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Purpose: To evaluate the health-related quality of life and associated risk factors for Multiple Osteochondromas patients. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted from May to December 2022 during the routine visit to the referral center for rare skeletal disorders. All patients with Multiple Osteochondromas aged ≥ 3 years were included. EuroQol 5-dimension questionnaires, and demographic, clinical, and surgical history data were collected. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact test, One-sample t-test, Spearman's correlation, and multiple linear and logistic regression were performed to analyze the data. Results are reported following STROBE guidelines. Results: A total of 128 patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 14 [SD, 10] years. The mean EQ-5D Index Value was 0.863 [SD, 0.200] and the EQ-VAS was 84 [SD, 19] with a positive correlation between two scores [r = 0.541, p < 0.001]. Patients frequently referred problems in pain/discomfort [78.8%], anxiety/depression [50%], and usual activities [38.8%] dimensions. Increasing age was the common risk factor for health-related quality of life [p < 0.000], as well as Index Value and VAS scores were significantly lower in surgical patients [p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively]. Conclusion: Increasing age and surgical procedures were found highly associated with reduced health-related quality of life in Multiple Osteochondromas patients. Our findings provide relevant information to support the establishment of patient-centered healthcare pathways and pave the way for further research into medical and non-medical therapeutic strategies for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital audio sensors have been used in microphone-embedded portable electronics. This paper shows a mixed-signal adaptive readout ASIC for digital audio sensor, which includes a programmable-gain-amplifier, a switched-capacitor sigma-delta modulator, digital signal processing, and power management circuits. The digital part comprises a digital low-pass filter, a digital-gain-compensation and a digital automatic-gain-controller. The clear advantage of this system is to obtain high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and wide input range simultaneously. In addition, both a normal operation mode and a sleep mode are realized to address a flexible current budget. The ASIC is fabricated in a 0.18-um CMOS process. Experimental results show the expected adaptive readout function over the input range from 94 to 136 dB SPL. In the normal mode, a system SNR of 68 dB (A-weighted) at 1 kHz 94 dB SPL input is achieved under 600 uA. Further, an impressive acoustic overload point (AOP) of 136 dB SPL is guaranteed. In the standby condition, the sleep mode with current less than 20 uA is obtained, so that the battery life can be extended. Compared to other existing solutions, this adaptive readout ASIC shows the best combination of achievable SNR, AOP and current budget for digital audio sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]