Journal of Audiology and Otology最新文献

Background and objectives: Cholesteatomas are chronically progressive keratinizing epithelial lesions that locally destroy tissue and erode bone. Surgery is the primary treatment for cholesteatomas; however, tumor recurrence and complications have prompted the search for more effective medical therapies. Halofuginone (HF) inhibits multiple pathways implicated in cholesteatoma pathogenesis. Therefore, the dose- and time-dependent cytotoxic effects of HF on the spontaneously transformed human adult skin keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell line were investigated, and the IC50 values of HF were determined as a preliminary step in evaluating the potential of using HF as a pharmacological treatment for cholesteatoma. Materials and.

Methods: An in vitro experiment was conducted using HaCaT cells, which is an immortalized human keratinocyte cell line. Cells were treated with HF at 0.1 μM to 100 μM for 24 and 48 hours. Cell viability was measured via an MTT assay, and the IC50 values were calculated using nonlinear regression analysis.

Results: HF treatment substantially dose- and time-dependently reduced HaCaT cell viability. The IC50 values at 24 and 48 hours were 2.74 μM and 0.24 μM, respectively, reflecting a more than ten-fold increase in cytotoxic potency over time. The differences between the treatment groups were significant at both time points (p=0.017 and p=0.001 at 24 and 48 hours, respectively).

Conclusions: HF exerts potent cytotoxic effects on keratinocytes, with efficacy increasing with exposure duration. These findings support the further study of HF as a pharmacological agent for modulating epithelial proliferation in cholesteatomas and related disorders.

Noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) delivers band-limited subsensory electrical noise at the mastoids to amplify vestibular signaling via stochastic resonance. This review synthesizes human studies involving healthy participants and proposes a practical stimulation protocol and reporting checklist to promote standardization of nGVS in vestibular research and clinical translation. Evidence supports the use of a bilateral bipolar mastoid montage; 1.75-10 cm2 electrodes; zero-mean Gaussian white noise with a 0-30 Hz passband (or 0-640 Hz when replicating prior work or testing cortical or perceptual hypotheses); participant-titrated subsensory intensities (typically 100-400 μA, with fixed protocols often 400-1,000 μA); and task-matched stimulation epochs of 10-30 seconds. Reports should specify the electrode polarity, passband and filter details, amplitude reference (peak, peak-to-peak, or root-mean-square), threshold procedures, and total stimulation dose. Under these conditions, nGVS has been shown to improve vestibulospinal outcomes (reduced postural sway and better gait stability), modulate vestibulo-ocular physiology, and lower vestibular motion detection thresholds. The effects scale with task difficulty and baseline vestibular function; tolerability was favorable at the subsensory level. Priorities for future research include head-to-head tests of montage and frequency, individualized dose-response and after-effect mapping, stratification by baseline vestibular status, and mechanistic biomarkers tied to behavior. Standardized parameters and reporting will enable robust meta-analyses and faster clinical translation.

Background and objectives: Hearing loss (HL) is a significant global public health concern with an increasing burden falling on India because of factors such as aging, noise exposure, and such comorbidities as hypertension and diabetes. Despite these known risks, comprehensive data are lacking on the causes and patterns of HL in East Singhbhum, Jharkhand, especially in industrial settings. This study aims to address this gap by examining the contributing factors to HL among the local population. Subjects and.

Methods: This study included 295 adult patients of both sexes, aged 20-80 years, diagnosed with HL. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) was performed to assess the pattern and degree of HL.

Results: Of the 295 cases, most were females (52.54%); however, male participants, especially factory workers (p=0.005), had a higher prevalence of HL (p=0.038). Moreover, younger age (all p<0.05), alcohol use (p=0.003), alcohol and smoking (p<0.001), noise exposure with smoking (p=0.004), hypertension (p= 0.037), diabetes with hypertension (p=0.045), other comorbidities (p=0.018), and unilateral HL (p=0.002) appeared as significant risk factors for HL, as did various clinical diagnoses, including presbycusis (p<0.001), chronic otitis media (p= 0.003), noise-induced HL (p=0.007), sudden sensineural HL (p<0.001), and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (p=0.001).

Conclusions: Noise exposure combined with a smoking habit, use of alcohol without smoking, smoking and alcohol, hypertension without diabetes, diabetes with hypertension, and other predisposing factors were key contributors to HL, highlighting the need for early intervention and management. The most common diagnosis was chronic otitis media.

Background and objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the homogeneity of the audibility of word and sentence corpora for use in the development of speech audiometry test tools in Tamil. Materials and.

Methods: A Tamil corpus (675 words and 195 sentences) was compiled from books, magazines, and novels of children aged five to ten years. A female speaker was chosen to record the corpus based on expert ratings. All recorded contents were root mean square-normalized using Adobe Audition 3.0. The recorded material was randomly placed into 27-word lists (25 words/list) and 20-sentence lists for psychometric assessment. Speech perception testing was done at five intensities (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 dB SL; referenced to pure-tone average) in 20 adults with normal hearing.

Results: Analysis of variance indicated significant differences (p<0.01) in speech perception scores as a function of intensity for all words and sentences. A logistic regression model was fitted to estimate the thresholds (i.e., the intensity level at which 50% scores were obtained) from the curve, which was observed around 10.12 dB SL for the words and 11.77 dB SL for the sentences.

Conclusions: All words and sentences in the pediatric Tamil corpus were observed to be homogenous in audibility. Hence, all words and sentences can be utilized for developing an assessment tool process, as well as in subsequent clinical assessments.

The diagnosis and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) rely on the observation of characteristic nystagmus elicited by specific diagnostic and repositioning maneuvers, making clinician expertise essential. Accurate diagnosis requires careful simulation of the position of otoconial debris within the semicircular canals, both at rest and during dynamic maneuvers. Diagnostic and repositioning maneuvers for posterior and horizontal canal BPPV are well established. However, caution is required in cases of cupulolithiasis, especially involving the vertical canals, where the direction of nystagmus may resemble that seen in canalolithiasis. Key features such as minimal latency and fatigability are important for differential diagnosis. Anterior canal BPPV typically presents with predominantly down-beating nystagmus accompanied by a minimal torsional component. Accordingly, recent therapeutic approaches for anterior canal BPPV have emphasized straight head-hanging and head-flexion maneuvers. In general, repositioning maneuvers achieve high cure rates. Nevertheless, the complex microanatomy and pathophysiology of BPPV may limit treatment efficacy. In such cases, clinicians should reassure patients regarding the benign and non-life-threatening nature of BPPV. A careful and systematic approach can then be adopted to reassess the diagnosis and optimize treatment strategies while minimizing vertigo.

Background and objectives: Hearing loss negatively affects communication and quality of life. While clinician-led rehabilitation is beneficial, access barriers and poor long-term adherence limit its overall impact. This systematic review evaluated the efficacy of self-directed auditory rehabilitation across the lifespan. Materials and.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted using five electronic databases for peer-reviewed studies involving children, adults, and older adults with at least mild hearing loss, who participated in self-directed auditory rehabilitation and reported behavioral, objective, or patient-reported auditory outcomes.

Results: Twenty-two studies with 1,851 screened records were included in the synthesis, which encompassed varied populations, devices, and rehabilitation formats. Random-effects meta-analyses showed significant speech recognition improvement in pediatric participants (Cohen's d=1.32, standard error [SE]=0.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.56; p<0.05), with effects maintained at 1-3 months. A moderately significant benefit was observed in both adults and older adults (Cohen's d=0.55, SE=0.05, 95% CI: 0.45-0.65). Although publication bias was present in some adult studies, the sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the results.

Conclusions: Self-directed auditory rehabilitation produces meaningful and sustained speech recognition benefits in individuals with hearing loss, endorsing its integration as an accessible adjunct to conventional audiologic care. Future studies should refine the program content and reduce intervention variability.

Background and objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential effects of loss of cervical lordosis (LCL) and cervical disc pathologies (CDPs) on the auditory system and to identify the predominant anatomical sites of these effects using both objective and subjective audiological assessments. Subjects and.

Methods: This prospective controlled study included 98 individuals: 57 patients diagnosed with CDP via cervical spinal magnetic resonance imaging and 41 individuals without such a diagnosis. Of the participants, 68 (69.4%) were female, and 30 (30.6%) were male. CDP was assessed based on the presence and level of bulging or protrusion. Cervical lateral radiographs revealed LCL in 65 patients, while 33 showed no such loss. The mean age of participants was 41.0±6.9 years (range: 21-52 years). All participants underwent audiological evaluation, including assessment of hearing thresholds and the presence of tinnitus.

Results: The mean speech frequency and high-frequency hearing thresholds, measured by pure-tone audiometry, were significantly higher in the 57 patients with CDP than in the 41 control participants (p=0.04 and p=0.02, respectively). However, no statistically significant differences were observed in speech frequencies, high-frequency hearing thresholds, and otoacoustic emission measurements, as assessed by pure-tone audiometry, between the 65 patients with LCL and the 33 control participants without LCL (p=0.22, p=0.18, p=0.51, respectively). Upon evaluating the groups for the presence and severity of tinnitus, no differences in LCL or CDP were observed (p=0.81 and p=0.95, respectively).

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that patients with CDPs exhibit elevated hearing thresholds. Given the limited number of studies addressing inner ear function in common conditions such as cervical disc herniation and LCL, this study contributes to the literature by emphasizing the importance of auditory assessments in these patients.

Background and objectives: This study aimed to compare sound field audiometry (SFA) and headphone-based audiometry (HPA) during the hearing aid fitting process. Factors associated with the differences between the two methods were also investigated. Subjects and.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 42 patients who underwent both unaided SFA and HPA on the same day.

Results: Hearing thresholds obtained in SFA were lower than those measured with HPA at 250 Hz (p=0.016). No significant differences were observed at other frequencies. When comparing the clinical characteristics of the groups with lower and higher thresholds of SFA at 250 Hz, patients with mixed hearing loss (MHL) were more prevalent in the group with lower hearing thresholds in SFA, whereas those with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) were more common in the group with equal or higher thresholds in SFA (p=0.011). Moreover, in subjects with SNHL, no significant difference was observed between the average of the thresholds at the four frequencies (4-FA) of SFA and that of HPA (p=0.156), while a significant difference was observed in subjects with MHL (p=0.028). When compared across the frequency, the thresholds of SFA at 250 Hz and 1,000 Hz were significantly lower than those of HPA (p=0.004 and p=0.009, respectively) in MHL.

Conclusions: Improvement in aided hearing in SFA compared with unaided HPA must be interpreted with caution at lower frequencies in subjects with MHL. Meanwhile, when validating the efficacy in HA users with SNHL, the process can be simplified using unaided HPA instead of SFA; however, unaided SFA should be employed in those with MHL.

Background and objectives: : Prior research has demonstrated a significant correlation between hearing loss and dementia; nevertheless, these two disorders have been addressed independently. This study proposes a questionnaire to simultaneously assess auditory and cognitive functions in older adults. As an inaugural pilot investigation, the current study aimed to engineer items for specific facets of cognitive function.

Subjects and methods: : A systematic review of articles from six databases identified seven self-report questionnaires (211 items) for cognitive impairment and 31 cognitive items for screening older adults. Forty individuals aged 60 years or older were categorized into four groups based on their auditory and cognitive status using the pure-tone average (PTA) and Cognitive Impairment Screening Test (CIST), respectively. Each group completed the Cognitive Impairment Screening for Elderly (CISE). The internal consistency of the CISE was examined, and principal component and factor analyses were performed.

Results: : The four groups exhibited strikingly distinct PTA and CIST scores. The CISE demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (α=0.94). Subsequently, Item 16 was excluded owing to inadequate fit, and the remaining 30 items were grouped by factor analysis into four categories: 10 pertaining to daily activities associated with memory loss, 8 concerning emotional alterations or stress, 7 associated with reduced social interaction and cognitive confusion, and 5 related to language usage difficulties. To comprehensively examine the individual factors, 7 representative items with factor loadings exceeding 0.70 were considered to represent these factors.

Conclusions: : This study validated 30 items for the cognition section, from which 7 representative items were selected. Further development is warranted to create a single integrated questionnaire that incorporates items from the auditory section for effective diagnosis and treatment in future clinical settings.

Background and objectives: The auditory brainstem response (ABR) represents a critical tool for evaluating auditory pathways. Although absolute and inter-peak latencies (IPLs) are commonly analyzed, the differences between different stimulus types and presentation modes, particularly during binaural processing, remain underexplored. This study compared the absolute latencies, IPLs, and binaural interaction component (BIC) latencies of ABRs elicited by click and LS CE-chirp stimuli under both monaural and binaural conditions. The present study analyzed the clinical features of cochlear function in Ramsay-Hunt syndrome.

Subjects and methods: Twenty-one adults with normal hearing aged 22-25 years underwent ABR testing using click and LS CE-chirp stimuli under binaural, right ear, and left ear conditions. Their absolute latencies, IPLs, and BIC latencies for waves I, III, and V were recorded. BIC latencies were calculated by subtracting each subject's binaural wave latency from their mean monaural latency.

Results: The subjects' LS CE-chirp stimuli elicited significantly longer wave V latencies under binaural vs monaural conditions, although their click-evoked ABRs did not show significant differences across the different presentation modes evaluated. The wave III latencies were significantly longer for the LS CE-chirp stimuli under the binaural and right-ear conditions. The IPLs showed stimulus- and ear-dependent differences, with LS CE-chirps evoking shorter IPLs vs. regular clicks under some conditions. The BIC latencies for waves III and V were significantly longer for the LS CE-chirp stimuli, whereas those for wave I showed no significant differences.

Conclusions: LS CE-chirp stimuli enhanced ABR detectability and revealed longer binaural processing times, particularly at higher auditory brainstem levels. These findings support the utility of LS CE-chirp in terms of assessing binaural integration and central auditory processing.