Perception of speech in cartilage conduction.

Perception of speech in cartilage conduction.

Auris Nasus Larynx. 2016 Mar 25;

Authors: Miyamae R, Nishimura T, Hosoi H, Saito O, Shimokura R, Yamanaka T, Kitahara T

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: By attaching a transducer to the aural cartilage a relatively loud sound is audible even with a negligibly small fixation pressure applied to the transducer. This form of conduction is referred to as cartilage conduction (CC). Utilizing CC, novel audio devices can be developed, and one possible application is a CC hearing aid. However, there are no studies on speech perception in CC. In this study, CC speech recognition performance was measured and compared with that for air and bone conduction (AC and BC, respectively).
METHODS: Nine volunteers with normal hearing participated in the study. The performance-intensity functions were measured for AC, BC and CC. These measurements were performed in the conditions with and without an earplug.
RESULTS: Without the earplug, no differences in speech recognition scores were observed among AC, BC, and CC. With the earplug, the level at which the maximum speech recognition score was obtained did not increase in CC, which agreed with the result of BC but not AC. The maximum speech recognition CC score decreased with the earplug. The performance-intensity functions for AC and BC shifted in parallel with the earplug. These shifts approximated the average threshold shifts. In contrast, for CC, the performance-intensity function did not shift in parallel with the earplug. As for the CC threshold shifts with the earplug, although the threshold at 500Hz decreased by 15.4dB, those at 2000 and 4000Hz increased by 13.8 and 31.1dB, respectively. Compared with AC and BC, CC excessively emphasized low over high frequency sounds when the earplug was inserted. Confusion matrices analysis demonstrated that 4%, 22%, and 74% of the errors occurred at low, intermediate, and high frequency speech sounds, respectively. Thus, this excessive low frequency sound emphasis probably prevented the recognition of high frequency speech sounds.
CONCLUSION: The decrease in the maximum speech recognition score for CC with the earplug was derived from the biased frequency composition. It can be improved by frequency composition adjustment.

PMID: 27021264 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Adenylyl Cyclase-Associated Protein 1 in the Development of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas.

Adenylyl Cyclase-Associated Protein 1 in the Development of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas.

Bull Exp Biol Med. 2016 Mar 29;

Authors: Kakurina GV, Kondakova IV, Cheremisina OV, Shishkin DA, Choinzonov EL

Abstract
We compared the content of adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 1 (CAP1) in the blood and tissues of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (with and without regional metastases), patients with chronic inflammatory diseases aggravated by laryngeal and laryngopharyngeal dysplasia, and healthy individuals. The data suggest that serum CAP1 concentration correlated with the depth of primary tumor invasion and the presence of regional metastases. In cancer patients, the serum level of CAP1 was lower than in patients with laryngeal and laryngopharyngeal dysplasia, which can be of importance for differential and timely diagnostics of malignant tumors.

PMID: 27021082 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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IJMS, Vol. 17, Pages 457: Meta-Analysis on Associations of RGS1 and IL12A Polymorphisms with Celiac Disease Risk

The pathogenesis of celiac disease (CD) has been related to polymorphisms in the regulator of G-protein signaling 1 (RGS1) and interleukin-12 A (IL12A) genes, but the existing findings are inconsistent. Our aim is to investigate the associations of two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs2816316 in RGS1 and rs17810546 in IL12A) with CD risk using meta-analysis. We searched PubMed and Web of Science on RGS1 rs2816316 and IL12A rs17810546 with CD risk. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of each SNP were estimated. All statistical analyses were performed on Stata 12.0. A total of seven studies were retrieved and analyzed. The available data indicated the minor allele C of rs2816316 was negatively associated with CD (C vs. A: OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.74–0.80), and a positive association was found for the minor allele G of rs17810546 (G vs. A: OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.31–1.43). The co-dominant model of genotype effect confirmed the significant associations between RGS1 rs2816316/IL12A rs17810546 and CD. No evidence of publication bias was observed. Our meta-analysis supports the associations of RGS1 and IL12A with CD and strongly calls for further studies to better understand the roles of RGS1 and IL12A in the pathogenesis of CD.

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IJMS, Vol. 17, Pages 463: Exploring Erythropoietin and G-CSF Combination Therapy in Chronic Stroke Patients

Erythropoietin (EPO) and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) are known to have neuroprotective actions. Based on previous reports showing the synergistic effects of EPO+G-CSF combination therapy in experimental models, we investigated the safety of EPO+G-CSF combination therapy in patients with chronic stroke. In a pilot study, 3 patients were treated with EPO and G-CSF for 5 consecutive days, with follow-up on day 30. In an exploratory double-blind study, 6 patients were allocated to treatment with either EPO+G-CSF or placebo. Treatment was applied once a day for 5 days per month over 3 months. Participants were followed up for 6 months. To substantiate safety, vital signs, adverse events, and hematological values were measured on days 0, 5, and 30 in each cycle and on day 180. Functional outcomes were determined on day 0 and 180. In the laboratory measurements, EPO+G-CSF combination therapy significantly elevated erythropoietin, CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells, white blood cells, and neutrophils on day 5 of each cycle. There were no observations of serious adverse events. In the functional outcomes, the grip power of the dominant hand was increased in the EPO+G-CSF treatment group. In conclusion, this exploratory study suggests a novel strategy of EPO+G-CSF combination therapy for stroke patients.

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IJMS, Vol. 17, Pages 473: Fluorescence-Lifetime Imaging Microscopy for Visualization of Quantum Dots’ Endocytic Pathway

Accumulation of carboxylated polyethylene glycol (PEG) CdSe/ZnSquantum dots (QDs) has been monitored in living fibroblasts using confocal microscopy for fluorescence intensity and fluorescence-lifetime imaging (FLIM). The wide range of mean photoluminescence (PL) lifetime values was observed for the intracellular QDs in different intracellular microenvironment, which revealed structural heterogeneity of endosomes and enabled the distinguishing among endosomes of different maturity.

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Statement published on pairing smoking cessation with lung cancer screening

Researchers, including an associate professor from the Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center, say smokers who go to a doctor to be screened for lung cancer should also be encouraged to quit smoking during their visit, according to a...

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Researchers found new clue to fighting acute myeloid leukaemia

A study led by researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has uncovered a new clue that may help fight acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), the most common form of cancer of the blood...

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