Evaluation of Evidence for Adaptation and Special Design

Archives of Sexual Behavior -     

Otoacoustic emissions as a screening test for hearing impairment in children recovering from acute bacterial meningitis

OBJECTIVES: To study the efficacy of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) as a screening test for hearing impairment in children with acute bacterial meningitis. Hearing tests were performed before discharge from the hospital in an attempt to improve coverage and avoid delays in the diagnosis of postmeningitic hearing loss. METHODS: Children with bacterial meningitis were recruited from 21 centers. In the 48 hours before discharge from the hospital, all patients underwent a thorough audiologic assessment consisting of transient evoked OAEs, auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), otoscopy, and tympanometry. Hearing loss was defined as ABR threshold >/=30 dB. The results of OAE screening were compared with the gold standard of ABR threshold. RESULTS: Of 124 children recruited, we were able to perform both OAEs and ABRs on 110 children. Seven (6.3%) of the 110 children had ABR threshold >/=30 dB; 2 had sensorineural hearing loss and 5 had conductive hearing loss. At follow-up, hearing loss persisted in both cases of sensorineural hearing loss and no new cases were identified. All 7 children with hearing loss failed the OAE screening test. Ninety-four children with normal hearing thresholds passed the test, and 9 failed. Thus, the screening test had a sensitivity of 1.00 (95% confidence interval, 0.59 to 1.00), a specificity of 0.91 (0.85 to 0.97), a positive predictive value of 0. 44 (0.20 to 0.70), and a negative predictive value of 1.00 (0.96 to 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: OAE screening in children recovering from meningitis was found to be feasible and effective. The test was highly sensitive and reasonably specific. Inpatient OAE screening should allow early diagnosis of postmeningitic hearing loss and prompt auditory rehabilitation.     

Pretreatment of coir lignocellulose for preparation of a porous coir–polyurethane composite with high oil adsorption capacity

In this present work, different treatment methods of coir biomass were investigated to improve the oil sorption capacity. The treated coir material was then used to fabricate an efficient porous coir–polyurethane composite sorbent by incorporating coir into a polyurethane matrix. The new composite possessed an open cell structure with high porosity and high oil sorption efficiency. The suitable technical parameters of the coir treatment process were selected as: hot water treatment at 170 °C for 120 minutes. After treatment under this suitable condition, treated coconut fiber exhibited an oil adsorption capacity of 4.1 g g⁻¹, with an increase of 78.3% compared to that of the original coconut fiber. Furthermore, the application of the as-fabricated porous composite sorbent for oil treatment was examined under various conditions. It was observed that the oil uptake capacity of the new composite sorbent was high, up to 15.2 g g⁻¹ when 20% treated coir material with a particle size of 1 mm was added into the polyurethane matrix. Several advantages of the new porous composite sorbent obtained from coir biomass and polyurethane such as low cost, being eco-friendly, ready availability and high buoyancy make it an efficient sorbent material for oil spill treatment.

An efficient porous coir–polyurethane composite with high porosity and high oil sorption efficiency has been successfully prepared by incorporating coir into a polyurethane matrix.     

Pyruvate carboxylase deficiencies: Complementation studies between “French” and “American” phenotypes in cultured fibroblasts

Pyruvate carboxylase (PC) deficiencies (McKusick 26615) are heterogeneous clinically and biochemically. We performed a complementation study with fibroblast strains from seven patients, (four patients with French phenotype, two patients with American phenotype, one patient with biotin responsive multiple carboxylase deficiency, MCD). The six isolated pyruvate carboxylase mutants (two cross-reacting material CRM –ve and four CRM +ve) failed to complement each other, but did complement a form of biotin responsive MCD.     

Intramuscular nerve distribution pattern of ankle invertor muscles in human cadaver using sihler stain

Introduction: We sought to the ideal sites for botulinum toxin injection by examining the intramuscular nerve patterns of the ankle invertors. Methods: A modified Sihler method was performed on the flexor hallucis longus, tibialis posterior, and flexor digitorum longus muscles (10 specimens each). The muscle origins, nerve entry points, and intramuscular arborization areas were measured as a percentage of the total distance from the most prominent point of the lateral malleolus (0%) to the fibular head (100%). Results: Intramuscular arborization patterns were observed at 20–50% for the flexor hallucis longus, 70–80% for the tibialis posterior, and 30–40% for the flexor digitorum longus. Conclusions: These findings suggest that treatment of muscle spasticity of the ankle invertors involves botulinum toxin injections in specific areas. These areas, corresponding to the areas of maximum arborization, are recommended as the most effective and safest points for injection. Muscle Nerve 53 : 742–747, 2016     

Axonal remyelination by cord blood stem cells after spinal cord injury

Human umbilical cord blood stem cells (hUCB) hold great promise for therapeutic repair after spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, we present our preliminary investigations on axonal remyelination of injured spinal cord by transplanted hUCB. Adult male rats were subjected to moderate SCI using NYU Impactor, and hUCB were grafted into the site of injury one week after SCI. Immunohistochemical data provides evidence of differentiation of hUCB into several neural phenotypes including neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. Ultrastructural analysis of axons reveals that hUCB form morphologically normal appearing myelin sheaths around axons in the injured areas of spinal cord. Colocalization studies prove that oligodendrocytes derived from hUCB secrete neurotrophic hormones neurotrophin-3 (NT3) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Cord blood stem cells aid in the synthesis of myelin basic protein (MBP) and proteolipid protein (PLP) of myelin in the injured areas, thereby facilitating the process of remyelination. Elevated levels of mRNA expression were observed for NT3, BDNF, MBP and PLP in hUCB-treated rats as revealed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. Recovery of hind limb locomotor function was also significantly enhanced in the hUCB-treated rats based on Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) scores assessed 14 days after transplantation. These findings demonstrate that hUCB, when transplanted into the spinal cord 7 days after weight-drop injury, survive for at least 2 weeks, differentiate into oligodendrocytes and neurons, and enable improved locomotor function. Therefore, hUCB facilitate functional recovery after moderate SCI and may prove to be a useful therapeutic strategy to repair the injured spinal cord.     

终末期骨关节炎患者全膝关节置换术前的躯体功能客观测定

目的：采集终末期骨关节炎患者接受全膝关节置换术前的功能全面评价指标,并与轻度骨关节炎患者进行比较,评价疼痛、患者自我报告量表、基于表现的躯体功能以及实际日常活动水平之间的相关性。方法： 前瞻性研究设计,获取87例因终末期骨关节炎而接受单侧全膝关节置换术患者术前的全面躯体功能参数,并招募年龄接近的60例轻度骨关节炎患者［Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L)分级0~2级］采集相同的躯体功能参数。所采集的数据包括患者的年龄、身高、体重、30秒座椅站立测试（30 s chair stand test, 30-CST）、40米快速步行测试（40 m fast-paced walk test,40-FPWT）、12级爬楼梯测试（12 steps stair climb test,12-SCT）、3米起立行走测试（timed up & go test,TUG）、6分钟步行测试（6 minute walk test,6-MWT）、美国西部Ontario和McMaster大学骨关节炎指数评分（The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index,WOMAC）、美国膝关节协会评分（knee society score,KSS）、可视化疼痛评分（visual analogue scale,VAS）以及连续7 d的每日步数。使用SPSS 22.0软件进行统计学分析,首先对各项数据的观察值进行描述性报告,使用Kolmogorv Smirnov检验每一变量是否符合正态分布,结果两组的每一变量均不符合正态分布,因而采用非参数Mann Whitney检验两组间差异,应用Spearman相关分析评估各项参数之间的相关性。结果： 轻度骨关节炎组患者的VAS评分、WOMAC评分、KSS评分、日均步数以及各项基于表现的躯体功能测试结果均优于终末期骨关节炎组患者,两组间差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。轻度骨关节炎组内,各项躯体功能测试均与各项自我报告量表无显著相关性或有较弱相关性;终末期骨关节炎组内,各项躯体功能测试与各项自我报告量表之间有着不同强度的相关性。结论： 描述了多项躯体功能参数在中国轻度骨关节炎与终末期骨关节炎患者中的应用,基于表现的躯体功能、实际日常活动水平、患者自我报告量表以及疼痛评分之间并不一定有较好的相关性,需要对骨关节炎患者进行更全面地评估并制定相应的全膝关节置换术手术决策标准。     

Can active lateral canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo mimic a false-positive head thrust test?

We present a patient with positive head thrust test (HTT) and video-oculography (VOG) findings suggestive of active lateral semicircular canal (LSCC) benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This patient was seen in a tertiary vestibular clinic for episodic vertigo. He exhibited robust corrective refixation saccades on HTT to the right and evidence of active contralateral LSCC BPPV on positional testing. Treatment of the LSCC BPPV led to immediate resolution of vertigo and near-normalization of the HTT on follow-up testing. The pathophysiologic basis and clinical implications of LSCC BPPV mimicking a false-positive HTT are discussed in detail.