Correspondence Between Cognitive and Audiological Evaluations Among the Elderly: A Preliminary Report of an Audiological Screening Model of Subjects at Risk of Cognitive Decline With Slight to Moderate Hearing Loss

Epidemiological studies show increasing prevalence rates of cognitive decline and hearing loss with age, particularly after the age of 65 years. These conditions are reported to be associated, although conclusive evidence of causality and implications is lacking. Nevertheless, audiological and cognitive assessment among elderly people is a key target for comprehensive and multidisciplinary evaluation of the subject's frailty status. To evaluate the use of tools for identifying older adults at risk of hearing loss and cognitive decline and to compare skills and abilities in terms of hearing and cognitive performances between older adults and young subjects, we performed a prospective cross-sectional study using supraliminal auditory tests. The relationship between cognitive assessment results and audiometric results was investigated, and reference ranges for different ages or stages of disease were determined. Patients older than 65 years with different degrees of hearing function were enrolled. Each subject underwent an extensive audiological assessment, including tonal and speech audiometry, Italian Matrix Sentence Test, and speech audiometry with logatomes in quiet. Cognitive function was screened and then verified by experienced clinicians using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Score, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and further investigations in some. One hundred twenty-three subjects were finally enrolled during 2016-2019: 103 were >65 years of age and 20 were younger participants (as controls). Cognitive functions showed a correlation with the audiological results in post-lingual hearing-impaired patients, in particular in those affected by slight to moderate hearing loss and aged more than 70 years. Audiological testing can thus be useful in clinical assessment and identification of patients at risk of cognitive impairment. The study was limited by its sample size (CI 95%; CL 10%), strict dependence on language, and hearing threshold. Further investigations should be conducted to confirm the reported results and to verify similar screening models

Allelochemical stress inhibits growth, leaf water relations, PSII photochemistry, non-photochemical fluorescence quenching, and heat energy dissipation in three C3 perennial species

In this study, the effect of two allelochemicals, benzoxazolin-2(3H)-one (BOA) and cinnamic acid (CA), on different physiological and morphological characteristics of 1-month-old C3 plant species (Dactylis glomerata, Lolium perenne, and Rumex acetosa) was analysed. BOA inhibited the shoot length of D. glomerata, L. perenne, and R. acetosa by 49%, 19%, and 19% of the control. The root length of D. glomerata, L. perenne, and R. acetosa growing in the presence of 1.5 mM BOA and CA was decreased compared with the control. Both allelochemicals (BOA, CA) inhibited leaf osmotic potential (LOP) in L. perenne and D. glomerata. In L. perenne, Fv/Fm decreased after treatment with BOA (1.5 mM) while CA (1.5 mM) also significantly reduced Fv/Fm in L. perenne. Both allelochemicals decreased ΦPSII in D. glomerata and L. perenne within 24 h of treatment, while in R. acetosa, ΦPSII levels decreased by 72 h following treatment with BOA and CA. There was a decrease in qP and NPQ on the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth days after treatment with BOA in D. glomerata, while both allelochemicals reduced the qP level in R. acetosa. There was a gradual decrease in the fraction of light absorbed by PSII allocated to PSII photochemistry (P) in R. acetosa treated with BOA and CA. The P values in D. glomerata were reduced by both allelochemicals and the portion of absorbed photon energy that was thermally dissipated (D) in D. glomerata and L. perenne was decreased by BOA and CA. Photon energy absorbed by PSII antennae and trapped by ‘closed’ PSII reaction centres (E) was decreased after CA exposure in D. glomerata. BOA and CA (1.5 mM concentration) decreased the leaf protein contents in all three perennial species. This study provides new understanding of the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of action of BOA and CA in one perennial dicotyledon and two perennial grasses. The acquisition of such knowledge may ultimately provide a rational and scientific basis for the design of safe and effective herbicides

Operation Allelopathy: An Experiment Investigating an Alternative to Synthetic Agrochemicals

Synthetic herbicides represent a serious problem in modern agriculture because they are not biodegradable and can accumulate in the soil and in the groundwater, a situation that allows them to enter the trophic chain and ultimately leads to human exposure. Allelopathic chemicals offer an effective alternative to the synthetic compounds. The aim of this experiment is to highlight the differences between chemical and biological control of diseases in crops and to demonstrate the use of natural fungicides and herbicides as alternatives to synthetic chemicals. The experiment involves an evaluation by students of the potential of plant extracts as an alternative to synthetic agrochemicals to identify new ecological farming techniques that could be applied in agriculture. In an effort to encourage 1800 students in high school (14 to 16 years old) to have an interest in science, technology, and innovation, the third edition of the Summer Science Campus was organized by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports with support from the foundation Obra Social “la Caixa”

Estimating reference evapotranspiration for the climatic conditions of south-eastern Albania

5 pages, 1 figure, 1 table, 9 references.In this paper we compare measured reference evapotranspiration (ETo) with calculated reference evapotranspiration in the experimental field of the Soil Science lnstitute ofTirana, close to the city of Korça (south-eastern Albania, 41º 35' N 20º 46' W, and 899 m above sea level). The reference crop was grass 0.08-0.15 m high. We used a drainage lysimeter to measure ETo and we calculated ETo by four different equations: Penman, FAO-24 Penman, Penman-Monteith and a modified Penman equation. We used data from 1982 to 1992, averaged on a ten-day basis, for making linear regression analysis, using measured ETo as dependent variable and calculated ETo as independent variable. Results showed that the PenmanMonteith model fitted the calculated values better. The Penman and modified Penman equations tended to over estimate the measured ETo whereas the FAO-24 Penman equation tended to underestimate it.Peer reviewe

Impact of Soil Salinity on Barley Allelopathic Potential and Main Secondary Metabolites Gramine and Hordenine

Crop allelopathy is a useful tool in integrated weed suppression. Although the abiotic stresses affect the produced secondary metabolites, the impact of soil salinity on crop allelopathic potential under field conditions has not been investigated. So, the effect of soil salinity on the allelopathic activity of 18 allelopathic barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties was investigated. The allelopathy of barley grown on saline and non-saline soils was investigated during a 2-year field experiment using the Perlite-based bioassay with rigid ryegrass (Lolium rigidum L.) as plant indicator. The two main allelopathic substances in barley, gramine and hordenine, were determined using the high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The results indicated that rigid ryegrass germination and root length were adversely affected by the barley aqueous extracts. The secondary metabolite gramine was detected in greater concentrations than those of hordenine. For most barley varieties, soil salinity reduced the phytotoxicity of aqueous extracts, as well as the concentration of gramine. However, gramine and hordenine were not highly correlated with the barley extract phytotoxicity, indicating the possible involvement of other allelopathic substances. In conclusion, the barley allelopathic potential probably decreases in soils with high salinity. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature