An Exploratory Study of Cervical Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential in Users of Personal Listening Devices.

Context: The use of personal listening devices (PLDs) is becoming increasingly popular, particularly among young people. Numerous studies have demonstrated that being exposed to PLDs can have adverse effects on the auditory system. Owing to the similarities between the auditory and vestibular systems, it is possible that the negative effects of PLD use may extend to the vestibular system, an area that has not been extensively studied. Aim: The study aimed to investigate the impact of exposure to PLDs on the vestibular system, specifically the sacculo-collic reflex assessed by the cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential. Settings and Design: The current study used a cross-sectional study design. Materials and Methods: A total of 80 participants were divided into four groups based on the history of PLD exposure. Each group consisted of 20 participants who underwent cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) testing using alternating polarity 500 Hz tone bursts. Statistical Analysis Used: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc test were used to obtain the statistically significant difference among the group. Results: The results showed that the amplitude of p1-n1 of cVEMP was significantly reduced in individuals with longer PLD exposure duration. Conclusion: The study suggests that listening to music through a PLD at high levels of volume controls could be deleterious to the vestibular well-being of an individual. The study highlights the importance of being aware of the adverse effects of using PLDs to prevent potential damage to the vestibular systems.

Screening for Auditory Processing Difficulties in Older Adults with Hearing Impairment Using Screening Checklist for Auditory Processing in Adults.

BACKGROUND: Aging enhances changes in the central and peripheral auditory systems. It is expected that older adults population would experience auditory processing deficits. Therefore, early identification of these individuals will help in making appropriate referrals, which in turn might help in early diagnosis and management of the problem. METHODS: Fifty-five participants diagnosed with hearing impairment were screened for the existence of auditory processing difficulties using Screening Checklist for Auditory Processing for Adults-Modified 2-point rating scale. The data were collected using direct interview and telephonic interview with the participant. RESULTS: A total of 26 participants with bilateral symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss (47.3%) exhibited auditory processing difficulties. CONCLUSION: It can be understood that all older adults with hearing impairment need to undergo screening using Screening Checklist for Auditory Processing for Adults. This will further help in deciding and customizing the management options required for each older adult with bilateral symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss.

Synthesis, spectral analysis, DFT calculations, biological potential and molecular docking studies of indole appended pyrazolo-triazine.

A series of novel 5-(3,5-disubstituted-1H-indol-2-yl)-2,3-dimethyl-1-phenyl-2,6-dihydro-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]triazines (3a-l) were synthesized in single step from 3,5-disubstituted indole-2-carbohydrazide and 4-aminoantipyrine under acidic conditions with excellent yields. The various spectroscopic methods were used to prove the formation of all these products. The compounds 3a, 3b, 3e, 3f, 3i and 3j exhibited excellent antibacterial and antifungal activities with an MIC value of 3.125 µg/ml against the tested pathogens and anti-tuberculosis inhibitory potential against M. tuberculosis which is equivalent to standard drug. The antidiabetic activity of the compounds 3a and 3b showed the maximum potential as glucosidase inhibitors with IC50 = 47.21 µg/ml and IC50 = 48.36 µg/ml, respectively. The physicochemical characteristics like ADMET, drug-likeness and bioactivity scores for these molecules were also disclosed. To comprehend the electronic behavior of compound 3a, density functional theory estimations at the DFT/B3LYP level via 6-31G++ (d, p) have been carried out to replicate the structure and geometry. The first-order hyperpolarizability calculation was used to calculate the nonlinear visual feature of compound 3a. The charge transfer interface among the structure is elucidated by the estimated HOMO-LUMO analysis. Further, molecular docking studies were carried out for synthesized compounds with human maltase-glucoamylase (PDB: 2QMJ).

Low mammalian species richness is associated with Kyasanur Forest disease outbreak risk in deforested landscapes in the Western Ghats, India.

Kyasanur forest disease virus (KFDV) is a rapidly expanding tick-borne zoonotic virus with natural foci in the forested region of the Western Ghats of South India. The Western Ghats is one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots and, like many such areas of high biodiversity, is under significant pressure from anthropogenic landscape change. The current study sought to quantify mammalian species richness using ensemble models of the distributions of a sample of species extant in the Western Ghats and to explore its association with KFDV outbreaks, as well as the modifying effects of deforestation on this association. Species richness was quantified as a composite of individual species' distributions, as derived from ensembles of boosted regression tree, random forest, and generalised additive models. Species richness was further adjusted for the potential biotic constraints of sympatric species. Both species richness and forest loss demonstrated strong positive associations with KFDV outbreaks, however forest loss substantially modified the association between species richness and outbreaks. High species richness was associated with increased KFDV risk but only in areas of low forest loss. In contrast, lower species richness was associated with increased KFDV risk in areas of greater forest loss. This relationship persisted when species richness was adjusted for biotic constraints at the taluk-level. In addition, the taluk-level species abundances of three monkey species (Macaca radiata, Semnopithecus hypoleucus, and Semnopithecus priam) were also associated with outbreaks. These results suggest that increased monitoring of wildlife in areas of significant habitat fragmentation may add considerably to critical knowledge gaps in KFDV epidemiology and infection ecology and should be incorporated into novel One Health surveillance development for the region. In addition, the inclusion of some primate species as sentinels of KFDV circulation into general wildlife surveillance architecture may add further value.

Complete unilateral right-sided absence of the pectoralis major and serratus anterior muscles in an adult male cadaver of South Indian origin.

The unilateral complete absence of the pectoralis major and serratus anterior muscles in the absence of other anomalies is very rare. The complete absence of the pectoralis major and serratus anterior on the right side was observed during routine dissection of an elderly male cadaver of South Indian origin. Nodularity of the right fifth rib near the fifth costochondral junction was seen. The lateral pectoral and long thoracic nerves were present on the right side. Moderate right-sided disuse atrophy was noted in the pectoralis minor and the rotator cuff muscles due to a shoulder arthrodesis performed on that side. No abnormalities were noted on the left side. There was no family history of any upper limb anomalies suggestive of Poland's syndrome. The findings in the present case could be either due to a sporadic variant of Poland's syndrome or an isolated congenital unilateral absence of the pectoralis major and serratus anterior.