PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L van Wyk

Publications and source records attributed to L van Wyk.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Speech discrimination by elderly hearing instrument users.

This study investigates the influences of aging on the speech discrimination abilities of elderly hearing instrument users. A survey method was used and thirty subjects, with the same degree of peripheral hearing loss, were divided into two groups of fifteen persons each. Group 1 consisted of elderly hearing instrument users who experienced little or no speech discrimination problems while group 2 consisted of persons with severe speech discrimination problems. The Synthetic Sentence Identification test, the Staggered Spondaic Word test and phonemically balanced words with an ipsi-competitive speech noise, were used to ascertain their speech discrimination capabilities in different listening situations. The elderly also completed a self-evaluation scale. The results of the study indicate that the aging process and changes in central auditory processing contribute to the complexity and diversity of elderly hearing instrument user's speech discrimination problems. The results also stress the importance of comprehensive intervention programmes for elderly hearing instrument users.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Cervical carcinoma associated with pregnancy.

Because of the uncommon synchronous occurrence of pregnancy and invasive cervical carcinoma, this disease entity remains poorly understood. In addition inconsistent reporting has precluded meaningful meta-analysis. About 1 in 2000 pregnancies are associated with cervical cancer and pregnancy is a complication in approximately 3 percent of patients with cervical cancer. There is little evidence to suggest that the pregnancy has an influence on prognosis. Although not firmly established, vaginal delivery may have an adverse effect on outcome. Timing of delivery must be individualized inasmuch as there is a role for delaying treatment in order to achieve fetal lung maturity. Surgery and radiotherapy should be utilized in the same stage-dependent manner as in nonpregnant patients but management should be individualized and undertaken by a multidisciplinary team. These and other issues are discussed more fully in this review.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Ureolytic bacteria in sheep rumen.

Estimates were made of the numbers of viable bacteria in the rumens of sheep receiving different rations. Representative colonies were isolated and tested for urease production. Some urease-positive isolates were characterized and identified. The ureolytic activities of the urease-producing isolates were determined and compared with the activity of rumen fluid. The rations fed to the sheep did not exert a significant influence on the relative numbers of the urease-producting organisms in the rumen. No obligately anaerobic ureolytic bacteria were found. All urease-positive isolates were facultatively anaerobic, Gram-positive, catalase-positive cocci. Out of ten isolates, nine were identified as Staphylococcus saprophyticus and one as Micrococcus varians. The total urease activity of the different isolates based on the lowest numbers in which they were present in the rumen, compared favourably with the urease activity of rumen fluid. The facultatively anaerobic Gram-positive cocci were probably responsible for a large proportion of the urease activity of the rumen fluid. Conditions prevailing in the rumen were found to be conducive to urease production by the isolates tested.

Anaerobiosis↗