A colored line flanking a darker contour will appear to spread its color onto an area enclosed by the line (watercolor effect). The watercolor effect has been characterized as an assimilative effect, but non-assimilative color spreading has also been demonstrated in the same spatial configuration; e.g., when a black inner contour (IC) is paired with a blue outer contour (OC), yellow color sprea...

STUDY OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to assess the accuracy of Family Practitioner Committee (FPC) lists for identifying very elderly people registered with general practitioners. DESIGN The accuracy of available FPC lists was checked against the most recent electoral register to determine which recorded individuals were still living at their FPC registered addresses. This was followe...

In an animal model, we examined the extratympanic electrocochleographic response to static pressure changes (middle-ear pressure and intracranial pressure [ICP]) with attention to the summating potential (SP), action potential (AP), and the SP/AP ratio. With a closed middle ear, raised or lowered middle-ear pressure and raised or lowered ICP resulted in congruent increases of the SP and the SP/...

The inner ear is a highly specialized mechanosensitive organ responsible for hearing and balance. Its small size and difficulty in harvesting sufficient tissue has hindered the progress of molecular studies. The protein components of mechanotransduction, the molecular biology of inner ear development and the genetic causes of many hereditary hearing and balance disorders remain largely unknown....

INTRODUCTION Cat scratch disease is an infectious disease transmitted by young cats, in which the principal causative factor is Bartonella henselae. The typical course of cat scratch disease is usually benign and self-limited and requires only supportive therapy. However, cases lasting up to 2 years have been reported, and more serious complications may occur. Many manifestations of the disease...

Due to the physics of magnetic fields and forces, any single magnet will always attract or pull-in magnetically-responsive particles. However, there are a variety of clinical needs where it is advantageous to be able to push away or ‘magnetically inject’ therapeutic particles. Here we focus on magnetic injection to treat inner-ear diseases. The inner ear is behind the blood-ear barrier, meaning...

OBJECTIVE To investigate steroids for their potential for therapeutic approaches to control otitis media. Glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids have differential effects on inflammation and fluid absorption, but little is known of their control of middle and inner ear manifestations of acute otitis media. DESIGN Both glucocorticoid (prednisolone and dexamethasone) and mineralocorticoid (aldo...