Do language and verbal reasoning skills in adolescents with 10 or more years of cochlear implant experience?
Results of this study support the provision of CIs to children at the youngest age possible. In addition, it highlights the substantial role that cognition plays in later language outcomes. Although the students' use of sign to enhance language skills during the elementary years does not appear to have a negative impact on later language skills, students who continue to rely on sign to improve their vocabulary comprehension into high school typically exhibit poorer English language outcomes than students whose spoken language comprehension parallels or exceeds their comprehension of speech + sign. Overall, the language results obtained from these teenagers with more than 10 yrs of CI experience reflect substantial improvement over the verbal skills exhibited by adolescents with similar levels of hearing loss before the advent of CIs. These optimistic results were observed in teenagers who were among the first in the United States and Canada to receive a CI. We anticipate that the use of improved technology that is being initiated at even younger ages should lead to age-appropriate language levels in an even larger proportion of children with CIs.
AngII inhibited AMPK activity and reduced PGC-1α and TFAM expression (thereby inhibiting mitochondrial biogenesis) and impaired ULK1 activation and autophagy (thereby also inhibiting clearance of damaged mitochondria), resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction, decreased ATP, and wasting. Knockdown of PP2Cα normalized AMPK activity, PGC-1α, NRF1, and TFAM levels and blocked AngII inhibition of ULK1, leading to improved mitochondrial biogenesis/recycling/function, energy production, and inhibition of AngII-induced wasting. These results demonstrate novel effects of AngII on cellular metabolism that are likely critical in mediating the muscle wasting that is a hallmark of CHF.