Are conversation and whispered voice hearing tests comparable to pure tone audiometry for assessment of hearing loss? A retrospective analysis.

Background: Pure tone audiometry (PTA) is considered the standard method of hearing assessment. However, technical and logistical challenges preclude its usage for hearing screening at primary healthcare facilities. Free field hearing (FFH) tests such as conversation voice (CV) and whispered voice (WV) tests have been used for hearing assessment.

Robust superconductivity and the suppression of charge-density wave in the quasi-skutteruditesCa3(Ir1-xRhx)4Sn13single crystals at ambient pressure.

Single crystals of the quasi-skutterudite compounds Ca(IrRh)Sn(3-4-13) were synthesized by flux growth and characterized by x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, magnetization, resistivity, and radio frequency magnetic susceptibility techniques. The coexistence and competition between the charge density wave (CDW) and superconductivity was studied by varying the Rh/Ir ratio. The superconducting transition temperature,Tc, varies from 7 K in pure Ir ( = 0) to 8.

Transitional Hemodynamics in Neonates Born Through Meconium-Stained Amniotic Fluid: A Prospective Observational Study.

Neonates born through meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) are at increased risk of altered cardiopulmonary transition at birth. There is a paucity of literature evaluating the transitional hemodynamics in these neonates. We aimed to evaluate transitional hemodynamics via echocardiography in neonates born through MSAF, compared to healthy neonates.

Birds and environment: a multidisciplinary approach to ecological, behavioural and conservation issues.

Birds perform significant ecosystem services in the environment. Nevertheless, they have been facing threats to their survival globally. This special collection assembles diverse articles on various aspects of birds' life, their interactions with the environment, their adaptations, and threats they have been facing along with conservation measures.

Suspect the Unexpected: A Rare Association of Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia and Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis with Visceral Leishmaniasis: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Visceral leishmaniasis is a common tropical infection presenting with a myriad of hematological abnormalities. We report an unusual case of an 11-year-old girl suffering from a febrile illness with hepatosplenomegaly and anemia. Laboratory findings included pancytopenia and hyperbilirubinemia.

Fetal Hydantoin Syndrome: A Case Report.

Epilepsy is not a common cause of morbidity in pregnancy. It has widespread effects on maternal and fetal health necessitating adequate control of seizures. Many anti-seizure medications (ASM) have teratogenic effects on the fetus.

A Case of Fibrinous Pericardial Effusion: Masquerading Presentation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder with varied presentations varying from nonspecific features like fever, malaise, and arthralgia to serious manifestations like serositis (pleural, pericardial effusions), neurological manifestations, and renal involvement (lupus nephritis). SLE is a great mimicker, especially for infections like tuberculosis (TB) which is rampant in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). We report a case of massive pericardial effusion, which was initially diagnosed as TB on clinico-radiological basis, but the diagnosis was later revised owing to new findings.

Systemic Pseudohypoaldosteronism Type 1 Due to a Novel Mutation in SCNN1B Gene: A Case Report.

Pseudo hypoaldosteronism (PHA) is a type of channelopathy leading to life-threatening hyperkalemia, hyponatremia and metabolic acidosis in neonates. Type I PHA (PHAI) is characterized by either mutation in gene or genes related to subunit of ENaC channel, whereas Type II (A to E) PHA is due to mutations in other genes. Type I PHA is further divided into systemic and renal forms based on the gene and organ involved.

Ethnomedicinal Use, Phytochemistry, and Other Potential Application of Aquatic and Semiaquatic Medicinal Plants.

Medicinal plants have been treating various ailments and diseases since ancient times. Aquatic and semiaquatic medicinal plants play an essential role in human welfare to fulfill their daily needs. They have shown biological, pharmacological, nutraceutical, and commercial applications.

Submandibular gland in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue: Can preservation during neck dissection be a pragmatic option?

Context: The submandibular glands (SMGs) excision during head-and-neck oncosurgeries lead to significant morbidity and degradation of quality of life (QOL). The preservation of SMGs during head-and-neck oncosurgeries, without affecting oncological safety, will improve QOL by preventing xerostomia in these patients.

Aims: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the involvement of SMG by malignancy during neck dissection being done for the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of tongue and to evaluate oncological safety of SMG preservation in SCC of the tongue.

Can BMI be a predictor of perioperative complications in Head and Neck cancer surgery?

<b>Introduction:</b> The effect of BMI on development of perioperative complications in head and neck cancer surgeries is not welldefined. </br></br> <b> Aim:</b> This study aims to evaluate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the development of surgical complications during the perioperative period in head and neck carcinoma (HNC) patients. </br></br> <b>Materials and methods:</b> This study was conducted from 2019 to 2020.

Surgical Management of Parapharyngeal Tumors: Our Experience.

Tumors of parapharyngeal space (PPS) are rare and histologically diverse. The management of these tumors requires diligent assessment and planning with due consideration of various anatomical and pathological aspects of the lesion. This retrospective study aims to present our experiences in the clinical and pathological aspects of PPS tumors with a critical evaluation of management.

Avian diversity in forest, agriculture and water stream habitats of Dehradun Valley, Uttarakhand, India.

The Western Himalaya is recognised for its biological diversity and ecological values. An attempt was made to understand the avian diversity distribution in Forest, Agriculture and Water stream habitats of Dehradun (Western Himalaya) Uttarakhand. A total of two hundred and thirty one species belonging to 54 families were encountered during the survey.

Polyherbal Medicine Divya Sarva-Kalp-Kwath Ameliorates Persistent Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Biochemical and Pathological Liver Impairments in Wistar Rats and in HepG2 Cells.

Divya Sarva-Kalp-Kwath (SKK) is a poly-herbal ayurvedic medicine formulated using plant extracts of L. (Nyctaginaceae), L. (Euphorbiaceae), and L.

The impact of mechanical oesophageal deviation on posterior wall pulmonary vein reconnection.

Aims: During atrial fibrillation ablation, oesophageal heating typically prompts reduction or termination of radiofrequency energy delivery. We previously demonstrated oesophageal temperature rises are associated with posterior left atrial pulmonary vein reconnection (PVR) during redo procedures. In this study, we assessed whether mechanical oesophageal deviation (MED) during an index procedure minimizes posterior wall PVRs during redo procedures.

Cytokines Driven Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Psoriasis Like Efficacies of Nutraceutical Sea Buckthorn () Oil.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by circumscribed, red, thickened plaques with overlying silvery white scales. It is associated with the release of pro-inflammatory mediators that lead to the development of edema and distress. Here we show the anti-inflammatory and anti-psoriatic efficacies of a neutraceutical sea buckthorn oil (SBKT) derived from the fruit pulp of .

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Arthritic Efficacies of an Indian Traditional Herbo-Mineral Medicine "Divya Amvatari Ras" in Collagen Antibody-Induced Arthritis (CAIA) Mouse Model Through Modulation of IL-6/IL-1β/TNF-α/NFκB Signaling.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is defined as a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorder that causes damage to limb joints and progressive injuries to secondary organs. Medical practitioners prescribe Methotrexate (MTX) as standard care medicine for treating RA. However, the long-term application of MTX has shown to have adverse health-related effects.

Elucidating heavy/light chain pairing preferences to facilitate the assembly of bispecific IgG in single cells.

Multiple strategies have been developed to facilitate the efficient production of bispecific IgG (BsIgG) in single host cells. For example, we previously demonstrated near quantitative (≥90%) formation of BsIgG of different species and isotypes by combining 'knob-into-hole' mutations for heavy chain heterodimerization with engineered antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) for preferential cognate heavy/light chain pairing. Surprisingly, in this study we found high yield (>65%) of BsIgG Fab engineering to be a common occurrence, i.

Herbo-mineral formulation 'Ashwashila' attenuates rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in collagen-antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) mice model.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder that affects joints of hands and feet and introduces injury in secondary organs such as cardiac tissue. In the present study, we induced RA in male Balb/c mice (CAIA) using collagen-antibody cocktail (C-Ab) and lipopolysaccharide intraperitoneal injections. Induction of RA in the animals was detected through the loss of body weight, food, and water consumption, pedal edema, increased arthritis score of the paw and ankle, increase in radiological and histological lesion score of ankle and knee joints and enhanced pain perception in the C-Ab induced RA animals.

Esophageal Deviation During Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: Clinical Experience With a Dedicated Esophageal Balloon Retractor.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the safety and feasibility of a novel esophageal balloon retractor (DV8) for MED during PVI.

Background: The authors previously showed that mechanical esophageal deviation (MED) is feasible using an off-the-shelf metal stylet to allow uninterrupted ablation along the posterior left atrium during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Although it is an attractive strategy to avoid esophageal thermal injury, this technique was hampered by both the propensity for oropharyngeal trauma from the stiff stylet and the limited lateral esophageal displacement.

Polar Localization Hub Protein PopZ Restrains Adaptor-Dependent ClpXP Proteolysis in Caulobacter crescentus.

In , timely degradation of several proteins by the ClpXP protease is critical for proper cell cycle progression. During the cell cycle, the ClpXP protease, the substrate CtrA, and many other proteins are localized to the stalked pole dependent on a polar interaction hub composed of PopZ protein oligomers. Prior work suggests that the localization of ClpXP, protease substrates, and cofactors is needed for recognition of substrates, such as CtrA, by ClpXP.

Real world utilization and impact of the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator in a community setting.

Introduction: The wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) is used in patients at risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) but not immediate candidates for intracardiac defibrillator (ICD) implantation.

Methods: We performed a single center retrospective study of patients prescribed WCD upon hospital discharge from January 2002 to October 2015. Clinical characteristics were obtained from the hospital electronic database and device data from Zoll LifeVest database.

Cargo engagement protects protease adaptors from degradation in a substrate-specific manner.

Protein degradation in bacteria is a highly controlled process involving proteolytic adaptors that regulate protein degradation during cell cycle progression or during stress responses. Many adaptors work as scaffolds that selectively bind cargo and tether substrates to their cognate proteases to promote substrate destruction, whereas others primarily activate the target protease. Because adaptors must bind their cognate protease, all adaptors run the risk of being recognized by the protease as substrates themselves, a process that could limit their effectiveness.