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PloS One 2024This study aimed to understand the health of workers exposed to occupational noise and explore the influencing factors related to workers' health, especially the impact...
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to understand the health of workers exposed to occupational noise and explore the influencing factors related to workers' health, especially the impact of noise on workers' hearing. This work can provide a basis for formulating relevant measures for occupational noise prevention and control in the future.
METHODS
On the basis of the key occupational disease monitoring project in Chongqing, China, in 2021, the data of 1125 workers exposed to occupational noise were analyzed. Data included demographic information, occupational history, clinical physical examination information, and noise detection information of the working environment. Chi-square test and multifactorial logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.
RESULTS
The prevalence rates of abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure (BP), and pure tone audiometry (PTA) were 21.9% (246/1125), 27.8% (313/1125), and 18.0% (202/1125), respectively. Male workers accounted for 78.8%. Compared with male workers, female workers had a lower prevalence of abnormal PTA (OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.16-0.50). Workers working in medium enterprises had a lower prevalence of abnormal BP than workers in micro enterprises (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.19-0.66). The prevalence of abnormal BP and PTA of workers increased with age. After adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index, the prevalence of abnormal ECG of mining workers was higher than that of manufacturing workers (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.07-2.24), and the prevalence of abnormal PTA had a rising trend with the increase in noise exposure value.
CONCLUSION
Noise-exposed workers have a high prevalence of abnormal ECG, BP, and PTA, and factors such as age, enterprise size, and workplace noise exposure are correlated with the aberrant health of workers. Governments, enterprises, and individuals need to attach great importance to the possible adverse effects of noise. They must also actively adopt various effective measures to protect the occupational safety and health of workers.
Topics: Humans; Noise, Occupational; Male; China; Female; Cross-Sectional Studies; Adult; Middle Aged; Occupational Exposure; Prevalence; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Blood Pressure; Occupational Diseases; Electrocardiography; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Young Adult
PubMed: 38917109
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305576 -
Cureus May 2024Macrothrompocytopenia (MTP) is a rare group of hereditary disorders that lead to impaired hemostasis. Macrothrompocytopenia mostly results from genetic mutations in...
Macrothrompocytopenia (MTP) is a rare group of hereditary disorders that lead to impaired hemostasis. Macrothrompocytopenia mostly results from genetic mutations in genes implicated in megakaryocyte differentiation and function. Diaphanous-related formin 1 (DIAPH1) is a protein-coding gene. Dominant gain-of-function DIAPH1 variants cause macrothrombocytopenia and sensorineural deafness (autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss 1 (DFNA1)), while homozygous loss of DIAPH1 results in seizures, cortical blindness, and microcephaly syndrome (SCBMS). This rare genetic disease is characterized by progressive and severe hearing loss with onset in the first decade of life, is associated with mild thrombocytopenia, and has no significant bleeding tendency. This case report presents the clinical findings of a 14-year-old Saudi pediatric girl. We investigated the potential association of DIAPH1 as a novel candidate gene linked to dominant MTP and autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss (ADNSHL), which was evaluated through audiometry. Notably, a novel variant, c.3633_3636del, was identified in the DIAPH1 gene. To date, only a small number of mutations in this gene have been reported as the cause of MTP and ADNSHL.
PubMed: 38915998
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.61044 -
Acta Otorrinolaringologica Espanola Jun 2024Human beings are constantly exposed to complex acoustic environments every day, which even pose challenges for individuals with normal hearing. Speech perception relies...
INTRODUCTION
Human beings are constantly exposed to complex acoustic environments every day, which even pose challenges for individuals with normal hearing. Speech perception relies not only on fixed elements within the acoustic wave but is also influenced by various factors. These factors include speech intensity, environmental noise, the presence of other speakers, individual specific characteristics, spatial separatios of sound sources, ambient reverberation, and audiovisual cues. The objective of this study is twofold: to determine the auditory capacity of normal hearing individuals to discriminate spoken words in real-life acoustic conditions and perform a phonetic analysis of misunderstood spoken words.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This is a descriptive observational cross-sectional study involving 20 normal hearing individuals. Verbal audiometry was conducted in an open-field environment, with sounds masked by simulated real-word acoustic environment at various sound intensity levels. To enhance sound emission, 2D visual images related to the sounds were displayed on a television. We analyzed the percentage of correct answers and performed a phonetic analysis of misunderstood spanish bisyllabic words in each environment.
RESULTS
14 women (70%) and 6 men (30%), with an average age of 26 ± 5,4 years and a mean airway hearing threshold in the right ear of 10,56 ± 3,52 dB SPL and in the left ear of 10,12 ± 2,49 dB SPL. The percentage of verbal discrimination in the "Ocean" sound environment was 97,2 ± 5,04%, "Restaurant" was 94 ± 4,58%, and "Traffic" was 86,2 ± 9,94% (p = 0,000). Regarding the phonetic analysis, the allophones that exhibited statistically significant differences were as follows: [o] (p = 0,002) within the group of vocalic phonemes, [n] (p = 0,000) of voiced nasal consonants, [r] (p = 0,0016) of voiced fricatives, [b] (p = 0,000) and [g] (p = 0,045) of voiced stops.
CONCLUSION
The dynamic properties of the acoustic environment can impact the ability of a normal hearing individual to extract information from a voice signal. Our study demonstrates that this ability decreases when the voice signal is masked by one or more simultaneous interfering voices, as observed in a "Restaurant" environment, and when it is masked by a continuous and intense noise environment such as "Traffic". Regarding the phonetic analysis, when the sound environment was composed of continuous-low frequency noise, we found that nasal consonants were particularly challenging to identify. Furthermore in situations with distracting verbal signals, vowels and vibrating consonants exhibited the worst intelligibility.
PubMed: 38908790
DOI: 10.1016/j.otoeng.2024.05.005 -
Journal of the Formosan Medical... Jun 2024Both vestibular schwannoma (VS) and Meniere's disease (MD) patients underwent hydrops MRI to clarify the relationship between VS and endolymphatic hydrops (EH).
BACKGROUND
Both vestibular schwannoma (VS) and Meniere's disease (MD) patients underwent hydrops MRI to clarify the relationship between VS and endolymphatic hydrops (EH).
METHODS
Eighty patients with VS or MD underwent an inner ear test battery followed by hydrops MRI, and were then divided into 3 groups. Group A comprised 58 MD patients (62 ears) with positive EH but negative VS. Group B included 18 VS patients (18 ears) with negative EH, while Group C consisted of 4 patients (4 ears) who had VS concomitant with EH. Another 14 MD patients who tested negative for EH on hydrops MRI were initially excluded from this cohort, but were later included for comparison.
RESULTS
The decreasing prevalence of EH at the cochlea, saccule and utricle in Group A was identified in 59 (95%), 42 (68%) and 40 (65%) ears, respectively, mimicking a declining sequence of abnormality rates running from audiometry (86%), cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) test (55%) to the ocular (oVEMP) test (53%). However, such decreasing trend was not identified in Groups B and C. In Groups C and A combined, 4 (6%) of 62 EH patients had concomitant VS. Conversely, 4 (18%) of 22 VS patients in Groups C and B combined had concurrent EH.
CONCLUSION
A very low (6%) rate of VS in EH patients indicates that VS in EH patients may be coincidental. In contrast, EH was identified in 18% prevalence of VS patients, mirroring the 22% prevalence of cochlear EH demonstrated in VS donors through histopathological studies.
PubMed: 38906730
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2024.06.014 -
Noise & HealthDigital noise reduction (DNR) minimizes the effect of noise on speech signals by continuously monitoring frequency bands in the presence of noise. In the present study,...
AIMS
Digital noise reduction (DNR) minimizes the effect of noise on speech signals by continuously monitoring frequency bands in the presence of noise. In the present study, we explored the effect of DNR technology on speech intelligibility in individuals using hearing aids (HAs) and investigated implications for daily use.
METHODS AND MATERIAL
Eighteen participants with bilateral moderate sensorineural hearing loss (aged 16-45 years) were included. Bilateral receiver-in-the-ear HAs were fitted in the participants. The adaptive and nonadaptive (with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of +5 and -5 dB, respectively) Turkish matrix sentence test (TURMatrix) in noise and free-field hearing assessments, including hearing thresholds with hearing aids, speech recognition thresholds (SRT), and speech discrimination scores, were conducted in two different conditions: HA in the DNR-on and DNR-off conditions.
RESULTS
No significant difference was observed between free-field hearing assessments with the HA in the DNR-off and DNR-on conditions (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the adaptive and nonadaptive TURMatrix revealed significant differences between the scores under the DNR-on and DNR-off conditions (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, under the DNR-on condition, there was no correlation between free-field hearing assessments with HA and TURMatrix results (P > 0.05). However, a significant correlation was observed between SRT scores with HA and TURMatrix scores (adaptive and nonadaptive, +5 and -5 dB SNR, respectively) under the DNR-off condition (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Our study findings suggest that DNR can improve speech intelligibility in noisy environments. Therefore, DNR can enhance an individual's auditory comfort by improving their capacity to grasp speech in background noise.
Topics: Humans; Hearing Aids; Adult; Noise; Male; Middle Aged; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural; Female; Young Adult; Adolescent; Speech Intelligibility; Signal-To-Noise Ratio; Auditory Threshold; Speech Perception; Speech Reception Threshold Test
PubMed: 38904826
DOI: 10.4103/nah.nah_67_23 -
Noise & HealthPresbycusis can be mediated by the effects of inflammatory processes on the auditory system, and these aging biological mechanisms remain poorly studied.
CONTEXT
Presbycusis can be mediated by the effects of inflammatory processes on the auditory system, and these aging biological mechanisms remain poorly studied.
AIMS
The aim of this study was to determine whether plasma biomarkers are associated with hearing disorders caused by aging in the elderly.
SETTINGS AND DESIGN
Cross-sectional study with 106 participants in the Active Aging Project, 93 (88%) females and 13 (12%) males, with an average age of 70 years.
METHODS AND MATERIAL
Audiological evaluation was performed with pure tone audiometry and collection of peripheral blood for the measurement of plasma levels of interleukins 2, 4, 6, and 10, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interferon-γ by means of flow cytometry.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED
The SPSS (v.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA) was used for the analysis of the data obtained. For all data analyzed, the significance level adopted was P < 0.05 and 95% confidence interval.
RESULTS
There were statistically significant correlations between male and IL-2 (P = 0.031; rs = 0.210), mean II of the right ear (P = 0.004; rs = 0.279), longer in years (P = 0.002; rs = 0.307) and in hours (P = 0.004; rs = 0.281) of noise exposure also in males.
CONCLUSIONS
In the present study, there was an association between the male gender and higher plasma levels of IL-2, an increase in the average hearing in the right ear, and greater time in years and hours of exposure to noise. There was a predominance of mild sensorineural hearing loss and worsening of hearing related to age, characteristics of presbycusis.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Aged; Cross-Sectional Studies; Interleukin-2; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Biomarkers; Presbycusis; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Interferon-gamma; Middle Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging
PubMed: 38904818
DOI: 10.4103/nah.nah_3_23 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Hearing problems are commonly diagnosed with the use of tonal audiometry, which measures a patient's hearing threshold in both air and bone conduction at various...
Hearing problems are commonly diagnosed with the use of tonal audiometry, which measures a patient's hearing threshold in both air and bone conduction at various frequencies. Results of audiometry tests, usually represented graphically in the form of an audiogram, need to be interpreted by a professional audiologist in order to determine the exact type of hearing loss and administer proper treatment. However, the small number of professionals in the field can severely delay proper diagnosis. The presented work proposes a neural network solution for classification of tonal audiometry data. The solution, based on the Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory architecture, has been devised and evaluated for classifying audiometry results into four classes, representing normal hearing, conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, and sensorineural hearing loss. The network was trained using 15,046 test results analysed and categorised by professional audiologists. The proposed model achieves 99.33% classification accuracy on datasets outside of training. In clinical application, the model allows general practitioners to independently classify tonal audiometry results for patient referral. In addition, the proposed solution provides audiologists and otolaryngologists with access to an AI decision support system that has the potential to reduce their burden, improve diagnostic accuracy, and minimise human error.
Topics: Humans; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Neural Networks, Computer; Female; Male; Hearing Loss; Adult; Middle Aged; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural; Hearing Loss, Conductive
PubMed: 38902305
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64310-2 -
Clinical Otolaryngology : Official... Jun 2024Pathway innovation using smartphone otoscopy and tablet-based audiometry technologies to deliver ear and hearing services via trained audiologists may improve efficiency...
INTRODUCTION
Pathway innovation using smartphone otoscopy and tablet-based audiometry technologies to deliver ear and hearing services via trained audiologists may improve efficiency of the service. An ENT-integrated-community-ear service (ENTICES-combining community audiology management, remote ENT review and novel technologies) was piloted. We aimed to assess the efficiency and safety of ENTICES.
METHOD
ENTICES was a community-based and audiologist-led pathway. Patients with otological symptoms were self-referred to this service. Smartphone otoscopy and tablet-based audiograms were performed. Two otologists reviewed all decisions made in the community by audiologists based on video-otoscopy, hearing tests and chart reviews. Data on the first 50 consecutive new patients attending either consultant-led hospital otology clinics (HOC), audiologist-led hospital advanced audiology diagnostics (AAD) or ENTICES clinics were collected between 1 August 2021 and 31 December 2021. Data were collected through chart reviews and questionnaires to compare the three pathways with respect to efficiency, patient satisfaction, technology utility and safety.
RESULTS
No audiology-led ENTICES decisions were amended by hospital otologists following remote review. Remote review of video-otoscopy with history was sufficient for a diagnosis in 80% of cases. Adding hearing tests and standardised history increased the diagnostic yield to 98%. Patient satisfaction scores showed 100% service recommendation. The cost per patient, per visit, was £83.36, £99.07 and £69.72 for AAD, HOC or ENTICES, respectively.
CONCLUSION
ENTICES provides a safe ear and hearing service that patients rated highly. Thirty-two per cent of hospital otology patients were eligible for this service. For those patients, ENTICES is 20% more cost-effective and can reduce the number of clinic visits by up to 60% compared with HOC.
PubMed: 38899484
DOI: 10.1111/coa.14192 -
BMC Psychiatry Jun 2024Tinnitus affects approximately 740 million adults globally, involving hearing, emotion, and sleep systems. However, studies using polysomnography and pure-tone...
BACKGROUND
Tinnitus affects approximately 740 million adults globally, involving hearing, emotion, and sleep systems. However, studies using polysomnography and pure-tone audiometry (PTA) are limited. We aimed to assess the correlation between tinnitus and hearing, sleep quality, characteristics, and depression using polysomnography and PTA.
METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, we divided participants into tinnitus and non-tinnitus groups. We included 100 outpatients (65 with tinnitus, 35 without) from a medical center in Taiwan, who underwent polysomnography and completed rating scales including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Chinese-Mandarin version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI-CM). We analyzed correlations, conducted group comparisons, assessed factors related to THI-CM scores, constructed ROC curves to predict depression in the tinnitus group, and performed multinomial and logistic regression to explore associations.
RESULTS
Descriptive statistics identified a cohort with mean age 53.9 ± 12.80 years, 63% exhibited PHQ-9 scores ≥ 10, and 66% had Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) > 5. The ratio of rapid eye movement and deep sleep to stage 1 + 2 sleep was relatively low and non-significant. Likewise, leg movements was higher in the tinnitus group but not statistically significant. In the tinnitus group, 63.08% had depression, and 81.54% had AHI > 5. Univariate logistic regression linked tinnitus to AHI > 5 (Odds ratio (OR) 2.67, p = 0.026) and male sex (OR 2.49, p = 0.034). A moderate positive correlation was found between the THI-CM score and PHQ-9 score (rs = 0.50, p < 0.001). Further adjustment for obstructive sleep apnea showed associations between PHQ-9 (total score) or depression and THI-CM Grade 3-5 (OR = 1.28; OR = 8.68). Single- and multifactor regression analyses highlighted significant associations of PSQI scores > 13 (OR 7.06, p = 0.018) and THI-CM scores > 47 (OR 7.43, p = 0.002) with depression.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study recruited tinnitus participants with slight or mild hearing loss and mild tinnitus handicap. Depression was identified as a predominant factor in tinnitus-related handicap. The mild tinnitus handicap in tinnitus participants may explain the lack of significant differences in depression, sleep quality, and polysomnographic sleep characteristics between tinnitus and non-tinnitus groups. Further extensive and prospective studies are needed to elucidate the complex links among depression, sleep, and tinnitus.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Tinnitus; Middle Aged; Polysomnography; Cross-Sectional Studies; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Adult; Sleep Quality; Aged; Taiwan; Depression
PubMed: 38898451
DOI: 10.1186/s12888-024-05912-y -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024This study examined the association between hearing loss in sporadic vestibular schwannoma patients and the proteome of perilymph (PL), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and...
This study examined the association between hearing loss in sporadic vestibular schwannoma patients and the proteome of perilymph (PL), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and vestibular schwannoma. Intraoperative sampling of PL and of CSF, and biopsy of vestibular schwannoma tissue, was performed in 32, 32, and 20 patients with vestibular schwannoma, respectively. Perilymph and CSF in three patients with meningioma and normal hearing were also sampled. The proteomes were identified by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. Preoperative hearing function of the patients was evaluated with pure tone audiometry, with mean values at frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz (PTA4) in the tumor-affected ear used to delineate three hearing groups. Analysis of the PL samples revealed significant upregulation of complement factor H-related protein 2 (CFHR2) in patients with severe to profound hearing loss after false discovery rate correction. Pathway analysis of biofunctions revealed higher activation scores in the severe/profound hearing loss group of leukocyte migration, viral infection, and migration of cells in PL. Upregulation of CFHR2 and activation of these pathways indicate chronic inflammation in the cochlea of vestibular schwannoma patients with severe to profound hearing loss compared with patients with normal hearing or mild hearing loss.
Topics: Humans; Neuroma, Acoustic; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Proteome; Perilymph; Hearing Loss; Adult; Aged; Cerebrospinal Fluid; Audiometry, Pure-Tone
PubMed: 38898156
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64352-6