Table3_Use of a Network-Based Method to Identify Latent Genes Associated with Hearing Loss in Children.XLSX

Hearing loss is a total or partial inability to hear. Approximately 5% of people worldwide experience this condition. Hearing capacity is closely related to language, social, and basic emotional development; hearing loss is particularly serious in children. The pathogenesis of childhood hearing loss remains poorly understood. Here, we sought to identify new genes potentially associated with two types of hearing loss in children: congenital deafness and otitis media. We used a network-based method incorporating a random walk with restart algorithm, as well as a protein-protein interaction framework, to identify genes potentially associated with either pathogenesis. A following screening procedure was performed and 18 and 87 genes were identified, which potentially involved in the development of congenital deafness or otitis media, respectively. These findings provide novel biomarkers for clinical screening of childhood deafness; they contribute to a genetic understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms involved.

听力损失指完全或部分丧失听觉能力。全球约有5%的人群受此病症影响。听觉功能与语言、社交及基本情感发展密切相关，儿童群体的听力损失问题尤为严峻。目前学界对儿童听力损失的发病机制仍知之甚少。本研究旨在筛选与儿童两类听力损失——先天性耳聋（congenital deafness）和中耳炎（otitis media）——潜在相关的新基因。我们采用基于网络的分析方法，结合重启随机游走（random walk with restart）算法与蛋白质相互作用（protein-protein interaction）框架，筛选与这两类发病机制潜在相关的基因。经后续筛选流程验证，我们分别筛选出18个与先天性耳聋发病相关、87个与中耳炎发病相关的潜在基因。本研究结果可为儿童耳聋的临床筛查提供新型生物标志物，同时有助于加深学界对相关致病机制的遗传学认知。