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Giovanna Zimatore,1,2 Marta Cavagnaro,3 Piotr H Skarzynski,4– 6 Anna R Fetoni,7 Stavros Hatzopoulos8 1Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, eCampus University, Novedrate, CO 22060, Italy; 2Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy; 3Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunication, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; 4World Hearing Center, Warsaw, Poland; 5Department of Heart Failure and Cardiac Rehabilitation, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; 6Institute of Sensory Organs, Kajetany, Poland; 7Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome 00168, Italy; 8Clinic of Audiology and ENT, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, ItalyCorrespondence: Giovanna ZimatoreDepartment of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, eCampus University Tel +39 338 959 4393Email giovanna.zimatore@uniecampus.itPurpose: The objective of the study was to identify subjects presenting hearing deficits, specifically age-related hearing losses (ARHL), via objective assessment methodologies.Materials and Methods: Initially, 259 subjects (165 men, 94 women) were enrolled in the study. After the application of inclusion criteria, the final number was reduced to 88 subjects (49.8 ± 19.1 ys) subdivided into 64 normal and 83 ARHL cases. The subjects were assessed with traditional audiometry tests and with transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs). Since each ear has its own acoustic signature, the TEOAE analyses were conducted in terms of ears and not subjects. The TEOAE data were processed by traditional and recurrence quantification analyses, leading to the estimation of the WWR (whole waveform reproducibility) and the new RAD2D (2-dimensional radius) parameters. A plot of WWR vs RAD2D was used to optimize the classification of the cases presenting ARHL.Results: By using a WWR value of 70% as a classifier, the sensitivity of TEOAEs was estimated as 75.9% and the specificity as 89.1%. By using the RAD2D parameter (with a cut-off value of 1.78), a sensitivity value of 80.7% and a specificity value of 71.9% were obtained. When both parameters were used, a sensitivity value of 85.5% and a specificity value of 92.2% were estimated. In the latter classification paradigm, the number of false negatives decreased from 20 to 12 out of 83 ears (14%).Conclusion: In adult hearing screening assessments, the proposed method optimizes the identification of subjects with a hearing impairment correlated to the presence of age-related hearing loss.Keywords: recurrence quantification analysis, early detection, otoacoustic emissions, TEOAEs, determinism, presbycusis

Aim: to obtain results in order to organize an individual profile of patient's hearing skills, which is a graphic illustration of obtained results that are used to monitor and provide appropriate assessment of the rehabilitation process using the modified set of hearing abilities tests. Material and methods. Material includes 24 adult patients (19 female and 5 male) with partial deafness. All of them use cochlear implants. 6 patients have been using the Cl for no more than 6 months. 12 subjects have been using the Cl for more than 6 months, 3 of them have been using the Cl for more than a year and 3 people have been using the Cl for more than 24 months. Results. Research was based on 18 tasks. In the 8 of them 24 patients obtained the result of 100% identification just one month after the first speech processor fitting. However significant changes were observed in the remaining 10 tasks. 3 complete profiles of the patients hearing skills were created. Conclusions. Results obtained by the patients confirm that the set of supervision materials designed to control the effects of rehabilitation and proposed as pilot study is valuable and can be used in diagnostics. Formula developed on the basis of auditory skill profile of the patient provides clear information on patient's progress (both to a patient and a therapist). It helps determine exercises for the next stages of rehabilitation.

The objective of the work was to assess occurrence of central auditory processing disorders in children with dyslalia. Material and method. The material included 30 children at the age 798 years old being under long-term speech therapy care due to articulation disorders. All the children were subjected to the phoniatric and speech examination, including tonal and impedance audiometry, speech therapist's consultation and psychologist's consultation. Electrophysi-ological (N2, P2, N2, P2, P300 record) and following psychoacoustic test of central auditory functions were performed (Frequency Pattern Test). Results. Analysis of the results revealed disorders in the process of sound analysis within frequency and P300 wave latency prolongation in children with dyslalia. Conclusions. Auditory processing disorders may be significant in development of correct articulation in children, they also may explain unsatisfactory results of long-term speech therapy

Ceratophysella macrocantha Stach, 1946 is redescribed on the basis of a syntype specimen from the Austrian Alps which is here designated as the lectotype. This species has the chaetotaxy of the type B and an empodium with a long filament. It is closely related to nine species/forms, two of which, C. attenuata Gisin, 1960 nec Cassagnau, 1959 from the Swiss Alps and C. recta Cassagnau, 1959 from the Pyrenees, are most similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2D representative volume element (RVE) for softening quasi-brittle materials like concrete is determined. Two alternative methods are presented to determine a size of RVE in concrete subjected to uniaxial tension by taking into account strain localization. Concrete is described as a heterogeneous three-phase material composed of aggregate, cement matrix and bond. The plane strain FE calculations of strain localization at meso-scale are carried out with an isotropic damage model with non-local softening [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the findings of a study of samples of victims of the crimes of affray and battery in Poland. The author remarks that the precondition of criminal responsibility for the basic type of this offence is exposing a human being to immediate danger of loss of life, of a serious bodily injury, or of a serious impairment of health. Following legal doctrine and judicial decisions, the legal notions of affray and battery differ from each other. It is commonly acknowledged that affray occurs when a brawl occurs between at least three persons, and is coupled with violation of personal inviolability, such that each participant is both the attacked and the attacker.

RSI and RFS questionnaires are a basic and common method used for initial diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). However, they only measure symptoms which may or may not be concurrent with LPR. The severity of these symptoms is assessed either by the patients themselves (with the use of the Reflux Symptoms Index - RSI) or by the doctor specialising in the field (with the use of the Reflux Finding Score - RFS). Therefore, the findings of the questionnaire may to a large extent depend on the study population - its demographic and cultural characteristics; the extent to which the medical terms used in the questionnaires are understood; and on the linguistic aspects and translation choices. As for the Polish language versions of these questionnaires, there is no reliable analysis of their consistency and if they reach the assumed goal. The studies we have conducted on a group of 84 patients show that we encounter at least one of the above-mentioned problems. Therefore, to make the questionnaires reliable and useful for diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct a formal validation of their translation and to conduct studies on reference groups.

Objective: The sympathetic nervous system is a key modulator of prognosis and outcome in cardiac ischaemia and infarction. The effects of acute cardiac ischaemia on sympathetic neural traffic in humans are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that angioplasty, and associated transient myocardial ischaemia, elicits changes in neural circulatory control, including direct intraneural measures of sympathetic traffic., Methods: We measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), blood pressure and heart rate in 12 patients (11 men, one woman) undergoing clinically indicated elective coronary angioplasty of the left anterior descending (n = 7) or circumflex (n = 5) coronary artery. Baseline data were obtained for 2 min before occlusion. Each balloon inflation was designed to last up to 120 s., Results: Coronary occlusion had no significant effect on blood pressure or heart rate. In contrast, occlusion resulted in a significant increase in MSNA, in 10 of the 12 patients, and in all seven of those patients undergoing angioplasty of the left anterior descending artery. The group mean increase in MSNA during occlusion was 36 +/- 11% (P = 0.008 versus preocclusion). MSNA increased within 60 s of occlusion (129 +/- 12% of baseline; n = 12; P = 0.04), and increased further during the next 60 s to 141 +/- 12% of baseline levels (n = 10; P < 0.001). Increases in MSNA were similar in patients with and without significant chest pain (39 +/- 9% versus 34 +/- 13%, respectively; P = 0.84)., Conclusion: Acute coronary occlusion during angioplasty increases central sympathetic outflow, but there is no systematic change in heart rate. The increase in sympathetic nerve traffic cannot be explained by blood pressure changes or occlusion-related chest pain.

The coronary disease is nowadays one of the main causes of death in Poland. To fight epidemy of the coronary disease, not only the prevention and proper treatment are necessary, but the sufficient availability of the diagnostic methods, as well. The aim of our work was to evaluate the availability of coronarography among the patients from Northern Poland. We analysed the data of the patients who underwent the coronarography in years 1997-1998. During that time there were 3916 examined patients. In the analysis the sex, age and place of residence were taken into consideration. Women were 28.93% of all the diagnosed patients. The sex structure basically didn't differ according to the place of residence (city--women 28.7%, village--30.64%). The average age of the diagnosed patients was 58 years. There was a statistically significant difference between the average age of women and men (women 59 years, while men 57 years). The age distribution varied also in the statistically significant degree according to the place of living--the average age of village people was 56 years, little cities 58 years, big cities 59 years. The village people were only 10% of all diagnosed patients. In the analysis of the collected data significant differences in availability of coronarography were found-especially between rural and urban areas. Also the age and sex of the diagnosed patients varied significantly-most probably due to the distribution of the risk factors.