METHODS OF RESEARCH OF THE FUNCTIONAL CONDITION OF THE VESTIBULAR APPARATUS IN CHILDREN WITH SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS

The article considers research methods and features of the functional state of the vestibular apparatus and vestibular disorders in children with sensorineural hearing loss. We used the methods of analysis, generalization and systematization of data from domestic and foreign literature sources on methods of studying the vestibular apparatus in children with sensorineural hearing loss. It was determined that the function of balance and coordination of movements is one of the most complex, and consists of several analyzers - visual, vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile. When studying the physical development of children with this pathology, attention is paid to the formation of the main static-dynamic and coordination capabilities according to the age of the child. In children with congenital sensorineural deafness, and especially double deafness, there are signs of vestibular insufficiency and impaired translational control, movement and gait. This affects the development of gross motor functions, such as sitting and walking, to a lesser extent affects fine motor skills, if there are no layers of other pathologies of the central nervous system. The pathological process in the auditory analyzer changes the function of the vestibular apparatus, due to their close location in the labyrinth and innervation by one cranial nerve, and in turn changes in the vestibular apparatus contribute to the formation of motor disorders. Therefore, we can observe a certain general principle of operation of the auditory and vestibular systems. At children who have low vestibular stability any turns, inclinations, sharp change of a direction of movement causes imbalance of coordination and balance of movements. All these delays in physical development, according to many authors, are cumulative in character and are caused by the hearing defect itself, insufficient information from the environment, difficulty expressing thoughts and desires verbally, as well as the state of the motor analyzer and vestibular activity. Children with hearing impairment have an insufficient level of coordination development, physical development, static and dynamic balance, spatial orientation. Researches of the vestibular apparatus, namely the functions of coordination and balance are carried out in several categories: the research of tonic vestibular reactions, coordination of movements and static and dynamic balance. Researches of tonic vestibular reactions are performed on the following tests: the test with outstretched arms, Vodak-Fisher test, pointing test Barani, finger-nose test, Holmagi test. Researches of static and dynamic equilibrium are carried out on the samples of Romberg, Grahe, Oppenheim, walking in a straight line. When analyzing these samples, we can talk about the degree of violation of coordination and stato-dynamic balance. As a result of vestibular compensation, children with sensorineural deafness can catch up with their peers with normal hearing with the help of visual and somato-sensory systems, pyramidal and extra-pyramidal systems.

Origins of Vertigo

The words for vertigo: ‘dinos’, ‘ilinggous’ ,‘skotomatikoi,’ date back to the classical period of Plato and Hippocrates. They were followed by the Latin ‘vertigine’ and ‘scotomia’. Excessive heat or blood in the brain was the original causes of vertigo, followed by Galen’s vaporous pneuma. Not until Flourens demonstration of circling movement in pigeons in which he had destroyed the semicircular canals, and Brown-Séquard’s observation of vertigo in man after syringing the ear with cold water, did the vital role of the vestibular apparatus appear. Subsequent syndromes described by Ménière and Bárány showed the role of the inner ear in causing vertigo in man.

Study of secondary postrotary nystagmus in adolescents

When studying the vestibular apparatus of healthy adolescents by the method of electronistagmography after a rotational test, 23 of 36 adolescents revealed secondary nystagmus. Secondary nystagmus was often observed and was more pronounced to the left. Its duration exceeded the duration of primary nystagmus, but the intensity in terms of frequency, amplitude and speed of the slow phase was much less. Secondary nystagmus was closely associated with latent spontaneous nystagmus. The latter has always been accompanied by prolonged secondary nystagmus in the same direction. Detection of prolonged unilateral secondary nystagmus should obviously have the same significance for issues of professional suitability as the detection of latent spontaneous nystagmus.

The evolution of the vestibular apparatus in apes and humans

Phylogenetic relationships among extinct hominoids (apes and humans) are controversial due to pervasive homoplasy and the incompleteness of the fossil record. The bony labyrinth might contribute to this debate, as it displays strong phylogenetic signal among other mammals. However, the potential of the vestibular apparatus for phylogenetic reconstruction among fossil apes remains understudied. Here we test and quantify the phylogenetic signal embedded in the vestibular morphology of extant anthropoids (monkeys, apes and humans) and two extinct apes (Oreopithecus and Australopithecus) as captured by a deformation-based 3D geometric morphometric analysis. We also reconstruct the ancestral morphology of various hominoid clades based on phylogenetically-informed maximum likelihood methods. Besides revealing strong phylogenetic signal in the vestibule and enabling the proposal of potential synapomorphies for various hominoid clades, our results confirm the relevance of vestibular morphology for addressing the controversial phylogenetic relationships of fossil apes.

GRAVITATIONAL FACTOR AS A BASE OF THE EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTATION OF ANIMAL ORGANISMS TO ACTIVITIES IN THEEARTH CONDITIONS

A review of the currently available ideas about the role of gravitational factor in the activity of the sensorimotor and cardiovascular systems, as well as new fundamental problems and questions for space medicine and physiology, is presented. The review presents data on the embryogenesis of animals under conditions of weightlessness, the evolution of the motor and cardiovascular systems and the peculiarities of their functioning under conditions of gravity, as well as in the change of gravitational load. Much attention is paid to the results of unique studies in modeling gravitational unloading on Earth: antiorthostatic hypokinesia, dry immersion and suspension, which made it possible to study the mechanisms of regulation of various body systems under conditions of altered gravity. Terrestrial organisms have learned to function in the gravitational field. Almost all systems of their body are gravitationally dependent. However, the extent and mechanisms of this dependence have long remained unclear. Space flights have opened up the possibility of studying the activity of living systems in the absence of gravity. Among the factors mediating the effect of weightlessness on the motor system, changes in the activity of sensory systems occupy an important place. Under the Earth conditions, the afferent support of motion control systems is polyreceptive: this is vision, and the vestibular apparatus, supporting and muscular afferentations. In zero gravity, the activity of some channels is completely eliminated (support afferentation), others are distorted (vestibular apparatus), and still others are weakened (proprioception). Similar processes occur in the cardiovascular system: with the loss of the pressure gradient caused by gravity, profound changes occur in the structure and functioning of the heart and vessels, both resistive and capacitive. The question of how much the various changes occurring in the cardiovascular system are associated with the disappearance of the gravitationally dependent pressure gradient is still open. It is not possible to solve all the problems of gravitational physiology In space flights. Therefore, various methods have been developed for simulating gravitational unloading on Earth. New data on the mechanisms of changes occurring in the sensorimotor system were obtained by comparing flight data and data obtained in model experiments. The fundamental problem for the gravitational physiology of cardiovascular system is the degree of correspondence of the changes observed in laboratory animals and under model conditions (antiorthostatic hypokinesia, immersion, suspension) with the changes that are recorded in real space flight in humans. This problem is specially discussed in the review. At the same time, in the light of the upcoming interplanetary expeditions, many questions remain unresolved, in particular, the problems of post-flight readaptation of the motor and cardiovascular systems to gravity conditions. This is a fight against loss of strength, endurance, orthostatic instability. The development and improvement of a system for preventing the negative effects of space flight factors is impossible without understanding the mechanisms of development of the observed changes.

Shooting sports as the means of professional-applied physical training at maritime University

Training specialists of water transport at maritime University presents a complex of knowledge and skills. They are necessary for the specialists in order to fulfill their professional duties. Apart from special subjects an important stage of training becomes professional-applied physical training. Its complexes are formed from different kinds of sport or during going in for professional-applied kinds of sport and provide professionally important qualities development, which define during professiograms creation according to each specialty. During water transport specialists’ professiograms analysis it is seen that the general professionally important qualities are vestibular apparatus steadiness and statokinetic resistance. These qualities help specialists of water transport realize their job duties during pitching. One of the kinds of sport, the effectiveness of which depends on statokinetic resistance, is shooting sports. Shooting sports is a separate kind of sport, but as a kind of sport it is included into the complex of marine all-round competitions. Marine all-round competitions are professional-applied kind of sport for the specialists of water transport. They provide necessary professionally important qualities development. Shooting sports is the means of the following things development: statokinetic resistance, the ability to focus attention, psycho-emotional resistance. It is important during extreme situations. The conclusion, received as a result of scientific works analysis, helps to define the place of this kind of sport in the training diagram of marine all-round athletes, for getting the effect of positive transfers in the training process.