To evaluate the changes of ABR values in hyperbilirubinemic newborns, 85 cases with severe jaundice (total bilirubin levels over 16 mg/dL and direct bilirubin less than 2 mg/dL) were selected from those admitted to Children's Medical Center by simple sampling method. These infants had no other problem except jaundice. ABR was taken before treatment in all cases and in some (10 cases) after exchange transfusion or phototherapy as treatment modalities. 41 neonates (48%) had abnormal ABR values, such as increased hearing threshold, prolonged latencies of waves I, III & V (p- value<0.05), prolonged interpeak latencies of I-V & 111-V (p-value<0.05), absence of waves and abnormal wave morphology. These findings could be indicative of both peripheral (8th nerve) and brain stem disturbances. After treatment ABRs showed improvement in some aspects, such as latencies of waves I, III & V (p value<0.05), but not in interpeak latencies (I-Ill, III-V & I-V) and hearing thresholds. In accordance with previous studies, there was no association between serum total bilirubin concentration and ABR test results. This could be interpreted as low significance of serum total bilirubin as a criterion for early prediction of bilirubin induced encephalopathy.

ntroduction: Jaundice is a commen prablem in newborns and clinical presentations resulting from early stages of hyperbilirubinemia toxicity. ABR is useful test to recognize the primary brain stem encepholapathy. This study has been carried out with the objective of evaluating the ABR in recognizing hearing disorders in newborns suffering from Jaundice.Material and Methods: In this study, we describe ABR obtained in 60 full term newborns, with birth weight more than 2500 gr,and Bilirubin concentration Between 18-54mg/dl without immune hemolysis and hearing disorder risk factor, from march 2005 until January 2006. ABR was carried out before commencing therapy ,While first ABR was abnormal, repeated ABR was done after treatment exactly after 3 months.Results: In this study, sixty newborns were evaluated by ABR for detecting early hearing disorder. Mean weight were 3000±250 gr, Gestational age 38±1 weekes, bilirubin concentration 36 mg/d.l±9 (18-54 range).17 patients had abnormal ABR pretreatment, and 12 patients done normal ABR second evalution after treatment (Bili: 26±3), 5 patients had persistent abnormal (mean Bili: 43±5). ABR abnormalities includes latencies wave I,III,V and loger duration interpeaks I-V,I-III and III-V. (Mean values of ABR latencies when compared with a group of normal babies as a control group were significantly increased before treatment, but returned to normal value after treatment (P=0.001).Conclusions: Our study proved that newborns with serum bilirubin ranging from 18 to 54 mg/dl would be increase in ABR waves I,III,V and also increase in interpeak I-III,III-V,I-V that may be irreversible in those infants with bilirubin more than 32 mg/dl.

Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a common and preventable cause of sensoryneural hearing impairment, which can cause difficulties in the development of speech and communication. This study was conducted to detect the toxic effect of hyperbilirubinemia on the brain stem and auditory tract in neonates with icterus admitted to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 98 neonates with increased indirect bilirubin admitted to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan during 2014-2015. The patients were referred to Matini Hospital for the assessment of the auditory brainstem response (ABR); wave latency and interpeak intervals of the waves were also evaluated. According to the serum bilirubin level, the neonates were allocated into two groups; one group had a serum bilirubin level of 13-20 mg/d and another group had a bilirubin level more than 20 mg/d.Results: From 98 neonates, 26 (26.5%) had a bilirubin level more than 20 mg/d and 72 (73.5%) had a bilirubin level of 13-20 mg/d. Also, 46.1% of the neonates in the first group (bilirubin>20 mg/d) and 2.8% of the neonates in the second group (bilirubin 13-20 mg/d) had abnormal ABR (P<0.0001). There was a significant difference between the mean latency time of III and V waves and the interpeak intervals of I-III, I-V, and III-V waves in neonates of the two groups (P<0.05).Conclusion: An increased indirect bilirubin level (>20 mg/d) can cause an auditory processing disorder in neonates. So, performing ABR for screening and early detection of bilirubin toxicity can be recommended as a necessary audiologic intervention in all cases of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

Landfill leach ate is one of the most contaminated wastewaters. Because of the widespread use of municipal landfills for final disposal of solid waste, there is an increasing concern over their public health and environmental hazards. In this study, the landfill leach ate of city of Shiraz was successfully treated using an ABR system of 4 compartments with a capacity of 64 litters volume and a hydraulic retention time of 4 days. COD removal efficiencies of 82.38, 85.19, 82.53, 82.22, and 80.12 per cent were achieved for organic loading rates (OLR) of 1.2, 2, 3, 5, and 7.75 kg COD/m3/day, respectively. Sampling and test results revealed that the highest activity of acid genesis bacteria belonged to the 1st compartment with the least amount of pH=6.54. It was shown that due to the formation of ammonia alkalinity in the reactor, there was a slight increase in the alkalinity of leach ate with the maximum effluent amount of 6291 mg/l (as CaCO3) in OLR=7.75 kg COD/m3/day. In this study, hydrodynamic characteristics and biological performance of an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) was also investigated. Residence time distribution (RTD) test with step input method was carried out on ABR. According to the graphs and theoretical model results, the number of CFSTRs was equal to the number of the ABR compartments (N=4).

The anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) is a modification of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. In this staged reactor biomass retention is enhanced by forcing the water flow through several compartments. This reactors has several advantages such as simple design, low HRT, less sludge which over well developed than systems such as the UASB and the anaerobic filter. The literature survey shows that there are novel reactors such as MABR, PABR, SFABR, GRABBR based on ABR design concept. This review article concerning the development, applicability and possible future application of these reactors for wastewater treatment is presented.

Since years bygone, the brain had been the focus of considerable debate and controversy and the fears of declaring death had always been a dilemma. For a long time, this presumption prevailed that the only subtle sign of death was putrefaction and rigor mortis (2). In the presence of cardiac activity, the permanent loss of cerebral function, manifested clinically by the absence of purposeful responsiveness to external stimuli, cephalic reflexes, apnea, and an isoelectic electroencephalogram for at least 30 minutes in the absence of hypothermia and poisoning by central nervous system depressants indicate cerebral death. The ABR test can be an indicator of preserved brainstem function in difficult clinical situations and has been utilized in brain-dead patients (3,4). Absence of ABR waves II through V despite a normal wave I indicates a significant lack of function in brain stem auditory tracts. This clinical trial was conducted on 62 male (30-75 years)who were in comatosed state. The ABR were clear and reproducible in comatosed patients in whom brain death was not documented, whereas these responses were not recordable in brain dead-patients.The latter finding was confirmed using preclinical monitors such as EEG, Cerebral angiography and CT Scan.

The anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) includes a mixed anaerobic culture separated into compartments and a novel process with a series of vertical baffles at each compartment. It dose not require granulation for its operation, resulting in shorter start-up time. In this study, the feasibility of the ABR process was investigated for the treatment of wheat flour starch wastewater. Simple gravity settling was used to remove suspended solids from the starch wastewater and used as feed. Start-up of a reactor (13.5L with five compartments) using a diluted feed of approximately 4500 mg/L chemical oxygen demand (COD) was accomplished in about 9 weeks using seed sludge from the anaerobic digester of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The reactor with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 72 h at 35°C and an initial organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.2 kgCOD/m3.d showed a removal efficiency of 61% COD. The best reactor performance was observed with an organic loading rate of 2.5 kgCOD/m3.d (or hydraulic retention time of 2.45 d) when a COD conversion of 67% was achieved. The main advantage of using an ABR comes from its compartmentalized structure. The first compartment of an ABR may act as a buffer zone to all toxic and inhibitory materials in the feed and, thus, allows the later compartments to be loaded with a relatively harmless, more uniform, and mostly acidified influent. In this respect, the later compartments would be more likely to support active populations of the relatively sensitive methanogenic bacteria.

Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, as a very common problem in neonatal period, can lead to kernicterus which is a common cause of neuro-sensory hearing loss and an avoidable cause of deafness. The aim of this study was to detect toxic effect of severe hyperbilirubinemia on brain stem and auditory tract before and after exchange transfusion (ET) by Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR).Methods: ABR were measured in 12 full term newborns with severe hyperbilirubinemia (case) and 12 non-icteric full term neonates (control). Total bilirubin concentration in jaundiced cases was ≥ 20mg/dl and direct bilirubin≤ 2mg/dl. ABR was performed before, 6 days and 3 months after ET. Birth weight, gestational age and age on admission were 3066 ± 477gr, 39 ± 1.4 weeks, and 4.25± 3.1 days respectively. None of the newborns showed clinically symptoms and signs of bilirubin encephalopathy. Data are analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Two neonates did-not show ABR waves before ET, these appeared after ET. The mean latencies time of wave V of ABR before, after and at 3 months of age was 7.53 ± 0.34, 7.43 ± 0.33, 6.99 ± 0.29 milliseconds (P<0.001) respectively. This showed marked improvement. The mean inter-peak -Intervals (IPI) of waves III-V were 2.58 ± 0.19, 2.65 ± 0.19, 2.32 ± 0.16 respectively (P<0.009) and the IPI of waves I-V were 5.38 ± 0.29, 6.16 ± 0.32, 4.84±0.28 (P<0.004) respectively. This means shortening of IPI after ET. Conclusion: Our results suggest that bilirubin neurotoxicity rapidly disappears after ET. Therefore, we recommend ABR for screening and early detection of bilirubin ototoxicity for necessary audiological intervention in all cases of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

Azo compounds are molecules with one or more azo (-N=N-) bridges linking substituted aromatic structures. They represent the largest class of dyes used in textile-processing and other industries. In the textile industry, about 15 percent of the dyestuff annually consumed in the dying process finds its way into plant effluent. Release of these compounds into the environment is undesirable because many azo dyes and their products are toxic and/or mutagenic to life. There are several physicochemical and biological methods for dye removal in aquatic environments. Removal of azo dyes in biological systems is based on anaerobic reduction of azo dyes and then mineralization of aromatic amines by aerobic systems. ABR is an anaerobic reactor with a high organic load consisting of 3 to 8 compartments across which wastewater flows. It is the aim of this investigation to study the dye and COD removal efficiencies of the ABR system. An ABR reactor with a capacity of 13.5 L and a retention time of 24 hours was used in this study. After starting up, seeding, and loading with synthetic wastewater, Reactive Red 2 (commonly used in the textile industry) was introduced into the ABR reactor. Following the start-up period, dye and COD removal efficiencies of the reactor were assessed by measuring COD and dye concentrations in the flow using standard methods. Results showed that average dye removal efficiency in the anaerobic baffled system was 89.5 percent while that of COD removal was 54.5 percent. The higher dye removal efficiency of the anaerobic systems is due to their ability to break up azo bonds. It was also revealed that increasing influent dye concentration did not have any considerable effect on COD removal efficiency. The highest dye removal percentage was observed in the primary compartment of the reactor.