PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R O Cook

Publications and source records attributed to R O Cook.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1982

Brainstem-evoked responses of guinea pigs exposed to high noise levels in utero.

Pregnant guinea pigs were exposed to loom room noise at 115 dB A for 7.5 hr/day for various periods during the last one-third of pregnancy. When the hearing of their offspring was tested by auditory brain stem-evoked response techniques at 6-dB intervals, peak IV latencies of exposed pups were found to be significantly longer than those of otherwise similar control pups. The latency differences corresponded to a 5-dB increase in stimulus at medium stimulus levels and 10-12 dB near threshold. The results indicate that it is possible for noise-induced loss to occur in utero in mammals whose auditory maturation process is complete, or nearly so, before birth.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Comparison between the effects of continuous and impact noise on cochlear potentials in guinea pigs.

Cochlear microphonics (CM), action potentials (AP), and endocochlear potential (EP) were recorded from anesthetized, immobilized guinea pigs during potential (EP) were recorded from anesthetized, immobilized guinea pigs during and following 20 min periods of noise exposure. Changes in cochlear potentials were compared in guinea pigs exposed to continuous broadband noise or mechanically generated impact noise of equal energy content. Over a range of continuous noise levels from 95 to 105 dB SPL it was found that continuous noise produced less suppression of CM and a greater suppression of AP than did impact noise of equal energy. A reduction of EP did not accompany CM suppression with either type of noise exposure. Suppression of CM and AP was also compared in guinea pigs with chronically implanted round window electrodes. In these preparations, AP was suppressed to a similar extent by impact and continuous noise of equal energy, but CM was suppressed to a significantly greater extent by impact noise. The data from both series of experiments indicate that the suppression of cochlear responses is not predicted by an "equal energy" rule when impact and continuous noise are compared.

Acoustics↗
PubMed1981

Comparison of acoustically coupled and mechanically coupled speech.

Phonetically balanced work lists were mechanically coupled onto the ossicular chain of anesthetized guinea pigs by piezoelectric-type drivers and the resulting cochlear microphonic (CM) recorded on magnetic tape. Similar recordings of the CM resulting from free field tympanic membrane stimulation by hi-fi speakers were also obtained. The recordings were compared by conventional discrimination testing. In discrimination testing of all the raw recordings, listeners achieved essentially perfect scores. Addition of masking noise sufficient to reduce mean discrimination scores to 65-70% revealed no significant discrimination differences. When piezoelectrically initiated, CM-derived lists were compared with similar lists passed through hearing aids in an anechoic chamber, the preference of a panel of listeners for the quality of mechanically coupled speech was significantly higher. Mechanical-acoustical displacement equivalency at normal physiological levels and freedom from mechanical-electrical artifact were demonstrated by measurement of ossicular chain displacement by a fiber optic lever displacement transducer.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Embryotoxicity of various noise stimuli in the mouse.

Different noise exposure paradigms were studied to determine their teratogenic and embryo-fetotoxic potential in the CF-1 mouse. Female mice were exposed from days 1-6 or from days 6-15 of gestation to one of three noise exposure paradigms which differed widely in level, spectral, and temporal characteristics. Paradigms for noise exposure were chosen to represent semi-continuous exposure to extremely high-intensity noise (jet engine noise at 126 dBA, from noon to midnight); to represent startling type noise composed of alarm bells, jet engine noise, or narrow band warning devices at 110 dBA, with pseudorandom onset and duration of each controlled by a microprocessor (exposure time of 18% over each 24 hour period); and finally to represent very high frequency noise (18-20 kHz tones, derived from a device commercially marketed for repelling rodents, with exposure from noon to midnight). On day 18 of gestation the females were sacrificed, their reproduction status determined, and the concepti were examined for toxicity and for external, visceral, and skeletal alterations. Maternal plasma corticosterone levels were measured at different periods of gestation. Significantly decreased pregnancy rate was noted in all groups exposed to noise except in the group exposed to the very high frequency noise from days 6-15 of gestation. Significant embryolethal effects occurred in the group exposed to the extremely high intensity jet noise paradigm, from days 1-6 of gestation, and significant fetolethal effects occurred in the group exposed to the very high frequency noise paradigm from days 6-15 of gestation. No significant noise-related changes were noted in the incidence of structural alterations or in the concentration of plasma corticosterone.

Animals↗
PubMed1968

New ventilated isolation cage.

A multifunction lid has been developed for a commercially available transparent animal cage which permits feeding, watering, viewing, long-term holding, and local transport of laboratory rodents on experiment while isolating the surrounding environment. The cage is airtight except for its inlet and exhaust high-efficiency particulate air filters, and it is completely steam-sterilizable. Opening of the cage's feed and water ports causes an inrush of high velocity air which prevents back-migration of aerosols and permits feeding and watering while eliminating need for chemical vapor decontamination. Ventilation system design permits the holding in adjacent cages of animals infected with different organisms without danger of cross-contamination; leaves the animal room odor-free; reduces required bedding changes to twice a month or less, and provides investigators with capability to control precisely individual cage ventilation rates. Forty-eight cages can be conveniently placed on a standard NIH "shoebox" cage rack (60 inches wide x 28 inches deep x 74 inches high) fitted with a simple manifold exhaust system. The entire system is mobile, requiring only an electrical power outlet. Principal application of the caging system is in the area of preventing exposure of animal caretakers to pathogenic substances associated with the animal host, and in reducing handling of animals and their exposure to extraneous contamination.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Embryotoxicity of broadband high-frequency noise in the CD-1 mouse.

The teratogenic and embryofetotoxic potential of a broad band of high-frequency (16-42 kHz), high-intensity (110 dB sound pressure level), temporally uniform noise was evaluated in CD-1 mice. The frequency band of the noise overlapped the most sensitive region of the mouse's auditory system. The exposure period (d 6-15) included the period of major organogenesis. Decreased fetal weight, pregnancy rate, and increased late-stage fetal mortality were observed in the offspring of exposed dams, but the statistical significance of these effects was low (p less than 0.1).

Animals↗