For that, plasma cortisol and melatonin concentrations, pineal melatonin concentrations, pineal traits (weight and volume), density and volume of pinealocytes (immunolabelled with synaptophysin) and if interstitial astrocyte-like cells (immunolabelled with the GFAP) were assessed in 32 Verata goat kids, 4 day old at the beginning of the experiment, early weaned (when they were 6 day old, n = 16) or not weaned (n = 16) whose half of them in each group were implanted with melatonin for 28 days. Whereas the cortisolemia was significantly higher in early-weaned kids that in not weaned ones, the Selisistat melatonin concentrations in plasma and in the pineal tissue were dramatically reduced. Moreover,

the pineal morphology (weight LB-100 chemical structure and volume) and pinealocyte and interstitial cell density and volume were also markedly depressed when kids were early weaned. The melatonin treatment has partially restored the morphology and function of the pineal gland and reduced the cortisolemia in stressed kids while it has globally no effect in the not weaned animals. These results indicated that melatonin implantation could play an important role in the improvement of the pineal function and indirectly in the regulation of the cortisol secretion in stressed (early weaned) goat kids.”
“The aim

of this clinical study was to assess speech recognition in noise after cochlear implantation in subjects with single-sided deafness and incapacitating tinnitus. 20 subjects complaining of severe intractable tinnitus unresponsive to treatment received a MED-EL cochlear implant (CI). 11 subjects had normal hearing (NH group) on the contralateral side, while 9 used a hearing aid (HA group). The subjects were tested in noise in two listening conditions, i.e. with their acoustic hearing only and with adding the CI to the acoustic hearing (binaural). Subjective improvement in daily life was evaluated using the Speech Spatial and Qualities Hearing Scale (SSQ). The summation effect (3.3 dB for the HA group and 0.6 dB for the

NH group) is not significant in both groups. A significant squelch effect of adding the CI was seen for the HA users (3.8 dB), but not for the NH group (1.2 dB). Additionally, a significant effect of adding the CI was found AZD6094 in vivo for the spatial configuration where noise is presented in front and speech on the CI side for both the HA group (6.5 dB) and the NH group (1.7 dB). Results of the SSQ show a significant overall benefit of wearing the CI for both groups. The preliminary results of these 20 subjects suggest that cochlear implantation can improve hearing in people suffering from single-sided deafness combined with tinnitus. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“Organisation in eusocial insect colonies emerges from the decisions and actions of its individual members.