Hearing impairment is the most commonly occurring condition that affects the ability of humans to communicate. More than 50% of the cases of profound early-onset deafness are caused by genetic factors. Over 40 loci for non-syndromic deafness have been genetically mapped, and mutations in several genes have been shown to cause hearing loss. Mutations in the gene encoding connexin 26 (GJB2) cause both autosomal recessive and dominant forms of hearing impairment. To study the possible involvement of other members of the connexin family in hereditary hearing impairment, we cloned the gene (GJB3) encoding human gap junction protein beta-3 using homologous EST searching and nested PCR. GJB3 was mapped to human chromosome 1p33-p35. Mutation analysis revealed that a missense mutation and a nonsense mutation of GJB3 were associated with high-frequency hearing loss in two families. Moreover, expression of Gjb3 was identified in rat inner ear tissue by RT-PCR. These findings suggest that mutations in GJB3 may be responsible for bilateral high-frequency hearing impairment.

Seven gross total, four subtotal, and one partial resection were achieved after surgery. At 6 months to 3 years follow-up, eight patients were recurrence-free and two patients had unchanged residual tumor. One patient with recurrent chordoma underwent second surgery and subsequent intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The other patient with a recurrent chordoma died 1 year postoperation.

Stem cell therapy is a thriving topic of interest among researchers and clinicians due to evidence of its effectiveness and promising therapeutic advantage in numerous disease conditions as presented by novel biomedical research. However, extensive clinical application of stem cells is limited by its storage and transportation. The emergence of cryopreservation technology has made it possible for living organs, tissues, cells and even living organisms to survive for a long time at deep low temperatures. During the cryopreservation process, stem cell preparations are subject to three major damages: osmotic damage, mechanical damage, and peroxidative damage. Therefore, Assessing the effectiveness and safety of stem cells following cryopreservation is fundamental to the quality control of stem cell preparations. This article presents the important biosafety and quality control parameters to be assessed during the manufacturing of clinical grade stem cell products, highlights the significance of preventing cryodamage. and provides a reference for protocols in the quality control of stem cell preparations.

Purpose. To establish an effective and accurate prognostic nomogram for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Patients and Methods. 62,355 LUAD patients from 1975 to 2016 enrolled in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were randomly and equally divided into the training cohort (n = 31,179) and the validation cohort (n = 31,176). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses screened the predictive effects of each variable on survival. The concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were used to examine and validate the predictive accuracy of the nomogram. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to estimate overall survival (OS). Results. 10 prognostic factors associated with OS were identified, including age, sex, race, marital status, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM stage, tumor size, grade, and primary site. A nomogram was established based on these results. C-indexes of the nomogram model reached 0.777 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.773 to 0.781) and 0.779 (95% CI, 0.775 to 0.783) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The calibration curves were well-fitted for both cohorts. The AUC for the 3- and 5-year OS presented great prognostic accuracy in the training cohort (AUC = 0.832 and 0.827, respectively) and validation cohort (AUC = 0.835 and 0.828, respectively). The Kaplan–Meier curves presented significant differences in OS among the groups. Conclusion. The nomogram allows accurate and comprehensive prognostic prediction for patients with LUAD.

The endoscope has recently been used to extensive sellar lesions, but the extended areas of the lesions and operative techniques vary from each study. Here we present our experience with extended endoscopic transseptal transsphenoidal (EETT) approach to 16 patients with extensive sellar lesion and evaluate the feasibility of EETT in different extensive sellar tumor resection. Sixteen patients with extensive sellar lesion were operated by EETT approach in this study. The approach included unilateral posterior septum mucosa resection, posterior septectomy, extended ethmoidectomy and sphenoidoctomy, four tumoral circumferences (bilateral, superior, inferior aspects) isolated and subsequently tumoral removal from outside to inside of the tumors obtained. This surgical procedure is satisfactory for sellar lesion with different juxtasellar extension. After surgery, CT scan and MR image showed that total removal of the tumor was achieved in 10 patients. Six patients who received subtotal resection were treated with postoperative radiation therapy or gamma knife surgery. Two patients developed postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak that was successfully managed by conservative treatment within 6 days after surgery. No other new postoperative endocrinological or neurological defects occurred. Six months to 5 years follow up indicated that all 16 patients with the visual disturbances and 4 patients with endocrine impairments have recovered or improved. One patient with malignant meningioma died due to recurrence of the tumor 2 years postoperation. Another one patient with malignant inverted papilloma recurred 1 year postoperation and underwent operation and radiation therapy again. The EETT approach might better facilitate the removal of different extensive sellar lesions with maximal preservation of important anatomical structures and nasal function.