The hearing sensitivity in singing cicadas is reduced during sound production by a folding of the tympanal membranes. Using electrophysiological recording and nerve stimulation techniques, we have shown an effect of the folded tympanum on the auditory threshold of two species of cicadas, Tibicen linnei and Okanagana rimosa. Auditory thresholds of both species increased by about 20 dB when the t...

We describe a new species, Fejervarya muangkanensissp. nov., based on a series of specimens collected from Ban Tha Khanun, Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. The new species is easily distinguished from its congeners by morphological and molecular data, and can be diagnosed by the following characters: (1) small size (adult male snout-vent length (SVL) 33.5 mm; female SVL...

role in alerting us to nearby activities, in the appreciation of music, and especially in human communication. Airborne sounds vibrate the tympanum, which transmits the oscillations successively to the malleus, incus, and stapes of the middle ear. Moving like a piston, the last of these miniscule bones alternately increases and decreases the pressure within the cochlea, a chickpea-sized organ t...

Osteocephalus festae is an Amazonian species recently resurrected from a synonymy with Osteocephalus buckleyi. Because few specimens are known, its morphological variation, diagnostic characters, and distribution are poorly understood. Herein we determine its phylogenetic relationships and provide a complete taxonomic account based on recently collected specimens (adults and larvae) from nine l...

A new species of the genus Pristimantis is described from Churi tepui, in the Chimanta massif, Estado Bolivar, Venezuela. The new species was discovered during the Muchimuk Expedition 2009, an ongoing speleological exploration of the Charles Brewer cave system, the largest sandstone cave on Earth. The species is known from only one female, collected near the mouth of the Muchimuk cave, in "non-...

Background. Acute otitis media [AOM] may affect the accuracy of tympanic temperature measurements. We aimed to compare tympanic temperature measurements in patients with AOM against control groups, as well as compare the tympanic temperatures with axillary thermometry. Methods. This is a prospective, observational study. Patients from pediatric outpatient and emergency clinics who were diagnose...

OBJECTIVE When performing transcanal myringoplasty under a microscope, the total circumference of the perforation can be difficult to confirm in patients where the external ear canal is narrow and/or protruded. In such patients, a retroauricular incision approach is usually used. However, we have developed a transcanal endoscopic myringoplasty procedure, and the microscopic and endoscopic views...

introduction: tympanoplasty is a standard procedure to repair tympanic membrane perforation. the aim of this study is to evaluate the results of tympanoplasty (hearing improvement and tympanic membrane closure rate) in patients suffering from chronic perforation of the tympanic membrane by considering the prognostic factors.  materials and methods: in a prospective study, based on the results o...