Noise & Health最新文献

Objective: To understand the related factors and mental health status of children with noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and provide a reliable reference for the prevention and control of children's hearing health.

Methods: This study was a retrospective study. Sixty-nine children diagnosed with NIHL attending First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from December 2021 to December 2023 were included, and general characteristics, audiological assessment, self-questionnaire on factors associated with hearing loss, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were collected to analyze the relevant factors of NIHL in children and their mental health status.

Results: The 69 NIHL patients included in the study were 50.73% male; the mean age of the patients used was 13.61 ± 2.00 years. Overall, 30.43% of the patients met the "notch" criteria, 59.42% met the high-frequency hearing loss criteria, and 10.14% met both criteria. The major correlation factor for hearing loss was dominated by prolonged use of headphones (82.60%), followed by practicing musical instruments without hearing protection (10.14%), and the majority of the patients showed minor hearing loss (91.30%). The total SDQ score of the included patients was 16.12 ± 1.89, which was borderline. The emotional symptoms score was 6.42 ± 0.76, which was also borderline. The scores of conduct problems, hyperactive behavior, peer interaction problems, and pro-social behaviors were at normal levels.

Conclusion: For children with NIHL, long-term use of headphones was the main associated factor, characterized by high-frequency hearing loss and minor hearing loss. At the same time, the children showed mental health problems that mainly included emotional symptoms.

Objective: Few data are available regarding noise levels in hospital pharmacies. This study mainly aimed to assess noise levels in different areas and during various activities in the pharmacy department of a tertiary care hospital affiliated with Université de Montréal in Canada and identify potential noise sources.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the pharmacy department of Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine. A convenience sample of 30 sites was established to encompass various activities. Noise levels were measured with a sound level meter for three types of activity: office activities, storage, and drug preparation. Noise measurements were conducted for a 1-day period at each site.

Results: The average noise level ranged from 41.9 ± 3.4 dBA to 71.4 ± 0.4 dBA during the day and from 37.5 ± 0.4 dBA to 71.2 ± 0.1 dBA at night. The levels were 50.9 ± 5.6 dBA in offices, 58.0 ± 5.8 dBA in storage areas, and 63.9 ± 9.2 dBA in drug preparation areas. Considering noise distribution by percentile, the L10 ranged from 43.7 to 71.7 dBA, the L50 from 37.8 to 71.3 dBA, and the L90 from 37.2 to 71.1 dBA.

Conclusion: Average noise levels varied widely within the pharmacy department of the studied hospital, and a substantial proportion of it could be due to the building's ventilation system.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Bobath concept-based rehabilitation training combined with noise management on the rehabilitation outcomes of patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformation (CAVM).

Methods: The clinical data of CAVM patients who underwent rehabilitation treatment after microsurgical resection from January 2019 to December 2023 in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were collected in this retrospective study. A total of 119 patients were divided into a control group (56 individuals, Bobath concept-based rehabilitation training) and an observation group (63 individuals, Bobath concept-based rehabilitation training + noise management) according to the treatment plan. The baseline characteristics of the patients, noise levels, motor function, activities of daily living, neurological function and anxiety and depression levels were analysed.

Results: The noise level in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.001). The Fugl-Meyer assessment score (68.67 ± 3.62 vs. 72.53 ± 3.91, P < 0.001) and modified Barthel index score (71.21 ± 4.06 vs. 75.42 ± 4.12, P < 0.001) of the observation group after rehabilitation were significantly higher than those of the control group, whereas the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression score (P = 0.034) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety score (P < 0.001) were significantly lower than those of the control group.

Conclusion: Bobath concept-based rehabilitation training combined with noise management can significantly improve the rehabilitation outcomes of CAVM patients, including improvements in motor function, activities of daily living and reductions in anxiety and depression levels. Theoretical and practical guidance for clinical practice, emphasising the importance of environmental management in rehabilitation treatment, is provided in this study. Future rehabilitation interventions should be personalised and comprehensive to enhance the rehabilitation level and quality of life of patients.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effects of short-term music therapy on primiparas' negative emotions and quality of life.

Methods: In this study, 101 pregnant women awaiting delivery in the obstetric department of the hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 were retrospectively analysed. Eleven pregnant women did not fulfil the inclusion criteria, resulting in the inclusion of 90 pregnant women. The control group had 45 pregnant women admitted from January to July 2022, while the observation group had 45 pregnant women admitted from August 2022 to January 2023. The stress index, anxiety, depression, delivery and quality of life were compared between the two groups.

Results: Upon admission, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of stress index, self-anxiety scale (SAS) score, self-depression scale (SDS) score and quality of life (P > 0.05). During the second stage of labour, the levels of renin, epinephrine and norepinephrine were significantly lower in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the study group exhibited lower SAS and SDS scores than the control group (P < 0.001). Notably, the total labour time was significantly shorter in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05), but no significant difference was found between two groups in terms of bleeding 2 hours after delivery (P > 0.05). The 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores of the study group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Short-term music therapy can reduce the stress response of primiparas, relieve their anxiety and depression, shorten the total labour process and improve their quality of life.

Objective: This study aims to improve the clinical nursing model by exploring the effects of child-friendly music nursing in the ward on the mental health of children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN).

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 105 children with HSPN treated at our hospital from January 2022 to December 2023. Five cases were excluded, resulting in the inclusion of 100 cases. Based on different nursing methods, the children were divided into the reference group (routine nursing, n = 52) and the observation group (child-friendly music nursing plus routine nursing, n = 48). A comparison was made between the two groups regarding the levels of anxiety and depression, inflammatory and immune function indexes [C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and immunoglobulin A (IgA)], and renal function indexes [serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and hemoglobin (HB)].

Results: Before nursing, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of levels of anxiety and depression, inflammatory and immune function indexes (such as CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, and IgA), and renal function indexes (such as Scr, BUN, and HB, P > 0.05). After nursing, the observation group demonstrated significantly lower levels of anxiety, depression, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, and IgA (P < 0.05) compared to the the reference group, while no significant differences were observed in Scr, BUN, and HB (P > 0.05).

Conclusions: Child-friendly music nursing can improve the inflammatory level and immune function of children with HSPN to a certain extent. At the same time, it can also improve the anxiety and depression of children. Therefore, child-friendly music nursing in the ward is helpful for the recovery of the physical and mental health of children with HSPN, with a potential clinical application value.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of postoperative noise reduction by using earplugs at night on the healing time and scar quality of burn patients who underwent reconstructive surgery.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed the clinical data of adult burn patients after they underwent reconstructive surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2022 to June 2023. The patients were divided into the postoperative noise reduction group (n = 66) and the control group (n = 75) based on whether they received postoperative noise reduction. The control group received standard humanized clinical care, while the postoperative noise reduction group received additional noise-reducing care by using earplugs at night. The effects of postoperative noise reduction on wound healing time, scar quality (Vancouver Scar Scale [VSS]), psychological state (Self-rating Anxiety Scale [SAS] and Self-rating Depression Scale [SDS]), quality of life (Abbreviated Burn Specific Health Scale [BSHS-A]) and incidence of complications were compared between the two groups.

Results: Compared with the control group, the postoperative noise reduction group demonstrated significant differences in wound healing time (P < 0.001), VSS scores (P = 0.003), SAS scores (P = 0.005), SDS scores (P = 0.003), and BSHS-A scores (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the incidence of complications between the two groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study provides substantive evidence that postoperative noise reduction positively influences wound healing time, scar quality, quality of life, and psychological state in burn patients after reconstructive surgery. Such insight emphasized the importance of creating a healing-conducive hospital environment for burn patients, integrating noise reduction strategies as a part of holistic nursing practices to optimize recovery outcomes.

Objective: This retrospective analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of auricular point acupressure therapy as an adjunct to conventional treatment for noise-induced tinnitus.

Methods: The study retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with noise-induced tinnitus admitted to the Sandun branch of Zhejiang Hospital from June 2020 to June 2023 and included 100 patients for analysis. Based on the different treatments, the patients were divided into a conventional therapy group (methylcobalamin tablets for 4 weeks, n = 52) and an auricular point acupressure therapy group (methylcobalamin tablets and auricular point acupressure therapy for 4 weeks, n = 48). The baseline characteristics, tinnitus loudness, hearing thresholds, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Tinnitus Evaluation Questionnaire (TEQ), and clinical efficacy were assessed before and after treatment.

Results: After 4 weeks of treatment, compared with the patients in the conventional therapy group, those in the auricular point acupressure therapy group had an advantage in tinnitus loudness, hearing thresholds, and THI and TEQ scores, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The clinical effectiveness in the auricular point acupressure therapy group was significantly higher than that in the conventional therapy group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Auricular point acupressure therapy has a substantial effect on the treatment of noise-induced tinnitus. It is superior to conventional therapy in reducing tinnitus loudness and hearing thresholds. As a noninvasive therapy, auricular point acupressure has the potential to be an adjuvant therapy for noise-induced tinnitus.

Background: White noise has attracted widespread attention due to its potential effects on psychological and physiological states, particularly in promoting relaxation. The prefrontal cortex, a critical region of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions and emotional regulation, may influence an individual's mental and physical health through its responses to external stimuli. Although previous research has investigated the calming effects of white noise, systematic studies on its specific impact on prefrontal cortex activity are still lacking. This study aims to explore the calming effects of white noise on the prefrontal cortex to elucidate its associated physiological mechanisms.

Methods: In total, 103 healthy adult college students were recruited and randomly divided into four groups (fire, n = 24; wind, n = 27; rain, n = 27; and snow, n = 25), with each group exposed to the corresponding white noise for 3 min. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to evaluate excitability changes in the brain and changes in life signs and facial expressions were also measured.

Results: The data of fNIRS were analyzed by paired sample t-test; in the wind group and the snow group, we found that the white noise can be effectively decreased the cortical excitability of related brain areas. The areas of reduced excitability were concentrated in the prefrontal cortex and pars triangularis of Broca's frontopolar area, while the concentration of oxyhemoglobin in these two area decreased from -0.159 to -0.107 µmol/L and from -0.139 to -0.096 µmol/L, respectively, both areas involved in relaxing and sedative modulation.

Conclusion: White noise can reduce the excitability of the prefrontal cortex and play a sedative effect. It may strengthen our understanding of how white noise is involved in neural modulation.

Background: Long-term noise annoyance can be expected to have worse outcomes than short-term annoyance. This study investigates noise annoyance over time, its association with personality traits and potential reciprocal effects between health outcomes and noise annoyance.

Methods: Firstly, we conducted a Longitudinal Latent Class Analysis to identify noise annoyance profiles. We further analysed the effect of Big Five personality traits on the likelihood of belonging to these annoyance profiles. Secondly, we used Cross-lagged Panel Models to analyse whether changes in noise annoyance precede changes in health outcomes or vice versa. For both analyses, we used 8 years of data from the Dutch Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS) panel. Between 2708 and 11,068 subjects were included (this varies between models).

Results: We found three profiles of noise annoyance, namely, chronically, occasionally and never annoyed. Among all participants, 12% were chronically annoyed by neighbour noise and 6% by street noise. Extraversion and emotional stability decreased the chance of belonging to the cluster of chronically annoyed, while openness had the opposite effect. Chronic noise annoyance showed a significant effect on self-reported heart complaints and sleeping problems, while the effects of noise annoyance profiles on high blood pressure and heart attacks were insignificant. Some potential indications for a reverse effect from health outcomes on noise annoyance were found.

Conclusion: Noise annoyance was relatively stable over time possibly because of its correlation with personality traits. Noise had a small negative effect on health outcomes, and some health outcomes affected noise annoyance. Further research should be conducted to collect dedicated panel data.

Objective: Vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) can be elicited using bone-conducted vibration (BCV) and air-conducted sound, with BCV VEMP typically associated with bilateral vestibular pathways. We employed a new acoustic masking method to obscure BCV VEMP, aiming to explore the feasibility of unilateral BCV VEMP testing.

Materials and methods: Twenty healthy adults (20-37 years old; 10 males and 10 females) participated in the study. Vertical-axis vibrations (VAVs) of 500-Hz short-tone bursts (STB500) and 750-Hz short-tone bursts (STB750) were used to induce cervical VEMP. These stimuli were delivered through a Mini-Shaker placed at the vertex under three conditions: without acoustic masking (no masking [NOM]), with 100 decibels sound pressure level (dB SPL) speech noise masking (SNM), and with random interstimulus-interval tone bursts (rISITB), applied binaurally during VEMP testing.

Results: The response rates for STB500 were less affected by SNM or rISITB (92.5% for NOM, 85.0% for SNM, and 75.0% for rISITB), whereas the response rates for STB750 were significantly reduced from 90.0% (NOM) to 17.5% (SNM) and 45.0% (rISITB) (p < 0.05, Fisher's exact test). The response amplitude and p13 latency of STB750 also differed significantly from those of STB500 (p < 0.05, two-way repeated measures analysis of variance). The VAVs of STB750 elicited a >90% response rate for cervical VEMP but showed an 80% decrease in response rate under SNM.

Conclusion: SNM proved more effective than rISITB in masking the VEMP response evoked by BCVs. This approach offers the potential for conducting VEMP tests on individual ears or targeting specific vestibular organs using BCV VEMP.