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The auditory brainstem response (ABR) is an essential diagnostic indicator of overall cochlear health, used extensively in both basic research and clinical studies. A key quantification of the ABR is threshold, the lowest sound level that elicits a response. Because the morphology of ABR waveforms shift with stimulus level and the overall signal-to-noise ratio is low, threshold estimation is not straightforward. Although several algorithmic approaches have been proposed, the current standard practice remains the visual evaluation of ABR waveforms as a function of stimulus level. We developed an algorithm based on the cross-correlation of two independent averages of responses to the same stimulus. For each stimulus level, the individual responses to each tone-pip are randomly split into two groups. The median waveform for each group is calculated, and then the normalized cross-correlation between these median waveforms is obtained. This process is repeated 500 times to obtain a resampled cross-correlation distribution. For each frequency, the mean values of these distributions are computed for each level and fit with a sigmoid or a power law function to estimate the threshold. Algorithmic thresholds demonstrated robust and accurate performance, achieving 92% accuracy within ±10 dB of human-rated thresholds on a large pool of mouse data. This performance was better than that of several published algorithms on the same dataset. This algorithm has now fully replaced the manual estimation of ABR thresholds for our preclinical studies, thereby saving significant time and enhancing objectivity in the process., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests Luke Shaheen, Seth Koehler, and Yoojin Chung were employees of Decibel Therapeutics or Regeneron Pharmaceuticals at the time of contribution to this publication and may hold company stock and/or stock options. Brad Buran was a paid consultant for Decibel Therapeutics or Regeneron Pharmaceuticals at the time of contribution to this publication.

Background: Although improvement in the access to clotting factor concentrates and provision of comprehensive care has dramatically improved the quality of life of patients with severe hemophilia, inhibitor-positive patients still develop significant morbidity in terms of joint involvement, progression to disability and life threatening bleeds due to poor access to bypassing agents and immune tolerance induction. Objective: To analyze the response of patients with severe hemophilia A and high-titer inhibitors started on Emicizumab prophylaxis. Methods: Patients with inhibitor-positive severe Hemophilia A were followed up for bleed frequency, joint involvement and health-related quality-of-life assessment (HR-QOL) using PedHAL questionnaire. The data from 1 year prior to start of Emicizumab or from diagnosis of inhibitor status (if shorter period) was compared to that 4 weeks after start of the drug. Emicizumab was administered as per standard guidelines. Results: 4 patients were initiated on Emicizumab prophylaxis and followed for a median period of 34 weeks (19–57 weeks). The average bleed frequency reduced from 2 to 3.5 per month to 0 after initiation of prophylaxis. No significant adverse events were reported. Improvement in raw and normalized data for all 7 domains of PedHAL which measures activities of daily living was observed. Functional improvement was noted as early as 4 weeks into treatment. Conclusion: Emicizumab is a promising agent for prophylaxis of patients with severe hemophilia A and high titre inhibitors.

Experiments in rodent animal models help to reveal the characteristics and underlying mechanisms of pathologies related to hearing loss such as tinnitus or hyperacusis. However, a reliable understanding is still lacking. Here, four different rat strains (Sprague Dawley, Wistar, Long Evans, and Lister Hooded) underwent comparative analysis of electrophysiological (auditory brainstem responses, ABRs) and behavioral measures after noise trauma induction to differentiate between strain-dependent trauma effects and more consistent changes across strains, such as frequency dependence or systematic temporal changes. Several hearing- and trauma-related characteristics were clearly strain-dependent. Lister Hooded rats had especially high hearing thresholds and were unable to detect a silent gap in continuous background noise but displayed the highest startle amplitudes. After noise exposure, ABR thresholds revealed a strain-dependent pattern of recovery. ABR waveforms varied in detail among rat strains, and the difference was most prominent at later peaks arising approximately 3.7 ms after stimulus onset. However, changes in ABR waveforms after trauma were small compared to consistent strain-dependent differences between individual waveform components. At the behavioral level, startle-based gap-prepulse inhibition (gap-PPI) was used to evaluate the occurrence and characteristics of tinnitus after noise exposure. A loss of gap-PPI was found in 33% of Wistar, 50% of Sprague Dawley, and 75% of Long Evans rats. Across strains, the most consistent characteristic was a frequency-specific pattern of the loss of gap-PPI, with the highest rates at approximately one octave above trauma. An additional range exhibiting loss of gap-PPI directly below trauma frequency was revealed in Sprague Dawley and Long Evans rats. Further research should focus on these frequency ranges when investigating the underlying mechanisms of tinnitus induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) contributes to the early diagnosis of hearing loss. However, not all permanent pediatric hearing impairments can be identified by UNHS. To investigate children who have successfully passed the UNHS, but have later-onset hearing loss at an early stage. UNHS of children, was reviewed retrospectively from databases at Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden. Gender, age, the reason for contact, the first contact and the most recent audiogram, the hearing diagnosis, the degree of hearing loss when they were enrolled in hearing rehabilitation, and the hearing aids they used were analysed. 63 children who had passed the UNHS at birth and were diagnosed with a hearing impairment at a later stage were included in the study. The average age was 3.3 and 3.9 years old when the children were diagnosed and were finally enrolled in the hearing habilitation, respectively. The reasons for diagnostic evaluation of a suspected hearing loss at present study are preschool hearing tests at the Child Health Care Centres, parents suspect, and/or delayed speech and language development. Our findings suggest that a passed UNHS does not exclude a future delayed onset of hearing loss, particularly in children with risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study identifies the hydraulic efficiency of a novel onsite sanitation system at variable hydraulic shock loading conditions. The system consisted of three chambers, each working as an up-flow anaerobic bioreactor, accommodated within a single unit. The hydraulic characteristics were identified with the help of residence time distribution (RTD) analysis by step feeding of lithium chloride (LiCl) solution into the system. The experiments were run at variable hydraulic loading conditions at different peak flow factors (PFF) of 1, 2, 4 and 6 while maintaining 24-h hydraulic retention time. As revealed in the RTD analysis, the biofilm reactor achieved a very good hydraulic efficiency that varied from 0.76 to 0.81 at PFF 1, 2 and 4. Although in the case of PFF6, it was comparatively low. It was noted that the dispersion number was always below 0.2 at variable hydraulic shock loading conditions under different PFFs, which indicated that the reactor behaved perfectly between mixed-flow and plug-flow reactor. The system was also able to achieve good pollutant removal efficiency for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) under all PFFs, which was more than 68 and 75%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successfully applied in humans for the study of many complex phenotypes. However, identification of the genetic determinants of hearing in adults has been hampered, in part, by the relative inability to control for environmental factors that might affect hearing throughout the lifetime, as well as a large degree of phenotypic heterogeneity. These and other factors have limited the number of large-scale studies performed in humans that have identified candidate genes that contribute to the etiology of this complex trait. To address these limitations, we performed a GWAS analysis using a set of inbred mouse strains from the Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel. Among 99 strains characterized, we observed approximately two-fold to five-fold variation in hearing at six different frequencies, which are differentiated biologically from each other by the location in the cochlea where each frequency is registered. Among all frequencies tested, we identified a total of nine significant loci, several of which contained promising candidate genes for follow-up study. Taken together, our results indicate the existence of both genes that affect global cochlear function, as well as anatomical- and frequency-specific genes, and further demonstrate the complex nature of mammalian hearing variation.

Most of the wastewater generated from domestic activities in Denpasar city is treated in an off-site treatment plant located in WWTP DSDP Suwung. This includes faecal sludge that originates from on-site treatment plants. The existing treatment facilities can only treat wastewater that has a maximum biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) concentration of around 225 mg/l while the disposed faecal sludge's BOD concentration reaches 3,394 mg/l. Therefore, an additional faecal sludge treatment plant needs to be established in order to separate the solid phase from the liquid phase. According to the treatment performance calculation, some alternative treatments can achieve BOD5 and TSS removal of up to 97% and 98% respectively. The selection of the alternative treatment was decided from weighting results of several aspects, such as economic, land use, technological and environmental aspects. The weighting method that was used in this research was Simple Additive Weighting (SAW). The advantage of SAW is its ability to do the assessment highly precisely because it is based on predetermined criteria and preference weights. Based on the weighting result, the treatment technology selected was a Solid Separation Chamber as primary treatment, combined with an Anaerobic Baffled Reactor as a secondary treatment. A Belt Filter-Press was applied to reshape the sludge into a recyclable cake. The required cost is approximately 16 billion rupiahs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Systematic review and meta-analysis. • Age-related deficits in auditory nerve function are consistent across studies. • Evidence for noise-exposure-related deficits in auditory nerve function are weak. • Large-sample study finds age does not interact with noise exposure. • Longitudinal studies of auditory function and histology are needed in humans. Auditory nerve (AN) function has been hypothesized to deteriorate with age and noise exposure. Here, we perform a systematic review of published studies and find that the evidence for age-related deficits in AN function is largely consistent across the literature, but there are inconsistent findings among studies of noise exposure history. Further, evidence from animal studies suggests that the greatest deficits in AN response amplitudes are found in noise-exposed aged mice, but a test of the interaction between effects of age and noise exposure on AN function has not been conducted in humans. We report a study of our own examining differences in the response amplitude of the compound action potential N1 (CAP N1) between younger and older adults with and without a self-reported history of noise exposure in a large sample of human participants (63 younger adults 18–30 years of age, 103 older adults 50–86 years of age). CAP N1 response amplitudes were smaller in older than younger adults. Noise exposure history did not appear to predict CAP N1 response amplitudes, nor did the effect of noise exposure history interact with age. We then incorporated our results into two meta-analyses of published studies of age and noise exposure history effects on AN response amplitudes in neurotypical human samples. The meta-analyses found that age effects across studies are robust (r = -0.407), but noise exposure effects are weak (r = -0.152). We conclude that noise exposure effects may be highly variable depending on sample characteristics, study design, and statistical approach, and researchers should be cautious when interpreting results. The underlying pathology of age-related and noise-induced changes in AN function are difficult to determine in living humans, creating a need for longitudinal studies of changes in AN function across the lifespan and histological examination of the AN from temporal bones collected post-mortem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurochemical changes in the expression of various proteins within the central auditory system have been associated with natural aging. These changes may compensate in part for the loss of auditory sensitivity arising from two phenomena of the aging auditory system: cochlear histopathologies and increased excitability of central auditory neurons. Recent studies in the macaque monkey have revealed age-related changes in the density of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase (NADPHd) and parvalbumin (PV)-positive cells within the inferior colliculus and superior olivary complex. The cochlear nucleus (CN), which is the first central auditory nucleus, remains unstudied. Since the CN participates in the generation of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) and receives direct innervation from the cochlea, it serves as an ideal nucleus to compare the relationship between these neurochemical changes and the physiological and peripheral changes of the aging auditory system. We used stereological sampling to calculate the densities of NADPHd and PV reactive neurons within the three subdivisions of the CN in middle-aged and aged rhesus macaques. Regression analyses of these values with ABR properties and cochlear histopathologies revealed relationships between these cell types and the changing characteristics of the aging auditory system. Our results indicate that NADPHd expression does change with age in a specific subdivision of the CN, but PV does not. Conversely, PV expression correlated with ABR amplitudes and outer hair cell loss in the cochlea, but NADPHd did not. These results indicate that NADPHd and PV may take part in distinct compensatory efforts of the aging auditory system.

Abstract Background Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (e.g. gefitinib) currently remain the first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with activating EGFR mutation. However, acquired resistance to gefitinib, which occurs frequently through unidentified mechanisms, significantly attenuate therapeutic effectiveness. Previous miRNA microarray analysis reveals that expression levels of a conserved oncomiR miR-762 are significantly upregulated in gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells. We therefore aim to elucidate the role and underlying mechanisms of miR-762 during the pathogenesis of gefitinib resistance. Methods miR-762 expression in gefitinib-resistant NSCLC tissues and cells was evaluated using RT-qPCR. The potential regulation of miR-762 expression by IL-6 was studied using pharmacological and biochemical approaches. Effects of miR-762 manipulation on sensitivity to gefitinib was assessed using MTT, apoptotic ELISA and xenograft model. Finally, the posttranscriptional regulation of active BCR related protein (ABR) by miR-762 was determined using luciferase assay and site-directed mutagenesis. Results miR-762 expression was upregulated in gefitinib-resistant NSCLC tissues and cells, and this upregulation predicted a poor post-chemotherapy prognosis in NSCLC patients. miR-762 upregulation, induced by IL-6 signaling, significantly enhanced cell survival and rendered NSCLC cells unresponsiveness to gefitinib-elicited cell death. We finally provided the evidence that the oncogenic effect of miR-762 was mediated mainly through posttranscriptional repression of ABR in gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells. Conclusions Our findings provide a rationale for future efforts testing miR-762 inhibition and ABR restoration co-treatment in patients with recurrent EGFR mutant NSCLC to therapeutically combat the heterogeneity of EGFR-TKIs resistance mechanisms.

ObjectiveTo describe and study the population statistics, hearing phenotype, and pathological changes of a porcine congenital single-sided deafness (CSSD) pedigree.MethodsClick auditory brainstem response (ABR), full-frequency ABR, and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) were used to assess the hearing phenotype of the strain. Tympanogram was used to assess the middle ear function since birth. Celloidin embedding–hematoxylin–eosin (CE-HE) stain and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to study the pathological changes of cochlear microstructures. Chi-square analysis was used to analyze the relation between hearing loss and other phenotypes.ResultsThe mating mood of CSSD with CSSD was most efficient in breeding-targeted CSSD phenotype (47.62%), and the prevalence of CSSD reached 46.67% till the fifth generation, where 42.22% were bilateral hearing loss (BHL) and 9.00% were normal hearing (NH) individuals. Hearing loss was proved to have no relation with coat color (P = 0.0841 > 0.05) and gender (P = 0.4621 > 0.05) by chi-square analysis. The deaf side of CSSD offspring in the fifth generation had no relation with that of their maternal parent (P = 0.2387 > 0.05). All individuals in this strain exhibited congenital severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss with no malformation and dysfunction of the middle ear. The good hearing ear of CSSD stayed stable over age. The deaf side of CSSD and BHL presented cochlear and saccular degeneration, and the hair cell exhibited malformation since birth and degenerated from the apex to base turn through time. The pathology in BHL cochlea progressed more rapidly than CSSD and till P30, the hair cell had been totally gone. The stria vascularis (SV) was normal since birth and degenerated through time and finally exhibited disorganization of three layers of cells.ConclusionThis inbred porcine strain exhibited high and stable prevalence of CSSD, which highly resembled human non-syndromic CSSD disease. This porcine model could be used to further explore the etiology of CSSD and serve as an ideal tool for the studies of the effects of single-sided hearing deprivation on neural, cognitive, and behavioral developments and the benefits brought by CI in CSSD individuals.

Positive immunoreactivity to the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin (PV) and nitric oxide synthase NADPH diaphorase (NADPHd) is well documented within neurons of the central auditory system of both rodents and primates. These proteins are thought to play roles in the regulation of auditory processing. Studies examining the age-related changes in expression of these proteins have been conducted primarily in rodents but are sparse in primate models. In the brainstem, the superior olivary complex (SOC) is crucial for the computation of sound source localization in azimuth, and one hallmark of age-related hearing deficits is a reduced ability to localize sounds. To investigate how these histochemical markers change as a function of age and hearing loss, we studied eight rhesus macaques ranging in age from 12 to 35 years. Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were obtained in anesthetized animals for click and tone stimuli. The brainstems of the sesame animals were then stained for PV and NADPHd reactivity. Reactive neurons in the three nuclei of the SOC were counted, and the densities of each cell type were calculated. We found that PV and NADPHd expression increased with both age and ABR thresholds in the medial superior olive but not in either the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body or the lateral superior olive. Together these results suggest that the changes in protein expression employed by the SOC may compensate for the loss of efficacy of auditory sensitivity in the aged primate.

In central auditory disorders caused by damage of the cerebral hemispheres, there are cortical deafness and auditory agnosia. Although clinical cases of cortical deafness have been reported, little is known about the hearing problems and localized lesions associated with cortical deafness. The aims of our research are to elucidate lesion sites associated with cortical deafness and to clarify why patients with cerebral lesions are not aware of any sound at all. Three patients diagnosed as having total loss of hearing participated in this study. We conducted pure-tone audiometry, speech audiometry, distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), auditory brainstem response (ABR), and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose cortical deafness with aphasia tests of these patients. Our studies showed that waves VI and VII as well as waves I to V have normal peak latencies in ABRs in all three patients. In brain MRI, we found complete damage of proximal parts of bilateral auditory radiations in the three patients. We propose 'subcortical deafness' as a subtype of auditory agnosia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Hearing impairment is a reported late complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Previous studies have suggested that microangiopathic complications may cause cochlear nerve function deterioration. We evaluated the auditory brainstem evoked responses (ABRs) and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) results according to the presence of DM in subjects with normal hearing.Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted from January 2016 to January 2018. Auditory function tests including ABR and DPOAE were performed for outpatients complaining of unilateral tinnitus. All of analyses were conducted in ears without tinnitus on contralateral side of tinnitus ears. We included subjects showing hearing thresholds within 25 dB at 0.5, 1k, 2k, and 4k on pure tone audiometry. 45 ears in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 85 ears in non-diabetic patients were finally enrolled in our study.Results: Diabetic subjects showed significantly more prolonged absolute peak latencies (I, III, V) and inter-peak latencies (I-V, III-V) than non-diabetic subjects. However, there was no significant difference in the inter-peak latency (I-III) between these two groups. Diabetic subjects also showed significantly lower amplitudes at f2 frequencies of 1001, 1200, 1587, 4004, 5042, and 6348 Hz than non-diabetic subjects. Additionally, the prevalence of a DPOAE response, defined as 3 dB above the noise floor, was significantly lower in diabetic subjects than that in non-diabetic subjects.Conclusion: Diabetic patients with normal hearing can still have abnormal ABR and DPOAE results due to diabetic neuroangiopathy. ABR and DPOAE assessments can help in detecting subclinical auditory dysfunction, which precedes the manifestation of hearing impairment in diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inactivating mutations of SERPINB6 in humans result in progressive hearing loss starting in early adulthood (DFNB91). We have previously shown that C57BL/6J mice lacking the orthologous gene, Serpinb6a, exhibit progressive hearing loss, which is associated with progressive loss of distinct cell types in the organ of Corti beginning with outer hair cells (OHCs). However, deafness in these animals occurs much earlier than expected, possibly because C57BL/6J mice also carry an age‐related hearing loss mutation in the cadherin 23 gene (Cdh23ahl) that causes late onset hearing loss. The CBA/CaH strain of mice does not carry Cdh23ah/ahl and may represent a better model of the human DFNB91 patients. Here, we show that transfer of the mutant Serpinb6a allele onto the Cdh23 normal CBA/CaH background markedly delays onset of hearing loss, more closely phenocopying DFNB91, without altering the pattern of cellular loss. Young, pre‐symptomatic mice of this genotype exposed to acoustic trauma exhibit permanent hearing loss, compared to controls, associated with the disappearance of OHCs. We conclude that Serpinb6 helps to maintain hearing by protecting hair cells from stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common chronic neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by symptoms of inattention, overactivity, and/or impulsiveness. The prevalence of ADHD varies in different settings and there have been voices raised to call for more objective measures in order to avoid over- and underdiagnosing of ADHD. Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is a method where click shaped sounds evoke potentials that are recorder from electrodes on the skull of a patient. The aim of this study was to explore possible alterations in the ABR of 29 patients with ADHD compared to 39 healthy controls. We used a forward masked sound. We found differences in ABR that correspond to the thalamic area. The thalamus seems to play an active role in regulation of activity level in ADHD. More research is needed to draw any further conclusions on using ABR as an objective measurement to detect ADHD.

Objective: Advancements in microsurgical technique and technology continue to improve outcomes in patients with skull base tumor. The primary cranial nerve eight monitoring systems used in hearing preservation surgery for vestibular schwannomas (VSs) are direct cranial nerve eight monitoring (DCNEM) and auditory brainstem response (ABR), although current guidelines are unable to definitively recommend one over the other due to limited literature on the topic. Thus, further research is needed to determine the utility of DCNEM and ABR. The authors performed a retrospective cohort study and created an interactive model that compares hearing preservation outcomes based on tumor size in patients receiving ABR+DCNEM and ABR-only monitoring., Methods: Twenty-eight patients received ABR+DCNEM and 72 patients received ABR-only monitoring during VS hearing preservation surgery at a single tertiary academic medical center between January 2008 and November 2022. Inclusion criteria consisted of adult patients with a preoperative American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) hearing classification of A or B. Tumor size was measured as the maximal medial to lateral length, including the internal auditory canal component., Results: Overall hearing preservation (word recognition score [WRS] > 0%) was achieved in 31 patients with ABR-only monitoring (43.1%) and in 18 patients with ABR+DCNEM (64.3%). Serviceable hearing preservation (AAO-HNS class A or B) was attained in 19 patients with ABR-only monitoring (26.4%) and in 11 patients with ABR+DCNEM (39.3%). There was no difference in overall hearing preservation between the two groups (p = 0.13). Change in tumor size was not associated with the odds of serviceable hearing preservation for the ABR-only group (p = 0.89); however, for ABR+DCNEM, there was some indication of an interaction between tumor size and the association of ABR+DCNEM versus ABR-only monitoring, with the odds of serviceable hearing preservation at p = 0.089. Furthermore, with ABR+DCNEM, every 0.5-cm increase in tumor size was associated with a decreased odds of serviceable hearing preservation on multivariable analysis (p = 0.05). For both overall and serviceable hearing preservation, a worse preoperative AAO-HNS classification was associated with a decreased odds of preservation (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.19-0.97, p = 0.042; OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.053-0.55, p = 0.0031, respectively)., Conclusions: The result of this interactive model study proposes that there may be a higher chance of hearing preservation when using ABR+DCNEM rather than ABR alone for smaller tumors, with that relationship reversing as tumor size increases.

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is now recognised as a serious global health and economic threat that is most efficiently managed via a ‘one health’ approach incorporating environmental risk assessment. Although the environmental dimension of ABR has been largely overlooked, recent studies have underlined the importance of non-clinical settings in the emergence and spread of resistant strains. Despite this, several research gaps remain in regard to the development of a robust and fit-for-purpose environmental risk assessment for ABR drivers such as antibiotics (ABs). Here we explore the role the environment plays in the dissemination of ABR within the context of stereochemistry and its particular form, enantiomerism. Taking chloramphenicol as a proof of principle, we argue that stereoisomerism of ABs impacts on biological properties and the mechanisms of resistance and we discuss more broadly the importance of stereochemistry (enantiomerism in particular) with respect to antimicrobial potency and range of action.

HAS (HTTP-based Adaptive Streaming) based on ABR (Adaptive Bitrate Rate selection) has become a prevalent solution to media transmission. In order to improve the performance of HAS, many studies focus on how to reduce the unfairness, the instability and the inefficiency in a multi-clients scenario. However, the unfairness problem of the multi-clients with different priority levels and different playback rates, and the instability problem caused by the changes of the playback rate are still unresolved. To solve these problems, a novel ABR algorithm called PREPARE is proposed in this paper. In addition to normally considered throughput and client buffer information in HAS system model, the client priority and the playback rate are also incorporated to make the system model more accurate. With the feedback from servers, PREPARE algorithm is able to estimate the bandwidth much precisely and to reduce the unfairness among the multi-clients. The stability in bitrate selection is improved by introducing the buffer status in conjunction with the real-time playback rate. Moreover, the buffer underflow is prevented in download scheduling by advancing download according to the real-time playback rate. NS-3 simulator is used to evaluate the performance of PREPARE. The performance results show that PREPARE reduces the unfairness among multi-clients by more than 42% comparing to other three algorithms including ESTC, PANDA, FDASH. Meanwhile, PREPARE simultaneously keeps high stability and high efficiency.

Abstract Background The introduction of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) programs has drastically contributed to the early diagnosis of hearing loss in children, allowing prompt intervention with significant results on speech and language development in affected children. UNHS in the Lazio region has been initially deliberated in 2012; however, the program has been performed on a universal basis only from 2015. The aim of this retrospective study is to present and discuss the preliminary results of the UNHS program in the Lazio region for the year 2016, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Methods Data from screening facilities in the Lazio region for year 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Data for Level I centers were supplied by the Lazio regional offices; data for Level II and III centers were provided by units that participated to the study. Results During 2016, a total of 44,805 babies were born in the Lazio region. First stage screening was performed on 41,821 children in 37 different birth centers, with a coverage rate of 93.3%. Of these, 38.977 (93.2%) obtained a “pass” response; children with a “refer” result in at least one ear were 2844 (6.8%). Data from Level II facilities are incomplete due to missing reporting, one of the key issues in Lazio UNHS. Third stage evaluation was performed on 365 children in the three level III centers of the region, allowing identification of 70 children with unilateral (40%) or bilateral (60%) hearing loss, with a prevalence of 1.6/1000. Conclusions The analysis of 2016 UNHS in the Lazio region allowed identification of several strengths and weaknesses of the initial phase of the program. The strengths include a correct spread and monitoring of UNHS among Level I facilities, with an adequate coverage rate, and the proper execution of audiological monitoring and diagnosis among Level III facilities. Weakness, instead, mainly consisted in lack of an efficient and automated central process for collecting, monitoring and reporting of data and information.

Abstract Background Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the most prevalent form of acquired hearing loss and affects about 40 million US adults. Among the suggested therapeutics tested in rodents, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) has been shown to be otoprotective from NIHL; however, these results were limited to male mice. Methods Here we tested the effect of SAHA on the hearing of 10-week-old B6CBAF1/J mice of both sexes, which were exposed to 2 h of octave-band noise (101 dB SPL centered at 11.3 kHz). Hearing was assessed by measuring auditory brainstem responses (ABR) at 8, 16, 24, and 32 kHz, 1 week before, as well as at 24 h and 15–21 days following exposure (baseline, compound threshold shift (CTS) and permanent threshold shift (PTS), respectively), followed by histologic analyses. Results We found significant differences in the CTS and PTS of the control (vehicle injected) mice to noise, where females had a significantly smaller CTS at 16 and 24 kHz (p

The increase in antibacterial resistance (ABR) currently equates in the minds of many with the distant fear that certain antibiotics will not work in 30 years on certain bacteria found in places the majority of us never go to. However, in reality, rising ABR already seriously threatens the effectiveness of compounds with which we treat common bacterial infections, which means that ABR is currently and will continue to undermine the foundations of modern medicine, including surgery and cancer treatment in hospitals, cities and countries across the world. That is why ABR is widely considered a global threat and one of the biggest problems of our current civilization. Conversely, antibiotic developments to market are few. Therefore, in this paper, we have illustrated the barriers to antimicrobial R&D the following questions and provided solutions to effective antimicrobial R&D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auditory neurophysiological responses, such as steady-state responses, event-related potential P300/P3, and phase-amplitude coupling, are promising translational biomarkers for schizophrenia, but their molecular underpinning is poorly understood. Focusing on ErbB receptor signals that are implicated in both schizophrenia and auditory processing/cognition, we explored the causal biological links between ErbB signals and these auditory traits with an experimental intervention into rats. We peripherally challenged rat pups with one of the amni-otic ErbB ligands, epidermal growth factor (EGF), and characterized its consequence on the series of these auditory electrocorticographic measures. Auditory brain-stem responses (ABRs) and cortical ON responses were also assessed under anesthesia to estimate the influence of higher brain regions. An auditory steady-state paradigm revealed attenuation of spectral power and phase synchrony to 40-Hz stimuli in EGF-challenged rats. We observed a reduction in duration mismatch negativity-like potentials and a delay of P3a responses, all of which are relevant to the reported auditory pathophysiological traits of patients with schizophrenia. Moreover, the perinatal EGF challenges resulted in enhanced theta-alpha/beta and theta-gamma coupling within the auditory cortex and changes in ABRs. However, the EGF challenges retained the normal ranges of cortical ON responses, potentially ruling out their fundamental auditory deficits. Perinatal exposure of an ErbB ligand to rats strikingly reproduced the whole series of aberrant auditory responses and oscillations previously reported in patients with schizophrenia. Accordingly, these findings suggest that developmental deficits in ErbB/EGF signaling might be involved in the auditory pathophysiology associated with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Upon hearing that the "little" patient has trouble with hearing, we are mostly interested in the level of his hearing threshold. When the child is in the first year of life, results can only be achieved by means of ABR test. Subsequent control tests, especially in children from the hearing loss risk groups selected in this study, show that the obtained outcomes are subject to fluctuations. Their fluctuating nature is manifested by the instability of wave V threshold in subsequent diagnostic periods. Such variability often delays the implementation of the appropriate proceeding. Knowledge of the dissimilarity of behavior of the wave V threshold occurring in individual groups at risk of hearing loss allows for the correct interpretation of the obtained results, and thus, effective therapeutic measures. Aim: The aim of the paper is to analyze the stability of wave V threshold during the first year of life in children from selected risk groups for congenital hearing disorders. Material and methods: From the patient population of 2,114 individuals examined in 2015-2016 at a reference center participating in the Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening Program in 2015-2016, the results of 250 children were subjected to retrospective analysis. Furthermore, 4 groups of little patients were formed (children with Down syndrome; children with other diseases or damage to the nervous system; children with cleft palate or cleft lip and cleft palate; children with congenital cytomegaly) in whom diagnostic practice revealed variable results of the wave V threshold. We analyzed the results of tests obtained during the first year of the child's life divided into 4 diagnostic periods. Results: The highest percentage of instability in the established threshold of wave V between individual diagnostic periods occurred in the group of children with cleft palate or cleft lip and cleft palate. In the group of children with Down syndrome, it was observed that the instability of the ABR test results decreased over time. In the group of children with other diseases or damage of the nervous system, the highest percentage of the lack of stable ABR wave V thresholds was observed between the 1st and 2nd as well the 1st and 4th diagnostic periods. On the other hand, in the group of children with congenital CMV, there was a relatively low percentage of instability of results. Conclusions: (1) Although the ABR test is a diagnostic standard, in particular groups of patients the study is burdened with high variability of measurement results in subsequent diagnostic periods. Such a group of patients are children with cleft palate or cleft lip and cleft palate; therefore, it must receive particular attention in treatment planning; (2) in selected groups at risk of hearing loss, due to the high percentage of children with hearing impairment (70%), the validity of performing newborn hearing screening tests was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Arnold--Chiari malformation is defined as a congenital neuroanatomic deformity of the craniocervical junction, which is characterized by herniation of contents from the posterior cranial fossa through the foramen magnum into the cervical spinal canal. There is limited literature on audiological and vestibular evaluation on individuals with Arnold--Chiari malformation. Thus, the present study reports the results of a detailed audio-vestibular evaluation in an adult female diagnosed with Arnold--Chiari malformation. Case report: A detailed audio-vestibular evaluation was carried out in an adult female diagnosed with Arnold--Chiari malformation. Pure tone audiometry, immittance evaluation, otoacoustic emissions, auditory brainstem response (ABR), cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP), ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP), and video head impulse test (vHIT) were recorded, and the results were analyzed. The results of the study showed an abnormal prolongation of inter-peak latencies in the ABR, which was seen in both ears. Also, cVEMP and oVEMP was absent in both ears. The results suggest possible compression of the cerebellar tonsils on the cochlear and vestibular nuclei. Conclusions: The study suggests that individuals with Arnold--Chiari malformation should undergo a detailed audio-vestibular evaluation to understand the pathophysiology of the disorder, which can guide further management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Changes in the central nervous system are observed due to vitamin B12 deficiency. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of vitamin B12 deficiency on the central auditory tracks utilizing ABR. Material and Method: 30 individuals (16 females, 14 males) with vitamin B12 deficiency and 30 individuals (17 females, 13 males) without any hearing problem and B12 deficiency have participated in the study. The ages of the individuals with vitamin B12 deficiency varied between 18 and 39, with a mean of 28±5.6, The ages of the individuals with normal hearing in the control group were between 18 and 42, with a mean of 30±6.2. The I, III and V. wave latencies and I-III, I-V and III-V inter-wave latencies and amplitudes of the participants with vitamin B12 deficiency and with normal hearing were evaluated using click stimulus. Results: No statistically significant change was observed between the group with vitamin B12 deficiency and the normal group in the I, III and V. wave latencies and the I-III, I-V and III-V inter-latency values and amplitudes Conclusion: Although vitamin B12 deficiency effects the central nervous system, normal latencies and amplitudes were obtained in the ABR test. It was especially observed that the brainstem region, where the I, III ve V. Waves originate, is not effected by vitamin B12 deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine the clinical characteristics of bilirubin encephalopathy in preterm infants (pBE) in Japan. We performed a two-step nationwide questionnaire survey. The initial survey determined the number of children with pBE. Using a structured questionnaire, the second survey clarified the clinical manifestations and characteristics of children with pBE, including the perinatal history, neonatal complications, neurological features, verbal communication, diet, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) findings. The initial survey included 190 pBE infants, indicating an incidence of approximately 10 per year. Clinical information was available for 142 of them. The median gestational age was 26 weeks and the median birthweight was 883 g. As to neonatal complications, 20% had none, 25% had one complication, 54% had two or more. Head control was observed in 45% and functional gait in 8%. Purposeful hand use was seen in 41% of patients and verbal communication in 40%. MRI showed T2 hyperintensities in the globi pallidi in 111 of 136 patients, especially between 7 and 18 months of corrected age. ABR abnormalities were present in 88 of 117 patients. pBE was infrequent but constantly observed during the study period, especially in very preterm infants, even in those with no severe neonatal complications. Severely impaired gross motor function and relatively preserved manual function and verbal communication were characteristic. MRI and ABR abnormalities will facilitate diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the auditory function in early old age in detail based on both psychoacoustic and physiological measures, and to investigate the prevalence of specific audiological and otological pathologies. Design: An unscreened subsample from a population-based geriatric investigation was examined with otoscopy; tympanometry; pure-tone audiometry; word-recognition-in-noise test; distortion-product otoacoustic emissions; and auditory-evoked brainstem responses. Audiometric subtypes and diagnoses were established based on set criteria. The association between word scores and ABR was examined with linear regression analysis. Study Sample: 251 persons aged 70 (113 men, 138 women, born in 1944) that were representative of the inhabitants of the city of Gothenburg. Results: The prevalence of conductive pathology was 2% versus 49% for cochlear and 2% for auditory-neural pathology. Four percent had indeterminate type. Cochlear dysfunction was present in the majority of ears and around 20% performed worse-than-expected on speech testing. Poor performance on the speech in noise test was associated with prolonged interpeak latency interval of ABR waves I-V. Conclusion: Specific otological and audiological pathologies, other than cochlear hearing loss, are rare in the general population at age 70. Additionally, there is subtle evidence of age-related decline of the auditory nerve. Longitudinal follow-up would be of great interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on Performance Analysis of ABR for Chunked Transfer Encoding, a bandwidth prediction method for low-latency chunked streaming. It discusses Linear over-the-top (OTT) services, which offer live TV channels over the Internet using HAS, are widely available; and mentions that most services deliver an excellent experience when clients buffer several tens of seconds of media but face issues when running in low-latency mode.

Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) require averaging responses to hundreds or thousands of repetitions of a stimulus (e.g., tone pip) to obtain a measurable evoked response at the scalp. Fast repetition rates lead to changes in ABR amplitude and latency due to adaptation. To minimize the effect of adaptation, stimulus rates are sometimes as low as 10 to 13.3 stimuli per second, requiring long acquisition times. The trade-off between reducing acquisition time and minimizing the effect of adaptation on ABRs is an especially important consideration for studies of cochlear synaptopathy, which use the amplitude of short latency responses (wave 1) to assess auditory nerve survival. It has been proposed that adaptation during ABR acquisition can be reduced by interleaving tones at different frequencies, rather than testing each frequency serially. With careful ordering of frequencies and levels in the stimulus train, adaptation in the auditory nerve can be minimized, thereby permitting an increase in the rate at which tone bursts are presented. However, widespread adoption of this stimulus design has been hindered by lack of available software. Here, we develop and validate an interleaved stimulus design to optimize the rate of ABR measurement while minimizing adaptation. We implement this method in an open-source data acquisition software tool that permits either serial or interleaved ABR measurements. The open-source software library, psiexperiment, is compatible with widely used ABR hardware. Consistent with previous studies, careful design of an interleaved stimulus train can reduce ABR acquisition time by more than half, with minimal effect on ABR thresholds and wave 1 latency, while improving measures of wave 1 amplitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The need for the optimal use of land, without a yield penalty, in urban and peri-urban (UP) settlements is vital. This study investigated the effect of intercropping madumbe and rice with respect to yield and land productivity when irrigated with anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) effluent under different irrigation water management techniques. It was hypothesized that intercropping under different irrigation water management techniques has no effect on the yield and land productivity. Field trials were conducted in the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons with ABR effluent (without fertilizer) at the Newlands Mashu Experimental Site, Newlands East, Durban, South Africa. A randomized complete block design with 3 replications; cropping treatments of sole madumbe, sole rice and madumbe + rice (intercrop) and irrigation treatments of alternate wetting and drying (AWD), continuous flood irrigation (CFI) and wetting without flooding (WWF) was used. Growth and yield parameters at harvest were determined. Thereafter, land equivalent ratio (LER) was calculated to evaluate the productivity of the intercrop. The effect of intercropping was significant (P < 0.05) on the total number of irrigation events and total water use. There was a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in plant heights of both madumbe and rice at intercrop. However, the effect on plant height for treatment CFI was positive but not significant (P > 0.05) for both seasons. A significant (P < 0.05) reduction also occurred in the number of madumbe leaves/plant, and panicles/plant and tillers/plant for rice. Intercropping significantly reduced (P < 0.05) madumbe corm and rice grain yield over the two seasons relative to sole cropping. LER showed that intercropping madumbe with rice was not more productive (LER < 1) than sole cropping of madumbe. It was concluded that over the two-season period, intercropping madumbe and rice do not yield appreciably under any of the three irrigation management techniques applied and the study hypothesis is thus rejected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Because of their high metabolic activity and low-resting oxygen tension, the organs of the inner ear are vulnerable to hypoxia, a condition that occurs repetitively in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). The present study aimed to investigate the inner ear function of patients with OSAHS. Methods: A total of 58 patients with OSAHS (116 ears) and 20 adults without OSAHS were enrolled in the present study. The clinical features, such as air-conduction thresholds, auditory brainstem response (ABR, 11 times/s and 51 times/s stimulation rates), and distorted products otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), were evaluated and compared between these two groups. Results: Air-conduction thresholds at 4 kHz and 8 kHz were higher in patients with OSAHS compared with controls (P < 0.001). At the rate of 11 times per second, biauricular wave I latencies and wave V latencies in the OSAHS group were longer than those in the control group (1.51 ± 0.13 vs. 1.33 ± 0.07 ms, P < 0.001; 5.65 ± 0.23 vs. 5.53 ± 0.23 ms, P = 0.0016). At the rate of 51 times per second, biauricular wave I latencies and wave V latencies in the OSAHS group were longer than those in the control group (1.64 ± 0.12 vs. 1.44 ± 0.06 ms, P = 0.0001; 5.92 ± 0.26 vs. 5.80 ± 0.18 ms, P = 0.0077). However, there was no significant difference in the wave I and wave V interval between these two groups (P = 0.10). DPOAE amplitude was significantly reduced in OSAHS patients, although no hearing loss was observed. Conclusion: High-frequency hearing loss was detected in adults with severe OSAHS, and wave I latencies and wave V latencies of ABR were prolonged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although findings in human studies trying to identify signs of cochlear synaptopathy (CS) are still controversial, several methodological restrictions exist, including inconsistencies in participants profiles, definition of study groups and inclusion criteria, diverse electrophysiological measurements settings and noise exposure history metrics and participants' age range, which question the reliability of conclusions. Method: Two groups of individuals aged 18–41 participated in this study. The first group consisted of 24 musicians with well documented occupational noise exposure and the second one of 24 healthy controls. Groups were matched for age and gender. Inclusion criteria were normal and symmetrical pure tone audiometry and extended high frequency audiometry thresholds, as well as present and normal TEOAEs and DPOAEs. Outcome measures included SNR scores of speech in bubble audiometry and auditory brainstem response waves I, II and V amplitudes and latencies at three different presentation rates: 11, 33 and 44 clicks/s. Results: Wave I amplitude in musicians was significantly lower compared to controls at all presentation rates (11/s: p.043, 33/s: p.007 and 44/s: p.014). There was also a significantly greater reduction in wave I amplitude as well as in wave Ι/V amplitude ratio in the 33/s stimulus presentation in musicians compared to the control group (p.02 and.01, respectively). Finally, lower wave I amplitudes were found in musicians with auditory symptoms compared to musicians without symptoms at the 44/s presentation rate (p =.002). Conclusion: The ABR findings in our study are suggestive of possible increased prevalence of CS in musicians. Wave I amplitude was lower in Musicians group compared to matched controls. Furthermore, there was a greater reduction of wave I amplitude and wave Ι/V amplitude ratio at higher stimulation rates, which would support their use in CS studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power control strategy for the Lead–Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) cooled Actinide Burner Reactor (ABR) has been designed to assess the closed-loop performance of newly developed control blocks that were not modeled in the NUSOL-LMR code before this research effort. After establishing a sustainable model of ABR in NUSOL-LMR, validation of the model in light of the already-published research is performed. The said closed-loop control strategy (consisting of the power and temperature control blocks) is evaluated under different transient scenarios (reactivity insertion, primary coolant pump fault, and change in demand power levels). The power and temperature control blocks concurrently control reactor power during any transient occurrence. The coupling effect of the primary coolant temperature deviation on the reactor power has been minimized by the proportional and integral (PI) controller in the temperature control block. The simulation results demonstrate that the closed-loop performance of the ABR under the controller action during transient events is quite satisfactory. The closed-loop power regulation performance of the conventional sliding mode controller (SMC) with a PI sliding surface (PISM) in the power control block of NUSOL-LMR is better than that of a simple proportional, integral and derivative (PID) controller. The asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system with the PISM controller has been ensured using the Lyapunov stability theory. • Model Validation of ABR Reactor using NUSOL-LMR code. • Control Strategy for Reactor Power Control System of ABR. • Simulation Results of Control Strategy for three Different Transient Events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a major threat to public health. Hospital healthcare professionals are important stakeholders in curbing ABR. To be able to encourage healthcare professionals to act against ABR, information on their perceptions is needed. Yet, summary evidence on how healthcare professionals perceive ABR causes, consequences, and solutions is outdated. This review aims to elucidate these perceptions. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL for literature published until July 6th, 2022, and used Web of Science and Scopus to identify reports citing included studies. Reports of quantitative original research from high-income countries were included if they investigated hospital healthcare professionals' perceptions about ABR. Descriptive data and data on perceptions about causes, consequences, and solutions regarding ABR were extracted. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022359249. The database search and citation tracking yielded 13,551 and 694 papers respectively. Forty-eight reports from 46 studies were included in the review. These studies were performed between 1999 and 2023 and included between 8 and 1362 participants. Healthcare professionals perceived ABR as a problem that is more severe nationally than locally and they primarily recognize ABR as a distant and abstract problem. Studies mostly concurred on prescribing behavior as a cause and a solution for ABR, while external causes and solutions (e.g., in agriculture) elicited less agreement. Studies with a primary focus on the perceptions of healthcare professionals about ABR are limited. Healthcare professionals perceive prescribing behavior as a major cause of ABR and a focus area for ABR solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mutations in connexin proteins cause congenital nonsyndromic and syndromic hearing loss. • The roles of connexins in age-related hearing loss (ARHL) are largely unexplored. • We found that Cx30 and Cx43 decrease expressions with age in the CBA/CaJ mouse cochlea. • We discovered that aldosterone treatment provides protective effects for Cx30and Cx43. • These results indicate that connexin protein declines are likely mechanisms of ARHL. Age-related hearing loss (ARHL), also known as presbycusis, is the number one communication disorder for aging adults. Connexin proteins are essential for intercellular communication throughout the human body, including the cochlea. Mutations in connexin genes have been linked to human syndromic and nonsyndromic deafness; thus, we hypothesize that changes in connexin gene and protein expression with age are involved in the etiology of ARHL. Here, connexin gene and protein expression changes for CBA/CaJ mice at different ages were examined, and correlations were analyzed between the changes in expression levels and functional hearing measures, such as ABRs and DPOAEs. Moreover, we investigated potential treatment options for ARHL. Results showed significant downregulation of Cx30 and Cx43 gene expression and significant correlations between the degree of hearing loss and the changes in gene expression for both genes. Moreover, dose-dependent treatments utilizing cochlear cell lines showed that aldosterone hormone therapy significantly increased Cx expression. In vivo mouse treatments with aldosterone also showed protective effects on connexin expression in aging mice. Based on these functionally relevant findings, next steps can include more investigations of the mechanisms related to connexin family gap junction protein expression changes during ARHL; and expand knowledge of clinically-relevant treatment options by knowing what specific members of the Cx family and related inter-cellular proteins should be targeted therapeutically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Now in practice, the evaluation of the brain condition of a child with perinatal lesions is carried out mainly on the basis of available symptoms and laboratory test data. From hardware diagnostic techniques only neurovisualization is used - MR1, CT and neurosonography. Simple and informative neurophysiological tests, despite the long history of their use, are not used often enough. To objectify the state of neuronal and conducting brain structures, magnetic resonance imaging and the study of auditory brainstem response (ABR) were carried out. The study group consisted of 29 newborn children (10 boys and 19 girls) with perinatal brain lesions. 1n all cases, changes in the structure of the brain tissue on MRI indicate changes in the characteristics of the evoked potential. With signs of damage to myelinated formations, a significant increase in the time parameters of the ABR was noted only in isolated cases (in four children). In 25 cases, the amplitude parameters and the configuration of ABR were varied. Thus, the use of latencies of ABR components as the main source of information for children in the first months of life is inadvisable. The most informative and correlating with the data of MR1 studies are such parameters as the total amplitude level and the splitting of ABR components.

Although many musical intervention studies exist in the wider framework of neuroscience and psychology, the preliminary importance of feasibility studies is rarely discussed. Adding to this fact the limited research existing on the therapeutic and restorative potential of music exposure during early developmental periods, pushed us to concentrate on investigating newborns’ perception of music and its impact on the brain. Here, we explore the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) approach when measuring and comparing the neurophysiological perception of music versus language on the brainstem of newborns using auditory brainstem response (ABR). Twenty-five healthy full-term infants were recruited, eight of which were measured within their first 10 days postpartum. The evaluation of the study’s feasibility appealed to five main objectives that essentially answer the question: Can our protocol work? Each objective proposes questions based on Orsmond and Cohn’s guiding framework, designed to assess, and assist feasibility in understanding barriers toward a study’s success. Our results justify that newborns are well capable of undergoing the study and given meticulous considerations and improvements on the intervention resources. The procedure’s communication and technical obstacles are resoluble. Moreover, assimilation of external factors to adapt, such as the culture variation and the ABR protocol implementation are necessary. The study was well received in the selected region (Middle East), and the recording procedure showed potential outcomes for a comprehensive RCT.

Pluripotent stem cells can undergo repeated self-renewal while retaining genetic integrity, but they occasionally acquire aneuploidy during long-term culture, which is a practical obstacle for medical applications of human pluripotent stem cells. In this study, we explored the biological roles of ABR, a regulator of RHO family small GTPases, and found that it has pivotal roles during mitotic processes in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Although ABR has been shown to be involved in dissociation-induced hESC apoptosis, it does not appear to have direct effects on cell survival unless cell-cell contact is impaired. Instead, we found that it is important for faithful hESC division. Mechanistically, ABR depletion compromised centrosome dynamics and predisposed the cell to chromosome misalignment and missegregation, which raised the frequency of aneuploidy. These results provide insights into the mechanisms that support the genetic integrity of self-renewing hESCs.

Industri kertas merupakan industri yang menghasilkan limbah cair dalam jumlah besar. Selain itu kandungan parameter pencemar dalam proses pewarnaan kertas sangat tinggi. Berdasarkan PerGub Jatim no. 72 tahun 2013 terdapat 5 parameter baku mutu air limbah yang harus dipenuhi sebelum dibuang ke badan air. Adapun parameter yang perlu diolah adalah pH, COD, BOD, TSS,dan Pb. Pada perancangan digunakan data primer berupa data debit dan karakteristik limbah yang diambil dari industri kertas halus PT.X Sidoarjo. Limbah yang diolah berasal dari proses pewarnaan kertas. Karakteristik limbah yang diolah memiliki nilai TSS41000 mg/l, COD 45384 mg/l, BOD 8300 mg/l, Pb 0,56 mg/l dan pH 7,7.Unit IPAL yang direncanakan terdiri atas prasedimentasi, bak ekualisasi, bak pengaduk cepat, bak pengaduk lambat, sedimentasi 2, dan ABR-ABF. Perhitungan BOQ dan RAB menggunakan HSPK Kota Surabaya 2015 dan didapat angka sebesar Rp217.650.760 untuk pembangunan seluruh unit IPAL.

Physiological studies documented highly specific corticofugal modulations making subcortical centers focus processing on sounds that the auditory cortex (AC) has experienced to be important. Here, we show the effects of focal conditioning (FC) of the primary auditory cortex (FCAI) on auditory brainstem response (ABR) amplitudes and latencies in house mice. FCAI significantly increased ABR peak amplitudes (peaks I–V), decreased thresholds, and shortened peak latencies in responses to the frequency tuned by conditioned cortical neurons. The amounts of peak amplitude increases and latency decreases were specific for each processing level up to the auditory midbrain. The data provide new insights into possible corticofugal modulation of inner hair cell synapses and new corticofugal effects as neuronal enhancement of processing in the superior olivary complex (SOC) and lateral lemniscus (LL). Thus, our comprehensive ABR approach confirms the role of the AC as instructor of lower auditory levels and extends this role specifically to the cochlea, SOC, and LL. The whole pathway from the cochlea to the inferior colliculus appears, in a common mode, instructed in a very similar way.

Objective: Hearing abnormalities frequently occur in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected individuals. Both conductive and uni- or bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) have been described along with other audiological and vestibular symptoms such as tinnitus, vertigo and balance disturbances. While frequent middle ear infections may explain impairment of peripheral hearing abilities, the exact etiology of cochlear, and central auditory processing deficits still remains unclear. Direct effects of HIV, opportunistic infections, ototoxic side effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and immunologic responses to the central nervous system involving the auditory pathway have been proposed. We aim to review the audiological profile in HIV infected adults related to the effects of HIV and HAART on the inner ear structures.Methods: We present a review of the literature on cases of HIV related SNHL in adult patients and studies conducted to investigate audiometric changes in such patients. Data on presentation, diagnosis and pathophysiology were reviewed.Results: Sensorineural hearing loss in the higher frequencies is a common form of hearing loss in HIV infected individuals throughout disease progression, along with decreased otoacoustic emission (OAE) responses, increased PTA hearing thresholds and prolonged latencies for auditory brainstem responses (ABR).Conclusion: HIV affects all stages of auditory perception in a way similar to accelerated aging of the auditory system. And we postulate that synaptic loss may be the first step, followed by cochlear damage and central pathology as the virus remains present in all the structures of the auditory pathway causing local inflammation and degeneration. Evaluation of hearing function among all patients diagnosed with HIV infection seems to be an accepted approach; it should include OAE testing, pure tone and speech audiometry, speech-in-noise tests and ABR measurements.