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Introduction: Hearing loss is a major public health problem in the world. In general, 10% of the population has a hearing loss that is high enough to disrupt communication. This rate rises to 40% in the population over 65 years of age. Presbiacusia is the major cause of hearing loss in individuals over 65 years of age. Presbycusis is a sensorineural hearing loss and the hearing aid is very important in the rehabilitation of patients with sensorineural hearing loss. This study aims to determine the rate of hearing aid use and efficiency in the geriatric population of Turkey. Material and methods: This is a retrospective study. Therefore, hearing aid information was obtained from audiogram data if it exists. PTA (between 500-4000 Hz), SDS, SRT values and hearing aid usage data were gathered from 3127 patients who applied to the hospital and complied to the inclusion criteria. In addition, the SRT values and SDS percentages of 332 individuals using hearing aids in this patient group were included in the study. The participants were divided into 6 groups (59--65, 65--70, 70--75, 75--80, 80--85, and 85+) according to their age. Changes in the SRT and SDS values of these groups after using hearing aids were statistically determined. Results: For all age groups, the number of people in need of hearing aids and the number of people using hearing aids were determined. On average, 71.22% of all individuals included in the study needed hearing aids, however only 10.6% used hearing aids. A statistical significance was observed between SRT values before hearing aid use and SRT values after hearing aid use for each group. Similarly, a statistically significant difference was observed between the percentages of SDS before and after the use of hearing aids for each group (p<0.01). However, the improvement in SRT and SDS values were not found as expected. The mean SRT value was found as 68 dB without hearing aid and 45.75 with hearing aid for the sixth group. When SDS values with and without hearing aids were compared for all age groups, SDS values did not exceed 76% in any group. Conclusions: Hearing aid usage rates of the same age groups are similar to reported values in the literature. However, this rate is quite low compared to the need for hearing aids in the geriatric population. After the use of the hearing aid, SRT levels decreased and SDS percentages increased. However, the best SRT value was found as 38.55 dB which is higher than normal values. Failure to use hearing aids in patients who need to wear hearing aids may cause hearing loss to progress and impair daily communication. Therefore, hearing aid awareness and finding the suitable hearing aid are important in the rehabilitation of the geriatric population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: A vestibulo-ocular reflex called the ocular counter-roll can be used to assess how well the otolith organs are functioning. The video ocular counter-roll (vOCR) test is a recent addition to the videonystagmography test battery that allows for video recording and quantitative ocular counter-roll analysis. The purpose of this study is to investigate potential discrepancies in vOCR measurements obtained from a 30° lateral head tilt in the roll plane versus measurements obtained from a 30° tilt of the head and body., Design: Thirty otologically, and neurologically healthy subjects aged 18 to 30 (M = 23.32 years, SD = 2.66 years; 8 men, 22 women) participated in this study. Pure-tone audiometry, oculomotor tests, and vOCR evaluation were performed for all participants. The vOCR assessment was performed in 2 positions, 30° lateral head tilt, and 30° body tilt position. The degree of static vOCR eye position and vOCR asymmetry in both positions were calculated and compared., Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the vOCR findings obtained in the right and left 30° lateral head tilt ( p = 0.546) and body tilt ( p = 0.114). vOCR asymmetry was determined as median (interquartile range) 0.08 (0.07) in lateral head tilt position and 0.09 (0.06) in body tilt position. The degree of static vOCR (8.75° [1.91]) detected during body tilt was statistically greater than the static vOCR (6.62 [1.69]) detected during head tilt ( p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in terms of ocular counter-roll asymmetry detected between head tilt and body tilt ( p = 0.918)., Conclusions: Our study shows a significant difference in the vOCR responses during head tilt and body tilt, a finding that should be considered during clinical evaluation of vestibular function. There was no significant asymmetry between the responses with either head or body tilt., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Worldwide, but especially in emerging nations, concerns about food safety pose a serious obstacle to societal and economic progress. This research aimed to examine the prevalence of Listeria spp. in raw milk and dairy products in Burdur, as well as the presence of genes associated with biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in the isolates., Methods: A total of 185 samples, including raw milk, curd, cream, butter, yogurt and cheese, were randomly collected in Burdur. The enrichment and isolation methods specified by the United States Department of Agriculture was used to identify Listeria species in milk and dairy product samples. Culture-positive strains were identified as Listeria genus and as species by PCR. Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was evaluated against 14 antibiotics using the disc diffusion technique (EUCAST)., Results: Of them, 2.2% (4/185) were positive for Listeria spp. Listeria species were isolated from cheese and yogurt samples. Two of them were Listeria innocua 1.1% (2/185), one was Listeria ivanovii 0.5% (1/185) and the other was Listeria welshimeri 0.5% (1/185). As a result of multiplex PCR of the biofilm genotypic marker luxS and flaA genes, the flaA gene was detected in three of four isolates, the luxS gene was detected in one isolate, and these two genes were not found in one isolate. Although all isolates were resistant to gentamicin and rifampicin, they also showed multidrug resistance., Conclusion: This study revealed that the diversity of prevalence of Listeria spp. in Burdur requires microbial risk assessment in the milk and dairy products value chain and the need to focus on the problem of multiple antibiotic resistance., (© 2024 The Author(s). Veterinary Medicine and Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Encephalitozoon intestinalis is an opportunistic microsporidian parasite that primarily infects immunocompromised individuals, such as those with HIV/AIDS or undergoing organ transplantation. Leishmaniasis is responsible for parasitic infections, particularly in developing countries. The disease has not been effectively controlled due to the lack of an effective vaccine and affordable treatment options. Current treatment options for E. intestinalis infection and leishmaniasis are limited and often associated with adverse side effects. There is no previous study in the literature on the antimicrosporidial activities of Ag(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene compounds. In this study, the in vitro antimicrosporidial activities of previously synthesized Ag(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes were evaluated using E. intestinalis spores cultured in human renal epithelial cell lines (HEK-293). Inhibition of microsporidian replication was determined by spore counting. In addition, the effects of the compounds on Leishmania major promastigotes were assessed by measuring metabolic activity or cell viability using a tetrazolium reaction. Statistical analysis was performed to determine significant differences between treated and control groups. Our results showed that the growth of E. intestinalis and L. major promastigotes was inhibited by the tested compounds in a concentration-dependent manner. A significant decrease in parasite viability was observed at the highest concentrations. These results suggest that the compounds have potential anti-microsporidial and anti-leishmanial activity. Further research is required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action and to evaluate the efficacy of the compounds in animal models or clinical trials., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of zahter extract, zahter essential oil, laurel extract, and laurel essential oil on Salmonella Typhimurium inoculated on chicken wings., Methods: A total of 10 groups, including eight study groups and two control groups were formed, consisting of zahter extract and zahter essential oil and laurel extract and laurel essential oil in different proportions. In the study, laurel extract at 6.4% and 12.8% concentrations, laurel essential oil at 0.2% and 0.4% concentrations, zahter extract at 0.2% and 0.4% concentrations, and zahter essential oil at 0.2% and 0.4% concentrations were used., Results: The broth microdilution method was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the extract and essential oils on the S. Typhimurium. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of the extracts and essential oils used in the study against S. Typhimurium were determined. The highest inhibitory effect on S. Typhimurium was observed in the 0.4% laurel essential oil group. It was determined that the inhibitory effect increased as the concentration of laurel essential oil increased. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of zahter essential oil is less inhibitory than the laurel extract, laurel essential oil, and zahter extract., Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it has been revealed that extracts and essential oils obtained from zahter and laurel plants, which have been shown to be natural antimicrobial, can be used in foods as an alternative to chemical additives. To develop research results, the applicability of these extracts and essential oils in different foodstuffs should be examined using different ingredients and concentrations., (© 2024 The Authors. Veterinary Medicine and Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of shear wave elastography (SWE) in differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules and their correlation with the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR TI-RADS)., Methods: This prospective study included 370 thyroid nodules in 308 patients aged 18-70 years. All the patients underwent B-mode ultrasound (US), Doppler examination, and SWE and were given an ACR TI-RADS risk score before fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and/or surgery. The correlation between SWE parameters and ACR TI-RADS categories was investigated statistically and compared with histopathologic results. Additionally, the diagnostic performance of SWE was evaluated to distinguish malignant and benign thyroid nodules., Results: One hundred and thirty-five of the 370 thyroid nodules were malignant, and 235 nodules were benign. The mean shear wave velocity (SWV) value of the malignant nodules (3.70 ± 0.98 m/s) was statistically higher than that of the benign nodules (2.70 ± 0.37 m/s). The best cutoff value of the mean SWV for differentiating benign and malignant nodules was found to be 2.94 m/s (sensitivity 90.4%, specificity 89.9%, positive predictive value 81.3%, negative predictive value 94.1%, p < 0.001). The average score of the nodules according to the ACR TI-RADS was 3.57 ± 1.83 in benign nodules and 7.38 ± 2.69 in malignant nodules (p ≤ 0.001)., Conclusion: This study showed that combining SWE and TI-RADS improves the specificity of TI-RADS alone in differentiating benign and malignant nodules., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pathogenicity of Acanthamoeba strains with T4, T5, T11, and T12 genotypes by comparing the osmotolerance and thermotolerance characteristics of Acanthamoeba strains isolated from genotype groups, within species with the same genotype, and from environmental and keratitis cases., Methods: In this study, after axenic cultures of 22 Acanthamoeba strains with T4 (Neff, A, B, D, E), T5, T11, and T12 genotypes isolated from clinical and environmental samples, thermotolerance (37 °C, 39 °C and 41 °C) and osmotolerance (0.5 M, 1 M) tests were performed., Results: All strains showed growth ability at 37 °C and 0.5 M osmolarity. While all five strains isolated from patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis showed growth ability at 37 °C and 0.5 M osmolarity, no growth was detected at 41 °C and 1 M osmolarity. When the tolerance characteristics of the strains with the same genotype were evaluated, the strains with the T5 and T4E genotypes showed the same characteristics. When Acanthamoeba strains with the T4 genotype were evaluated in general, 31.25% of the strains were found to grow at 39 °C and 6.25% at 41 °C. Of the T4Neff strains, only one strain did not show the ability to reproduce at 39 °C and showed a different feature from the other strains. While the strain with the T11 genotype grew at all temperatures, the strain with the T12 genotype did not grow at 41 °C., Conclusion: According to our research results, we believe that tolerance to 39 °C and 1 M mannitol is not an indicator of pathogenicity. More studies with Acanthamoeba strains are required to clarify this issue.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Citrus sinensis essential oil (EO) on the proximate composition of yogurt over a 28-day shelf life and to investigate the therapeutic and prophylactic effects of functional yogurt on ibuprofen-induced gastric ulcers in a rat model. It was observed that the yogurt group containing C. sinensis EO had higher acidity, total solids, and ash values. Histologic evaluation of the stomachs of rats with gastric ulcers revealed that rats fed with functional yogurt had fewer lesions compared to the control group. The treatment group had fewer lesions than the positive control (p > 0.05). Lesions in the glandular mucosa of the prophylactic group were significantly lower than those in the positive control group (p < 0.05). Yogurt with C. sinensis EO may be beneficial in reducing the severity of ulcers and improving overall health., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Food Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Institute of Food Technologists.)

Introduction: Galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potentials evaluate vestibular nerve responses using electric stimulation by records collected from the sternocleidomastoid muscle. A normal vestibular evoked myogenic potential response consists of the first positive, P1, and negative, N1, peaks. The response can be affected by factors such as age and gender and is also consequential in the diagnosis of pathologies., Objectives: The present study was performed to obtain normative data on healthy adults, to help in diagnosis by establishing clinical norms as well as to investigate changing test parameters with age in galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potentials., Methods: A total of 100 healthy participants were included in the study. Galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potential (current 3 mA, duration 1 ms) was performed randomly on both ears of each participant. The participants between the ages of 18-65 (mean age 39.7 ± 13.9) were divided into 5 groups according to their ages. Normative data of galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potentials parameters were calculated in groups and in total, and age-related changes were examined., Results: The galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potential waveform was elicited from all participants (200 ears). The latency of P1 and N1 was 7.82 ± 3.29 ms and 22.06 ± 3.95 ms, respectively. The P1-N1 amplitude value was 66.64 ± 24.5 µV. The percentage of vestibular asymmetry was 16.29 ± 11.99%. The latencies of P1 and N1 and P1-N1 amplitude values demonstrated significant differences among different age groups (p < 0.01)., Conclusions: The results of this study show that as age increased, latencies were prolonged, and amplitudes gradually decreased. The normative data aids in the diagnosis of retrolabyrinthine lesions and the increase in the clinical use of galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potentials., (Copyright © 2020 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.)

In this study, the occurrence of volatile nitrosamines were investigated in heat-treated sucuk, a kind of semi-dry fermented sausage. The pH, a w and residual nitrite of the samples were also determined. In addition, a principal component analysis (PCA) was also performed in order to elucidate the relationship between nitrosamine and these variables. Significant differences between brands were found in terms of NDMA (N- Nitrosodimethylamine), NPYR (N-Nitrosopyrolidine) and NPIP (N-Nitrosopiperidine) ( p  < 0.05). NDMA and NPYR varied from 1.71 to 3.57 µg/kg and 1.65 to 7.29 µg/kg, respectively. Higher levels were found for NPIP (5.19 to 16.40 µg/kg). NDEA (N-Nitrosodiethylamine) and NDBA (N- Nitrosodibutylamine) were not found in any of the heat-treated sucuk samples. The residual nitrite content was under 10 mg/kg in all samples. The a w and pH values varied between 0.913 and 0.940 and between 4.28 and 5.47, respectively. In PC1 explaining 72% of the variance, NDMA and NPYR were placed on the negative side, NPIP on the positive side. Residual nitrite and a w were more effective for NPIP, while pH was an important parameter for NDMA and NPYR., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interestThe authors declare that they do not have any conflict of interest., (© Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2021.)

Purpose: In the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), developing drug resistance, existing toxic effects of drugs and failure respond to treatment cause the need to try different treatment methods. We investigated the effect of gold-conjugated macrophage-specific antibody on amastigotes under infra-red light for the treatment of CL., Methods: Female BALB/c (4-8 weeks old, 20 ± 5 g weight) mice were used in the study. The L. major strain was inoculated on the soles of mice in amastigote form and subpassed. Nanogold (Au), Au + macrophage-specific antibody (MSA) modification and near infra-red (NIR) (5 seconds) were applied to mice groups that developed cutaneous leishmaniasis on their soles. On the 5th and 10th days of the treatment, the lesions were examined clinically and pathologically., Results: When the erythema values were examined, the highest decrease was calculated in the Au + MSA + NIR group in the measurements made on the 10 th day ( p  < 0.014). The best improvement in 10 th day measurements is in the NIR and Au + MSA + NIR groups when area values were examined ( p  = 0.011, p  = 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of parasite load (PL) ( p  < 0.005) in pathological evaluation. According to PL grouping, the best result is NIR (p = 0.002). When both main titles (clinical and pathological) are examined, the Au + MSA + NIR group is thought to have an optimal therapeutical feature., Conclusions: Au + MSA + NIR combination could be a new treatment approach for CL treatment.

Abstract: Identifying substantial data and their normative values related to velopharyngeal structures in cleft palate patients may have clinical significance, in order to selection of surgical intervention and prediction of postsurgical outcomes. Previous studies are lack of referring certain anatomic locations or distances that may have affect on speech intelligibility, especially in dynamic state. The aim of this study is to investigate effectiveness of magnetic resonance imagings on the velopharyngeal sphincter function and the correlation with speech intelligibility after functional cleft palate repair. Seventeen patients with repaired cleft palate by single surgeon were enrolled in this study.Quantitative velopharyngeal measures from the oblique coronal plane and midsagittal plane in static and dynamic positions were collected. Patients' speech intelligibility was evaluated by using Pittsburgh Weighted Speech Scale and nasalance score was also measured. Correlation analysis methods were used for evaluating relation between MRI gathered measurements and speech intelligibility scores for determiningconsequential data.Our study shows that the velar knee-posterior pharyngeal wall distance measurement while explosive sound production is the most related data with speech intelligibility. Although future works with more sample number is needed, according to current study the authors think magnetic resonance imagings is a very helpful method in providing reliable information., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.)