International Journal of Audiology最新文献

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic changed working conditions globally, posing specific challenges for individuals with hearing loss related to the change in work-related communication patterns. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of remote work and hearing loss status on well-being and communication before, during, and after the pandemic.

Design: This cross-sectional, retrospective survey utilised a self-administered online questionnaire addressing well-being and communication at work, both social and work-related.

Study sample: The sample included 220 adults (aged 18-89) who worked during the pandemic and had self-reported, diagnosed, or perceived, hearing loss.

Results: Remote work was associated with fewer communication challenges compared to on-site work across the sample. While general well-being declined across the sample during the pandemic, a post-pandemic increase was observed in individuals with diagnosed hearing loss using hearing aids and those with perceived hearing loss, but not in individuals with diagnosed hearing loss who did not use hearing aids.

Conclusions: These findings point to two key needs: 1) Flexible work models that reduce communication barriers, and 2) increased implementation of hearing aids and broader support systems to maintain well-being under challenging conditions. Future workplace guidelines should consider both the communication and psychosocial dimensions of hearing accessibility.

Objective: Styrene is a known ototoxic drug, causing increased oxidative stress and inflammation in cochlear structures. The aim of this study is exploring the possible involvement of NRLP3 inflammasome in mediating the interplay between oxidative stress and inflammation in a model of styrene ototoxicity and to compare the effectiveness of two therapeutic strategies.

Design: Styrene was administered 400 mg/kg, 5 days a week for 3 consecutive weeks in Wistar rats. An antioxidant (rosmarinic acid, 10 mg/kg), and an anti-inflammatory (anakinra, 30 mg/kg) drugs were used to evaluate the protective effects on auditory function. At the end of treatments functional, morphological and molecular analyses were used to study the mechanisms underlying ototoxicity and otoprotection. Study sample: 66 male adult Wistar rats. Results: Both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory treatments significantly reduced oxidative stress, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and inflammatory markers. However, anakinra provided the best protective effect, with earlier hearing recovery and greater suppression of inflammation.

Study sample: 66 male adult Wistar rats of 2 months of age.

Results: Functional and molecular analyses revealed that both treatments significantly reduced oxidative stress, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and inflammatory markers. However, anakinra provided the best protective effect, as evidenced by earlier auditory threshold recovery and greater suppression of inflammation. These findings underscore the pivotal role of inflammation in styrene-induced ototoxicity, highlighting NLRP3 inflammasome activation as a central mediator linking oxidative and inflammatory damage.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that targeting inflammation provides a more comprehensive and timely intervention for styrene ototoxicity. The dual mechanism of action of anakinra (reducing NLRP3 levels and directly modulating IL-1β) makes it a promising candidate for mitigating cochlear damage caused by environmental and toxic insults.

Objective: To develop the Slovenian DIN test using synthetic speech and digit-equalisation via an automatic speech recognition system, and to evaluate the test.

Design: The Aladdin procedure was used to develop the Slovenian DIN. A repeated measures design was used to measure speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) with three antiphasic DIN tests and two diotic DIN tests.

Study sample: Twenty-eight listeners with normal hearing and 62 listeners with hearing loss.

Results: There was a learning effect for the initial test but no further improvement in SRT with subsequent tests. The standard error of measurement (SEM) for listeners with normal hearing was 0.9 and 0.7 dB for the antiphasic and diotic DIN tests, respectively. Hearing screening characteristics were excellent.

Conclusions: The newly developed Slovenian DIN test has high precision, expressed by a small SEM, and stimulates the implementation in clinical practice. It can also be used for hearing screening with associated cut-off values.

Objectives: Monothermal caloric testing (MCT) shows potential as a screening method in vestibular assessment; however, the optimal stimulus modality and diagnostic threshold remain unclear. This study aimed to identify, within a single investigation, the most effective stimulus type (air or water; warm or cool) and the optimal cut-off threshold (15% or 25%) for maximising the diagnostic performance of MCT.

Design: Retrospective study.

Study sample: Bithermal caloric test (BCT) results from 202 adults (103 water, 99 air) were analysed. MCT results were assessed at 15% and 25% thresholds based on sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy, using BCT as the reference standard.

Results: Warm stimuli demonstrated higher sensitivity, with warm air yielding the highest value (86.7%), while cool stimuli showed greater specificity, with cool water reaching the highest specificity (78.7%) at the 25% threshold. Warm air MCT resulted in the lowest false negative rate (6%) and highest diagnostic accuracy (94%), reducing the need for BCT to 57.6% of patients. Lowering the threshold to 15% slightly improved accuracy (95.9%) but increased BCT referrals (64.6%).

Conclusions: Warm air MCT appears to be an efficient screening tool for detecting unilateral vestibular weakness, offering high diagnostic accuracy while potentially reducing the need for comprehensive BCT.

Objective: This study investigated the speech performance with and user acceptance of the Cochlear™ Nucleus^® 8 Sound Processor, with a particular focus on the automatic activation of the noise reduction feature, ForwardFocus (FF), in the new SCAN 2 program (SCAN 2 FF).

Design: Prospective, single-site, open-label within subject interventional study (NCT05080283).

Study sample: Twenty adult (>18 years of age) cochlear implant recipients with at least 6 months of experience with their cochlear implant system.

Results: There was a significant and clinically meaningful decrease (improvement) in SRT of 4.3 and 4.2 dB with the SCAN 2 FF program compared to the SCAN 2 program in the S0Nrearhalf and S0N3 configurations, respectively (both p < 0.001). Scores on the Speech Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ12) were comparable between the Nucleus 7 and Nucleus 8 Sound Processors. Most participants provided positive subjective evaluations of the SCAN 2 FF program and the overall Nucleus 8 Sound Processor following take-home use.

Conclusion: The SCAN 2 FF program on the Nucleus 8 Sound Processor offers cochlear implant recipients a clinically meaningful benefit for speech recognition in noise.

Objective: Existing evidence regarding the ways in which people with hearing loss respond to listening difficulty in verbal conversation is fragmented. To advance understanding of the experience of listening difficulty in in-person verbal conversation, this review seeks to map the current evidence, focusing on behavioural and affective responses.

Design: Scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Articles were identified through systematic searches in five reference databases, and through reference checking. Thematic synthesis was used to collate and condense data into distinct themes and categories.

Study sample: Literature examining adults' behavioural, and/or affective responses to listening difficulty in in-person conversation.

Results: The literature search identified 8503 studies, and 81 were selected for inclusion. Responses from people with hearing loss, people with normal hearing, and communication partners were identified, and were assembled into five themes, each consisting of multiple categories.

Conclusion: People with hearing loss and their communication partners respond to listening difficulty in conversation in a wide range of ways, covering diverse aspects of communication. People with normal hearing report most of the same response types as people with hearing loss. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of evidence regarding responses of people with normal hearing, indicating a need for more comparative studies.

Objective: To investigate the impact of Meniere's Disease (MD) on balance and proprioception by utilising multi-frequency Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP) to evaluate otolith function.

Design: Observational study employing the Otolith Tuning Index (OTI) to quantify vestibular function through analysis of VEMP response rates and tuning ratios.

Study sample: A total of 123 participants were included, comprising 94 patients diagnosed with MD and 29 healthy controls. VEMP testing was conducted at frequencies of 500 Hz, 750 Hz, and 1 kHz.

Results: Among MD patients, 69% reported imbalance, with severe cases predominating in advanced stages. The non-response rate for oVEMP at 500 Hz was 73.3% on the affected side, associated with unpredictable falls. Significant correlations were observed between cVEMP non-responses and both disease severity (p = 0.012) and walking imbalance (p = 0.037). oVEMP responses were lowest at 500 Hz, improving at 1 kHz, whereas cVEMP amplitudes peaked at 500 Hz bilaterally. OTI values indicated significant otolith dysfunction on affected sides compared to contralateral sides and controls (p = 0.026, p = 0.032, p < 0.001), with dysfunction worsening with disease progression and age.

Conclusions: The Otolith Tuning Index (OTI) effectively measures otolith dysfunction in MD patients, offering valuable insights to enhance diagnostics, patient management, and treatment planning.

Objective: To propose the application of Keyes's Model of Social Wellbeing to guide hearing care professionals (HCPs) in providing social coaching to address the impact of hearing loss on social wellbeing in older adults.

Design: A discussion paper introducing Keyes's Model of Social Wellbeing and its application in enhancing the social wellbeing of older adults with hearing loss. Qualitative insights and evidence from various studies are provided to support the application of the proposed model. Examples of how HCPs can use social coaching to help address the effects of hearing loss on social coherence, integration, acceptance, contribution, and actualisation are provided.

Study sample: N/A.

Results: Hearing loss significantly impacts all five constructs of Keyes's Model of Social Wellbeing, leading to challenges in social coherence, integration, acceptance, contribution, and actualisation. Effective social coaching by HCPs can mitigate these impacts by providing tailored support, enhancing communication skills, and fostering a sense of belonging and purpose.

Conclusions: Integrating social coaching into audiology practice and policy, guided by Keyes's Model, can improve social wellbeing for older adults with hearing loss. This person-centred approach requires HCPs to understand the social implications of hearing loss and deliver targeted interventions to support their clients' social and emotional needs.

Objective: Equitable access to hearing aids and related services remains a global health challenge, particularly in resource-limited settings. A major barrier to access is the lack of diagnostic and rehabilitative services, which is substantially attributable to the persistent shortage of ear and hearing care specialists. This discussion article provides an overview of limitations in the ear and hearing care workforce, the relevance of task sharing to ear and hearing care, and a new, evidence-based World Health Organization (WHO) technical resource aimed at improving access to hearing aids worldwide.

Design and study sample: A synthesis of current research and expert opinion.

Results: First, this article describes the global shortage of qualified ear and hearing care specialists. Next, it describes how community-based care, supported by task sharing among trained non-specialist providers and qualified ear and hearing care providers, could overcome these workforce limitations, and describes the critical role of qualified ear and hearing care providers in task sharing. Finally, this article provides an overview of a WHO resource which provides practical information for hearing aid service provision in resource-limited settings.

Conclusion: Innovative strategies to expand the ear and hearing care workforce are essential to advance efforts towards equitable access to hearing aids and related services.

Objective: To evaluate audiological and nonaudiological predictors of hearing aid (HA) uptake in patients with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) and bilateral hearing loss (BHL).

Design: Retrospective study.

Study samples: A total of 655 patients with UHL and 3,699 patients with BHL were retrospectively included over a 10-year period. The primary audiological measurements were 4-frequency average pure-tone audiometry, speech discrimination score, hearing loss type, and presence of tinnitus.

Results: The HA uptake rates in patients with UHL and BHL were 28.4% and 45.0%, respectively. In the UHL group, no substantial differences were identified between the HA uptake and refusal groups, except for sex. In contrast, the BHL group showed significant differences based on age, sex, and hearing threshold.The significant associations between potential explanatory variables and HA uptake were observed for age, SDS, and tinnitus, with odd ratios of 1.015, 1.004, and 1.251, respectively. The predictive accuracy (discriminating power) was 52.0% for UHL and 55.9% for BHL.

Conclusions: The statistical analysis of this study indicates that audiological predictors accounted for approximately 50% of the impact on HA uptake. Our findings underscore the importance of considering nonaudiological factors during counselling to enhance HA uptake.