Association between obstructive apnea syndrome during sleep and damages to anterior labyrinth: Our experience

The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a chronic condition characterized by frequent episodes of collapse of the upper airways during sleep. It can be considered a multisystem disease. Among the districts involved, even the auditory system was seen to be concerned. It was enrolled a population of 20 patients after polysomnographic diagnosis of OSAS (Apnea Hypopnea Index > 10) and a control group of 28 healthy persons (Apnea Hypopnea Index < 5). Each patient has been subjected to Pure Tone Audiometry, Tympanometry, study of Acoustic Reflex, Otoacoustic Emissions and Auditory Brainstem Response. Moreover they were submitted to endoscopy of upper airway with Muller Maneuver and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The values of ESS was 13.5 in OSAS group and 5.4 in control group. The tone audiometry is worse in all frequencies analyzed in OSAS patients, but within the normal range for both groups analyzed by 250 to 1000 Hertz. Otoacoustic emissions show a reduced reproducibility and a lower signal/ noise ratio in OSAS group (P <0.01)

Progressive contour coding in the wavelet domain

This paper presents a new wavelet-based image contour coding technique, suitable for representing either shapes or generic contour maps. Starting from a contour map (e.g. a segmentation map or the result of a contour extraction operator), this is first converted in a one-dimensional signal. Coordinate jumps among different contour extremities are converted, if under a suitable threshold, into signal discontinuities which can be compactly represented in the wavelet domain. Otherwise, the exceeding discontinuities are coded as side information. This side information is minimized by an optimized contour segment sequencing. The obtained 1D signal is decomposed and coded in the wavelet domain by using a 1D version of an improved implementation of the SPIHT algorithm. This technique can efficiently code every kind of 2D contour map, from one to many unconnected contour segments. It guarantees a fully embedded progressive coding, state-of-art coding performance, good approximation capabilities for both open and closed contours, and visually graceful degradation at low bit-rates

Management of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of lateral semicircular canal by Gufoni's manoeuvre

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) of lateral semicircular canal (LSC) is one of the rarer forms of BPPV as compared to posterior semicircular canal BPPV. Various particle repositioning manoeuvres have been described in the literature as a mode of treating this condition Purpose: Evaluation and discussion of the procedure of the Gufoni\u2019s manoeuvre and its advantages in the treatment of BPPV of LSC Material and methods: Prospective study of 58 patients affected by LSC BPPV who where office-treated with Gufoni\u2019s manoeuvre Results: Seventy-nine percent of the patients so treated had complete resolution of symptons, and 6,9% did not show any improvement in their symptoms. The remaining 13,8% had a conversion into posterior semicircular canal BPPV during treatment and were successfully treated with Epley\u2019s or Semont\u2019s manoeuvre. Conclusions: Gufoni\u2019s manoeuvre is effective in treating patients suffering from BPPV of LSC; it is simple to perform; there are not many movements to execute, it needs low timeof positioning, and positions are comfortable to the patien

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS): effects on the vestibular system

Aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) on the peripheral and central vestibular system, by means of a case series prospective study at the University referral centre of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery; 45 consecutive patients suffering from OSAS were compared with a control group of 30 volunteer subjects selected from among the department employees. Severity of the disease was evaluated by means of cardio-respiratory function monitoring during sleep; the apnoea-hypopnoea index was calculated. Both groups underwent: 1) head and neck examination; 2) fibre-optic examination; 3) pure tone audiometry; 4) evaluation of eye movement disorders using oculomotility tests recorded with the help of video-nystagmography; 5) caloric vestibular responses recorded with video-nystagmography; 6) auditory brainstem response. Results, when evaluating our data, showed that the peripheral vestibular system may become asymmetric due to hypoxic damage while the central vestibular system corrects this disequilibrium

Physicochemical parameters and antibiotics residuals in Algerian honey

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the quality of 36 samples of different honey type supplied by local producers from Algeria in order to verify its compliance with the standards of Codex Alimentarius and  European Union (EU). For that, five physicochemical parameters were  analyzed using the HPLC method: hydroxyl-methyl furfural (HMF), sugars, diastase activity and search of antibiotic contamination with streptomycin and tetracycline. The physicochemical analyses of the Algerian honeys show that 56% of samples correspond to Codex standards and 44% not in  conformity with the standards required by the Codex Alimentarius and EU, because part of the samples had one or more defects. The percentage not in conformity was due to the high rates of hydroxyl-methyl furfural, sucroseand also to the low enzyme level. Analysis performed by the laboratory to detect residues of tetracycline and streptomycin in honey have revealed insignificant traces of oxytetracycline in two samples of honey (0.03 ppb). From the present study, it is observed that the Algerian honey samples is not completely in agreement with the requirements of international honey standards which could be caused by inappropriate actions during processing and storage steps.Key words: Honey quality, sugar, diastase activity, hydroxymethylfurfural, antibiotic residues

Application of a non-targeted approach by Flash Gas Chromatography-E-nose to discriminate the geographical origin of virgin olive oils

One of the fraudulent practices often applied in the olive oil sector concerns the mislabelling of the geographical origin of the products. In order to ensure that consumers are not mislead, the European Union issued a regulation concerning the definition of specific rules for the indication of geographical origin in the label (EU Reg. 29/2012). Beyond the compulsory traceability, the application of specific analytical techniques could be a useful tool to verify the conformity between the product and the information reported on the label. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Flash Gas Chromatography-E-Nose, an instrument that combines functionality of electronic nose and ultra-fast GC, for the evaluation of the geographical origin of virgin olive oils (VOOs). For this purpose, more than 150 VOOs, different for their geographical origin (from single EU countries, such as Spain, Italy and Greece, and from single extra-EU countries, such as Tunisia, Turkey and Morocco) were collected and analyzed. Subsequently, a chemometric elaboration applied, with a non-targeted approach, to the chromatographic traces was realized. This permitted to build a model able to satisfactorily discriminate samples according to their geographical origin. This work is developed in the context of the project OLEUM \u201cAdvanced solutions for assuring authenticity and quality of olive oil at global scale\u201d, funded by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 Programme (2014\u20132020, GA no. 635690). The information expressed in this abstract reflects the authors\u2019 views; the EC is not liable for the information contained therein

Children preferences of coloured fresh cheese prepared during an educational laboratory

Choices among young consumers are mainly driven by food preferences; in particular, a connection between appearance and acceptance of food has been highlighted, together with a general lack of knowledge of food processing. For these reasons, educational activities are important to increase scientific knowledge and awareness. The cheese-making educational laboratory described herein involved children, adolescents, and their parents/teachers in the preparation of fresh and naturally-coloured cheeses. At the end of the activity, both the colour preference and possible relation between preference and colour of cheese prepared were investigated administering a short questionnaire