The impact of hearing loss on quality of life in older adults.

Purpose: The authors investigate the impact of hearing loss on quality of life in a large population of older adults.

Design And Methods: Data are from the 5-year follow-up Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study, a population-based longitudinal study of age-related hearing impairment conducted in Beaver Dam, WI. Participants (N = 2,688) were 53-97 years old (mean = 69 years) and 42% were male.

The 5-year incidence and progression of hearing loss: the epidemiology of hearing loss study.

Context: Hearing impairment affects many older adults, but the incidence is unknown.

Objective: To determine the 5-year incidence and progression of hearing impairment.

Design: A longitudinal, population-based study of adults aged 48 to 92 years at baseline examination.

Prevalence of sleep problems and quality of life in an older population.

Study Objectives: To determine the prevalence of insomnia traits in a population and the effect of these traits on health-related quality of life.

Design: The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study is a population-based study in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

Setting: Participants were interviewed as part of the 5-year follow-up examination (1998-2000) of the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study.

Growth of iron(III)-reducing bacteria on clay minerals as the sole electron acceptor and comparison of growth yields on a variety of oxidized iron forms.

Smectite clay minerals are abundant in soils and sediments worldwide and are typically rich in Fe. While recent investigations have shown that the structural Fe(III) bound in clay minerals is reduced by microorganisms, previous studies have not tested growth with clay minerals as the sole electron acceptor. Here we have demonstrated that a pure culture of Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 as well as enrichment cultures of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria from rice paddy soil and subsurface sediments are capable of conserving energy for growth with the structural Fe(III) bound in smectite clay as the sole electron acceptor.

Accidental ureteral ligation during an inguinal hernia repair of patient with crossed fused renal ectopia.

Because most of the presenting symptoms of ureteral herniation and crossed renal ectopia are nonspecific, it is important to be aware of their presence and association to avoid iatrogenic injuries to the kidneys and/or the ureters. We present the imaging findings of a patient with ureteral ligation whose ureteral herniation and crossed renal ectopia were identified after undergoing hernia repair.

IFN-gamma and NO in mycobacterial disease: new jobs for old hands.

Granulomatous disease following exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium avium is correlated with strong inflammatory and protective responses. The mouse model of mycobacterial infection provides an excellent tool with which to examine the inter-relationship between protective cell-mediated immunity and tissue-damaging hypersensitivity. It is well established that T cells and interferon (IFN)-gamma are necessary components of anti-bacterial protection.

A population-based, cross-sectional survey of the Zuni Pueblo: a collaborative approach to an epidemic of kidney disease.

Approximately 80% of the Zuni Indians live in Zuni Pueblo in rural New Mexico. The Zuni are relatively endogamous and differ culturally and ethnically from neighboring tribes. The Zuni Pueblo is experiencing an epidemic of renal disease.

Physiological (antioxidant) responses of estuarine fishes to variability in dissolved oxygen.

Cycles of dissolved oxygen (DO) in estuaries can range from anoxia to various levels of supersaturation (200-300%) over short time periods. Aerobic metabolism causes formation of damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS), a process exacerbated by high or low DO. Fish can generate physiological defenses (e.

The antioxidants of legume nodule mitochondria.

The mitochondria of legume root nodules are critical to sustain the energy-intensive process of nitrogen fixation. They also generate reactive oxygen species at high rates and thus require the protection of antioxidant enzymes and metabolites. We show here that highly purified mitochondria from bean nodules (Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Cataract and hearing loss in a population-based study: the Beaver Dam studies.

Purpose: Cataract and hearing loss are each common at older ages and together may influence the ability to function independently and affect the sense of well-being. For these reasons, we sought to estimate the risk factors for comorbidity of age-related cataract and hearing loss.

Methods: A cross-sectional evaluation of a population-based cohort of older adults was conducted in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, for presence of age-related cataract and hearing loss.

Association of leisure-time noise exposure and hearing loss.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of noisy leisure activities with hearing loss. Participants (n=3571) were examined in a population-based study of age-related hearing loss conducted in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Hearing thresholds were determined by audiometry.

Solitary fibrous tumor of the prostate a report of 2 cases and review of the literature.

We report 2 cases of solitary fibrous tumor of the prostate. Histologically, both tumors demonstrated a multipatterned architecture with varying degrees of collagenization and hemangiopericytoma-like foci, and both were composed of CD34-immunopositive spindled cells that insinuated themselves between strips of collagen. The tumor in case 1 was well circumscribed and showed minimal mitotic activity or pleomorphism, whereas the tumor in case 2 was more cellular, less collagenous, had a more diffuse growth pattern, and exhibited cytologic atypia and high mitotic activity.

Failure to suppress the expansion of the activated CD4 T cell population in interferon gamma-deficient mice leads to exacerbation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Mice deficient in interferon (IFN)-gamma or IFN-gamma receptor develop progressive and fatal experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We demonstrate that CD4 T cells lacking IFN-gamma production were required to passively transfer EAE, indicating that they were disease-mediating cells in IFN-gamma knockout (KO) mice. IFN-gamma KO mice accumulated 10-16-fold more activated CD4 T cells (CD4(+)CD44(hi)) than wild-type mice in the central nervous system during EAE.

Interferon gamma eliminates responding CD4 T cells during mycobacterial infection by inducing apoptosis of activated CD4 T cells.

In Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-infected wild-type mice, there was a large expansion of an activated (CD44(hi)) splenic CD4 T cell population followed by a rapid contraction of this population to normal numbers. Contraction of the activated CD4 T cell population in wild-type mice was associated with increased apoptosis of activated CD4 T cells. In BCG-infected interferon (IFN)-gamma knockout (KO) mice, the activated CD4 T cell population did not undergo apoptosis.

Effectiveness of ascorbate and ascorbate peroxidase in promoting nitrogen fixation in model systems.

Ascorbate and ascorbate peroxidase are important antioxidants that are abundant in N2-fixing legume root nodules. Antioxidants are especially critical in root nodules because leghemoglobin, which is present at high concentrations in nodules, is prone to autoxidation and production of activated oxygen species such as O2.- and H2O2.

Stress-induced legume root nodule senescence. Physiological, biochemical, and structural alterations.

Nitrate-fed and dark-stressed bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and pea (Pisum sativum) plants were used to study nodule senescence. In bean, 1 d of nitrate treatment caused a partially reversible decline in nitrogenase activity and an increase in O(2) diffusion resistance, but minimal changes in carbon metabolites, antioxidants, and other biochemical parameters, indicating that the initial decrease in nitrogenase activity was due to O(2) limitation. In pea, 1 d of dark treatment led to a 96% decline in nitrogenase activity and sucrose, indicating sugar deprivation as the primary cause of activity loss.

Outbreak of extended spectrum beta lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a neonatal unit.

An outbreak of extended spectrum beta lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBLKp) in a neonatal unit was controlled using simple measures. Normally, the control of such infections can be time consuming and expensive. Seven cases of septicaemia resulted in two deaths.

Treatment choice and quality of life in patients with choroidal melanoma.

Objective: To determine if quality of life differs between patients with choroidal melanoma treated with enucleation and those treated with radiation therapy.

Materials And Methods: Patients treated for choroidal melanoma at 5 Midwest centers were asked to participate. There were 65 participants treated with enucleation and 82 treated with radiation therapy.

Class I heme peroxidases: characterization of soybean ascorbate peroxidase.

An efficient expression system [D. A. Dalton et al.

Association of NIDDM and hearing loss.

Objective: To evaluate the association of NIDDM with hearing loss in a large population-based study.

Research Design And Methods: Data from population-based longitudinal studies of aging conducted in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, were used in these analyses. Hearing thresholds were determined by pure-tone air- and bone-conduction audiometry performed by trained technicians following American Speech-Language-Hearing Association specifications.