Early deficits in speech perception in carriers of the p.Pro51Ser variant in the COCH gene: a prospective longitudinal evaluation of speech perception in quiet and noise.

The primary concern among adults with regard to their hearing is the difficulty in comprehending speech, particularly in noisy environments. The constant need to listen attentively leads to heightened frustration, fatigue and decreased concentration. According to research, high-frequency hearing loss could have negative implications on speech perception and make it even harder to communicate.

Auditory brainstem response thresholds and functional hearing: implications for cochlear implant candidacy.

Objective: This study assessed the relevance of auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds in evaluating cochlear implantation (CI) candidacy by studying their correlation with functional hearing in patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).

Design And Study Sample: In this retrospective study, we examined correlations between ABR thresholds, speech perception scores in quiet and pure-tone audiometry in 191 adults. We compared these correlations between individuals with different degrees of SNHL to discern differences in potential CI candidates and individual with less severe SNHL.

Distribution and diversity of classical deacylases in bacteria.

Classical Zn-dependent deac(et)ylases play fundamental regulatory roles in life and are well characterized in eukaryotes regarding their structures, substrates and physiological roles. In bacteria, however, classical deacylases are less well understood. We construct a Generalized Profile (GP) and identify thousands of uncharacterized classical deacylases in bacteria, which are grouped into five clusters.

Phytochrome-dependent responsiveness to root-derived cytokinins enables coordinated elongation responses to combined light and nitrate cues.

Plants growing at high densities can detect competitors through changes in the composition of light reflected by neighbours. In response to this far-red-enriched light, plants elicit adaptive shade avoidance responses for light capture, but these need to be balanced against other input signals, such as nutrient availability. Here, we investigated how Arabidopsis integrates shade and nitrate signalling.