Hearing and dementia

Hearing deficits associated with cognitive impairment have attracted much recent interest, motivated by emerging evidence that impaired hearing is a risk factor for cognitive decline. However, dementia and hearing impairment present immense challenges in their own right, and their intersection in the auditory brain remains poorly understood and difficult to assess. Here, we outline a clinically oriented, symptom-based approach to the assessment of hearing in dementias, informed by recent progress in the clinical auditory neuroscience of these diseases. We consider the significance and interpretation of hearing loss and symptoms that point to a disorder of auditory cognition in patients with dementia. We identify key auditory characteristics of some important dementias and conclude with a bedside approach to assessing and managing auditory dysfunction in dementia

Experiences gained from the testing of biodiesel fuels in Hong Kong

Biodiesel is one of the fast growing alternative fuels for diesel engines in the world with yearly consumption exceeds 300 million gallon. In 2000, the Hong Kong SAR Government has commissioned the University of Hong Kong to conduct a comprehensive evaluation on the performance of biodiesel on in-service diesel-powered vehicles in Hong Kong and to compare the results with those using ultra low sulphur diesel (50 ppm sulphur) currently used in Hong Kong. Three types of biodiesel fuels were tested with different biodiesel/ULSD blending ratios. The whole study comprised of two parts, namely, a chassis dynamometer exhaust emission test (NOx, CO and HC1) and a diesel lug down test for each of the vehicle tested. The result of the test is positive and confirms the environmental benefit of using biodiesel fuel. However, a very slight increased in NOx concentration is reported. During the course of the study, some issues related to the durability and fuel hoses compatibility have been raised that may affect the road worthiness of vehicles. In order to assess the compatibility of the rubber fuel hoses with biodiesel, a fuel hose compatibility test was performed to study the characteristics of fuel hoses subjected to fuels with different biodiesel percentages and with different durations. Result of the test leads to some recommendations on the use of special fuel hoses for biodiesel fuel. A one-year durability test on three vehicles using biodiesel was carried out to observe the long term effect of biodiesel on vehicles.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Implication of Major Adverse Postoperative Events and Myocardial Injury on Disability and Survival: A Planned Subanalysis of the ENIGMA-II Trial.

BACKGROUND: Globally, >300 million patients have surgery annually, and ≤20% experience adverse postoperative events. We studied the impact of both cardiac and noncardiac adverse events on 1-year disability-free survival after noncardiac surgery. METHODS: We used the study cohort from the Evaluation of Nitrous oxide in Gas Mixture of Anesthesia (ENIGMA-II) trial, an international randomized trial of 6992 noncardiac surgical patients. All were ≥45 years of age and had moderate to high cardiac risk. The primary outcome was mortality within 1 postoperative year. We defined 4 separate types of postoperative adverse events. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) included myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac arrest, and myocardial revascularization with or without troponin elevation. MI was defined using the third Universal Definition and was blindly adjudicated. A second cohort consisted of patients with isolated troponin increases who did not meet the definition for MI. We also considered a cohort of patients who experienced major adverse postoperative events (MAPEs), including unplanned admission to intensive care, prolonged mechanical ventilation, wound infection, pulmonary embolism, and stroke. From this cohort, we identified a group without troponin elevation and another with troponin elevation that was not judged to be an MI. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models for death at 1 year and assessments of proportionality of hazard functions were performed and expressed as an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: MACEs were observed in 469 patients, and another 754 patients had isolated troponin increases. MAPEs were observed in 631 patients. Compared with control patients, patients with a MACE were at increased risk of mortality (aHR, 3.36 [95% CI, 2.55-4.46]), similar to patients who suffered a MAPE without troponin elevation (n = 501) (aHR, 2.98 [95% CI, 2.26-3.92]). Patients who suffered a MAPE with troponin elevation but without MI had the highest risk of death (n = 116) (aHR, 4.29 [95% CI, 2.89-6.36]). These 4 types of adverse events similarly affected 1-year disability-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: MACEs and MAPEs occur at similar frequencies and affect survival to a similar degree. All 3 types of postoperative troponin elevation in this analysis were associated, to varying degrees, with increased risk of death and disability

Measurement of Suppression of Large-Radius Jets and Its Dependence on Substructure in <math display="inline"><mrow><mi>Pb</mi><mo>+</mo><mi>Pb</mi></mrow></math> Collisions at <math display="inline"><mrow><msqrt><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>N</mi><mi>N</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></msqrt><mo>=</mo><mn>5.02</mn><mtext> </mtext><mtext> </mtext><mi>TeV</mi></mrow></math> with the ATLAS Detector

International audienceThis letter presents a measurement of the nuclear modification factor of large-radius jets in sNN=5.02  TeV Pb+Pb collisions by the ATLAS experiment. The measurement is performed using 1.72  nb-1 and 257  pb-1 of Pb+Pb and pp data, respectively. The large-radius jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm using a radius parameter of R=1.0, by reclustering anti-kt R=0.2 jets, and are measured over the transverse momentum (pT) kinematic range of 158&lt;pT&lt;1000  GeV and absolute pseudorapidity |y|&lt;2.0. The large-radius jet constituents are further reclustered using the kt algorithm in order to obtain the splitting parameters, d12 and ΔR12, which characterize the transverse momentum scale and angular separation for the hardest splitting in the jet, respectively. The nuclear modification factor, RAA, obtained by comparing the Pb+Pb jet yields to those in pp collisions, is measured as a function of jet transverse momentum (pT) and d12 or ΔR12. A significant difference in the quenching of large-radius jets having single subjet and those with more complex substructure is observed. Systematic comparison of jet suppression in terms of RAA for different jet definitions is also provided. Presented results support the hypothesis that jets with hard internal splittings lose more energy through quenching and provide a new perspective for understanding the role of jet structure in jet suppression