Subclinical hearing loss associated with aging.

Objective: Contribute to clarifying the existence of subclinical hearing deficits associated with aging. Design: In this work, we study and compare the auditory perceptual and electrophysiological performance of normal-hearing young and adult subjects (tonal audiometry, high-frequency tone threshold, a triplet of digits in noise, and click-evoked auditory brainstem response). Study sample: 45 normal hearing volunteers were evaluated and divided into two groups according to age. 27 subjects were included in the "young group" (mean 22.1 years), and 18 subjects (mean 42.22 years) were included in the "adult group." Results: In the perceptual tests, the adult group presented significantly worse tonal thresholds in the high frequencies (12 and 16 kHz) and worse performance in the digit triplet tests in noise. In the electrophysiological test using the auditory brainstem response technique, the adult group presented significantly lower I and V wave amplitudes and higher V wave latencies at the supra-threshold level. At the threshold level, we observed a significantly higher latency in wave V in the adult group. In addition, in the partial correlation analysis, controlling for the hearing level, we observed a relationship (negative) between age and speech in noise performance and high-frequency thresholds. No significant association was observed between age and the auditory brainstem response. Conclusion: The results are compatible with subclinical hearing loss associated with aging.

An FPGA-based analysis of trade-offs in the presence of ill-conditioning and different precision levels in computations.

Several areas, such as physical and health sciences, require the use of matrices as fundamental tools for solving various problems. Matrices are used in real-life contexts, such as control, automation, and optimization, wherein results are expected to improve with increase of computational precision. However, special attention should be paid to ill-conditioned matrices, which can produce unstable systems; an inadequate handling of precision might worsen results since the solution found for data with errors might be too far from the one for data without errors besides increasing other costs in hardware resources and critical paths. In this paper, we make a wake-up call, using 2 × 2 matrices to show how ill-conditioning and precision can affect system design (resources, cost, etc.). We first demonstrate some examples of real-life problems where ill-conditioning is present in matrices obtained from the discretization of the operational equations (ill-posed in the sense of Hadamard) that model these problems. If these matrices are not handled appropriately (i.e., if ill-conditioning is not considered), large errors can result in the computed solutions to the systems of equations in the presence of errors. Furthermore, we illustrate the generated effect in the calculation of the inverse of an ill-conditioned matrix when its elements are approximated by truncation. We present two case studies to illustrate the effects on calculation errors caused by increasing or reducing precision to s digits. To illustrate the costs, we implemented the adjoint matrix inversion algorithm on different field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), namely, Spartan-7, Artix-7, Kintex-7, and Virtex-7, using the full-unrolling hardware technique. The implemented architecture is useful for analyzing trade-offs when precision is increased; this also helps analyze performance, efficiency, and energy consumption. By means of a detailed description of the trade-offs among these metrics, concerning precision and ill-conditioning, we conclude that the need for resources seems to grow not linearly when precision is increased. We also conclude that, if error is to be reduced below a certain threshold, it is necessary to determine an optimal precision point. Otherwise, the system becomes more sensitive to measurement errors and a better alternative would be to choose precision carefully, and/or to apply regularization or preconditioning methods, which would also reduce the resources required.

Prevalencia de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular en el adulto mayor / Prevalence of the factors of cardiovascular risk in the major adult

El propósito del presente estudio prospectivo y abierto ha sido determinar la prevalencia de los Factores de Riesgo Cardiovascular que afectan al Adulto Mayor, para lo cual se ha tomado una muestra significativa correspondiente al ôHogar San José de las Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparadosõ de Chiclayo. La población estudiada está representada por 118 Adultos Mayores con una edad media para los varones de 78.7 años en un rango ( 60-90 años ) y para las mujeres de 76.6 años y un rango ( 51-95 años) habiéndose establecido grupos etáreos de 50-59; 60-69; 70-79; 80-89; > 90 años. El grupo estudiado está representado por 68 varones (57.6 por ciento) y 50 mujeres (42.4 por ciento). Se demuestra que la prevalencia de la Hipertensión Sistólica Aislada corresponde al 39.8 por ciento de la población; dislipidemia en el 26.2 por ciento; transtornos de la conducción intraventricular el 65 por ciento; hipertrofia ventricular izquierda el 3.4 por ciento; demencia vascular el 9.3 por ciento, diabetes mellitus 1 por ciento. El índice de masa corporal se encontró dentro de los parámetros normales no teniendo una significación estadística como riesgo, al igual que el hábito tabáquico por no ser consumidores. No habiendo mucha literatura en nuestro medio al respecto, los hallasgos del presente estudio desde el punto de vista epidemiológico tiene significación estadística teniendo en cuenta que los factores de riesgo cardiovascular generan un impacto socioeconómico por presentar complicaciones de órganos blancos, condicionando en especial al cerebro como enfermedad vascular cerebral, produciendo invalidéz y demencia vascular secundaria a enfermedad multiinfartos.

The purpose of the present prospective and open study has been to determine the prevalence of the Cardiovascular Factors of Risk that affect the biggest adult, for that which has taken a significant sample corresponding to the Home San José of the Sisters of the Abandoned Old men of Chiclayo. The studied population is represented by bigger 118 Adults with a half age for the 78.7 years-old males in a range (60-90 years) and for the 76.6 year-old women and a range (51-95 years) there being you established groups were of 50-59; 60-69; 70-79; 80-89; > 90 years. The studied group is represented by 68 males (57.6 per cent) and 50 women (42.4 per cent). It is demostrated that the prevalence of the Isolated Systolic Hipertesion is 39.8 per cent of the sample group; dislipidemia 26.2 per cent; disorders of the intraventricular conduction 65 per cent; left ventricular hipertrofia 3.4 per cent; vascular dementia 9.3 per cent; diabetes mellitus 1 per cent. The index of corporal mass was inside the normal parameters not having a statiscal significance as risk, the same for smoking habits as they are no smokers. There not being a lot of literature in our means in theis respect, the result of the present study from the epidemiological point of view has statistical significance keeping in mind that the cardiovascular factors of risks generate a socioeconomic impact to present complications of white organs conditioning specially to the brain like cerebral vascular illnes, producing invalidness vascular dementia secundary to multistrokes.

Candidiasis sistémica en escolar con anemia aplásica: informe de un caso / Systemic candidiasis in a school child with aplastic anemia

Las infecciones generalizadas por Cándida se han incrementado y actualmente Monilias, conjuntamente con Aspergilum y Mucormicosis, constituyen la mayor causa de infección oportunista en el hombre. La invasión hemática origina formas viscerales graves en drogadictos o pacientes que reciben agentes citotóxicos, inmunosupresores o antibióticos de amplio espectro. Informamos un caso de Candidiasis generalizada presentado con síndrome disentérico, abscesos hepáticos y úlceras en piel e intestino en una niña de 9 años con anemia aplásica tratada con grandes dosis de antibióticos de amplio espectro. En las lesiones, Monilias con abundantes seudohifas y escasas blastoesporas se demostraron con las coloraciones de H y E, PAS y Grocott. No se evidenciaron causas de la aplasia medular ni hubo asociación familiar o malformaciones congénitas. En pacientes con pancitopenias importantes, al indicar dosis altas de antibióticos de amplio espectro, el clínico debe detectar y controlar rápidamente proliferaciones de agentes oportunistas como son las diferentes especies de Cándida