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CoDAS 2019To compare clinical characteristics of tinnitus and interference in quality of life in individuals with and without associated hearing loss, as well as to discuss the...
PURPOSE
To compare clinical characteristics of tinnitus and interference in quality of life in individuals with and without associated hearing loss, as well as to discuss the association of quantitative measurements and qualitative instruments.
METHODS
A quantitative, cross-sectional and comparative study approved by the Research Ethics Committee (No. 973.314/CAEE: 41634815.3.0000.0106) was carried out. The responses of the psychoacoustic assessment of tinnitus (intensity, frequency, minimum masking level and loudness discomfort level for pure tone and speech), as well as the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) were compared between 15 patients with tinnitus and peripheral hearing loss (group I) and 16 adults with normal hearing (group II).
RESULTS
The mean VAS and THI scores obtained in GI were 5.1 (+1.5) and 42.3 (+18), and in GII, 5.7 (+2.6) and 32.7 (+25), respectively. This result suggests moderate GI annoyance and moderate/mild GII annoyance (p>0.005). There was a positive and moderate correlation between THI and VAS only in GII. In the psychoacoustic evaluation, significant differences were observed between the groups regarding the measurement of loudness (*p=0.013) and the minimum masking level (*p=0.001).
CONCLUSION
There was no direct influence of the presence of hearing loss in relation to the impact of tinnitus. The differences found between the groups regarding the psychoacoustics measures can be justified by the presence of cochlear damage. The objective measurement of tinnitus, regardless of the presence or absence of peripheral hearing loss, is an important instrument to be used along with self-evaluation measures.
Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Audiometry; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Hearing Loss; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Psychoacoustics; Quality of Life; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tinnitus; Visual Analog Scale; Young Adult
PubMed: 31644709
DOI: 10.1590/2317-1782/20192018029 -
PloS One 2021To test the hypothesis that caffeine can influence tinnitus, we recruited 80 patients with chronic tinnitus and randomly allocated them into two groups (caffeine and... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that caffeine can influence tinnitus, we recruited 80 patients with chronic tinnitus and randomly allocated them into two groups (caffeine and placebo) to analyze the self-perception of tinnitus symptoms after caffeine consumption, assuming that this is an adequate sample for generalization.
METHODS
The participants were randomized into two groups: one group was administered a 300-mg capsule of caffeine, and the other group was given a placebo capsule (cornstarch). A diet that restricted caffeine consumption for 24 hours was implemented. The participants answered questionnaires (the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory-THI, the Visual Analog Scale-VAS, the profile of mood state-POMS) and underwent examinations (tonal and high frequency audiometry, acufenometry (frequency measure; intensity measure and the minimum level of tinnitus masking), transient otoacoustic emissions-TEOAE and distortion product otoacoustic emissions-DPOAE assessments) at two timepoints: at baseline and after capsule ingestion.
RESULTS
There was a significant change in mood (measured by the POMS) after caffeine consumption. The THI and VAS scores were improved at the second timepoint in both groups. The audiometry assessment showed a significant difference in some frequencies between baseline and follow-up measurements in both groups, but these differences were not clinically relevant. Similar findings were observed for the amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio in the TEOAE and DPOAE measurements.
CONCLUSIONS
Caffeine (300 mg) did not significantly alter the psychoacoustic measures, electroacoustic measures or the tinnitus-related degree of discomfort.
Topics: Adult; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Caffeine; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous; Psychoacoustics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tinnitus
PubMed: 34543285
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256275 -
Biomedical Papers of the Medical... Sep 2018The correct diagnosis of CPA tumours is a relatively common issue in both neurological and ENT practice, the omission of which can have serious consequences for the... (Review)
Review
The correct diagnosis of CPA tumours is a relatively common issue in both neurological and ENT practice, the omission of which can have serious consequences for the patient. Properly set clinical guidelines and diagnostic protocols are key aspects of good clinical practice. In the case of CPA tumours, two options are available: the first is diagnosis with the help of an ABR as the primary tool for determining the group of patients with a possible tumour; the second is an MRI scan of the posterior cranial fossa. With an appropriately set diagnostic protocol in place, and despite the 40% chance of failure of the ABR to detect tumours less than or equal to 1 cm, similar treatment results can be achieved with much higher cost efficacy in case of primary ABR testing.
Topics: Acoustic Impedance Tests; Audiometry; Cerebellopontine Angle; Evoked Potentials, Auditory; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neuroma, Acoustic
PubMed: 29765166
DOI: 10.5507/bp.2018.013 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Mar 2016The relationship between the intensity and loudness of self-generated (autophonic) speech remains invariant despite changes in auditory feedback, indicating that... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The relationship between the intensity and loudness of self-generated (autophonic) speech remains invariant despite changes in auditory feedback, indicating that non-auditory processes contribute to this form of perception. The aim of the current study was to determine if the speech perception deficit associated with Parkinson's disease may be linked to deficits in such processes. Loudness magnitude estimates were obtained from parkinsonian and non-parkinsonian subjects across four separate conditions: self-produced speech under normal, perturbed, and masked auditory feedback, as well as auditory presentation of pre-recorded speech (passive listening). Slopes and intercepts of loudness curves were compared across groups and conditions. A significant difference in slope was found between autophonic and passive-listening conditions for both groups. Unlike control subjects, parkinsonian subjects' magnitude estimates under auditory masking increased in variability and did not show as strong a shift in intercept values. These results suggest that individuals with Parkinson's disease rely on auditory feedback to compensate for underlying deficits in sensorimotor integration important in establishing and regulating autophonic loudness.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Audiometry, Speech; Auditory Threshold; Case-Control Studies; Feedback, Sensory; Female; Humans; Loudness Perception; Male; Middle Aged; Parkinson Disease; Perceptual Masking; Speech Perception; Voice Quality
PubMed: 27036273
DOI: 10.1121/1.4944569 -
Brain : a Journal of Neurology Jan 2018Recognizing the identity of others by their voice is an important skill for social interactions. To date, it remains controversial which parts of the brain are critical...
Recognizing the identity of others by their voice is an important skill for social interactions. To date, it remains controversial which parts of the brain are critical structures for this skill. Based on neuroimaging findings, standard models of person-identity recognition suggest that the right temporal lobe is the hub for voice-identity recognition. Neuropsychological case studies, however, reported selective deficits of voice-identity recognition in patients predominantly with right inferior parietal lobe lesions. Here, our aim was to work towards resolving the discrepancy between neuroimaging studies and neuropsychological case studies to find out which brain structures are critical for voice-identity recognition in humans. We performed a voxel-based lesion-behaviour mapping study in a cohort of patients (n = 58) with unilateral focal brain lesions. The study included a comprehensive behavioural test battery on voice-identity recognition of newly learned (voice-name, voice-face association learning) and familiar voices (famous voice recognition) as well as visual (face-identity recognition) and acoustic control tests (vocal-pitch and vocal-timbre discrimination). The study also comprised clinically established tests (neuropsychological assessment, audiometry) and high-resolution structural brain images. The three key findings were: (i) a strong association between voice-identity recognition performance and right posterior/mid temporal and right inferior parietal lobe lesions; (ii) a selective association between right posterior/mid temporal lobe lesions and voice-identity recognition performance when face-identity recognition performance was factored out; and (iii) an association of right inferior parietal lobe lesions with tasks requiring the association between voices and faces but not voices and names. The results imply that the right posterior/mid temporal lobe is an obligatory structure for voice-identity recognition, while the inferior parietal lobe is only a facultative component of voice-identity recognition in situations where additional face-identity processing is required.
Topics: Association Learning; Audiometry; Brain; Brain Mapping; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychoacoustics; Recognition, Psychology; Statistics, Nonparametric; Surveys and Questionnaires; Verbal Learning; Voice
PubMed: 29228111
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awx313 -
American Journal of Audiology Mar 2016Understanding speech in background noise is difficult for many individuals; however, time constraints have limited its inclusion in the clinical audiology assessment...
PURPOSE
Understanding speech in background noise is difficult for many individuals; however, time constraints have limited its inclusion in the clinical audiology assessment battery. Phoneme scoring of words has been suggested as a method of reducing test time and variability. The purposes of this study were to establish a phoneme scoring rubric and use it in testing phoneme and word perception in noise in older individuals and individuals with hearing impairment.
METHOD
Words were presented to 3 participant groups at 80 dB in speech-shaped noise at 7 signal-to-noise ratios (-10 to 35 dB). Responses were scored for words and phonemes correct.
RESULTS
It was not surprising to find that phoneme scores were up to about 30% better than word scores. Word scoring resulted in larger hearing loss effect sizes than phoneme scoring, whereas scoring method did not significantly modify age effect sizes. There were significant effects of hearing loss and some limited effects of age; age effect sizes of about 3 dB and hearing loss effect sizes of more than 10 dB were found.
CONCLUSION
Hearing loss is the major factor affecting word and phoneme recognition with a subtle contribution of age. Phoneme scoring may provide several advantages over word scoring. A set of recommended phoneme scoring guidelines is provided.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Audiometry, Speech; Auditory Threshold; Case-Control Studies; Female; Hearing Loss; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Phonetics; Signal-To-Noise Ratio; Speech Perception; Young Adult
PubMed: 26989823
DOI: 10.1044/2016_AJA-15-0068 -
Audiology & Neuro-otology 2022This study aimed to study the effect of steroid treatment on new-onset sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in subjects presenting shortly after an audiometry-confirmed...
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to study the effect of steroid treatment on new-onset sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in subjects presenting shortly after an audiometry-confirmed acute acoustic trauma (AAT) injury.
STUDY DESIGN
This is a case-control study.
METHODS
We identified healthy military personnel who presented with AAT injury to the Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps Otolaryngology/Audiology Services during 2016-2020. Patients were nonrandomly allocated to a treatment arm, where they received steroids (prednisone, 1 mg/kg, 60 mg maximal daily dose), administered for either ≥7 days or <7 days, or to a control arm, in which no treatment was offered besides loud noise avoidance. Audiometries were conducted within 7 days following the AAT and within 1 month later. We compared changes in bone conduction (BC) and air conduction (AC) thresholds at 2-8 kHz.
RESULTS
Of the 263 enrolled subjects, 137 (52%) received steroids and 126 (48%) received no treatment. Subjects who were treated early (<24 h) with high-dose steroids and for ≥7 days demonstrated significantly better hearing outcomes, compared with the nontreatment group. Subjects in the steroids group demonstrated 13-14 dB average improvement in BC thresholds at 3 and 4 kHz (p = 0.001) and additional 7-8 dB average improvement in AC thresholds at 6 and 8 kHz, compared with the nontreatment group (p < 0.0001). These observations were more compelling in patients who initially presented with worse hearing losses (>35 dB). No statistically significant differences were observed in AC/BC pure tone average between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Early oral steroids are recommended in AAT injuries and were shown to improve hearing outcomes within 1 month.
Topics: Audiometry; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Bone Conduction; Case-Control Studies; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural; Humans; Steroids
PubMed: 35231916
DOI: 10.1159/000522051 -
American Journal of Otolaryngology 2022
Response to "Letter to the Editor" by Kalcioglu et al. "Comparison of pure tone audiometry thresholds and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) of patients with and without Covid-19 pneumonia".
Topics: Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Auditory Threshold; COVID-19; Humans; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous
PubMed: 35428531
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2022.103464 -
Behavior Research Methods Mar 2024Anonymous web-based experiments are increasingly used in many domains of behavioral research. However, online studies of auditory perception, especially of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Anonymous web-based experiments are increasingly used in many domains of behavioral research. However, online studies of auditory perception, especially of psychoacoustic phenomena pertaining to low-level sensory processing, are challenging because of limited available control of the acoustics, and the inability to perform audiometry to confirm normal-hearing status of participants. Here, we outline our approach to mitigate these challenges and validate our procedures by comparing web-based measurements to lab-based data on a range of classic psychoacoustic tasks. Individual tasks were created using jsPsych, an open-source JavaScript front-end library. Dynamic sequences of psychoacoustic tasks were implemented using Django, an open-source library for web applications, and combined with consent pages, questionnaires, and debriefing pages. Subjects were recruited via Prolific, a subject recruitment platform for web-based studies. Guided by a meta-analysis of lab-based data, we developed and validated a screening procedure to select participants for (putative) normal-hearing status based on their responses in a suprathreshold task and a survey. Headphone use was standardized by supplementing procedures from prior literature with a binaural hearing task. Individuals meeting all criteria were re-invited to complete a range of classic psychoacoustic tasks. For the re-invited participants, absolute thresholds were in excellent agreement with lab-based data for fundamental frequency discrimination, gap detection, and sensitivity to interaural time delay and level difference. Furthermore, word identification scores, consonant confusion patterns, and co-modulation masking release effect also matched lab-based studies. Our results suggest that web-based psychoacoustics is a viable complement to lab-based research. Source code for our infrastructure is provided.
Topics: Humans; Psychoacoustics; Hearing; Auditory Perception; Audiometry; Internet; Auditory Threshold; Acoustic Stimulation
PubMed: 37326771
DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02101-9 -
Journal of Applied Oral Science :... 2023The cases of ear malformations, conductive, mixed, and single-sided deafness hearing loss are candidates for surgery and use of Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA)....
BACKGROUND
The cases of ear malformations, conductive, mixed, and single-sided deafness hearing loss are candidates for surgery and use of Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA). Commonly, the literature highlights two procedures to assess the benefits and characteristics of amplification in users: functional gain (FG) and effective gain (EG).
OBJECTIVE
Estimate and compare the EG and the FG to evaluate the benefits obtained by users of BAHA and, later, to compare tests of speech perception in silence and in noise.
METHODOLOGY
The sample (n=79) was divided into four groups, implanted from February 2014 to February 2021. The following tests were analyzed: pure-tone audiometry by air and bone; research of audiometric thresholds in free field; speech perception tests in silence and in noise.
RESULTS
EG presented lower values than FG in all frequencies. The positive results of the speech perception tests were correlated with worse FG values. EG is the best method for evaluation, as it allows a proper comparison between devices, as well as a comparison with the prescription of validated rules.
CONCLUSIONS
A better evaluation of results was observed on the EG values, indicating that it is a relevant method to assess auditory performance. In addition, the FG results were incompatible with the benefits obtained in the speech perception tests, showing that it is not a reliable tool for monitoring the results with the use of BAHA.
Topics: Audiometry; Hearing Aids; Speech Perception
PubMed: 36629535
DOI: 10.1590/1678-7757-2022-0291