Prevalence and Auditory Characteristics of Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder in Adult Population with Sensory Neural Hearing Loss: A Hospital Based Study in South India.

Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) is a heterogenous group of disorder characterized by abnormalities in auditory brainstem responses (ABR) with preserved otoacoustic emissions and/or cochlear microphonics. The aim of the study is to estimate the prevalence and evaluate the audiological characteristics of ANSD in adult population with sensory neural hearing loss. A prospective study was conducted on the adult population (≥ 18 years) attending ENT outpatients clinic at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai. All patients reported to the department with auditory and vestibular symptoms underwent case history, otoscopic examination, and routine audiological evaluation (pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and immittance audiometry). Patients with indications of ANSD in case history and routine audiological evaluation were further evaluated using distortion product otoacoustic emissions and ABR. A total of 8682 adult population was evaluated during the period of 2017 to 2018. Out of 8682 patients, 1343 (15.46%) of them had sensory neural hearing loss of varying degrees. Out of 1343 adults with sensory neural hearing loss, 24 (1.78%) adults were diagnosed as ANSD. The prevalence of ANSD in adult population with sensory neural hearing loss in our study is 1.32% per 1000 adults. The clinical characteristics of ANSD shows impairment in speech perception irrespective of degree of hearing loss, preserved cochlear functions and abnormal ABR. Hence ANSD is not a rare clinical finding in adults with sensory neural hearing loss, but its prevalence was estimated to be lower in Indian population. Often young females are affected causing significant impairment in speech perception and disability.

Encryption and watermark-treated medical image against hacking disease-An immune convention in spatial and frequency domains.

Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is one among the significant formats used worldwide for the representation of medical images. Undoubtedly, medical-image security plays a crucial role in telemedicine applications. Merging encryption and watermarking in medical-image protection paves the way for enhancing the authentication and safer transmission over open channels. In this context, the present work on DICOM image encryption has employed a fuzzy chaotic map for encryption and the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) for watermarking. The proposed approach overcomes the limitation of the Arnold transform-one of the most utilised confusion mechanisms in image ciphering. Various metrics have substantiated the effectiveness of the proposed medical-image encryption algorithm.

Pharmacological credence of the folklore use of Bauhinia malabarica in the management of jaundice.

The information on the hepatoprotective effect of Bauhinia malabarica Roxb. (Family Leguminosae) used in the folkloric medical practice in Malabar coast and Walayar valley of southern India for the treatment of liver related disorders is completely unknown. Hence, the efficacy of the aqueous methanolic extract of stem bark of B. malabarica (AqMeOH-Ba) was evaluated for liver function serum biochemical markers along with the antioxidant markers in liver tissues of Wistar albino rats. The biochemical observations as well as the histopathological examination of liver sections manifested considerable hepatoprotective activity of B. malabarica stem bark, and thus validated the folkloric claim.

Prevalence and determinants of stereotypic behaviours and physiological stress among tigers and leopards in Indian zoos.

India's charismatic wildlife species are facing immense pressure from anthropogenic-induced environmental perturbations. Zoos play a major role in the conservation of threatened species, but their adaptation in captivity is posing a major challenge globally. Stress from inadequate adaptation could lead to suppression of cognitive functioning and increased display of stereotypic behaviour. It is thus necessary to measure biological traits like behaviour, stress physiology, and contextual factors driving the animals maintained at zoos. In this study, we assessed stereotypic behaviour and stress physiology employing standard behaviour scoring, non-invasive stress monitoring, and their contextual drivers in a sub-population of two large felid species managed in six Indian zoos. The prevalence and intensity of stereotypic behaviours and levels of faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) were ascertained among 41 Royal Bengal tigers Panthera tigris tigris and 21 Indian leopards Panthera pardus fusca between April 2014 and March 2015. Behavioural observations showed that tigers spent more time stereotyping (12%) than leopards (7%) during daylight hours. Stress levels assessed using FCM revealed that tigers (23.6 ± 1.62 ng/g) had marginally lower level of corticosterone metabolites than leopards (27.2 ±1.36 ng/g). Stereotypic behaviour increased significantly with FCM level when the effect of heath status was controlled in tigers, and the effects tree cover, stone, den and keeper attitude controlled in leopards. Comparison of stereotypes of tigers with various biological and environmental factors using binary logistic regression revealed that stereotypic prevalence decreased with increased enclosure size, and enclosure enrichments like presence of pools and stones, when managed socially with conspecifics, and with positive keeper attitude, these factors accounting for 43% of variations in stereotypic prevalence among tigers. Stereotype among leopards was significantly absent when associated with increased tree cover and presence of pool, and den in the enclosure, age and among zoo-born than wild-born ones. These factors explain 81% of variations in stereotypic prevalence in them. A comparison of FCM levels with context-dependent factors revealed that stress levels among tigers decreased significantly with enclosure size and with individuals from nil to low, and severity of health issues. These factors explain 64% of variations in FCM levels. In leopards, the presence of stones in the enclosure and keepers with positive attitude resulted in significant decrease in FCM levels, these factors together accounting for 94% of variations. Multiple regressions on selected variables based on Factor Analysis of Mixed Data showed that in tigers the intensity of stereotype decreased significantly with enclosure size, sociality and positive keeper attitude and FCM level with health problems. Similarly, analyses in leopards revealed that intensity of stereotype decreased significantly with tree cover, age and FCM level with positive keeper attitude. Overall, our study suggests that to reduce stereotypes and stress level, tigers in captivity should be managed in larger enclosures enriched with pool, and stones, and in appropriate social conditions with adequate veterinary care. Leopards should be managed in enclosures with dense tree cover, pool, stones and den. Positive keeper attitude plays a crucial role in the welfare of both the species in captivity. Our study is promising and is comparable with their natural behaviour in the wild; for example, tigers require larger natural habitats, while leopards can manage even with smaller isolated patches but with dense vegetation cover.

Horseradish peroxidase and toluidine blue covalently immobilized leak-free sol-gel composite biosensor for hydrogen peroxide.

The enzyme horseradish peroxidase and the water-soluble mediator toluidine blue were covalently immobilized to 3-aminopropyl trimethoxy silane precursor through glutaraldehyde crosslinker. A rigid ceramic composite electrode was fabricated from this modified silane along with graphite powder, which resulted in an amperometric biosensor for H2O2. The electrochemical behaviour of the modified biosensor was monitored using cyclic voltammetry in the potential range of 0.2V to -0.4V vs SCE. The biosensor exhibited a stable voltammogram with cathodic peak at -0.234V and anodic peak at -0.172V, with a formal potential of -0.203V. Various factors influencing the performance of the biosensor such as buffer solution, pH, temperature and potential were examined for optimizing the working conditions. The modified biosensor exhibited a good catalytic behaviour for the reduction of H2O2 at a lower potential of -0.25V without any barrier from possible interferents. The analytical working range was found to be 0.429µM to 0.455mM of H2O2 with a detection limit of 0.171µM. The fabricated biosensor is robust for long-term usage in addition to the high sensitivity, rapid response and having an advantage of surface renewability by simple mechanical polishing.

Neurological associations in auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder: Results from a tertiary hospital in South India.

AIMS: To find out the prevalence and types of neurological abnormalities associated in auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder in a large tertiary referral center. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A prospective clinical study was conducted on all patients diagnosed with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder in the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) and neurology departments during a 17-month period. Patients with neurological abnormalities on history and examination were further assessed by a neurologist to determine the type of disorder present. RESULTS: The frequency of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder was 1.12%. Sixty percent were found to have neurological involvement. This included cerebral palsy in children, peripheral neuropathy (PN), spinocerebellar ataxia, hereditary motor-sensory neuropathy, spastic paresis, and ponto-bulbar palsy. Neurological lesions did not present simultaneously with hearing loss in most patients. Sixty-six percent of patients with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder were born of consanguineous marriages. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of neurological lesions in auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder which has to be kept in mind while evaluating such patients. Follow-up and counselling regarding the appearance of neuropathies is therefore important in such patients. A hereditary etiology is indicated in a majority of cases of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.

Medical data sheet in safe havens - A tri-layer cryptic solution.

Secured sharing of the diagnostic reports and scan images of patients among doctors with complementary expertise for collaborative treatment will help to provide maximum care through faster and decisive decisions. In this context, a tri-layer cryptic solution has been proposed and implemented on Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images to establish a secured communication for effective referrals among peers without compromising the privacy of patients. In this approach, a blend of three cryptic schemes, namely Latin square image cipher (LSIC), discrete Gould transform (DGT) and Rubik׳s encryption, has been adopted. Among them, LSIC provides better substitution, confusion and shuffling of the image blocks; DGT incorporates tamper proofing with authentication; and Rubik renders a permutation of DICOM image pixels. The developed algorithm has been successfully implemented and tested in both the software (MATLAB 7) and hardware Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) environments. Specifically, the encrypted data were tested by transmitting them through an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel model. Furthermore, the sternness of the implemented algorithm was validated by employing standard metrics such as the unified average changing intensity (UACI), number of pixels change rate (NPCR), correlation values and histograms. The estimated metrics have also been compared with the existing methods and dominate in terms of large key space to defy brute force attack, cropping attack, strong key sensitivity and uniform pixel value distribution on encryption.

Recent developments of metal N-heterocyclic carbenes as anticancer agents.

Metal based anticancer drugs have demonstrated their crucial role in preventing all types of cancers whereas their effectiveness is selective with respect to the cancer cells rather than the normal cells. Recently metal N-heterocyclic carbenes have established their selective performance for cancer cells excluding normal healthy cells based on which they are widely utilised for targeting cancer cells specifically which leads to cell death or cell growth inhibition. This is mainly due to their ionic character which helps them to localise in cancer cells with the help of enhanced expression of Organic Cation Transporters (OCT). Also their unique mechanism of action involving DNA binding, less recognizable by DNA repair machinery, mitochondria targeting gives them a new area for anticancer drug development. This review summarises the medicinal as well as pharmacological approach to the anticancer properties of metal NHC complexes.

Assessment of auditory and psychosocial handicap associated with unilateral hearing loss among Indian patients.

In order to assess psychosocial and auditory handicap in Indian patients with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USNHL), a prospective study was conducted on 50 adults with USNHL in the ENT Outpatient clinic of a tertiary care centre. The hearing handicap inventory for adults (HHIA) as well as speech in noise and sound localization tests were administered to patients with USNHL. An equal number of age-matched, normal controls also underwent the speech and sound localization tests. The results showed that HHIA scores ranged from 0 to 60 (mean 20.7). Most patients (84.8 %) had either mild to moderate or no handicap. Emotional subscale scores were higher than social subscale scores (p = 0.01). When the effect of sociodemographic factors on HHIA scores was analysed, educated individuals were found to have higher social subscale scores (p = 0.04). Age, sex, side and duration of hearing loss, occupation and income did not affect HHIA scores. Speech in noise and sound localization were significantly poorer in cases compared to controls (p < 0.001). About 75 % of patients refused a rehabilitative device. We conclude that USNHL in Indian adults does not usually produce severe handicap. When present, the handicap is more emotional than social. USNHL significantly affects sound localization and speech in noise. Yet, affected patients seldom seek a rehabilitative device.

Bilateral simultaneous cochlear implantation in children: report of a case and review of literature.

The benefits of bilateral cochlear implant in adults are well established. Auditory ability in children is also substantially improved by binaural hearing. We report the first case of bilateral simultaneous paediatric cochlear implant in India and discuss the merits of bilateral implant.

Surface renewable sol-gel composite electrode derived from 3-aminopropyl trimethoxy silane with covalently immobilized thionin.

Sol-gel technique has been used for the covalent immobilization of the water-soluble mediator, thionin to construct a bulk modified, leak free composite electrode. This renewable composite electrode provides stable immobilization matrix for thionin via glutaraldehyde crosslinking. In the electrode composition the sol-gel precursor 3-aminopropyltrimethoxy silane serves as the host for immobilization of thionin, thereby preventing its leakage. An additional precursor methyl trimethoxy silane endows hydrophobicity and limits the wetting section of the modified electrode. Cyclic voltammetric characterization of the modified electrode in the potential range of 0.2 to -0.6 V exhibited stable redox peaks with a formal potential of -0.273 V, corresponding to immobilized thionin. This chemically modified electrode exhibits good electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of H(2)O(2) at a lower potential of -0.35 V. The reduction current of the modified electrode increases linearly in the range of 3.44 x 10(-6)M to 3.07 x 10(-3)M H(2)O(2) with a detection limit of 1.38 x 10(-6)M. The stable and quick response (5s) during chronoamperometry shows the potential application of the modified electrode for flow system analysis. The low potential operation (-0.35 V) favoured selective determination of H(2)O(2). The composite electrode exhibits distinct advantages of polishing in the event of surface fouling as well as simple preparation, good chemical and mechanical stability, economical and remarkable long-term stability (more than 1 year). The applicability of the present sensor for H(2)O(2) determination proposes a method for the detection of other biologically significant analytes.

Amperometric hydrogen peroxide sensor based on a sol-gel-derived ceramic carbon composite electrode with toluidine blue covalently immobilized using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane.

A carbon composite amperometric hydrogen peroxide sensor has been developed using a sol-gel technique. Toluidine blue (TB), which acts as the redox mediator, was covalently immobilized via glutaraldehyde crosslinking with an organically modified silane, namely 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMOS). Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMOS) was used as the additional monomer; this controls the hydrophobicity of the electrode surface, thus limiting the wettability. The immobilization of TB within the sol-gel matrix was confirmed with FTIR studies. The sol-gel mixture containing TB immobilized in APTMOS and MTMOS was mixed with graphite powder in order to prepare the carbon composite electrode. The electrode was characterized using voltammetric techniques and its electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide was also studied. The carbon composite electrode has the advantage of sensing H(2)O(2) at a lower potential and with a higher sensitivity, and interferences due to ascorbic acid, uric acid and acetaminophen were greatly minimized. The linear range for the determination of H(2)O(2) extends from 5.37 x 10(-6) to 6.15 x 10(-3) M, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9981. The detection limit was found to be 2.15 x 10(-6) M. The covalent immobilization of TB effectively prevents the leakage of the water-soluble mediator during measurements. The modified electrode, aside from electrocatalyzing the reduction of H(2)O(2), exhibits distinct advantages in terms of surface renewal in the event of surface fouling, as well as simple preparation, good chemical and mechanical stability, and good reproducibility.

Evaluation of psychopharmacological effects of Clerodendrum phlomidis Linn. extract.

The methanolic extract of Clerodendrum phlomidis Linn. (MECP) leaves was evaluated for its psychopharmacological activities in several experimental models using Swiss albino mice and Wistar albino rats. The MECP was found to cause significant reduction in spontaneous activity, and decreases in exploratory behavioral profiles by the Y-maze and head dip test. It also showed reduction in muscle relaxant activity by rotarod, 30 degrees inclined screen and traction tests, as well as significantly potentiated the phenobarbitone sodium-induced sleeping time in the doses examined (200, 400 and 600 mg/kg body wt.). All the results were compared with respective controls for the evaluation of significance.