not compete and the role of the allene moiety in the substrates are important. This is also helpful to guide the future design of new [4 + 2 + 1] cycloadditions.

Neural network-based prediction of the secret-key rate of quantum key distribution.

Numerical methods are widely used to calculate the secure key rate of many quantum key distribution protocols in practice, but they consume many computing resources and are too time-consuming. In this work, we take the homodyne detection discrete-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) as an example, and construct a neural network that can quickly predict the secure key rate based on the experimental parameters and experimental results. Compared to traditional numerical methods, the speed of the neural network is improved by several orders of magnitude.