No abstract

No abstract

Objective To determine the role of cognitive testing in predicting age-appropriate audiometric responses among children aged 30 to 42 months. Study Design Prospective. Setting Tertiary care audiology clinic. Subjects and Methods Subjects included primary English–speaking children aged 30 to 42 months. A certified pediatric audiologist performed the cognitive aspect of the Developmental Assessment of Young Children–Second Edition (DAYC-2). A second, blinded audiologist performed age-appropriate audiometry. The raw, age-equivalent, percentile, and standard DAYC-2 scores were compared by agreement between speech reception threshold (SRT) and pure tone average (PTA). Optimal DAYC-2 thresholds were also calculated for prediction of SRT-PTA agreement and assessed for sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. P < .05 was considered significant. Results Complete data were obtained from 37 children. The mean age was 34.9 months (95% CI, 33.5-36.2), and 15 (41%) were female. Among the 37 children, 24 (65%) and 13 (35%) underwent visual reinforcement audiometry and conditioned play audiometry, respectively. SRT-PTA agreement was seen in 32 (87%) tests. Mean DAYC-2 raw score grouped by SRT-PTA agreement was 39.4 versus 33.4 for nonagreement (2.8-9.3, P < .001). The mean age-equivalent score grouped by SRT-PTA agreement was 29.6 versus 23.0 for nonagreement (2.7-10.6, P = .002). Optimal cut points based on DAYC-2 scores achieved moderate overall prediction performance (area under the curve, 0.73-0.77) with a positive predictive value of 100%. Conclusion The DAYC-2 is a useful screen to identify children likely to complete an age-appropriate audiogram.

No abstract

Several selenoproteins, including the 15kDa selenoprotein (Sep15), are thought to have roles in both cancer prevention and promotion. Sep15 belongs to the group of stress‐related selenoproteins, and though its functional role continues to be elucidated, this oxidoreductase resides in the ER and is thought to be involved in reduction or isomerization of disulfide bonds. Little is known about factors regulating Sep15 expression. Our preliminary analyses indicated that some dietary polyphenols decreased Sep15 mRNA expression in human colon cancer HT29 cells. Because many of these flavonoids are known to affect Arylhydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) and/or NRF2‐regulatory pathways, expression of AHR and NRF2‐related genes are being investigated in Sep15‐deficient and ‐sufficient HT29 colon cancer cells to elucidate the potential regulatory mechanisms of Sep15. Analysis of previously published microarray data indicated that mRNA expression of AHR‐pathway‐related genes was significantly changed in HT29 cells lacking Sep15 compared to controls, including the AHR‐nuclear transporter, the AHR‐interacting protein, and heat‐shock protein 90. Comparison of the NCI‐60 cell lines through CellMiner analysis revealed that mRNA expression of Sep15 and AhR was negatively correlated (p<0.05). Furthermore, treatment of HT29 cells with the NRF2‐agonist, sulforaphane, did not increase Sep15 mRNA expression. Thus, in the current study, HT 29 control and shSep15 cells were exposed to 2,3,7,8‐Tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin (TCDD) or 5,6‐beta‐naphthoflavone to induce or inhibit the AHR‐signaling pathway. Gene expression is currently being assessed using qPCR and Western blotting. Preliminary analyses show that mRNA expression of TCCD‐induced CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 is significantly lower in Sep15‐deficient cells compared to controls. Independent of TCDD treatment, shSep15 cells also expressed a lower CYP1A2 mRNA expression than the control cells. Nuclear and cytosolic protein expression is currently being assessed. Preliminary results suggest that Sep15 may influence or be regulated by AhR‐dependent pathways, which may be important in regulation of colon carcinogenesis.Support or Funding InformationNational Cancer Institute Intramural support; Towson University Jess & Mildred Fisher Endowed Chair and a Faculty Development & Research Committee grant (PAT).