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Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology 2018Tinnitus is a difficult to treat symptom, with different responses in patients. It is classified in different ways, according to its origin and associated diseases.
INTRODUCTION
Tinnitus is a difficult to treat symptom, with different responses in patients. It is classified in different ways, according to its origin and associated diseases.
OBJECTIVE
to propose a single and measurable classification of persistent tinnitus, through its perception as sounds of nature or of daily life and its comparison with pure tone or noise, of high or low pitch, presented to the patient by audiometer sound.
METHODS
A total of 110 adult patients, of both genders, treated at the Tinnitus Outpatient Clinic, were enrolled according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Otorhinolaryngologic and Audiological, Pitch Matching and Loudness, Visual Analog Scale, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Minimum Masking Level assessments were performed.
RESULTS
In these 110 patients, 181 tinnitus complaints were identified accordingly to type and ear, with 93 (51%) Pure Tone, and 88 (49%) Noise type; 19 at low and 162 at high frequency; with a mean in the Pure Tone of 5.47 in the Visual Analog Scale and 12.31 decibel in the Loudness and a mean in the Noise of 6.66 and 10.51 decibel. For Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Minimum Masking Level, the 110 patients were separated into three groups with tinnitus, Pure Tone, Noise and multiple. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory higher in the group with multiple tinnitus, of 61.38. Masking noises such as White Noise and Narrow Band were used for the Minimum Masking Level at the frequencies of 500 and 6000Hz. There was a similarity between the Pure Tone and Multiple groups. In the Noise group, different responses were found when Narrow Band was used at low frequency.
CONCLUSION
Classifying persistent tinnitus as pure tone or noise, present in high or low frequency and establishing its different characteristics allow us to know its peculiarities and the effects of this symptom in patients' lives.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Adult; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Auditory Perception; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Psychoacoustics; Tinnitus
PubMed: 28826945
DOI: 10.1016/j.bjorl.2017.07.005 -
International Journal of Pediatric... Jan 2022A new generation of children with hearing impairment (HI) has emerged due to introduction of universal neonatal hearing screening, medical-surgical/technical and...
UNLABELLED
A new generation of children with hearing impairment (HI) has emerged due to introduction of universal neonatal hearing screening, medical-surgical/technical and educational advances in the field of paediatric audiology.
AIM
The primary aim of the study was to investigate long-term development of language fundamentals of children with HI at school level and analyse associations to several background variables.
METHOD AND MATERIAL
The project design is prospective, longitudinal and comparative and was conducted over a three-year period with annual testing of core language, expressive language, working memory and pragmatics. Language scores were compared to type of hearing technology, gender, additional disability, diagnosis of HI, level of social well-being and start age of use of hearing technology. A total of 56 children participated (Children with HI N = 47; Children with normal hearing (NH) N = 9). Intervention included early start and full time use of hearing technology and 3 years of Auditory Verbal (AV) guidance at school level.
RESULTS
Children with HI scored within the norm on all language fundamentals and showed high scores on parental assessments of level of social well-being. No significant association was found between any of the language fundamentals and social well-being. Children with HI and a diagnosed additional disability showed positive progression in terms of language development over the three years.
CONCLUSION
The new generation of children with HI showed potentials of developing language fundamentals within normal range and thrived in terms of social well-being. Opportunities exist for children to be fully included in their respective local hearing community, if qualitative technical and educational intervention is provided.
Topics: Child; Hearing Loss; Hearing Tests; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Language Development; Memory, Short-Term; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 34856491
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2021.110991 -
Nature Aug 2012The invention of the laser has resulted in many innovations, and the device has become ubiquitous. However, the maser, which amplifies microwave radiation rather than...
The invention of the laser has resulted in many innovations, and the device has become ubiquitous. However, the maser, which amplifies microwave radiation rather than visible light, has not had as large an impact, despite being instrumental in the laser's birth. The maser's relative obscurity has mainly been due to the inconvenience of the operating conditions needed for its various realizations: atomic and free-electron masers require vacuum chambers and pumping; and solid-state masers, although they excel as low-noise amplifiers and are occasionally incorporated in ultrastable oscillators, typically require cryogenic refrigeration. Most realizations of masers also require strong magnets, magnetic shielding or both. Overcoming these various obstacles would pave the way for improvements such as more-sensitive chemical assays, more-precise determinations of biomolecular structure and function, and more-accurate medical diagnostics (including tomography) based on enhanced magnetic resonance spectrometers incorporating maser amplifiers and oscillators. Here we report the experimental demonstration of a solid-state maser operating at room temperature in pulsed mode. It works on a laboratory bench, in air, in the terrestrial magnetic field and amplifies at around 1.45 gigahertz. In contrast to the cryogenic ruby maser, in our maser the gain medium is an organic mixed molecular crystal, p-terphenyl doped with pentacene, the latter being photo-excited by yellow light. The maser's pumping mechanism exploits spin-selective molecular intersystem crossing into pentacene's triplet ground state. When configured as an oscillator, the solid-state maser's measured output power of around -10 decibel milliwatts is approximately 100 million times greater than that of an atomic hydrogen maser, which oscillates at a similar frequency (about 1.42 gigahertz). By exploiting the high levels of spin polarization readily generated by intersystem crossing in photo-excited pentacene and other aromatic molecules, this new type of maser seems to be capable of amplifying with a residual noise temperature far below room temperature.
PubMed: 22895341
DOI: 10.1038/nature11339 -
Complementary Therapies in Medicine Jun 2018Concomitant with the growth of music intervention research, are concerns about inadequate intervention reporting and inconsistent terminology, which limits validity,... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Concomitant with the growth of music intervention research, are concerns about inadequate intervention reporting and inconsistent terminology, which limits validity, replicability, and clinical application of findings.
OBJECTIVE
Examine reporting quality of music intervention research, in chronic and acute medical settings, using the Checklist for Reporting Music-based Interventions. In addition, describe patient populations and primary outcomes, intervention content and corresponding interventionist qualifications, and terminology.
METHODS
Searching MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, HealthSTAR, and PsycINFO we identified articles meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria for a five-year period (2010-2015) and extracted relevant data. Coded material included reporting quality across seven areas (theory, content, delivery schedule, interventionist qualifications, treatment fidelity, setting, unit of delivery), author/journal information, patient population/outcomes, and terminology.
RESULTS
Of 860 articles, 187 met review criteria (128 experimental; 59 quasi-experimental), with 121 publishing journals, and authors from 31 countries. Overall reporting quality was poor with <50% providing information for four of the seven checklist components (theory, interventionist qualifications, treatment fidelity, setting). Intervention content reporting was also poor with <50% providing information about the music used, decibel levels/volume controls, or materials. Credentialed music therapists and registered nurses delivered most interventions, with clear differences in content and delivery. Terminology was varied and inconsistent.
CONCLUSIONS
Problems with reporting quality impedes meaningful interpretation and cross-study comparisons. Inconsistent and misapplied terminology also create barriers to interprofessional communication and translation of findings to patient care. Improved reporting quality and creation of shared language will advance scientific rigor and clinical relevance of music intervention research.
Topics: Biomedical Research; Humans; Music Therapy; Quality of Health Care; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 29857877
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2018.02.008 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Jun 2023Guide dogs work for extended periods and are exposed to multiple environmental stimuli that could lead to higher stress compared with companion dogs. Cortisol is the...
Guide dogs work for extended periods and are exposed to multiple environmental stimuli that could lead to higher stress compared with companion dogs. Cortisol is the main hormone associated with stress in most mammals. This study included seven guide dogs and seven same-breed dogs that were trained as guide dogs but became companion dogs to compare their salivary cortisol levels before, during, and after a period of social isolation and exposure to a 110-decibel gunshot sound. Each dog was left alone in an empty room for 60 min. After 15 min, the dogs were exposed to the sound. We collected four saliva samples from each dog. The first one was taken 5 min before starting the social isolation period, and the following ones at 15, 30, and 45 min after the test started. A two-way ANOVA was used to compare the group effect and the time effect during isolation and noise exposure. The results showed higher levels of cortisol in the guide dogs compared with the companion dogs throughout the test. No differences were found in time or in the interaction between time and group. This suggests that being a guide dog increases levels of basal cortisol when compared with dogs that live as companion animals and family members.
PubMed: 37370493
DOI: 10.3390/ani13121981 -
Journal of Critical Care Dec 2016Sound levels in the intensive care unit (ICU) are universally elevated and are believed to contribute to sleep and circadian disruption. The purpose of this study is to... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Observational Study
PURPOSE
Sound levels in the intensive care unit (ICU) are universally elevated and are believed to contribute to sleep and circadian disruption. The purpose of this study is to compare overnight ICU sound levels and peak occurrence on A- vs C-weighted scales.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This was a prospective observational study of overnight sound levels in 59 medical ICU patient rooms. Sound level was recorded every 10 seconds on A- and C-weighted decibel scales. Equivalent sound level (Leq) and sound peaks were reported for full and partial night periods.
RESULTS
The overnight A-weighted Leq of 53.6 dBA was well above World Health Organization recommendations; overnight C-weighted Leq was 63.1 dBC (no World Health Organization recommendations). Peak sound occurrence ranged from 1.8 to 23.3 times per hour. Illness severity, mechanical ventilation, and delirium were not associated with Leq or peak occurrence. Equivalent sound level and peak measures for A- and C-weighted decibel scales were significantly different from each other.
CONCLUSIONS
Sound levels in the medical ICU are high throughout the night. Patient factors were not associated with Leq or peak occurrence. Significant discordance between A- and C-weighted values suggests that low-frequency sound is a meaningful factor in the medical ICU environment.
Topics: Critical Care; Facility Design and Construction; Female; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Male; Middle Aged; Noise; Patients' Rooms; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 27546739
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2016.06.005 -
Proceedings of the VLDB Endowment.... May 2016As scientific endeavors and data analysis become increasingly collaborative, there is a need for data management systems that natively support the or of datasets to...
As scientific endeavors and data analysis become increasingly collaborative, there is a need for data management systems that natively support the or of datasets to enable concurrent analysis, cleaning, integration, manipulation, or curation of data across teams of individuals. Common practice for sharing and collaborating on datasets involves creating or storing multiple copies of the dataset, one for each stage of analysis, with no provenance information tracking the relationships between these datasets. This results not only in wasted storage, but also makes it challenging to track and integrate modifications made by different users to the same dataset. In this paper, we introduce the Relational Dataset Branching System, Decibel, a new relational storage system with built-in version control designed to address these shortcomings. We present our initial design for Decibel and provide a thorough evaluation of three versioned storage engine designs that focus on efficient query processing with minimal storage overhead. We also develop an exhaustive benchmark to enable the rigorous testing of these and future versioned storage engine designs.
PubMed: 28149668
DOI: 10.14778/2947618.2947619 -
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine :... Apr 2017Catathrenia is an underrecognized nocturnal vocalization phenomenon that can be a source of perplexity to patients, bed partners, and medical providers. Catathrenia is... (Review)
Review
STUDY OBJECTIVES
Catathrenia is an underrecognized nocturnal vocalization phenomenon that can be a source of perplexity to patients, bed partners, and medical providers. Catathrenia is distinct from both sleep talking (a parasomnia with loud talking during sleep) and snoring (noise due to vibration of upper airway soft tissues related to variations in airway resistance). The objective of this review is to provide an evidence-based resource to help the practitioner reliably evaluate and manage patients with this condition.
METHODS
Data were gathered from: (1) PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar; and (2) catathrenia social media groups (Yahoo and Facebook).
RESULTS
Data collected were (1) 15 case reports and 17 case series describing 191 patients with catathrenia; (2) questionnaires from 47 catathrenia subjects; (3) 5 audio files.
CONCLUSIONS
Catathrenia is a noise produced during sleep (distinct from snoring) with identifiable harmonics, a computable main frequency, and high-decibel intensity that involves active adduction and vibration of the vocal cords during expiration. The quality of groaning in catathrenia is monotone, and often presents with a morose or sexual connotation, causing a significant social problem for patients. Although there is no association with risk of physical harm, catathrenia does present a significant disturbance to the bed partner and has been associated with subjective impairments to sleep quality, including unrefreshing sleep and fatigue. Polysomnography can be useful if performed properly to confirm the diagnosis and to evaluate for comorbid sleep disturbances, such as obstructive sleep apnea or parasomnia. Directions for further research could involve consideration of deep breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, or myofunctional therapy to help abate symptoms.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Parasomnias; Polysomnography; Respiratory Sounds; Social Media; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 28095968
DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.6556