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The present study was undertaken to assess the knowledge and practices regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene among the navodaya school girls of Telangana. Using a descriptive analytical survey design and multistage sampling, the knowledge and practices on menstrual hygiene among 10 navodaya school girls 100 were identified. Among the respondents, 35% had poor knowledge, 77% had poor practice. About 49% had menstrual pattern disorders. 33% reported symptoms of urinary tract infection. Back pains (43%) were the predominant physical problems and anger (39%) was the major emotional problems. Statistically significant correlation existed between knowledge and practice. Statistically significant difference was observed in the knowledge scores on menstruation with respect to the educational level of the respondents education of their mother and monthly family income The practice of menstrual hygiene was significantly associated with age of the student and their standard of living index. The study concludes to mandate health education in schools by professional nurses, on menstruation and its hygienic management; community education on the scientific aspects of menstruation; and policy implementation towards the construction of girl friendly toilets in houses, schools and public places so that the nation becomes healthy and productive with empowered wo
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The quality of school education to a large depends on the quality of teachers. Teacher education is considered as an integral part of educational system and improvement in the quality of education. An Internship is an integrated component of practice teaching at advance level of teachers education programme. There are certain objectives of Internship programme for behavior modification of student teachers with special reference to develop teaching competency and positive attitude towards teaching profession. The research studies, the reflection of student teacher on the Internship programme with the lane of their actual attitude, aptitude with this programme and carried out with conclusion of Students' allover reflection/ opinion of the Internship programme. It can infer the present scenario of internship programme and its positive / negative reflections of students-teachers.
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Varmam- a discrete medical science and a great contribution of Siddhars to Tamil Nadu. It encompases Varma martial arts, Varma therapy, internal and external medicines. Varma therapy and medicines effectively treat neuro musculoskeletal conditions which is admirable. Shoulder pain is most common orthopaedic condition. It is the third common cause of musculoskeletal consultations in primary care. Approximately 1% of adult develops new shoulder pain annually. Common pathological conditions of shoulder like rotator cuff disorders and adhesive capsulitis etc exhibits similar clinical features like pain and stiffness of shoulder joint and restricted movements. Varma therapy rearranges and regulates the “Vaasi” and consequently helps to maintain the equilibrium of trihumours (Vatham, Pitham, Kapham). This review article explicates the Varma points for the treatment of shoulder pathological conditions, the exact anatomical location of Varma points and the appropriate method of its manipulation, certainly a key to further research articles.
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Background & objectives: Chest X-ray (CXR) is an important screening tool for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Accessibility to CXR facilities in difficult-to-reach and underserved populations is a challenge. This can potentially be overcome by deploying digital X-ray machines that are portable. However, these portable X-ray machines need to be validated before their deployment in the field. Here, we compare the image quality of CXR taken by a newly developed handheld X-ray machine with routinely used reference digital X-ray machine through the conduct of a feasibility study. Methods: A total of 100 participants with suspected pulmonary TB were recruited from the outpatient departments of a medical college and a community health centre in Agra. Each participant underwent CXR twice, once with each machine. Both sets of de-identified images were independently read by two radiologists, who were blinded to the type of X-ray machine used. The primary outcome was agreement between image qualities produced by these two machines. Results: The intra-observer (radiologist) agreements regarding the status of the 15 CXR parameters ranged between 74 per cent and 100 per cent, with an unweighted mean of 87.2 per cent (95% confidence interval: 71.5-100). The median Cohen’s kappa values for intra-observer agreement were 0.62 and 0.67 for radiologists 1 and 2, respectively. In addition, on comparison of the overall median score of quality of the image, the handheld machine images had a higher score for image quality. Interpretation & conclusions: The current study shows that a handheld X-ray machine, which is easy to use and can potentially be carried to any area, produces X-ray images with quality that is comparable to digital X-ray machines routinely used in health facilities.
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Recent research has shown a strong correlation between gut dysbiosis and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The purpose of this review is to investigate the relationship between gut dysbiosis, immune system activation, and the onset of AD and to examine current breakthroughs in microbiota-targeted AD therapeutics. A review of scientific literature was conducted to assess the correlation between gut dysbiosis and AD and the various factors associated. Gut dysbiosis produces an increase in harmful substances, such as bacterial amyloids, which makes the gut barrier and blood-brain barrier more permeable. This leads to the stimulation of immunological responses and an increase in cytokines such as interleukin-1? (IL-1?). As a result, gut dysbiosis accelerates the progression of AD. The review highlights the connection between gut dysbiosis and AD and the potential for microbiota-targeted therapies in AD treatment.
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We develop a lubrication approximation model, using the Herschel–Bulkley constitutive equation, with dimensionless flow parameters including the Bingham number, the power-law index, the buoyancy number, the viscosity ratio, the diameter ratio, the eccentricity and the aspect ratio. Based on a reasonable prediction to the yielding onset, the model allows us to classify the flow regimes versus an elegant combination of the dimensionless numbers. We study the injection flow of a heavy viscoplastic fiuid into a light Newtonian fiuid, via modelling and experiments. The injection is carried out downward, via an eccentric inner pipe inside a vertical closed-end outer pipe. This configuration results in a core viscoplastic fiuid surrounded by an annular Newtonian fiuid. The flow is structured and mixing is negligible. As the injection rate increases in a typical experiment, we observe three distinct flow regimes, associated with the core fiuid behavior, namely the breakup, coiling and buckling (bulging) regimes
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Objective@#Exacerbated inflammatory pathway has emerged as a predominant etiological construct of major depressive disorder (MDD). Innate immune molecules like complement proteins induce inflammatory responses and also regulate key neurobiological processes. However, there is a dearth of literature on the impact of critical complement proteins in MDD. Herein, plasma profiling of seven complement proteins was carried out to obtain a better insight into the role of the complement pathway in MDD. @*Methods@#Plasma levels of C1q, C3, C3b/iC3b, C4, Factor B, Factor H, and properdin were assayed in 22 patients with MDD and 27 healthy controls by multiplex suspension assay. The patients with MDD were diagnosed as per DSM IV-TR. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Montgomery Depression Rating Scale and Clinical Global Improvement were used for clinical assessments of the patients. The plasma levels of these complement proteins were also correlated with various clinical scores and phenotypes of MDD. @*Results@#The patients with MDD and healthy controls did not differ in terms of age and gender (p ＞ 0.1). The patients with MDD had a mean duration of illness of around 3 years, with average number of depressive episodes being 6 and the mean HAM-D score was 19. Of the seven complement components, the plasma levels of C1q, Factor B, and Factor H (p ≤ 0.05) were significantly elevated in MDD patients compared to healthy controls. However, the plasma levels of these complement proteins were not found to correlate with the clinical profile of MDD patients. @*Conclusion@#Both Factor B and Factor H are crucial in the induction and regulation of the alternative pathway of complement activation. The alternative pathway also plays a critical role in inflammation. These findings suggest an important role of the alternative complement pathway in immuno-inflammation in MDD.
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Siddha system granting preventive, curative and rejuvenating healthcare. According to Siddha system three humours- Vatham, Pitham and Kapham- mediate the body’s physiological function. Derangements of trihumour lead to diseases. Vatha diseases are the most common diseases presenting in Siddha hospitals nowadays. In Siddha system the primary goal of the treatment is to restore the balance of trihumours. The first and foremost treatment for Vatha disease is Bhedhi (purgation). The quote ‘BhedhiyaalVathamthaalum’ indicates purgation therapy will reduce Vatham. For this study the purgative drug Agasthiyarkuzhambu is used. Aim and Objective: To make a validation of purgation therapy to alleviate Vathaim balance. To describe purgation therapy in alleviate Vathaim balance by giving Agasthiyarkuzhambu to outpatient and inpatient Department, Govt. Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai. To observe the increased Vatha symptoms and Neikuri changes before and after treatment. Materials and methods: ANon randomized clinical trial was done with 40 patients, data were collected by interviewing with structured questionnaire about increased Vatha symptoms and samples of urine were collected to the analysis. The data will be analysed using SPSS. Results: Out of 40 patients, based on relief of Vatha symptoms 45% of cases reported good relief and 13% of cases reported better relief from their symptoms. In Neikuri before treatment 40% of cases had typical Vathaneikuri (fast, irregular, Aravu pol) and after treatment the Neikuri pattern changed to Pithavatham, Pitham and Kapham and only 10% of cases had Vathaneikuri. Neikuri and Vatha symptoms are better parameter for assessing alleviated Vatha imbalance in this study.
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As we approach the aftermath of a global pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2), the importance of quickly developing rapid screening tests has become very clear from the point of view of containment and also saving lives. Here, we present an explorative study to develop a telepathology-based screening tool using peripheral blood smears (PBS) to identify Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)-positive cases from a group of 138 patients with flu-like symptoms, consisting of 82 positive and 56 negative samples. Stained blood smear slides were imaged using an automated slide scanner (AI 100) and the images uploaded to the cloud were analyzed by a pathologist to generate semi-quantitative leukocyte morphology-related data. These telepathology data were compared with the data generated from manual microscopy of the same set of smear slides and also the same pathologist. Besides good correlation between the data from telepathology and manual microscopy, we were able to achieve a sensitivity and specificity of 0.83 and 0.71, respectively, for identifying positive and negative COVID-19 cases using a six-parameter combination associated with leukocyte morphology. The morphological features included plasmacytoid cells, neutrophil dysplastic promyelocyte, neutrophil blast-like cells, apoptotic cells, smudged neutrophil, and neutrophil-to-immature granulocyte ratio. Although Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and antibody tests have a superior performance, the PBS-based telepathology tool presented here has the potential to be an interim screening tool in resource-limited settings in underdeveloped and developing countries.
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Background: Usually for lower abdomen and lower limb short surgical procedures, spinal anaesthesia is a reliable and safe anaesthesia technique.2-chloroprocaine (2-CP) is an amino-ester local anaesthetic with a very short half-life. Adjuvants are required with short acting local anaesthetic for spinal anaesthesia to prolong analgesia. Aims and Objectives: The present study was conducted to analyse the effect of 2-CP alone and with fentanyl combination in spinal anaesthesia for short surgical procedures in terms of onset of block, adequacy of anaesthesia, analgesia and recovery. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in our hospital in 60 patients undergoing lower abdomen and lower limb short surgical procedures under spinal anaesthesia with either 2-CP or 2-CP and fentanyl (group I or group II) after randomisation into two groups. Spinal anaesthesia characteristics of sensory and motor block, duration of analgesia were noted and appropriate statistical analysis was performed. Results: The onset of sensory and motor block was faster in group II[5.00 ± 3.19 vs 7.156 ± 3.38 min. (p= 0.0138) and 8.03 ± 5.65 vs 11.03 ± 3.97 min. (p= 0.021)] than in group I, and duration of effective analgesia was prolonged in group II (147.63 ± 40.71 vs 130.40 ± 50.85 min with p value of 0.0002)as compared to group I. Eleven patients in group I required analgesic supplementation in the intraoperative period. Conclusion: The patients undergoing short surgical procedures of lower abdomen and lower limb under spinal anaesthesia with short acting local anaesthetic 2-CP with fentanyl as an additive provides rapid onset of sensory and motor block and prolonged duration of analgesia.
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Background: BMI is commonly used to classify obesity in adults. WC and WHR are considered as ac-ceptable measures of obesity. However in community settings these can be a time-consuming method. Instead, Neck circumference (NC) can be used to screen for obesity. Methodology: A cross sectional study among 310 study participants in rural field practice area of Karwar Medical College. Data was collected using pre designed semi structured questionnaire and an-thropometric measurements as per standard guidelines. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to assess correlation. NC cut off values were obtained from ROC. Results: In our study, the correlation of NC with BMI was highly correlated among both males(r=0.529), and females (r=0.565). Kappa statistics depicted moderate agreement with BMI males (κ = 0.512); fe-males (κ = 0.496) and NC. The cut-off values obtained for NC using ROC curve for males (35.5cm) and females (31.5cm) were statically significant associated in comparison to BMI to determine obesity in both males (χ2 = 58.57, and females (χ2 = 21.54). Conclusion: This study concluded that men with NC ≥ 35.5 cm and females with NC ≥ 31.5 cm are to be considered obese.
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Needle stick injuries (NSI) are occupational injuries in Health Care Workers (HCWs) on using sharps. Though there are more than 20 pathogens transmitted through NSI, human immune de?ciency virus (HIV), hepatitis B & C virus (HBV&HCV)[1] are of signi?cance due to grave complications and minimum available preventive measures. According to WHO, nearly 40% of HBV and 2.5% of HIV infections among HCWs is attributed to NSI[2]. The occurrence of NSI can be reduced if Standard Work Precautions are strictly adhered by all HCWs at all times and also by taking Post Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV & HBV within the golden period of 2 hour. This study is done to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of HCWs of various categories on NSI and PEP. A Self structured questionnaire was administered to the study population (n=307) including Post graduates, Interns, Staff nurses, Nursing students , Lab technicians, Lab technical students. There was 10 questions under three sections.1) KNOWLEDGE 2) ATTITUDE 3) PRACTICE . This study revealed that knowledge regarding transmission of all three viruses (HIV,HBV,HCV) was less among paramedics compared to medicos, but the practice of HBV vaccination is the same. 53.1% of HCWs had NSI in our study. Majority incurred NSI during recapping needles. Attitude of HCW after being exposed to report NSI is very low (30.7%). Though 37.5% of the respondents not aware of golden hour of PEP, most of them aware of initiating PEP within 72 hours of exposure . Applying disinfectants/pressure over exposed area (38.9%) & recapping (31.6%) is still prevalent among study population. And 20 % of the HCWs were not vaccinated against Hepatitis B yet.
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Introduction: A breast exam is a self-inspection of the breasts. During a breast exam, eyes used to see and hands to observe the appearance and feel the breast. Breast exams allow becoming more familiar with girls breasts. Materials and Methods: This study made use of an evaluative approach with one group pretest and post test design. The sample for the study sample comprised of 60 adolescent girls. A disproportionate purposive sampling technique was used to select 60 adolescent girls. The tool and STP were validated by 7 experts. Pre testing and reliability of the tool was established prior to pilot study. Pilot study was conducted among ten adolescent girls. this gave basis for the invigilator to conduct the actual study .the actual study was conducted among 60 adolescent girls .following the pretest, STP Was administered and post test was conducted seven days after the administration of STP. The obtained data was analyzed in terms of the objectives and hypothesis using descriptive and inferential statistics. Interpretation: The finding of the study showed that STP is an effective teaching strategy to increase knowledge of adolescent girls. Results: The finding of the study proved that adolescent girls lacked knowledge about breast self examination. The STP given by the investigator helped the adolescent girls to improve their knowledge and the finding showed that it is statistically significant at 0.05 level of significance.
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Background: Childhood and adolescence are critical stages of life for mental health. This is a time when rapid growth and development takes place. Half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases are undetected and untreated. Behavioural patterns of adolescents are not much ex-plored in India. In this study, we aim to assess the behavioural pattern and its correlates among adoles-cents in Karwar of Uttara kannada district, Karnataka. Methodology: It is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted on adolescents studying in Government Pre-University college of Karwar in the month of June and July 2019.The Strengths and Dif-ficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess the mental health status of adolescents. The total diffi-culties score is used to categorize adolescents as normal (0-15) and high [borderline (16-19) and ab-normal (20-40)]. Results: Although majority of adolescents were in the normal range, a significant number of adolescents were in borderline (18.4%) and abnormal (14.1%) SDQ scores. Binary logistic regression analysis shows that use of social media, abnormal emotional grade, conduct grade, hyperactivity grade, peer grade and impact grade were found statistically significant. Conclusion: Significant numbers of adolescents were in high range of SDQ scores and suffered from emotional, conduct, prosocial behaviour and hyperactivity problems.
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Cognitive decline is a late adverse event in brain tumor survivors. The patients receiving radiation treatment exhibit a wide range of damage and impairment in attention, memory, and executive function compared to the untreated group. After radiation treatment, various changes are observed in astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, white matter, and vasculature. The major affected areas are the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Neurogenesis impairment is one of the primary mechanisms responsible for cognitive dysfunction. Various cytokines and growth factors are responsible for inducing apoptosis of neural cells, which results in impaired neurogenesis in response to radiotherapy. Transforming growth factor (TGF-?) is one of the key cytokines released in response to radiation. TGF-? plays a major role in neuronal apoptosis through various pathways such as the MAP kinase pathway, JAK/STAT pathway, and protein kinase pathway. In contrast, activation of the ALK5 pathway via TGF-? improves neurogenesis. So, the current review article focuses on the detailed effects of TGF-? on neuronal cells concerning radiation exposure. This in-depth knowledge will help researchers focus more on the TGF-? pathway and come up with new treatment schedules which will help reduce cognitive dysfunctions in brain tumor patients produced as a result of radiation therapy.
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Background:COVID-19 pandemic has strained the health infrastructure globally, hence the importance of cost-effective biomarkers. We aimed to identify simple haematological prognostic markers in hospitalized COVID-19 patients to differentiate between milder and severe cases, thus predicting outcome.Methods:A retrospective study of COVID-19 patients admitted at MallaReddy institute of medical sciences was conducted from April to June 2021. Total leukocyte count (TLC), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived NLR ratio (dNLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were calculated and correlated with outcome. These parameters were compared with other inflammatory markers using ROC(receiver operator curve)analysis.Results:303 patients of 397 fulfilled the inclusion criteria (male-198, female-105). There was a significant higher mean of NLR in patients with death (14.46�84) compared to patients recovered (8.43�33), similarly the dNLR was higher in death (8.06�34) compared to recovered (4.97�49). A significant positive strength of association between the NLR and dNLR with the ESR, CRP, CORADS score and CT severity score in the patients. The ROC analysis showed the NLR (AUC=0.777) and dNLR (0.799) a better marker to predict the outcome.Conclusions:In COVID-19, immuno-haematological markers like NLR, dNLR, PLR found to be a simple and cost-effective tool to prognosticate the clinical outcome among hospitalized patients and were in concordance with the other inflammatory markers. Hence, these markers serve as better indicators in risk stratification and better management.
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Parkinson’s disease (PD) mainly affects the dopaminergic neuronal networks of the substantia nigra, which leads to both motor and nonmotor symptoms of the disease. Based on the reports from the previous studies, 95% of the cases are presented along with olfactory dysfunction. The relevant publications from 2002 to 2021 were searched and shortlisted using PubMed and Google Scholar. In this review, we have discussed the correlation between olfactory dysfunction and PD. Olfactory damage presents earlier than the motor symptoms. Because there are no current methodologies for the early detection of PD, olfactory dysfunction can be used as a potential marker for the early detection of PD and hence paving the way for better therapeutic approaches.
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Objective: To explore the anticoagulant, antiplatelet and antioxidant activities of protein extract of kenaf seed (PEKS). Methods: Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography techniques were employed for protein characterization. Antioxidant activity of PEKS was assessed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The protective effect of PEKS on sodium nitrite (NaNO 2) induced oxidative stress was evaluated using the in vitro red blood cell model, while the effect of PEKS on diclofenac-induced oxidative stress was examined in vivo in rats. Platelet-rich plasma and platelet-poor plasma were used for anticoagulant and antiplatelet activities of PEKS. Results: PEKS revealed similar protein bands on SDS-PAGE under reduced and non-reduced conditions. Several acidic proteins were present in native PAGE. PEKS showed antioxidant properties by scavenging DPPH with an IC 50 of 24.58 μg. PEKS exhibited a protective effect on NaNO 2 induced oxidative stress in red blood cells by restoring the activity of stress markers. In addition, PEKS alleviated diclofenac-induced tissue damage of the liver, kidney, and small intestine. PEKS showed an anticoagulant effect in both in vivo and in vitro experiments by enhancing normal clotting time. PEKS did not affect prothrombin time but increase activated partial thromboplastin time. Furthermore, PEKS inhibited adenosine diphosphate and epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation. Conclusions: PEKS protects tissues from oxidative stress and exhibits antithrombotic activity.
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Objective: To explore the anticoagulant, antiplatelet and antioxidant activities of protein extract of kenaf seed (PEKS). Methods: Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography techniques were employed for protein characterization. Antioxidant activity of PEKS was assessed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The protective effect of PEKS on sodium nitrite (NaNO 2) induced oxidative stress was evaluated using the in vitro red blood cell model, while the effect of PEKS on diclofenac-induced oxidative stress was examined in vivo in rats. Platelet-rich plasma and platelet-poor plasma were used for anticoagulant and antiplatelet activities of PEKS. Results: PEKS revealed similar protein bands on SDS-PAGE under reduced and non-reduced conditions. Several acidic proteins were present in native PAGE. PEKS showed antioxidant properties by scavenging DPPH with an IC 50 of 24.58 μg. PEKS exhibited a protective effect on NaNO 2 induced oxidative stress in red blood cells by restoring the activity of stress markers. In addition, PEKS alleviated diclofenac-induced tissue damage of the liver, kidney, and small intestine. PEKS showed an anticoagulant effect in both in vivo and in vitro experiments by enhancing normal clotting time. PEKS did not affect prothrombin time but increase activated partial thromboplastin time. Furthermore, PEKS inhibited adenosine diphosphate and epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation. Conclusions: PEKS protects tissues from oxidative stress and exhibits antithrombotic activity.
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ABSTRACT Purpose The initial-fit provided by the hearing aid manufacturer's software is generally a display of measurement done in the ear simulators. The need for verification of hearing aid output and gain in the real ear using probe-microphone measurement to match the prescriptive target is highlighted. The objective of the study was to evaluate the difference in real-ear aided response (REAR), real-ear insertion gain (REIG), aided thresholds, articulation index (AI) and word recognition score (WRS) in quiet, with hearing aid programmed to NAL-NL1 first-fit and NAL-NL1 optimized-fit using the probe-microphone technique. Methods In a repeated measure experimental design, 11 participants with a mean age of 41.09 (SD=±9.95) years having moderate and moderately-severe sensorineural hearing loss were tested monaurally in two aided conditions, with a 16-channel hearing aid programmed for manufacturer's NAL-NL1 first-fit and optimized-fit to NAL-NL1 using probe-microphone verification. The REAR, REIG, aided threshold, articulation index and word recognition scores in quiet were obtained for both aided conditions. Results The REAR, REIG, aided threshold, AI and WRS in quiet were significantly better with the NAL-NL1 optimized-fit compared to manufacturer's NAL-NL1 first-fit. Conclusion The optimized-fit yields better audibility and improved word recognition in quiet. This supports best practice guidelines of many professional organizations regarding the use of probe-microphone measurement as the "Gold standard" for verification of hearing aid fitting, thereby providing better satisfaction and quality of life to hearing aid users.