The Hearing of Erastus "Deaf" Smith, Hero of the Texas Revolution.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the speech and hearing abilities of Erastus "Deaf" Smith, the first Texas Ranger, and speculate on the etiology of his hearing loss. METHODS: Review of credible historical data of what Erastus could and could not hear, descriptions of his voice, and loudness tolerance. Modern analysis of acoustical physics data generated by 0.69-inch diameter non-spinning musket balls. RESULTS: The onset of Erastus' bilateral hearing loss was early childhood. He could hear some. He was intolerant of very loud sounds. His speech was "weak", "squeaky" and high-pitched. He did not use manual communication. He could not hear musket balls passing near his head. The frequency of sound generated by flying 0.69-inch diameter musket balls has been determined as predominantly in the range of 2000-2500 Hz. In contrast to most bilateral childhood sensorineural hearing losses that are worse in high and mid frequencies, Erastus' hearing loss was worse in the low and mid frequencies - preserving at least some high-frequency hearing. CONCLUSION: Erastus' reverse-slope hearing problem may well have been attributable to incomplete partition type III. If you can't hear it, you can't speak it. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 2024.

Familiarization with ambulatory sleep and blood pressure monitoring is necessary for representative data collection.

Ambulatory sleep and blood pressure monitoring are gaining popularity as these can be completed in an individual's home. Little is known regarding the reliability of data and the time it takes to acclimate to the equipment. This study aimed to determine how many nights of wearing the monitoring equipment were required to restore sleep architecture and blood pressure data to baseline. It was hypothesized familiarization would be demonstrated by night 3. Ten male and 10 female subjects completed three nights of sleep and blood pressure recordings. At visit 1, the subjects were familiarized with the equipment and instructed to wear the Sleep Profiler{trade mark, serif} and SunTech Medical Oscar2 ambulatory blood pressure cuff simultaneously for three consecutive nights, then subjects returned the equipment. The percent of time spent in rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep was statistically different on night 3 when compared to night 1. Wake-after-sleep onset and sleep latency were not statistically different between nights 1, 2, and 3. Systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure were all significantly lower on night 3 compared to night 1. Cortical and autonomic arousals were statistically different on night 3. Ambulatory sleep and blood pressure monitoring need at least 3 nights for familiarization. The percent of time spent in REM sleep was statistically different on night 3 when compared to night 1. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse pressure were all significantly lower on night 3 compared to night 1. Cortical and autonomic arousals were statistically different on nights 3 and 2, respectively compared to night 1. Based on these findings, ambulatory sleep and blood pressure monitoring takes three nights before the data are reliable and the person is familiarized with the mode of measurement. Therefore, it is recommended to use at least three nights of data collection when using the Sleep Profiler and Oscar2 ambulatory blood pressure cuff in order for results to be valid and reliable.

Serum Amyloid Beta Precursor Protein, Neurofilament Light, and Visinin-like Protein-1 in Rugby Players: An Exploratory Study.

Concussion diagnosis is difficult and may be improved with the addition of a blood-based biomarker that indicates concussion. The purpose of this research was to investigate the capability of serum amyloid beta precursor protein (APP), neurofilament light (NfL), and visinin-like protein-1 (VILIP-1) to distinguish athletes who were diagnosed with a concussion pitch-side. An observational cross-sectional study design was used to replicate sideline concussion diagnosis. Subjects included mutually exclusive pre-match (n = 9), post-match (n = 15), and SRC (n = 7) groups. Six paired pre-and post-match subjects were analyzed for APP. APP increased significantly from pre-match (mean = 57.98 pg·mL−1, SD = 63.21 pg·mL−1) to post-match (mean = 111.37 pg·mL−1, SD = 106.89 pg·mL−1, p = 0.048) in the paired subjects. NfL was lower in the SRC group (median = 8.71 pg·mL−1, IQR = 6.09 pg·mL−1) compared to the post-match group (median = 29.60 pg·mL−1, IQR = 57.45 pg·mL−1, p < 0.001). VILIP-1 was higher in the post-match group (median = 212.18 pg·mL−1, IQR = 345.00 pg·mL−1) compared to both the pre-match (median = 32.63 pg·mL−1, IQR = 52.24 pg·mL−1), p = 0.001) and SRC (median = 30.21 pg·mL−1, IQR = 47.20 pg·mL−1), p = 0.003) groups. APP, NfL, and VILIP-1 were all able to distinguish between pre-match and post-match groups (AUROC > 0.700) but not from the SRC group (AUROC < 0.660). Our results show that APP, NfL, and VILIP-1 were not helpful in differentiating concussed from non-concussed athletes pitch-side in this study.

Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal esterase L1 is not elevated in the serum of concussed rugby players: an observational cross-sectional study.

Concussion diagnosis is complicated by a lack of objective measures. Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal esterase L1 (UCHL1) is a biomarker that has been shown to increase following traumatic brain injury but has not been investigated in concussed athletes on the sideline of athletic events. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine if UCHL1 can be used to aid in sideline concussion diagnosis. Blood was taken via standard venipuncture from a recreationally active control group, a group of rugby players prior to match play (pre-match), rugby players following match-play (match-control), and rugby players after suffering a sport-related concussion (SRC). UCHL1 was not significantly different among groups (p > 0.05) and was unable to distinguish between SRC and controls (AUROC < 0.400, p > 0.05). However, when sex-matched data were used, it was found that the female match-control group had a significantly higher serum UCHL1 concentration than the pre-match group (p = 0.041). Differences were also found in serum UCHL1 concentrations between male and female athletes in the match-control group (p = 0.007). This study does not provide evidence supporting the use of UCHL1 in sideline concussion diagnosis when blood is collected soon after concussion but does show differences in serum UCHL1 accumulation between males and females.

Proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) on blood pressure and electrolyte handling in the late pregnant rat.

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Pregnancy requires marked renal sodium and potassium retention and cumulative plasma volume expansion, in the setting of reduced blood pressure. Research in male rodents has shown that activation of PAR2 can produce peripheral vasodilatation, stimulate renal sodium chloride reabsorption and inhibit renal potassium secretion. Here, we investigate PAR2 activation in virgin and normal pregnant rats. What is the main finding and its importance? PAR2 expression and sensitivity to activation are increased in pregnancy. This implicates a possible role for PAR2 in supporting the renal/vascular adaptations of pregnancy required for normal maternal plasma volume expansion. ABSTRACT: A healthy pregnancy involves renal and systemic haemodynamic adaptations, which allow renal sodium and potassium retention and cumulative plasma volume expansion, accompanied by a decline in blood pressure attributable to a reduction in the total peripheral vascular resistance. When these adaptations do not occur, pregnancy is compromised. The mechanisms permitting these opposing adaptations are largely unknown. Research in male rodents has shown that activation of PAR2 can produce peripheral vasodilatation, stimulate renal sodium chloride reabsorption and inhibit renal potassium secretion. Here, we investigate PAR2 activation in female virgin and normal late pregnant (LP) rats. We measured the mRNA expression of PAR2 in the renal cortex, outer medulla and inner medulla of virgin and LP rats using quantitative real-time PCR. We also measured in vivo blood pressure, natriuretic and kaliuretic responses to PAR2-activating peptide (SLIGRL-NH2 ) in anaesthetized virgin and LP rats. We found that PAR2 mRNA was increased in the inner medulla of LP rats. We also found that LP rats had larger decreases in blood pressure and increases in net sodium retention compared with virgin rats. These findings suggest that pregnancy enhances sensitivity to the blood pressure-lowering and sodium-retaining effects of PAR2.

Time course of renal sodium transport in the pregnant rat.

Progressive sodium retention and cumulative plasma volume expansion occur to support the developing fetus during pregnancy. Sodium retention is regulated by individual tubular transporters and channels. An increase or decrease in any single transporter could cause a change in sodium balance. Understanding the time-course for changes in each sodium transporter during pregnancy will enable us to understand progressive sodium retention seen in pregnancy. Here, we examined the activity of the major apical sodium transporters found in the nephron using natriuretic response tests in virgin, early pregnant, mid-pregnant, and late pregnant rats. We also measured renal and serum aldosterone levels. We found that furosemide sensitive sodium transport (NKCC2) is only increased during late pregnancy, thiazide sensitive sodium transport (NDCBE/pendrin) is increased in all stages of pregnancy, and that benzamil sensitive sodium transport (ENaC) is increased beginning in mid-pregnancy. We also found that serum aldosterone levels progressively increased throughout gestation and kidney tissue aldosterone levels increased only during late pregnancy. Here we have shown progressive turning on of specific sodium transport mechanisms to help support progressive sodium retention through the course of gestation. These mechanisms contribute to the renal sodium retention and plasma volume expansion required for an optimal pregnancy.

Variations in recorded acoustic gunshot waveforms generated by small firearms.

Analysis of recorded acoustic gunshot signals to determine firearm waveform characteristics requires an understanding of the impulsive signal events, how the waveforms vary among different sources, and how the waveforms are affected by the environment and the recording system. This paper presents empirical results from waveforms produced by different small firearms and an analysis of their variations under different and controlled conditions. Acoustic signals were generated using multiple firearm makes and models firing different ammunition types. Simultaneous recordings from the microphones located at different distances from the source and at different azimuth angles (from the line-of-fire) were used to study source characteristics and sound propagation effects. The results indicate that recorded gunshot waveforms generally consist of multiple acoustic events, and these are observable depending on the received distance and azimuth angle. The source blast size, microphone distance, and microphone azimuth angle are the primary factors affecting the recorded muzzle blast characteristics. Ground or object reflections and ballistic shockwaves and their reflections can interfere with the muzzle blast waveform and its measurements. This experiment confirmed and quantified the wide range of correlation results between waveforms recorded from different source, microphone distance, and microphone angle configurations.