A Multicenter Clinical Evaluation of Data Logging in Cochlear Implant Recipients Using Automated Scene Classification Technologies

Currently, there are no studies assessing everyday use of cochlear implant (CI) processors by recipients by means of objective tools. The Nucleus 6 sound processor features a data logging system capable of real-time recording of CI use in different acoustic environments and under various categories of loudness levels. In this study, we report data logged for the different scenes and different loudness levels of 1,366 CI patients, as recorded by SCAN. Monitoring device use in cochlear implant recipients of all ages provides important information about the listening conditions encountered in recipients' daily lives that may support counseling and assist in the further management of their device settings. The findings for this large cohort of active CI users confirm differences between age groups concerning device use and exposure to various noise environments, especially between the youngest and oldest age groups, while similar levels of loudness were observed

Laser microdissection of grapevine leaves highlights site-specific transcriptional changes at the early stages of downy mildew infection

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is one of the world’s major fruit crops, but most of the commercial cultivars are susceptible to downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara viticola. Transcript profiling has largely been used to investigate gene expression changes of the interaction between grapevine and P. viticola, but these studies have generally involved the use of RNA from whole grapevine leaves. P. viticola infects grapevine leaves and young berries by stomata and develops intercellular mycelium in the mesophyll. Only a small fraction of leaf cells is in contact with the pathogen at the early stages of infection and the large portion of not-infected cells could mask the transcriptional changes related to defence activation. Laser microdissection (LMD) technique allows the isolation of specific cell types from heterogeneous tissue. LMD was used to specifically collect cells at the site of P. viticola infection or at the adjacent layers from inoculated leaves of in vitro-grown grapevines. Protocols for sample fixation, laser microdissection and RNA isolation from group of cells were optimized and the expression of ten genes involved in the grapevine defence response was analysed by real-time RT-PCR. The expression level of the selected genes was generally greater at the site of infection compared to the whole infected leaf, and expression profiles in infected and adjacent cells differed according to the tested genes. These results get new insights on the activation of specific processes at the sites of P. viticola infection, which were masked in the whole-leaf analysis, and the optimized protocols will be further used for site-specific transcriptomic studies

Laser microdissection of grapevine leaves infected by Plasmopara viticola reveals site-specific defense-related processes

Downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara viticola, is one of the most important diseases of grapevine. P. viticola infects grapevine leaves and young berries by stomata and develops intercellular mycelium in the mesophyll. Gene expression analyses are commonly carried out on whole grapevine leaves at the early stages of infection. However, only a small fraction of leaf cells are in contact with the pathogen, and the large portion of non-infected cells could mask the transcriptional changes related to defence reactions. More accurate information on the modulation of defence-related genes at the site of P. viticola infection could help in better understanding the regulation of the defence at the site of infection and to clarify the reaction of the surrounding tissues. Laser microdissection was used to precisely isolate cells at the site of P. viticola infection and at the adjacent layers from inoculated leaves of in vitro-grown grapevines. Protocols for sample fixation, laser microdissection and RNA isolation from group of cells were optimized, and the expression of genes encoding pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins, transcription factors, and enzymes involved in defence processes was analysed by real-time RT-PCR. The expression of defence-related genes was induced by P. viticola in stomata and in the adjacent cells, and their expression level was greater at the site of infection compared to the whole infected leaf. Our results demonstrated specific activation of defence-related processes at the sites of P. viticola infection, which were masked in the whole-leaf analysis. This optimized protocol can be used for site-specific transcriptomic analysis and it may be also suitable to study plant cell interactions with other pathogens