The Bonebridge system – Our clinical experience /Case report/

Introduction: Bone conduction implants are a standard treatment option for patients with conductive or mixed, hearing loss. The Bonebridge system was introduced by MED-EL in 2012, and two years after its debut, it was used in more than 200 centers worldwide (6). For the first time the Bonebridge system was implanted in Bulgaria in 2015 by associated professor P. Rouev. The main audiological criteria for placement is conductive hearing loss, which is caused by atresia of the auditory canal or diseases of the middle ear with preserved bone conduction (below 45 dB), as well as unilateral hearing loss above 70 dB (contralateral hearing loss not more than 20 dB). The system does not penetrate the skin and consists of an internal part - an implant, which is placed completely under the skin, and an external part - a processor. The acoustic signal from the environment is transformed into mechanical vibrations that are transmitted to the mastoid bone. The expected results are an improved hearing threshold and better hearing in noisy environments.Methods: Our clinical experience with the Bonebridge system is based on three operated patients aged between 56 and 73 years. All three patients had evidence of bilateral conductive hearing loss. Here we present one of these cases.Results: Test results showed significant improvement in hearing sensitivity especially in frequencies round 1000 Hz.Conclusions: Bone conduction implants such as the Bonebridge system are an excellent treatment option for patients with bilateral conductive deafness. Bonebridge has good hearing results, relative simplicity, and low rate of complications. Experience has shown that the Bonebridge system is easy to use and highly reliable. The use of Bonebridge conduction implant system leads to a significant improvement in the quality of life

The subgroup identification problem for finitely presented groups

We introduce the subgroup identification problem, and show that there is a finitely presented group G for which it is unsolvable, and that it is uniformly solvable in the class of finitely presented locally Hopfian groups. This is done as an investigation into the difference between strong and weak effective coherence for finitely presented groups.Comment: 11 pages. This is the version submitted for publicatio

Monte Carlo simulation of electron kinetics in a hollow cathode discharge

A kinetic model is reported computing the electron behavior in a hollow cathode discharge based on the Monte Carlo technique. It is a part of the PLASIMO modelling toolkit. The model allows the electrons to be closely followed while they travel and undergo collisions in the discharge. The Monte Carlo modulewas applied to the case of a HCD used as an excitation medium of atoms obtained by laser ablation. Results are obtained on the electron energy distribution function and the mean electron energy under typical discharge conditions. The output data and future development of the model and its applications are analyzed and discussed

Monte Carlo simulation of a sputtering hollow-cathode discharge for laser applications

We report on a kinetic model that computes the electron behaviour in a hollow cathode discharge. It is a part of the PLASIMO toolkit and is based on a Monte-Carlo technique. The model is tested by varying the input parameters and by comparing the output with the output obtained by the freeware Boltzmann equation solver BOLSIG+. The results show that the Monte-Carlo model gives reliable information about the behavior of the electrons in the discharge. The Monte-Carlo module is applied to the case of a hollow cathode discharge for laser applications. Analysis of the output data and its adequateness is done. Future developments of the model are discussed

Статистическое исследование факторов, определяющих доходы пенсионной системы Российской Федерации

In this article factors influencing the state and development of the pension system of the country are defined. Analysis of the structure and dynamics of the income of the state pension fund, including distribution of contributions to compulsory pension insurance by regions of the Russian Federation is carried out. Multidimensional classification of regions by aggregated factors defining the level of pension system revenues is proposed.В статье определены факторы, оказывающие влияние на состояние и развитие пенсионной системы страны. Проведен анализ структуры и динамики доходов государственного пенсионного фонда, в том числе распределение взносов на обязательное пенсионное страхование по субъектам Российской Федерации. Предложена многомерная классификация регионов по агрегированным факторам, определяющим уровень поступления доходов в пенсионную систему

Silver zeolite-loaded silicone elastomers: a multidisciplinary approach to synthesis and antimicrobial assessment

A multidisciplinary approach has been applied to the preparation of antibacterial Ag zeolite/silicone elastomer composites aimed at products that satisfy a range of requirements, namely good mechanical properties after zeolite incorporation and strongly antibacterial. Zeolite X was synthesised and used as antibacterial agent after ion-exchange with silver. The high level of silver (14 wt%) within the zeolite enabled the preparation of antibacterial composites containing a relatively low level of zeolite (2 wt%). The composites showed strong efficacy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Organic functionalization of the zeolite with organo-silanes prior blending with the matrix usefully improved composite mechanical properties and reduced color development in Ag zeolite containing silicone elastomers. Organo-silane modification did not substantially affect the antibacterial performance of the materials; the number of viable cells of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was reduced to beyond detection limits within 24 hours of incubation. Efficacy of the Ag zeolite containing composites against the yeast Candida albicans was found to be substantially less than observed with the two bacteria. This study demonstrates that evaluation of polymer composites needs to be performed via a multidisciplinary approach in order to avoid compromising a particular aspect of the materials' design, characteristics or performance, including the use of reliable testing methods to determine the latter

Диагностирование когнитивного развития детей через оценку разделенной интенциональности в биотехнической системе

Introduction. Recent research shows that up to 17 % of children are diagnosed with cognitive developmental disorders. Early identification of developmental delay in children allows an earlier onset of treatment with greater efficiency. However, the modern diagnostic approach has limitations associated with the problem of correctly assessing behavioral markers of children. This classical assessing approach depends on specialists’ professionalism of and parents' competence in reporting the issue timely and informatively.Aim. Developing a computerized methodology and algorithm for estimating shared intentionality in mother-child dyads; designing a biotechnical system for the early diagnosis of a lag in children's cognitive development.Materials and methods. We analyze our own previous research, in which: 1) the goal was to measure the intellectual activity of a group while stimulating their shared intentionality; 2) the independent variable was the intellectual task; 3) the stimuli of shared intentionality were described. The method employs the mathematical apparatus of measurement theory, systems theory, and statistical methods of analysis.Results. The developed biotechnical system uses specific software for diagnosing cognitive delay in children during a 15-minute test. Two factors of the biotechnical system impact the object of assessment: an electromagnetic field for stimulating shared intentionality and an intellectual test. The system's software instantly provides the assessment results to the user (specialist or parents) in the form of recommendations understandable even to a non-specialist – it saves this database in a convenient form for further storage and processing.Conclusion. The advantage of the method is its unbiased computerized assessment, which can also diagnose subjects online, conversely to the classical approach based on behavioral markers. Another advantage of the assessment method is the possibility of diagnosing a lag in children's cognitive development at an earlier age, which does not yet imply verbal communication.Введение. До 17 % детей диагностированы с нарушениями когнитивного развития. Выявление задержки развития детей на раннем этапе позволяет осуществлять раннее лечение с большей эффективностью. Современная диагностика имеет ряд ограничений, связанных с проблемой корректной оценки маркеров поведения детей. Классический метод зависит от квалификации специалистов и способности родителей своевременно выявить и информативно сообщить о проблеме.Цель работы. Разработка компьютеризированной методики и алгоритма оценки разделенной интенциональности в парах мать–ребенок, создание биотехнической системы ранней диагностики отставания когнитивного развития детей.Материалы и методы. Анализируются собственные исследования, в которых целью являлось измерение интеллектуальной деятельности группы при стимулировании их разделенной интенциональности; независимой переменной было интеллектуальное задание; описаны стимулы разделенной интенциональности. Применен математический аппарат теории измерений, теории систем и статистического исследования зависимостей.Результаты. Создана биотехническая система, использующая программное обеспечение для диагностики когнитивного отставания детей в течение 15-минутного квиц-теста. Два фактора воздействия биотехнической системы на объект оценки: электромагнитное поле для стимуляции разделенной интенциональности и интеллектуальный тест. Результаты оценки предоставляются пользователю (специалисту или родителям) моментально в форме рекомендаций, понятных неспециалисту, и в форме базы данных, удобной для дальнейшего хранения и обработки.Заключение. Преимущество метода – в объективности компьютеризированной оценки, диагностирующей объект также онлайн, в отличие от классического подхода, основанного на маркерах поведения детей. Еще одно преимущество метода оценки заключается в возможности диагностирования отставания когнитивного развития детей в более раннем возрасте, который еще не предполагает вербальной коммуникации

Evaluation of the in vitro bee venom release and skin absorption from bioadhesive gel formulation

Topical and transdermal drug delivery are one of the most suitable alternative, non-invasive routes for administration of drugs in clinical practice mainly due to the increased patient compliance and reduced systemic drug side effects. Many drug products applied to the skin surface may penetrate to some extent into the skin layers, where their effects are expected, as for example, topical formulations for the treatment of different local skin disorders. Also, significant concentrations of drug could be absorbed by the body regions close to the site of delivery, where regional effects are expected, for e.g., in the muscles, local blood vessels and articulations. Arthritis is a systemic, autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of joints. Inflammatory cytokines cause activation of the macrophages which leads to swelling of joints, damage to cartilage, bone erosion , functional impairment and stiffness. Bee venom (BV) contains a variety of peptides, including melittin, apamin, adolapin, the mast-cell degranulating peptide, enzymes (phospholipase [PL] A2), biologically active amines (histamine and epinephrine) and nonpeptide components with anti�inflammatory, anti-arthritis, anticoagulant, antimicrobial, anticancer and anti-nociceptive properties. Melittin, a major peptide component of BV shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti�arthritis properties and inhibitory activity on nuclear factor kappaB which is involved in the synthesis of inflammatory mediators and may be essential for the treatment of arthritis using BV. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of crude BV as an active ingredient, as well as to evaluate the in vitro release and skin absorption of BV from a designed topical gel formulation