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Objective: People are often resistant to hearing-health education messages such as those aimed at the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss. This resistance may be due to psychological distance: the perceived relevance of hearing and awareness of sound to daily life. The soundscape is the internal, perceptual, experience of a sound environment. The objective of this study was to explore people’s thought processes when completing a questionnaire designed to assess the soundscape and, in particular, to investigate whether the experience reduced psychological distance of sound and their hearing. Design: Semi-structured interviews and qualitative data analysis. Setting: Questionnaires were completed on personal phones in any environment participants wished. Interviews were conducted via online video connection. Method: A soundscape questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of adult volunteers who were then interviewed about the experience of completing it, and how doing so had influenced their views of sound and their hearing. Results: Themes in three main areas were identified: the questions, which were found to be challenging but interesting; the soundscape, and the insights of participants about their own soundscape experience; and participants’ new awareness of sound and their own hearing. Conclusion: The findings provide interesting feedback about the meaning of responses to the questionnaire and on how people thought while using it. Furthermore, the findings imply that bringing the soundscape to a person’s conscious awareness may successfully reduce psychological distance for them about their hearing and may, therefore, be a useful preliminary to hearing-health education interventions.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the supreme cause of morbidity and mortality amid patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In spite of alteration for known CAD risk factors, including hypertensionamp; diabetes, mortality risk dynamically intensifying with worsening condition of CKD. CKD is non-communicable disease typically caused by diabetes and hypertension. The extremity of CKD can be proficient by a reasonable serum creatinine-based estimated eGFR, which also indicates excretory kidney function, and elevated urinary albumin measured by the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), which is a best predictor of kidney damage.To assess the systolicamp; diastolic dysfunction in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Fifty patients with CKD were subjected to two-dimensional and M mode echocardiography for determination of systolic and diastolic dysfunction. ECG were performed to detect MI, ischemia, LVH and other cardiovascular abnormality. All patients were evaluated clinically, biochemically and radio logically and were diagnosed as chronic kidney disease (CKD). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and fractional shortening (FS) were taken as measures of left ventricular (LV) systolic function. Diastolic function was determined by measuring E/A ratio by spectral Doppler LV inflow velocity. Echocardiographic findings of hypertensive and normotensive patients were compared.Out of 50 patients studied, there were 35 males (70%) and 15 females (30%). Hypertension (60%) was leading cause of CKD. Echocardiography showed that left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was present in 74%. Systolic dysfunction as measured by reduced fractional shortening (lt; 25%) and decreased LVEF (lt; 50%) was present in 8 % and 12 % respectively. Diastolic dysfunction as denoted by E/A ratio of less than 0.75 or more than 1.8 was present in 60 % of patients. Regional wall motion abnormality (RWMA) was present in 12 %. Pericardial effusion was noted in 14 % of patients. Valvular calcification was noted in 8 % of CKD patients. Mean left ventricular internal diameter in diastole was 41 ± 6 mm. Mean Interventricular septum diameters in systole was11.9 ± 1.21 mm. Mean left atrium diameter was 29 ± 4 mm. Normotensive group was compared to hypertensive group. Statistically significant difference was noted in LVH and E/A ratio in hypertensive group as compared to normotensive group.We conclude that left ventricular diastolic dysfunction also occurs in patients who having early stage of CKD. But patients with hypertensive CKD had higher prevalence of diastolic and systolic dysfunction as compared to normotensive counterparts.

Cancer is a major health concern worldwide as conventional treatment modalities face several limitations such as drug resistance, toxicity etc. To overcome such deficits, combination therapy involving anticancer peptides and chemodrugs is being considered as an attractive strategy. Therefore, present study developed, characterized and evaluated the anticancer potential of a single nanoconstruct comprising of oligomeric chitosan coated silver nanoparticles co-loaded with nisin and 5-florouracil (5-FU/nisin-CHI-AgNPs) against DMBA/TPA-induced murine skin cancer. It was fabricated using wet reduction method of silver salt to form silver nanoparticles followed sequentially by oligomeric chitosan coating, nisin conjugation to deacetylated units of chitosan oligomers (EDC/NHS chemistry) and physical loading of 5-FU. Biophysical characterisation studies revealed that the developed nanoconstruct had UV-visible absorption maxima at 420 nm, zeta potential of + 32.90 mV and 72.39 nm particle size (TEM analysis). In vivo anticancer therapeutic potential was assessed in terms of tumor statistics, histopathological, scanning electron microscopic analyses and testing oxidant/antioxidant status which exhibited marked reduction both in mean tumor volume (68.34 %) and mean tumor burden (82.39 %); restored skin histoarchitecture and improved oxidant/antioxidant status. Interestingly, anticancer therapeutic potential of nisin and 5-florouracil was found to be enhanced in vivo when bound on single composite nanoconstruct. The study forms a basis for developing synergetic single platforms against variety of cancers.

Chemotherapy, a gold standard for treating most of the cancers, involves drastic side-effects and multidrug resistance. An attractive alternative is development of combination therapy employing antimicrobial peptides with chemotherapeutic drugs. In vivo studies: Anti-cancer therapeutic efficacy of 5-fluororuacil (5-FU) in conjunction with nisin (50 mg/kg body weight) was evaluated against murine skin cancer, in terms of tumor biostatistics, histopathology, electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and transcriptional studies. In vitro studies: Dose and time dependent cytotoxicity of agents were assessed against A431 cell line using MTT assay, LDH assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide dual staining. Significant percentage decrease(s) in mean tumor volume and tumor burden were observed in nisin+ 5-FU combination treated groups as compared to alone treated groups. Histoarchitecture of treated skins demonstrated restoration towards normal skin tissue (being highest in the combination group). Modulation of apoptotic, angiogenic and proliferative genes were observed in treated groups. IC50 of combination was found to be 2 μg/ml as compared to nisin alone (32μg/ml) and 5-FU alone (16μg/ml) with combination index of 0.188. Dual staining showed that rate of induction of apoptosis was higher in the combination group as compared to single agents. Nisin and 5-FU in combination were found to be synergistic both in vivo and in vitro.

Prior to the acquisition of land by the U.S. Department of War in February 1943 and the creation of the Hanford Site, the land along the Columbia River was home to over 1000 people. Farming and orchard operations by both homesteaders and commercial organizations were prevalent. Orchard activities and the associated application of lead arsenate pesticide ceased in 1943, when residents were moved from the Hanford Site at the beginning of the Manhattan Project. Today, the residues from historical application of lead arsenate pesticide persist in some locations on the Hanford Site. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Washington State Department of Ecology established the 100-OL-1 Operable Unit (OU) through the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, known as the Tri-Party Agreement. The pre-Hanford orchard lands identified as the 100-OL-1 OU are located south of the Columbia River and east of the present-day Vernita Bridge, and extend southeast to the former Hanford townsite. The discontinuous orchard lands within 100-OL-1 OU are approximately 20 km2 (5000 ac). A pilot study was conducted to support the approval of the remedial investigation/feasibility study work plan to evaluate the 100-OL-1 OU. This pilot study evaluated the use more » of a field portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer for evaluating lead and arsenic concentrations on the soil surface as an indicator of lead arsenate pesticide residues in the OU. The objectives of the pilot study included evaluating a field portable XRF analyzer as the analytical method for decision making, estimating the nature and extent of lead and arsenic in surface soils in four decision units, evaluating the results for the purpose of optimizing the sampling approach implemented in the remedial investigation, and collecting information to improve the cost estimate and planning the cultural resources review for sampling activities in the remedial investigation. Based on the results of the pilot study, the recommendations for the revision of the work plan are as follows: • characterize the surface soil using field portable XRF measurements with confirmatory inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy sampling for the remedial investigation • establish decision units of similar defined areas • establish a process for field investigation of soil concentrations exceeding the screening criteria at the border of the 100-OL-1 OU • define data quality objectives for the work plan using the results of the pilot study and refining the sampling approach for the remedial investigation. « less