RESUMEN

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are twofold: first, to visualize the structure of malformed cochleae through image reconstruction; and second, to develop a predictive model for postoperative outcomes of cochlear implantation (CI) in patients diagnosed with cochlear hypoplasia (CH) and incomplete partition (IP) malformation. METHODS: The clinical data from patients diagnosed with cochlear hypoplasia (CH) and incomplete partition (IP) malformation who underwent cochlear implantation (CI) at Beijing Tongren Hospital between January 2016 and August 2020 were collected. Radiological features were analyzed through 3D segmentation of the cochlea. Postoperative auditory speech rehabilitation outcomes were evaluated using the Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) and the Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between cochlear parameters and postoperative outcomes. Additionally, a predictive model for postoperative outcomes was developed using the K-nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithm. RESULTS: In our study, we conducted feature selection by using patients' imaging and audiological attributes. This process involved methods such as the removal of missing values, correlation analysis, and chi-square tests. The findings indicated that two specific features, cochlear volume (V) and cochlear canal length (CDL), significantly contributed to predicting the outcomes of hearing and speech rehabilitation for patients with inner ear malformations. In terms of hearing rehabilitation, the KNN classification achieved an accuracy of 93.3%. Likewise, for speech rehabilitation, the KNN classification demonstrated an accuracy of 86.7%. CONCLUSION: The measurements obtained from the 3D reconstruction model hold significant clinical relevance. Despite the considerable variability in cochlear morphology across individuals, radiological features remain effective in predicting cochlear implantation (CI) prognosis for patients with inner ear malformations. The utilization of 3D segmentation techniques and the developed predictive model can assist surgeons in conducting preoperative cochlear structural measurements for patients with inner ear malformations. This, in turn, can offer a more informed perspective on the anticipated outcomes of cochlear implantation.

Asunto(s)

Cóclea , Implantación Coclear , Aprendizaje Automático , Humanos , Implantación Coclear/métodos , Masculino , Femenino , Cóclea/anomalías , Cóclea/diagnóstico por imagen , Cóclea/cirugía , Lactante , Resultado del Tratamiento , Preescolar , Oído Interno/anomalías , Oído Interno/cirugía , Oído Interno/diagnóstico por imagen , Imagenología Tridimensional , Estudios Retrospectivos , Niño

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Various attributes of micelles, such as PEG density and particle size, are considered to be related to blood clearance. The structural stability of micelles is another key attribute that will affect the in vivo fate. This study employed fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis to guide the preparation of polymeric micelles with different structural stability. Micelles prepared using copolymers with longer hydrophobic blocks showed higher structural stability; emulsification was a better method than nanoprecipitation to prepare stable micelles. The fast chain exchange kinetics and the high-water content of micellar cores explained the low structural stability of those micelles. Moreover, this study highlighted the importance of structural stability that affected blood clearance in concert with PEG length and particle size. One-third of the small and stable micelles were detected in the blood 24 h after injection. While unstable micelles would be cleared from the circulation within 4 h. Notably, there would be a threshold of structural stability. Micelles with structural stability below this threshold were quickly cleared even if they possessed a longer PEG length and a smaller size. In contrast, higher structural stability allowed polymeric micelles to maintain higher integrity in vivo and enhance tumor accumulation and anti-tumor efficacy. In conclusion, this study systematically analyzed the importance of the structural stability of micelles on the in vivo fate.

Asunto(s)

Transferencia Resonante de Energía de Fluorescencia , Micelas , Polietilenglicoles/química , Tamaño de la Partícula , Cinética , Polímeros/química , Portadores de Fármacos/química

RESUMEN

Nowadays, both the ferrite phase and B2-structured intermetallic in the Fe-Cr-Al alloy system are developed as porous materials, which have been further applied as high-temperature filter materials in industry. This work presents a comparative study of the mechanical properties of porous Fe20Cr5Al, Fe10Cr10Al and Fe10Cr20Al aged at 480 °C for 500 h. The changes in tensile strength, elongation and hardness were determined, and the microstructure changes as well as slight oxidation states of the aged samples were investigated. The results show that the precipitated Cr-rich phase in porous Fe20Cr5Al can increase the hardness and decrease the ductility, while intergranular oxidation can degrade the mechanical performance of the three porous Fe-Cr-Al materials. It is noted that porous Fe10Cr20Al exhibits relatively superior mechanical stability during long-term aging. Meanwhile, by introducing boron, the mechanical performance of the aged porous Fe-Cr-Al alloys can be stabilized since the possible internal oxidation of the exposed grain boundaries is inhibited.