These findings underscore the need for early-intervention programs for children with cochlear implants focusing on providing support to parents for them to increase their children’s exposure to high-quality conversation.BACKGROUND Non-viral gene delivery, such as using biodegradable polyurethane short-branch polyethylenimine (PU-PEI), has been considered a potentially safer gene delivery system in comparison to conventional virus systems. METHODS The polycationization of DNA complexes protects DNA from nuclease degradation, and these DNA complexes are nanoscale in size to enter the cell through endocytosis. RESULTS Due to the net positive surface charge of the cell, these polyplexes efficiently bind to the cell through electrostatic interactions with negatively charged membrane components. Cationic PU-PEI has been shown to be non-cytotoxic and has a high transfection efficiency, making it a practical gene delivery material in diseases. Telintra developed a PU-PEI nanomedicine-based platform to efficiently deliver microRNA in promoting differentiation capacity of stem cells, especially on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).BACKGROUD To evaluate the efficacy of an auto-registration monitoring system (ARMS) for tracking the placement and removal of ureteral stents. METHODS The system was designed to tie in closely with the billing system. Once a stent was used and charged, a stent “episode” was created in the ARMS. When the stent was removed and the charge for the procedure was issued, the stent episode for that stent was removed automatically. The ARMS identified stents which exceeded their deadline, generating an alarm until the stent was removed and the ARMS updated. RESULTS A total of 10105 patients with 12440 stent episodes were registered in the ARMS between March 2010 and August 2018. Of the 10105 patients, 8597 (85.07 %) were automatically detected to have had their stents removed before their deadline. We contacted the 1508 (14.93 %) patients whose stents were not registered as having been removed by their deadline, of whom 122 (1.21 %) had undergone stent removal at other hospitals, 490 (4.85 %) had died, and 875 (8.66 %) knew that they had ureteral stents inserted and were urged to come back for stent removal. Twenty-one patients (0.21 %) did not know that they had implanted stents. None of these 21 patients were urological patients, and they had stents placed during urological consultation in an operating room. CONCLUSIONS Our study showed that the ARMS reduced the manpower in tracking stent removal by 85.07 %, and that it was useful for detecting and preventing forgotten stents.BACKGROUND Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is more prevalent in children than before. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (SAPS). METHODS We recruited 319 students aged 9 to 12 years including 70 attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder subjects at a university hospital and 249 controls from elementary school. Finally, 164 males and 138 females were collected for data analysis with mean age of 10.99 ± 0.88 years. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency test, and t-test were performed to verify the reliability and validity of the SAPS-Chinese version. Correlations were examined for relation between the score in the SAPS-Chinese version and the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. RESULTS Factor analysis showed two factors problematic use-associated behaviors and impaired daily functions. Item analysis for every item in the SAPS-Chinese version showed significant differences in t-values (p less then 0.001) and high correlation in all items (r = 0.37 to 0.79). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) was equal to 0.94 and Bartlett’s test of Sphericity was significant (p less then 0.001). Cronbach’s α for the SAPS-Chinese version was 0.93. It revealed high reliability and validity. CONCLUSION The SAPS-Chinese version is reliable, valid, and suitable for clinical and research uses with satisfactory properties. Applying the modified SAPS-Chinese version offers early detection of problematic smartphone use.BACKGROUND Identifying epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status is critical for planning lung cancer treatment. Sanger sequencing detects both known and novel mutations but shows poor sensitivity. High-sensitivity allele-specific real-time PCR (ASRP) based assays offer quick and reliable results, but may overlook uncommon mutations. We aimed to define the rate at which high-sensitivity ASRP-based assays missed uncommon EGFR mutations. METHODS Non-small cell lung cancer specimens that were diagnosed as EGFR wild-type (EGFR-WT) by high-sensitivity ASRP-based assays and had residual DNA samples were sent for Sanger sequencing. Patient characteristics and clinical features were evaluated by chart review, and outcomes of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) therapy were studied. #link# RESULTS Hundred DNA specimens diagnosed by high-sensitivity ASRP-based assays as EGFR-WT were rechecked by Sanger sequencing. Two samples which were re-biopsy specimens from patients with EGFR mutations were excluded from analysis. Sanger sequencing was failed in 24 samples. Among the remaining 74 samples, 6 (8.1%) had EGFR mutations-one exhibited exon 19 deletion (delT751_I759insS), two exhibited substitution mutations (S768I+V769L and L861Q), and three exhibited exon 20 insertions (N771_P772insN, P772_H773insHP, and H773_V774insAH). Only the patient with the exon 19 deletion had received EGFR-TKI therapy. Although the best tumor response was only stable disease, this was maintained for more than 10 months. CONCLUSION High-sensitivity ASRP-based assays can overlook uncommon mutations. This detection failure rate is worth noting, especially when treating patients from regions known to have a high prevalence of EGFR mutation. Patients carrying uncommon mutations may still benefit from EGFR-TKI therapy.Type 2 diabetes has become a major disease burden in 21st century. Both incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes have quadrupled between 1980 and 2004 in the whole world. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the major complication of type 2 diabetes. The introduction of statins in clinical settings is the first revolution in our battle against ASCVD. Most ASCVDs could be prevented or treated with statins. However, statin failed to reduce chronic kidney diseases (CKD) and heart failure (HF). Owing to a mandate from US Food and Drug Administration in 2008 that every new anti-diabetic drug should be tested in clinical trials to demonstrate its safety, we now have a good opportunity to look for better anti-diabetic drugs not only to decrease blood sugar, but also to decrease CVD or renal disease. Among them, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and sodium-glucose transport protein 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2 i) are two most extensively studied ones. SGLT-2 inhibitors, in particular, prevent CKD and end-stage renal disease, and prevent HF.