Although deaf children depend upon sight for communication, retinitis pigmentosa is present in 6 per cent of those with a profound hearing deficit. Usher syndrome type 1 (USH-1) is an autosomal recessive disease characterised by profound hearing impairment, absent vestibular function, and progressive loss of vision due to retinitis pigmentosa. Owing to the severe handicap of the combined disorders

Seventy-nine consecutive patients, 70 patients with acoustic neurinomas (ACN) and 9 patients with cerebello-pontine angle tumours of other etiology (o-CPA) were analysed with respect to tumour size and the result of the caloric and oculomotor tests. The size of the tumour was judged by the largest diameter calculated from the computerized tomography. A highly significant linear relationship betwee

The molecular characterization of recurrent chromosome aberrations in the early 1980s laid the foundation for gene fusion detection in cancer. This approach remained the unrivalled method to identify fusion genes for a quarter of a century and led to the detection of more than 700 neoplasia-associated fusion genes. The advancement of deep sequencing in the mid-2000s revolutionized the search for c

BACKGROUND: In patients with sinus rhythm and normal atrioventricular conduction, pacing only the left ventricle with appropriate atrioventricular delays can result in superior left ventricular and right ventricular function compared with standard biventricular (BiV) pacing.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a novel adaptive cardiac resynchronization therapy ((aCRT) algorithm for CRT pacing that provides auto

Background: Commercially available software for cardiovascular image analysis often has limited functionality and frequently lacks the careful validation that is required for clinical studies. We have already implemented a cardiovascular image analysis software package and released it as freeware for the research community. However, it was distributed as a stand-alone application and other researc

BACKGROUND: The amount of resources, particularly prepaid resources, available for health can affect access to health care and health outcomes. Although health spending tends to increase with economic development, tremendous variation exists among health financing systems. Estimates of future spending can be beneficial for policy makers and planners, and can identify financing gaps. In this study,

BACKGROUND: An adequate amount of prepaid resources for health is important to ensure access to health services and for the pursuit of universal health coverage. Previous studies on global health financing have described the relationship between economic development and health financing. In this study, we further explore global health financing trends and examine how the sources of funds used, typ

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Psychological symptoms can be associated with celiac disease; abstract however, this association has not been studied prospectively in a pediatric cohort. We examined mother report of psychological functioning in children persistently positive for tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies (tTGA), defined as celiac disease autoimmunity (CDA), compared with children without C

A short peripheral intravenous catheter or cannula (PIVC) is frequently used to deliver chemotherapy in oncology practice. Although safe and easy to insert, PIVCs do fail, leading to personal discomfort for patients and adding substantially to treatment costs. As the procedure of peripheral catheterization is invasive, there is a need for greater consistency in the choice, insertion and management

Honeybees face many parasites and pathogens and consequently rely on a diverse set of individual and group-level defenses to prevent disease. The crop microbiota of Apis mellifera, composed of 13 Lactic Acid Bacterial (LAB) species within the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, form a beneficial symbiotic relationship with each other and the honeybee to protect their niche and their host. Po

Taxation is a key activity of any state and a constant point of political struggle. The structure of taxation is continuously changing and evolving, and its size has grown dramatically during the last two hundred years. Many of the cross-national patterns we observe today are the result of centuries old conflicts and challenges, hence we need to take history into account if we want to understand c

The past few decades have seen an increasing demand for environmental information on which to make more informed decisions, strengthened by several international calls for improving available environmental information. In a democratic South Africa, the involvement of people in policy and decision-making processes has led to an even greater need for accessible information. In response to this deman