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Background: Hearing loss and tinnitus have been linked to mild cognitive impairment (MCI); however, the evidence is constrained by ethical and temporal constraints, and few prospective studies have definitively established causation. This study aims to utilize Mendelian randomization (MR) and cross-sectional studies to validate and analyze this association. Methods: This study employs a two-step approach. Initially, the genetic data of the European population from the Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) database is utilized to establish the causal relationship between hearing loss and cognitive impairment through Mendelian randomization using the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method. This is achieved by identifying strongly correlated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), eliminating linkage disequilibrium, and excluding weak instrumental variables. In the second step, 363 elderly individuals from 10 communities in Qingdao, China are assessed and examined using methods questionnaire survey and pure tone audiology (PTA). Logistic regression and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the risk factors of MCI in the elderly and to calculate the cutoff values. Results: Mendelian randomization studies have shown that hearing loss is a risk factor for MCI in European populations, with a risk ratio of hearing loss to MCI loss of 1. 23. The findings of this cross-sectional study indicate that age, tinnitus, and hearing loss emerged as significant risk factors for MCI in univariate logistic regression analysis. Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analysis identified hearing loss and tinnitus as potential risk factors for MCI. Consistent results were observed in multiple linear regression analysis, revealing that hearing loss and age significantly influenced the development of MCI. Additionally, a notable finding was that the likelihood of MCI occurrence increased by 9% when the hearing threshold exceeded 20 decibels. Conclusion: This study provides evidence from genomic and epidemiological investigations indicating that hearing loss may serve as a risk factor for cognitive impairment. While our epidemiological study has found both hearing loss and tinnitus as potential risk factors for cognitive decline, additional research is required to establish a causal relationship, particularly given that tinnitus can manifest as a symptom of various underlying medical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: So far, there have been no in-depth analyses of the connection between tinnitus sensation--level loudness and sleep quality. Accordingly, the present study was formulated as a mediation analysis focused on exploring this relationship. Method: Overall, 1,255 adults with consecutive subjective tinnitus who had sought outpatient treatment were enrolled in the present study. Results: Direct effects of tinnitus sensation--level loudness on sleep quality were not statistically significant (95% confidence intervals [CI] include zero), as measured by the point estimate, -0.016. However, the 95% CI for indirect effects did not include zero when assessing the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores, the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores, the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, and self-reported tinnitus annoyance. Conclusions: These results suggest that tinnitus sensation--level loudness does not directly have an effect on sleep quality. However, it indirectly impacts sleep quality, mediated by SAS scores, SDS scores, the impact of tinnitus on life measured using the VAS, and self-reported tinnitus annoyance. As such, alleviating anxiety and depression in patients with tinnitus may result in reductions in their insomnia even if there is no reduction in tinnitus loudness. Importantly, otolaryngologists and other clinicians treating tinnitus should refer patients with tinnitus suffering from insomnia with comorbid depression or anxiety for appropriate psychological and/or psychiatric treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lived experience of tinnitus has biopsychosocial characteristics which are influenced by sociocultural factors. The main purpose of this study is to investigate how tinnitus affects people in their everyday life in China. A deductive qualitative analysis examined whether an a priori Western-centric conceptual framework could extend to an Asian context. A large-scale prospective survey collected patient-reported problems associated with tinnitus in 485 adults attending four major ENT clinics in Eastern and Southern mainland China. The evidence suggests that patients in China express a narrower range of problem domains associated with the lived experience of tinnitus. While 13 tinnitus-related problem domains were confirmed, culture-specific adaptations included the addition uncomfortable (a novel concept not previously reported), and the potential exclusion of concepts such as intrusiveness, loss of control, loss of peace and loss of sense of self. The sociocultural context of patients across China plays an important role in defining the vocabulary used to describe the patient-centred impacts of tinnitus. Possible explanatory factors include cultural differences in the meaning and relevance of certain concepts relating to self and in help-seeking behaviour, low health literacy and a different lexicon in Chinese compared to English to describe tinnitus-related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the graft outcomes of endoscopic perichondrium-cartilage myringoplasty with preserving of anterior margins for repairing anterior perforation with 3 year followup. Study design: Prospective case series. Setting: Tertiary university hospital. Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective study in 47 patients with anterior perforation who underwent perichondrium-cartilage myringoplasty with preserving of anterior margins and tuck grafts. The operation time, graft success rate, hearing outcome, and complications were evaluated at 6 months and 3 years after surgery. Results: A total of 47 ears with anterior marginal perforation were included in the study. The perforation size was subtotal in 2 (4.3%) eras, large in 11 (23.4%) ears, medium in 27 (57.4%) ears, and small in 7 (14.9%). The mean operation time was 41.2 ± 5.4 minutes. All patients completed 6 months of follow-up. Residual perforation was observed in 2 patients with medium perforations, the graft success rate was 95.7% (45/47). The mean preoperative and postoperative AC PTAs were 38.1 ± 7.3 dB and 25.4 ± 4.6 dB (P <.05), while the mean preoperative and postoperative BC PTAs were 9.0 ± 4.6 dB and 9.6 ± 1.9 dB (P =.672). The functional success was 91.5% (43/47). None of the patients reported sensorineural hearing loss, altered taste, facial nerve palsy, vertigo, or tinnitus during the follow-up period. In addition, 34 (72.3%) patients completed 3 years followup and performed temporal bone CT examination, the mean followup time was 39.1 ± 2.7 months, CT revealed the well pneumatization of mastoids and middle ear. Conclusions: Endoscopic perichondrium-cartilage myringoplasty with preserving of anterior margins and tuck grafts is a safe, suitable, and reliable method for repair of anterior perforation with few risk of anterior blunting and lateralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Current studies still find insufficient evidence to support the routine use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in tinnitus. This study aimed to assess response of tinnitus to treatment with rTMS and identify factors influencing the overall response. Methods: Between January 2016 and May 2017, 199 tinnitus patients were identified from a retrospective review of the electronic patient record at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital. All patients received rTMS treatment. Their clinicodemographic profile and outcomes, including the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) and visual analog scale (VAS) scores, were extracted for analysis. Results: Regarding the THI results, 62.3% of all patients responded to rTMS. The analysis of the VAS score revealed an overall response rate of 66.3%. Both percentages were close to the patient's subjective assessment result, of 63.8%. Patients with tinnitus of less than 1-week duration had the highest response rate to rTMS in terms of either THI/VAS scores or the patient's subjective assessment of symptoms. Tinnitus duration was recognized as a factor influencing the overall response to the treatment. Conclusions: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment is effective for patients with tinnitus, but its efficacy is affected by tinnitus duration. Tinnitus patients are advised to attend for rTMS as soon as possible since therapy was more effective in those with a shorter duration of disease of less than 1 week. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Chronic subjective tinnitus has become an increasingly serious hazard that affects the health-related quality of life for millions of people. Due to the lack of curative treatment strategies, this study aims to introduce a novel acoustic therapy named the modified tinnitus relieving sound (MTRS) for tinnitus and to evaluate the efficacy of MTRS in comparison with unmodified music (UM) which served as a control. Methods and analysis: A randomized, double-blinded, controlled, clinical trial will be carried out. Sixty-eight patients with subjective tinnitus will be recruited and randomly allocated into two groups in 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome is Tinnitus Handicapped Inventory (THI); the secondary outcomes are the Hospital Anxiety and Distress Scale (HADS; HADS subscales for Anxiety (HADS-A) and Depression (HADS-D)), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the visual analog scale (VAS) for tinnitus, and tinnitus loudness matched by sensation level (SL). Assessment will be performed at baseline and at 1, 3, 9, and 12 months post-randomization. The sound stimulus will be persistent until 9 months after randomization, and be interdictory in the last three months. Data collected during the intervention process will be analyzed and compared to baseline. Ethics and dissemination: This trial received ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University (No. 2017048). The study results will be disseminated via academic journals and conferences. Funding: This study is supported by the Shanghai Shenkang Development Program (SHDC12019119), the Excellent Doctors-Excellent Clinical Researchers Program (SYB202008), the Shanghai Rising-Star Program (23QC1401200), the Shanghai Rising Stars of Medical Talent Youth Development Program (2021–99), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81800912), and the National Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (21ZR1411800). Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04026932. Registered on 18 July 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Tinnitus is a highly prevalent hearing disorder, and the burden of tinnitus diagnosis and treatment is very heavy, especially in China. In order to better benefit the majority of tinnitus patients, we developed a new mobile app based on our patented invention – named the Fudan Tinnitus Relieving System (FTRS) – for tinnitus management. The FTRS app aims to alleviate patients' tinnitus symptoms using customized sound therapy, to evaluate the treatment effect, to provide a doctor-patient communication platform, and to support tinnitus rehabilitation and auditory health. Methods: In this study, we introduced the major functions of the FTRS app, analyzed the geographical distribution of users around China, and performed an analysis on the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with tinnitus, including age and tinnitus position, duration, frequency, and severity in both men and women based on the user information collected by the FTRS. The data for 22,867 participants (males: 13,715; females: 9,152) were included in the statistical analysis. Results: The FTRS app has been popular with tinnitus patients since its launch in May 2018 with its integrated pitch-matching test, individualized sound therapy, follow-up assessment, and provision of easy-to-understand science and education for tinnitus. The users were located throughout Mainland China but primarily concentrated in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Shandong provinces. We observed gender differences regarding age and tinnitus frequency, severity, and position among the app's users. The FTRS has not only facilitated patients' access to treatment at times and places that are convenient for them, but also provides a large amount of data based on user feedback in order to support clinical tinnitus research. Conclusions: Compared with traditional face-to-face medical treatment, the FTRS greatly reduced medical costs and enabled patients with tinnitus to arrange their own treatment times. At the same time, the FTRS has provided standardized tinnitus data that have laid a foundation for clinical research on tinnitus. However, because of differences in the popularity and utilization of smart devices, FTRS user data might only reflect the situation of tinnitus patients who can effectively use smart devices. Therefore, the findings of this study need to be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to the socio-cultural differences between China and other countries, which may affect the development of an individual's personality and behavior, it is necessary to explore the relationship between personality traits and tinnitus distress in the context of China's socio-cultural background. Methods: The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Short Scale Chinese version were used to explore the influence of personality traits on tinnitus distress in Chinese patients with tinnitus. Results: The results were not entirely consistent with previous studies from other countries. First, extroversion was significantly higher in patients with bothersome tinnitus, both in acute and chronic conditions. Second, the personality traits that affected the patients with bothersome tinnitus were different in different conditions. Finally, the tridimensional personality structure, high psychoticism / normal extroversion / normal neuroticism, was significantly higher in people with bothersome tinnitus. Furthermore, the difference became more obvious with a prolonged disease course. Conclusions: This study suggested that the relationship between personality traits and tinnitus distress in Chinese patients with tinnitus was not the same as in other countries. "High psychoticism / normal extroversion / normal neuroticism" may be a risk factor for chronic bothersome tinnitus in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the acceptability and influencing factors of an Internet-based Tinnitus Multivariate Integrated Sound Therapy (iT-MIST). The individually tailored sound therapy used narrowband noise centered on the patient's tinnitus frequency in combination with natural sounds and relaxing music. Design: Patients with tinnitus were given a 1-week trial of iT-MIST. Semistructured interviews were then carried out and a thematic analysis used to analyze, identify, organize, and report factors discovered in the data. Study Sample: Semistructured interviews were carried out with 11 participants, 2 women and 9 men, mean age 39.82 years. Results: The first theme identified from patient interview analysis was their motivation to undertake and expectations of iT-MIST. Nearly half of the participants indicated that advice from the physician was considered very important and professional. Benefits acknowledged by most participants from their iT-MIST experience were accessibility, convenience, time- and cost-effectiveness, and emotional benefit. However, a few participants with poor understanding of tinnitus and iT-MIST showed a negative acceptability with doubtful thoughts and complaints about technical issues such as being easily interrupted by messages and phone calls. Conclusion: Patients with tinnitus in this study were not universally accepting of the iT-MIST therapy. Concerns about their tinnitus and ability to comply with doctor's recommendations were the main influencing factors. Attitude or willingness to explore new therapies facilitated its use. Emotional benefits, for example, relaxation and comfort, were seen to sustain motivation, while doubtful thoughts and technical problems negatively affected acceptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to observe the application of the Chinese version of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory-China in Tinnitus patients and verify its reliability and validity. METHODS: About 1129 patients with tinnitus as the first complaint were selected as subjects. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: exploration group (n = 565), whose data were analyzed with reliability analysis method using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software 19.0, validation group (n = 564), whose data were analyzed with validity analysis method using AMOS21.0. RESULTS: (1) Reliability test: The Cronbach's α coefficients of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory-China scale in both groups were 0.94, among which, the Cronbach's α coefficients of functional factor (F), emotion factor (E), and catastrophic factor (C) in group E were 0.87, 0.90, and 0.78, respectively. The half-reliability of the 2 components is 0.87. The correlation coefficient between items and the scale in group E and group V is 0.36-0.78 and 0.33-0.77, respectively. (2) Content validity: The Kaiser--Meyer--Olkin value of group E is 0.96, a total of 4 common factors were extracted, and the cumulative interpretation rate is 57.844%. The number of factors with load less than 0.4 on the 4 common factors is only 1 (F24), suggesting that this factor had little significance; the number of factors with load more than 0.4 on the 2 common factors is 8 (F1, E6, F9, C11, F15, E21, E22, and C23), suggesting that patients had different understandings of these 8 questions. (3) Structural validity: The root mean square error of approximation value of the AMOS structural model in group V is 0.065, and the root mean square residual value is 0.114, indicating low fitness; the NC value is 3.353, indicating good fitness of the scale, but it still needed to be simplified. CONCLUSION: The Chinese version of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory-China has a high reliability when applied in China, but the content validity and structure validity are not high, and the clinical practicability needs to be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, for which the first cases were reported in China, by December 2019. The spectrum of clinical presentations is wide, ranging from asymptomatic cases to a severe acute respiratory syndrome, sometimes with multiple systems involvement. Viral infections, including those related to respiratory virus, may cause hearing loss and, by extent, considering its pathophysiology, tinnitus. A systematic review on inner ear related symptoms in patients with COVID-19 reported 4.5% occurrence rate of tinnitus, with high variance of prevalence between the studies. Our aim is to further explore the relationship between COVID-19 and tinnitus. For this purpose we analyzed a sample of people who had suffered from a COVID-19 infection in the city of Volta Redonda, Brazil. In detail, we compared those with new onset tinnitus during or after the COVID-19 infection with those without tinnitus and those with tinnitus onset before the COVID-19 infection. Methods: Fifty-seven patients over 18 years old and previously diagnosed with COVID-19 confirmed by a RT-PCR test were included. Patients were subdivided in three groups: no tinnitus (NT), tinnitus that already existed before COVID-19 (chronic tinnitus, CT) and tinnitus that arose during or after COVID-19 (post-COVID-19 tinnitus, PCT). Data concerning COVID-19 symptoms, drugs prescribed for COVID-19, tinnitus characteristics, comorbidities and other otological symptoms were collected. For all the patients, tonal audiometry and otoacoustic emissions were performed. Tinnitus patients fulfilled the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and visual-analog scales (VAS) for loudness and distress. Patients with CT answered a simple question about the worsening of their tinnitus after COVID-19. Results: PCT was reported by 19.3% of the patients, while 22.8% reported CT. No statistical difference was found between CT and PCT concerning hearing function, tinnitus characteristics and tinnitus distress. There was also no statistically significant difference between PCT and NT with respect to COVID-19 symptoms and pharmacologicalCOVID-19 treatment. Patients with CT reported worsening of their tinnitus after COVID-19. Conclusion: As with other viral infections, inner ear symptoms may be associated with COVID-19. In our sample patients with tinnitus onset before COVID-19 and those with tinnitus onset during or after COVID-19 did not differ significantly in their clinical characteristics and their hearing function, suggesting that tinnitus occurring in the context of a COVID-19 infection is not related to a unique pathophysiological mechanism. The comparison of COVID-19 patients, who developed tinnitus with those who did not develop tinnitus did not reveal any differences in COVID-19 symptoms or COVID-19 treatment. Thus, there was no hint, that a specific expression of COVID-19 is closely related to post COVID-19 tinnitus onset. Although some drugs used to treat tinnitus are known to damage the inner ear cells (especially hydroxychloroquine), we did not see any relationship between the intake of these drugs and tinnitus onset, eventually due to the short prescription time and low doses. Among those patients who had tinnitus before COVID-19 30,8% reported worsening after COVID-19. Overall, tinnitus emerging in the context of a COVID-19 infection seems not to differ from tinnitus unrelated to COVID-19. For further exploring the relationship of tinnitus and COVID-19, large population based studies are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous studies have demonstrated that people with tinnitus show attention dysfunctions. In this study, we investigated the influence of tinnitus on attention orienting, especially whether the ability of attention orienting could be modulated by the degree of tinnitus. Method: Fifty-nine and 54 unilateral tinnitus participants were included in Experiment 1 and Experiment 2, respectively. All participants reported subjective tinnitus for at least 3 months and were divided into a mild tinnitus group (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory [THI] < 37) or a moderate to severe tinnitus group (THI ≥ 37) according to the THI score. An auditory exogenous attention task and an auditory endogenous attention task were adopted. In the exogenous task, a target sound following a cue sound was presented on either the left or right side. Participants were required to discriminate whether the target was pure tone or white noise. In the endogenous task, participants were required to pay attention to the stimuli on one side and judge the pitch of a target sound. Mixed-design analyses of variance were conducted for the mean reaction times and accuracy across the experimental conditions. Results: Our results showed that in the endogenous attention task, compared with the mild tinnitus group, moderate to severe tinnitus participants had better performance for stimuli presented on the tinnitus side but not on the nontinnitus side. In contrast, in the exogenous attention task, no differences were found between mild and moderate to severe tinnitus groups. Conclusion: The results suggest that the degree of tinnitus influences the performance of auditory endogenous attention but not auditory exogenous attention orienting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To systematically evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture associated with physical and mental intervention when treating idiopathic tinnitus and the improvement of tinnitus symptoms, so as to supply evidence-based medicine for its popularization and adoption. Methods. PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, China knowledge Network Database (CNKI), China VIP Database, Wanfang Database, and China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) online database were searched for the controlled trial of acupuncture associated with physical and mental intervention when treating idiopathic tinnitus. The retrieval time limit is from January 2010 to March 2022. Separately, two researchers extracted the data, and according to the Cochrane Handbook 5.3, the bias risk of each piece of literature was assessed. The collected data were measured using RevMan5.3 statistical software. Results. Finally, 5 CT articles were included in this study, with a total sample size of 282. Meta-analysis showed that the effective rate of the study group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The scores of tinnitus disorder scale (THI) after treatment were analyzed by Meta. The THI scores of the study group after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment. Meta-analysis of the severity of tinnitus after treatment showed that the severity of tinnitus in the observation group after treatment was significantly lower than that before treatment. There is a certain publication deviation in the literature, which may be related to the heterogeneity of the research and the small number of literatures. Conclusion. On the basis of acupuncture treatment, associated with physical and mental intervention is helpful to the recovery of patients with idiopathic tinnitus, can effectively improve their clinical symptoms, and is suitable for clinical application. A popularization of this concept in clinical practice is worth considering, but further research and follow-up with a higher methodological quality and longer intervention time are needed to confirm its efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Currently, the underlying neurophysiological mechanism of acute tinnitus is still poorly understood. This study aimed to explore differences in brain functional connectivity (FC) within and between resting-state networks (RSNs) in acute tinnitus patients with hearing loss (ATHL). Furthermore, it also evaluated the correlations between FC alterations and clinical characteristics. Methods: Two matched groups of 40 patients and 40 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Independent component analysis (ICA) was employed to obtain RSNs and FC differences were calculated within RSNs. In addition, the relationships between networks were conducted using functional network connectivity (FNC) analysis. Finally, an analysis of correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between FNC abnormalities and clinical data. Results: Results of this study found that seven major RSNs including the auditory network (AN), cerebellum network (CN), default mode network (DMN), executive control network (ECN), sensorimotor network (SMN), ventral attention network (VAN), and visual network (VN) were extracted using the group ICA in both groups. Furthermore, it was noted that the ATHL group showed aberrant FC within the CN, ECN, and VN as compared with HCs. Moreover, different patterns of network interactions were observed between groups, including the SMN-ECN, SMN-CN, ECN-AN, DMN-VAN, and DMN-CN connections. The correlations between functional disconnection and clinical characteristics in ATHL were also found in this study. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study indicated widespread alterations of intra- and inter-network connectivity in ATHL, suggesting that multiple large-scale network dysfunctions and interactions are involved in the early stage. Furthermore, our findings may provide new perspectives to understand the neuropathophysiological mechanism of acute tinnitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore the clinical significance of "Olive - Tipped" technique during cerebral venous sinus stenosis stenting. Methods A total of 79 patients (including 57 patients with intracranial hypertension and 22 patients with pulsatile tinnitus) who were diagnosed with cerebral venous sinus stenosis (VSS) and underwent stenting in Department of the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2017 to May 2021 were retrospectively collected. The characteristics of Labbe vein in patients with "Olive-Tipped" technique, the changes of pressure difference at both ends of stenosis before and after surgery in patients with intracranial hypertension were analyzed. The improvement of postoperative stenosis and venous reflux, the improvement of postoperative intracranial hypertension and pulsatile tinnitus, the success rate of stenting and the utilization rate of "Olive - Tipped" technique were observed. Results All the stents were successfully placed (79/79). Immediate DSA after procedure showed no venous stasis in all patients, and residual stenosis was < 30%. "Olive-Tipped" technique was used in 23 patients (29.11%) to assist the stent in place due to the guiding catheter and stent could not reach the predetermined position smoothly. The diameter of the confluence of Labbe vein and venous sinus in the "Olive-Tipped" technique group was significantly larger than that in the conventional technique group t = 7.041, P = 0.000). The pressure difference between the two ends of venous sinus stenosis in patients with intracranial hypertension was 15.00 (11.00, 21.50) mm Hg before surgery and 1 (0, 2) mm Hg immediately after surgery, the difference was statistically significant (Z = - 6.573, P = 0.000). The tinnitus sympoms of 22 patients with pulsatile tinnitus caused by cerebral venous sinus stenosis disappeared immediately or visibly lightened. Conclusions The diameter of the confluence of Labbe vein and venous sinus can be used as an index to evaluate whether the stent is easy to implant before the surgery. The dilated Labbe vein confluence is easy to cause the guiding catheter and stent to get stuck, and the stent is difficult to be in place. The use of "Olive-Tipped" technique can significantly improve the success rate of the surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Elderlies and tinnitus patients often find it challenging to process acoustic signals in noisy environments. The sensitivity to temporal fine structure (TFS), the transient storage capacity for TFS, and the ultra-high frequency (UHF) thresholds are all associated with aging-related damage, evidenced by speech-in-noise perception deficits. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationships among TFS sensitivity, transient storage capacity, and UHF thresholds in tinnitus patients and normal adults of different ages. Methods: In the present study, 38 tinnitus patients (age ranging from 21 to 65) and 23 non-tinnitus adults (age ranging from 22 to 56) were enrolled, and some of their auditory indicators were examined, including the TFS-adaptive frequency (TFS-AF), break in interaural correlation (BIAC) delay threshold, and UHF thresholds. Results: We found no significant difference in TFS-AF thresholds and BIAC delay thresholds between the tinnitus group and normal group, while their relationships with age were more evident in the tinnitus group. Moreover, these two tests were only significantly correlated in the tinnitus group. UHF thresholds were significantly correlated with TFS-AF thresholds only in the tinnitus group, suggesting that the UHF hearing was positively associated with the TFS sensitivity. Conclusion: These findings indicated that the influencing factors, such as tinnitus and UHF thresholds, should be fully considered when examining age-related hearing decline, because the combination of tinnitus and poor UHF hearing might play a role in affecting hearing ability, such as TFS sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decompensated tinnitus substantially degrades quality of life. Anxiety and poor sleep are comorbidities in decompensated tinnitus. This multicenter study was designed to investigate the risk factors of decompensated tinnitus and to analyze the interaction effect of anxiety and poor sleep on decompensated tinnitus by conducting a multicenter study. We retrospectively analyzed patients with subjective chronic tinnitus who presented to five Chinese hospitals in China from September 2019 to November 2020. Demographic characteristics, pure tone audiometry, tinnitus-related tests, psychometric and sleep questionnaires were applied. A total of 338 patients were included, and 99 (29.3%) patients were in the decompensated group. Poor sleep and anxiety were possible risk factors of decompensated tinnitus by a forced-entry binary logistic analysis. Sleep disturbances and anxiety had an additive interaction that accounted for 87% of the decompensated tinnitus cases in our study population (RERI = 10.96, S = 18.22, AP = 0.87). Anxiety and sleep disturbances are possible risk factors of decompensated tinnitus. The combination of poor sleep and anxiety exerts a greater impact on tinnitus severity than either risk factor alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the present study was to identify reports of the prevalence of tinnitus in China and to present these findings in a review format. Method: This study assessed and collated published prevalence estimates of tinnitus and tinnitus severity, creating a narrative synthesis of the data from publications identified from a combination of Chinese and English language databases. Results: A total of 23 studies were included. Tinnitus prevalence ranged from 4.3 per cent to 51.33 per cent but varied with age and gender. The highest increase in prevalence from previous decade in age occurs during the fifth and sixth decades, and the highest prevalence was in the seventh decade at 32.47 per cent. There is also evidence that tinnitus prevalence is related to certain risk factors including comorbid disorders. Conclusion: The prevalence of tinnitus in mainland China in this study is consistent with global data. With increasing awareness of the prevalence of tinnitus in China, the development of epidemiological standards is a priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) is a new diagnostic measure of the functional impact of tinnitus that is also a sensitive measure of treatment-related changes. However, the TFI has not been translated into Chinese and fully validated in China. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the validity of a Chinese version of the TFI as a diagnostic measure of tinnitus severity in a sample of Chinese patients and to verify the value of its clinical application in China.Design: A sample of 206 patients whose primary complaint was tinnitus was used to analyze the reliability and validity of the TFI. In addition, patients were asked to fill out the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) to compare TFI with their association. The internal consistency of the TFI was assessed with Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The factor structure of the TFI was assessed by Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The extracted factors were compared to those of the original TFI scale.Results: The reliability of the Chinese version of the TFI (Cronbach' s α = .969) showed high internal consistency. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the TFI showed that six factors with one main factor could be extracted instead of eight factors as described in the original version. Nevertheless, relations to the original eight subscales could be demonstrated. A high correlation between the TFI and the THI (r = .865, p < 0.01) and lower correlations between the TFI and the CES-D (r = .334, p < 0.01), BAI (r = .559, p < 0.01), and SWLS (r = - 0.324, p < 0.01) confirmed the satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity of the TFI.Conclusion: After translated and validated a Chinese version of the TFI and found that the TFI had high reliability and validity, which means both instruments are reliable instruments to assess the severity of tinnitus in clinical applications in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hearing loss is becoming more and more common in young adults. Many researches have utilized self-reported hearing conditions only to obtain the morbidity of hearing loss. Therefore, we decided to explore factors contributing to self-reported hearing loss deviation in young Chinese adults and compare the loss with audiometric results. Methods: We examined the hearing condition of 2195 young adults aged 18–30 years in Zhejiang Province, China using a pure-tone audiometric test. We also collected information on self-reported hearing condition, demographic characteristics, ear problems, living behavior, and hearing health belief through a survey using a structured questionnaire. Results: We found that 31.6% of young adults showed inconsistencies between self-reported hearing loss and audiometric results. Age had a positive effect on underestimating hearing loss and a reverse effect on overestimating hearing loss. Being female, having a family history of hearing loss, and perceived severity of hearing health belief were associated with overestimation of hearing loss. Ear problems, such as tinnitus and otalgia, were associated with overestimating hearing loss. A higher frequency of using headphones was negatively associated with underestimating hearing loss [OR 0.491 (0.254–0.948)] and positively correlated with overestimating hearing loss [OR 2.702 (1.947–3.750)]. A higher probability of increasing the volume of headphones in a noisy environment drastically reduced the odds of underestimating hearing loss [OR 0.357 (0.148–0.860)] and made overestimating hearing loss [OR 1.523 (1.141–2.033)] more likely. Young adult smokers were more likely to underestimate hearing loss [OR 2.428 (1.140–5.170)]. Conclusions: These data provide evidence that demographic characteristics, ear problems, living behavior, and hearing health belief contribute to the deviation of self-reported hearing loss in young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Stroke scales of traditional Chinese medicine (SSTCM) are promoted for use in the early prognosis. The current lines of evidence to support their performance evaluation are uneven. This pilot study aimed to investigate the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms in the early stages of acute ischemic stroke and the prognosis of motor dysfunction through one-year of follow-up. Methods. Three hundred and fifteen patients were retrospected at Longhua Hospital from January 2016 to December 2017. All patients had received standard treatments combined with acupuncture therapy, including both electroacupuncture and scalp acupuncture for a median course of five months. The observed outcomes were the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA), the modified Barthel index (MBI), and the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at one-year follow-up after stroke onset by multiple linear regression analysis combined with ROC curves. Results. The favorable outcome rate was 74.3%, with the recurrence rate of 20.3% in the follow-up. In multiple linear regression, 10 TCM symptoms (MBI regression model) were related to the prognosis of MBI (DW 1.409, Ad. R2 0.654) and 10 TCM symptoms (FMA regression model) were related to the FMA outcome (DW 1.446, Ad R2 0.620). The two models were selected to have nine repeated symptoms (repeated model). In the ROC curves, the three models were compared with the NIHSS score, and the MBI regression model reflected the highest efficiency. Conclusions. The combination of 10 TCM symptoms, once onset occurred, including hemiplegia, restlessness, hemianesthesia, short breath, headache, constipation, night sweat, tinnitus, thirsty, and gurgling with sputum, may affect the recovery of motor dysfunction. Furthermore, the improvements of TCM symptoms dynamically after treatment would be observed in a large prospective cohort. This trial is registered with NCT01806233. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) to improve the diagnosis rate. Methods Epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, imaging examination results and treatment outcomes of 153 patients with IIH hospitalized in Beijing Tongren Hospital from January 2014 to May 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical differences between subacute group (14 d to 3 months) and chronic group (> 3 months) were compared. Results One hundred and fifty-three cases (subacute group 94 cases and chronic group 59 cases) were observed. There were 37 males and 116 females (1 :3.14), 53 obses cases (34.64%), 67 overweight case (43.80%). The main clinical symptoms were visiual loss (77.78%, 119/153), transient visual obscuration (50.33%, 77/153), headache (45.10%, 69/153). Abnormal radiologic signs, including empty sella, distension of the perioptic subarachnoid space (DPSS) and transverse venous sinus stenosis (TVSS) were found in 98 cases (64.05%). Intracranial pressures (ICP) of 112 cases (73.20%) were above 30 cm H2O. After treatments (138 cases underwent routine treatments and 15 cases underwent surgery treatments), 86.93% (133/153) patients achieved clinical improvement. The improvement rate of subacute group was significantly higher than that of chronic group [91.49% (86/94) vs. 79.66% (47/59); χ² = 4.463, P = 0.035]. The incidence of transient visual obscuration in subactue group was significantly lower than that in chronic group [42.55% (40/94) vs. 62.71% (37/59); χ² = 5.892, P = 0.015]. No significant differtences of vision loss, headache, tinnitus, diplopia, abnormal image signs or ICP were deteced in patients between subacute group and chronic group. Conclusions IIH is one of the most important causes of vision loss and headache. Women in childbearing period and obese people are susceptible to IIH. Clinicians need to raise the awareness of IIH and give timely treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation of tinnitus severity and sleep quality prior to tinnitus onset in a Chinese population.We recruited patients with primary tinnitus from a tertiary teaching hospital in southwest China, retrospectively. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Mandarin version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI-M) were employed to assess tinnitus severity and sleep quality of past, respectively. A battery of hearing tests was also administered to subjects, including TEOAE, pure tone audiometry, and tympanometry, for hearing evaluation.We enrolled 190 patients and nine were excluded. Subjects were divided into two groups: group A (PSQI <7) and group B (PSQI ≥7). The mean duration of tinnitus in both groups was above 6 months. There was a significant difference between THI-M global scores of group A and group B (P < 0.001). The difference in tinnitus severity ranks between the two groups was also significant (P = 0.006). The proportion of severe tinnitus levels in group B was higher than that of group A. Spearman's correlation analysis did not show correlation between the scores of THI-M and that of the PSQI in group A (P = 0.077); in verse, a positive correlation between THI-M and PSQI scores was found in group B (P < 0.001).The tinnitus severity is positively correlated with sleep quality before tinnitus onset, suggesting that the sleep quality of the past may have an impact on tinnitus occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of national studies on tinnitus in China and data based on a large sample size from multiple areas of the country. A cross-sectional study was carried out in Guangdong province from October 2015 to February 2016. In the study, tinnitus was defined as the presence of ringing, buzzing or other sounds in the ears in the past one year. Fourteen districts in Guangdong Province were selected as the first-level cluster by using the sampling method of probability proportional to size (PPS). Two sub-districts in each first-level cluster were randomly selected as the second-level cluster by PPS method. The sample consisted of 3705 eligible people aged over 18 years old, which were also selected by the PPS methods. The prevalence of tinnitus was 10.4% in Guangdong Province. Age, region, educational background, hearing impairment, ear trauma, otitis media and self-health report were the main risk factors for tinnitus. Tinnitus is a common condition and a large population suffers from tinnitus in Guangdong province, south of China. Greater public awareness and understanding of the associated factors are required for further interventions of prevention and management of tinnitus in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hearing loss has not been fully investigated and there is little information on the effects of pre-diabetes on alterations in auditory function in Chinese subjects. Methods: The study recruited 51 patients with T2DM, 55 patients with pre-diabetes and 43 control subjects. Auditory function was assessed by pure tone audiometry (PTA) tests and distortion product of otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). Tinnitus symptoms were recorded using a medical history questionnaire. Results: A significantly larger number of patients with T2DM (45.1%) were affected by hearing loss, compared to pre-diabetes patients (23.6%; p=.04) and control subjects (25.6%; p=.02), as assessed by PTA. There was no significant difference in PTA between the number of pre-diabetes patients and control subjects. In contrast, mean DPOAEs amplitudes of the pre-diabetes patients were significantly lower than of the control subjects, at all frequencies investigated, except 0.75 kHz. A significantly greater number of pre-diabetes patients reported tinnitus symptoms. Conclusions: Diabetes is associated with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, especially at high frequencies. While pre-diabetes is not necessarily associated with significant hearing loss, there may be cochlear malfunction, as indicated by DPOAEs. Thus, patients with pre-diabetes who have tinnitus may benefit from DPOAEs and PTA tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the Chinese (Mandarin) Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI-C) by comparing patient-reported and clinician-interviewed outcomes and to raise awareness of the difficulties in using adapted international test measures. Design: All patients were required to first complete the THI-C independently. Then, clinicians conducted a face-to-face interview, explained the exact meaning of each item and re-evaluated every item based on the patient’s descriptions. During this process, patients were encouraged to make comments about each item. Both the self-administered and clinician-interviewed scores were recorded and compared. Study sample: A total of 178 patients who reported tinnitus as a primary complaint were included. Results: Among these patients, 88 (49.4%) completed the questionnaire independently, while 79 (44.4%) patients experienced difficulty in understanding at least one item. The difference between the self-administered and clinician-interviewed scores was statistically significant (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The feasibility of the THI-C is limited unless a revision is made. Follow-up studies are needed for validation when a newly translated self-administered questionnaire is put into use. In addition to semantic equivalence and idiomatic equivalence, experiential equivalence and conceptual equivalence should also be fully considered during the translation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As a global medical problem, tinnitus can seriously harm human health and is difficult to alleviate, ranking among the top 3 complex diseases in the otolaryngology field. Traditional cognitive behavioral therapy and sound therapy require offline face-to-face treatment with medical staff and have limited effectiveness. Mobile health (mHealth), which, in recent decades, has been greatly applied in the field of rehabilitation health care, improving access to health care resources and the quality of services, has potential research value in the adjunctive treatment of tinnitus., Objective: This study aimed to understand the research trends, product characteristics, problems, and research transformation of tinnitus treatment software by analyzing the research progress of mHealth for tinnitus treatment based on the literature and related marketed apps., Methods: Bibliometric methods were used to describe the characteristics of the relevant literature in terms of the number and topics of publications, authors, and institutions. We further compared the features and limitations of the currently available tinnitus treatment software., Results: Data published until February 28, 2022, were collected. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) standardized screening process, 75 papers were included. The country with the highest number of publications was Germany, followed by the United Kingdom and the United States, whereas China had only a single relevant study. The most frequently found journals were the American Journal of Audiology and the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology (18/75, 24%). With regard to publication topics, cognitive behavioral therapy started to become a hot topic in 2017, and research on mHealth apps has increased. In this study, 28 tinnitus treatment apps were obtained (n=24, 86% from product data and n=4, 14% from literature data); these apps were developed mainly in the United States (10/28, 36%) or China (9/28, 32%). The main treatment methods were sound therapy (10/28, 36%) and cognitive behavioral therapy (2/28, 7%). Of the 75 publications, 7 (9%) described apps in the market stage. Of the 28 apps, 22 (79%) lacked literature studies or evidence from professional bodies., Conclusions: We found that, as a whole, the use of mHealth for treatment and intervention in tinnitus was showing a rapid development, in which good progress had been made in studies around sound therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, although most of the studies (50/75, 67%) focused on treatment effects. However, the field is poorly accepted in top medical journals, and the majority are in the research design phase, with a lack of translation of the literature results and clinical validation of the marketed apps. Furthermore, in the future, novel artificial intelligence techniques should be used to address the issue of staged monitoring of tinnitus., (©Yuanjia Hu, Yang Lu, Chenghua Tian, Yunfan He, Kaiyi Rong, Sijia Pan, Jianbo Lei. Originally published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (https://mhealth.jmir.org), 24.08.2023.)

Conclusion: This study suggests that jugular bulb–vestibular aqueduct dehiscence (JBVAD) does not affect the hearing or balance functions of the inner ear. Objectives: Since JBVAD may cause impairment of the inner ear and induce hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo, this study was to investigate the effect of JBVAD on hearing and balance. Method: Patients undergoing temporal bone computed tomography (TBCT) scans from May 2013 to December 2013 at a tertiary referral hospital were reviewed. The topographic relationship between the jugular bulb (JB) and the vestibular aqueduct was assessed. The findings were classified as normal when there was always a bony structure between the two structures and as dehiscent when the bony coverage separating the two structures was absent. Clinical data were collected via electronic records and clinical follow-up. Results: A total of 1313 out of 8325 patients were diagnosed with a HJB. Forty-six patients showed JBVAD. The prevalence of dehiscence was 0.6% in patients undergoing temporal bone CT scans and 3.5% in patients with HJB. Of the 46 patients with JBVAD, 23 (50%) had sensorineural hearing loss, three (6.5%) had tinnitus, and two (4.3%) had vertigo. The correlation between JBVAD and these clinical symptoms did not achieve statistical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusions:Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) was commonly seen in middle aged people. Tinnitus was reported by 87.2% of the patients, and dizziness or vertigo were reported by 48.5%. The most common concomitant disorder of SSHL was hyperlipidemia.Objective:A retrospective register study with SSHL was performed in Xi’an, China, from 2000–2009.Results:Of 617 inpatients, the right ear was affected in 267 cases, the left ears in 282 cases, and both ears in 68 cases. The most common age of patients was 41–50 years. There were 20.4% SSHL patients with hypertension, coronary artery disease, or diabetes, and 49.6% patients with hyperlipidemia. Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) were performed in 460 patients (504 ears) before treatment, and the ABR threshold of 56.4% ears was > 90 dB. The constituent ratio of patients with an ABR threshold over 90 dB was greater in the vertigo group than the other group. CT and/or MRI scans were available in 277 cases, of which 40 cases (14.4%) were abnormal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We conducted a retrospective study to analyze the therapeutic effects of ligation of the internal jugular vein in a series of adults with pulsatile tinnitus of venous origin. Our study group was made up of 12 patients-all women, aged 27 to 61 years (mean: 40 ±6.1)-who had been diagnosed with venous pulsatile tinnitus and who were treated with jugular vein ligation. Follow-up had been conducted by telephone interviews for 1 to 6 years postoperatively to assess tinnitus status over the long term. Seven patients achieved complete relief of their tinnitus immediately after surgery, but 5 of them experienced a recurrence within 2 years. The remaining 5 patients received no relief from surgery, including 1 patient who actually experienced a worsening of her tinnitus to the point that it became an intolerable roar. We conclude that treatment of pulsatile tinnitus of venous origin by ligation of the internal jugular vein should be avoided because of poor outcomes and in view of the possibility of complications. In addition to our study findings, we discuss 2 of our cases in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eclipta prostrata L. is one of the Chinese medicinal tonics which are usually used for treating loose teeth, dizziness, tinnitus, hemoptysis, hematuria, and uterine bleeding. However, quality control of this herbal medicine has been not satisfactory. This study reported its qualitative and quantitative analyses based on LC/MS method. UHPLC-DAD-Q-TOF-MS fingerprinting and MS fragmentation cleavage pathway were investigated for qualitative analysis. Furthermore, a method for simultaneous quantitative determination of nine compounds, luteolin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, ecliptasaponin C, luteolin, eclalbasaponin IV, apigenin, ecliptasaponin A, echinocystic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, echinocystic acid, and 3-oxo-16 α -hydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic acid in E. prostrata, was established. The method was validated for samples of E. prostrata from different habitats. The results showed good linear correlation, precision, accuracy, and repeatability that could be used for contents determination of the nine compounds in E. prostrata from different habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusions: CT angiography (CTA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) are valuable tools in imaging work-ups for the diagnosis of sigmoid sinus diverticulum (SSD) and sigmoid sinus wall dehiscence (SSWD). The development of pulsatile tinnitus (PT) resulting from SSD and SSWD may be associated with the dominance of venous systems. Objective: Our goal was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of PT caused by SSD and SSWD. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review undertaken in a tertiary academic referral center. Fifty-four patients with PT due to SSD and SSWD were recruited. Hospital files of these patients were assessed. Data included medical history, physical examinations, auxiliary examinations, and radiographic findings of CTA and DSA. Results: The study population comprised 51 females and 3 males. Most patients with PT caused by SSD and SSWD were middle-aged women. All had normal otoscopy results. Anomalies occurred in or adjacent to the region of the transverse-sigmoid sinus junction in 52 patients. Half of the patients (27/54) presented abnormal results of examination of blood lipids. There were 57.41% (31/54) cases with ipsilateral dominance of the venous system, 9.26% (5/54) cases with contralateral dominance, and 33.33% (18/54) cases with co-dominance of the venous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To examine how the severity of age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and tinnitus or the presentation of ARHL with tinnitus is associated with overall cognition, in terms of specific cognitive domains in older community-dwelling Chinese adults., Methods: The study recruited 429 participants aged ≥58 years (mean age, 72.91 ± 7.014 years; female proportion, 57.30%), excluding those with dementia, disability, and severe mental illness. Patients were classified into normal cognition, pre-mild cognitive impairment (pre-MCI), and MCI according to the normative z-scores of neuropsychological test battery. The severity of ARHL and tinnitus was measured by pure-tone audiometry and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. Cognitive impairment and low functions in specific cognitive domains were used as dependent variables in multiple regression analyses adjusted for covariates., Results: ARHL severity was positively associated with MCI and low executive function, delayed memory, and language function. Only individuals with mild (odds ratio (OR) 1.791; CI, 0.952-3.373; P = 0.071), and moderate and the disaster tinnitus (OR, 2.493; CI, 0.982-6.328; P = 0.055) were marginally associated with increased odds of MCI in model 1. Individuals with ARHL and tinnitus (OR, 3.888, CI = 1.481-10.205; OR, 4.471, CI = 1.636-12.219) were independently associated with high risk for MCI in models 1 and 2., Conclusions: ARHL severity and the presentation of ARHL or ARHL with tinnitus were associated with overall cognition. ARHL severity was independently associated with executive function, delayed memory, and language function. The association between tinnitus severity and cognition is not clear. But the group with ARHL and tinnitus is a high-risk group with cognitive impairment., Clinicaltrials: gov identifier: NCT2017K020., (© 2022 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.)

Background: The aim of this study is to observe the application of the Chinese version of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory-China in Tinnitus patients and verify its reliability and validity., Methods: About 1129 patients with tinnitus as the first complaint were selected as subjects. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: exploration group (n = 565), whose data were analyzed with reliability analysis method using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software 19.0, validation group (n = 564), whose data were analyzed with validity analysis method using AMOS21.0., Results: (1) Reliability test: The Cronbach's α coefficients of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory-China scale in both groups were 0.94, among which, the Cronbach's α coefficients of functional factor (F), emotion factor (E), and catastrophic factor (C) in group E were 0.87, 0.90, and 0.78, respectively. The half-reliability of the 2 components is 0.87. The correlation coefficient between items and the scale in group E and group V is 0.36-0.78 and 0.33-0.77, respectively. (2) Content validity: The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value of group E is 0.96, a total of 4 common factors were extracted, and the cumulative interpretation rate is 57.844%. The number of factors with load less than 0.4 on the 4 common factors is only 1 (F24), suggesting that this factor had little significance; the number of factors with load more than 0.4 on the 2 common factors is 8 (F1, E6, F9, C11, F15, E21, E22, and C23), suggesting that patients had different understandings of these 8 questions. (3) Structural validity: The root mean square error of approximation value of the AMOS structural model in group V is 0.065, and the root mean square residual value is 0.114, indicating low fitness; the NC value is 3.353, indicating good fitness of the scale, but it still needed to be simplified., Conclusion: The Chinese version of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory-China has a high reliability when applied in China, but the content validity and structure validity are not high, and the clinical practicability needs to be improved.

The article offers noise and vibration news briefs as of February 2013. Hearing impairments and tinnitus are increasing reported from employees in the preschool in Sweden. A questionnaire was created to survey opinions on low frequency noise measurements without enclosures. An investigation was made on the connection curves between aircraft noise and the percentage of highly annoyed persons in China as well as the annoyance threshold of aircraft noise in the country.

Background. Recent reports suggest that a proportion of tinnitus patients suffer from mental illness. Autonomic nervous system plays a useful role in tinnitus therapy since electrical vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) has been frequently used to alleviate tinnitus-induced depression in clinic. heart rate variability (HRV), which is reflective of autonomic nervous system function, has been proved to be modulated by acupuncture. In the present study,we aim to compare the effect of deqi sensation on heart rate variability in adult tinnitus patients. Methods. Thirty participants are randomly assigned to verum acupuncture (creating deqi) or shallow acupuncture (not creating deqi) at Baihui (Du-20), Shenting (Du-24), Tinghui (GB-2), Waiguan (SJ-5), and Zulinqi (GB-41) for 3 weeks. The primary outcome measure is heart rate variability, which is measured at the first acupuncture, as well as the last acupuncture. Discussion. Completion of this trial will help to identify the role of deqi sensation in acupuncture effect for tinnitus and reveal an autonomic modulation mechanism for acupuncture effect. Trial Registration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusions: It is impossible to make a diagnosis of temporal giant cell granuloma (GCG) before operation because of nonspecific clinical and imaging feature. Surgery is the first-line choice of treatment. Objective: To evaluate the diagnosis and treatment of temporal GCG. Methods: Eight patients with GCG receiving treatment in the Chinese PLA General Hospital between 2001 and 2010 were recruited for the study. These patients' clinical features, imaging and histopathological findings, types of surgery, and results of follow-up evaluations were noted. Results: The group was made up of four males and four females, with a median age of 37 years (range 21-50 years). Four patients had a granuloma on the left side and four on the right of the head. The median duration of the disease was 21 months (range 5-60 months). All patients, except one referred to us for recurring disease, were managed in our hospital. The main symptoms were: hearing loss ( n = 5), tinnitus ( n = 4), otalgia ( n = 3), dizziness ( n = 2), and local masses ( n = 2). Radiological examination of the masses revealed erosion of the temporal bone and base of the skull. There was no definitive diagnosis in any of the patients before surgery. All patients had surgical treatment, six of them by middle cranial fossa approach and two by combined cranio-auricular approach. Surgical complications included partial facial paralysis (three cases) and cerebral edema (one case) but they resolved soon after surgery. One patient was lost to follow-up, but the other seven were followed up over a mean period of 24 months; none has reported a recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion. The average recovery of hearing and cessation of tinnitus was significantly better after treatment with Radix Astragali (RA) than after non-treatment with RA. RA can be valuable adjuvant therapy for patients with acute acoustic trauma (AAT). Objectives. AAT is one of the early indications for the use of RA. The reasons for administering RA to patients with AAT are based on experimental studies showing that noise exposure results in the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which trigger metabolic damage to the organ of Corti. RA is a natural antioxidant. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of RA in patients with AAT. Methods: We compared the recovery from hearing impairment and tinnitus in 40 ears treated with RA with 40 ears treated with non-RA. RA was given intravenously daily for 10 days. There were no significant differences in clinical or audiological data between RA and non-RA groups. Results: The average recovery of hearing at both high and speech frequencies was significantly better and tinnitus persisted less commonly in the RA group than in the non-RA group. Normal hearing at the end of the follow-up period was regained in 27 ears in the RA group and in 21 ears in the non-RA group ( p < 0.01). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tinnitus is a common complaint and often of no clinical significance. There are a number of unresolved issues concerning the etiology, pathogenesis, and natural history of tinnitus. There are a few current population-based estimates of the prevalence of tinnitus done in representative large geographic areas, but there is little data from multi-area, large sample studies of tinnitus in China. Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of tinnitus and related factors in a Chinese population. These data would be used to plan and evaluate health-care services. Research Design: We carried out an epidemiologic study of tinnitus as part of an epidemiologic study of ear and hearing disorders that was undertaken in Jiangsu Province, China. A question about tinnitus history was included in a comprehensive questionnaire about hearing. All participants also had both pure tone audiometry and an otological examination. Study Sample: The sample consisted of 6333 people 10 yr of age or older, selected by the methods of probability proportional to size. Data Collection and Analysis: All participants answered a questionnaire concerning their tinnitus and had pure tone audiometry testing and an ear examination. All data were entered using EPIDATD 3.0 software and analyzed by a chi-squared test and test for trends. Results: The overall prevalence of tinnitus was 14.5%, and the standardized rates were 11.4% in the whole country and 12.4% in Jiangsu province. Its prevalence increased with age. The prevalence of tinnitus was 11.9 and 15.6% in urban and rural residents, respectively There was no significant difference in prevalence between men and women. Hearing impairment, history of middle ear infections, and noise exposure were the main risk factors for tinnitus. Conclusion: Tinnitus is a common problem in the population. With the aging of the population, the prevalence of tinnitus will increase. The prevention of tinnitus should focus on hearing impairment screening, otitis media treatment, and noise exposure reduction. Health services in rural areas should emphasize prevention more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of a Chinese (Cantonese) version of the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ), which is a psychometric self-report measure of perceived tinnitus-related distress. The subjects were 114 adults who attended audiology clinics with a primary or secondary complaint of tinnitus. They completed the Chinese versions of the TQ (TQ-CH), Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The subjective severity of tinnitus and tinnitus-related problems were scored using rating scales. The TQ-CH and its subscales had good internal consistency reliability estimates (α=0.75-0.94), which were comparable to those of the original version. Significant correlations were observed between the TQ-CH and psychological distress, tinnitus-related problem ratings, and severity ratings. Factor analysis showed the high construct validity of the TQ-CH subscales. High test-retest reliablity (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.96) was observed. The results suggest that the TQ-CH is a reliable and valid measure of general tinnitus-related distress that can be used in clinical settings to quantify the impact of tinnitus on daily living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To establish the reliablity and validity of the Chinese (Cantonese) version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory to measure the self-perceived handicapping effect and severity of the condition in patients with chronic tinnitus. Design: Cross-sectional psychometric validation study. Setting: Audiology clinics in a hospital setting. Participants: Subjects were 114 adult Chinese who attended the audiology clinics with a complaint of tinnitus. Main outcome measures: Test-retest and internal consistency reliability; construct validity. Results: The Chinese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and its subscales showed good internal consistency reliabilities (α = 0.72–0.94) that are comparable to those of the original version. High correlations were observed between the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and psychological distress, tinnitus-related problem ratings and severity ratings. Factor analysis showed that the Chinese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory has a unifactorial structure. A high degree of test-retest reliablity was observed (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.88). Conclusions: The results suggest that the Chinese (Cantonese) version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory is a reliable and valid measure of general tinnitus-related distress that can be used in clinical settings to quantify the impact of tinnitus on daily life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study is to understand the epidemiological characteristics of tinnitus among flight support personnel and analyze its audiological characteristics and related risk factors. Methods: The information of tinnitus was collected by a method of cross-sectional investigation using questionnaire survey and audiology test among the flight support personnel of two stations of PLA air force. Results: The incidence of tinnitus among 666 subjects included was 24.2%, the THI grade was mainly grade 1 and grade 2. There were differences in THI scores among groups with different working years, but only differences in tinnitus incidence among groups with different frequency of hearing loss. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that grade of high frequency hearing loss（ OR =1.39）, conscious hearing loss（ OR =1.79） and frequency of asking others to repeat words（ OR =1.64） were independent risk factors of tinnitus. The incidence of HF-HL and EHF-HL in ears with tinnitus among 0-5 working years was higher than that without tinnitus, while the incidence of EHF-HL in ears with tinnitus was not different from that without tinnitus among 6-10 and >10 working years. There was moderate correlation between THI scores and SAS standard scores（ r =0.759）, and weak correlation between THI scores and PSQI scores（ r =0.445）. Conclusion: The risk of tinnitus in high-frequency hearing loss and recessive hearing loss is increased; working years can affect the severity of tinnitus, while hearing conditions at different frequencies only affect the incidence of tinnitus; with increasing age, noise exposure plays a role in the occurrence of tinnitus decreasing gradually., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Background: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the detection effect of extended high-frequency audiometry (EHFA) in tinnitus patients and provide a theoretical basis for the clinical diagnosis of tinnitus., Methods: We conducted a computer-based search for randomized controlled trial (RCT) literature on extended audiometry in tinnitus patients using the PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Elsevier Science Direct databases. The search dates ranged from the database establishment date to February 2020. Risk of bias in the included literature was evaluated using the RCT bias risk assessment standard provided in the Handbook for Systematic Reviews for Interventions (version 5.0.2, 2008, Chapter 9). Finally, Review Manager 5.3 software was used to conduct a meta-analysis of the included literature., Results: The retrieved literature was systematically screened. A total of 10 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis, which involved a total of 1,389 tinnitus patients. The results of the meta-analysis showed that at the frequencies of 14 kHz and 16 kHz, there was visible difference in detection rate of hearing threshold (DR-HT) between the 2 groups [odds ratio (OR) =0.21, 95 confidential interval (CI): 0.14-0.32, Z=7.29, P<0.00001] and (OR =0.14, 95% CI: 0.07-0.27, Z=5.96, P<0.00001) respectively. When the frequency was 18 kHz, there was a significant statistical difference in DR-HT between the 2 groups (OR =0.13, 95% CI: 0.07-0.24, Z=6.50, P<0.00001), and at 20 kHz, the statistically significant difference in DR-HT between the 2 groups was high (OR =0.17, 95% CI: 0.12-0.23, Z=10.38, P<0.00001)., Discussion: EHFA had a critical effect on tinnitus patients. The meta-analysis provided evidence for early hearing loss in tinnitus patients. EHFA played a crucial role in the clinical diagnosis of tinnitus patients.

Objective: Summarize and analyze the current research results of tinnitus-related genes, explore the potential links between the results of each study, and provide reference for subsequent studies., Methods: Collect and sort out the research literature related to tinnitus genes included in PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform before December 31, 2019. Then the relevant contents of the literature were sorted out and summarized., Results: Fifty-one articles were finally selected for analysis: 31 articles (60.8%) were classified as researches on animal models of tinnitus, and 20 (39.2%) as researches on tinnitus patients. Existing studies have shown that genes related to oxidative stress, inflammatory response, nerve excitation/inhibition, and nerve growth are differentially expressed in tinnitus patients or animal models, and have presented the potential links between genes or proteins in the occurrence and development of tinnitus., Conclusion: The research on tinnitus-related genes is still in the exploratory stage, and further high-quality research evidence is needed., Competing Interests: None

Background: Tinnitus is an auditory phantom sensation in the absence of an acoustic stimulus, which affects nearly 15% of the population. Excessive noise exposure is one of the main causes of tinnitus. To now, the knowledge of the genetic determinants of susceptibility to tinnitus remains limited., Results: We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) and identified that two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs2846071 located in the intergenic region at 11q13.5 (odds ratio [OR] = 2.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.96-3.40, combined P = 4.89 × 10 - 6 ) and rs4149577 located in the intron of TNFRSF1A gene at 12p13.31 (OR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.89-2.51, combined P = 6.88 × 10 - 6 ), are significantly associated with the susceptibility to noise-induced tinnitus. Furthermore, the expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analyses revealed that rs2846071 is significantly correlated with the expression of WNT11 gene, and rs4149577 with the expression of TNFRSF1A gene in multiple brain tissues (all P < 0.05). The newly identified candidate gene WNT11 is involved in Wnt pathway, and TNFRSF1A in the tumor necrosis factor pathway, respectively. Pathway enrichment analyses also showed that these two pathways are closely relevant to tinnitus., Conclusions: Our findings highlight two novel loci at 11q13.5 and 12p13.31 conferring susceptibility to noise-induced tinnitus. and suggest that the WNT11 and TNFRSF1A genes might be the candidate causal targets of 11q13.5 and 12p13.31 loci, respectively., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Hyperacusis refers to the experience of the sound environment being perceived as overwhelmingly loud or painful, and this can severely affect the patient's quality of life. In China little attention has been paid to hyperacusis, and there has been little research undertaken on the topic. Therefore, this article summarizes the recent research on hyperacusis regarding definition, epidemiology, etiology, mechanism, evaluation and treatment to give directions for future research., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Objective: The effectiveness of two different sound therapies in chronic subjective tinnitus was compared. The effectiveness of different degrees of hearing loss patients on two different sound therapies were analyzed preliminarily and the possible mechanisms were discussed. Methods: This clinical trial was conducted in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, China from January 2018 to April 2018. Patients were received sound therapy when they were diagnosed as subjective tinnitus. This was a double-blinded randomized controlled trial. In our clinical trial, we included 56 participants who were randomly divided into Groups A and B with different sound therapies by using a computer allocation sequence. Pure tone audiometry, tympanometry and tinnitus matching were performed. The patients were followed up for 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months. Tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) and visual analog scales (VAS) measuring were used to evaluate the handicap, loudness and anxiety of tinnitus. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) of 2×5 repeated-measures was conducted. Results: With the prolongation of the treatment time, both groups showed significantly lower scores after 3 months training compared with baseline which were measured by THI scores. While there was no effect between the two groups. According to the degree of hearing loss, Group A and B were divided into normal to mild hearing loss group (26-40 dB HL, Group A1, Group B1), moderate to profound hearing loss group (41 dB HL group and above, Group A2, Group B2). In the patients with normal hearing and mild hearing loss, the THI ( P= 0.013), VAS loudness and annoyance scores ( P< 0.01) after 3 months in Group B1 was significantly lower than those at baseline and the sound therapy in Group B1 was effective. In patients with moderate to profound hearing loss, the THI, VAS loudness and annoyance scores ( P< 0.01) after 3 months in Group A2 was significantly lower than those at baseline and the sound therapy in Group A2 was effective. Conclusions: Sound therapy may be effective for some patients. Sound therapy for patients with different degrees of hearing loss are different. The tinnitus of most patients could not disappear completely, but reduce or eliminate. Doctors should use appropriate and individualized acoustic parameters for different characteristics of tinnitus. Doing so would provide effective and specific sound therapy for patients and reduce or eliminate tinnitus.

Background: Tinnitus is a common disorder that causes significant morbidity; however, the neurophysiological mechanism is not yet fully understood. A relationship between tinnitus and limbic system has been reported. As a significant component of the limbic system, the hippocampus plays an important role in various pathological processes, such as emotional disturbance, decreased learning ability, and deterioration of memory. This study was aimed to explore the role of the hippocampus in the generation of tinnitus by electrophysiological technology., Methods: A tinnitus model was established in rats through intraperitoneal injection of salicylate (SA). Subsequently, the spontaneous firing rate (SFR) of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 area was recorded with in vivo multichannel recording technology to assess changes in excitability induced by SA. To investigate the effect of excitability changes of hippocampus on the auditory pathway, the hippocampus was electrically stimulated and neural excitability in the auditory cortex (AC) was monitored., Results: Totally 65 neurons in the hippocampal CA1 area were recorded, 45 from the SA group (n = 5), and 20 from the saline group (n = 5). Two hours after treatment, mean SFR of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 area had significantly increased from 3.06 ± 0.36 Hz to 9.18 ± 1.30 Hz in the SA group (t = -4.521, P < 0.05), while no significant difference was observed in the saline group (2.66 ± 0.36 Hz vs. 2.16 ± 0.36 Hz, t = 0.902, P > 0.05). In the AC, 79.3% (157/198) of recorded neurons showed responses to electrical stimulation of the hippocampal CA1 area. Presumed pyramidal neurons were excited, while intermediate neurons were inhibited after electrical stimulation of the hippocampus., Conclusions: The study shows that the hippocampus is excited in SA-induced tinnitus, and stimulation of hippocampus could modulate neuronal excitability of the AC. The hippocampus is involved in tinnitus and may also have a regulatory effect on the neural center., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest

Objectives: To establish the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the Chinese version of the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI-CH) in measuring tinnitus severity in Hong Kong Chinese population., Design: This is a cross-sectional psychometric validation study., Study Sample: Subjects were 124 adult Chinese who attended the audiology clinics in a hospital setting for tinnitus treatment., Results: The TFI-CH showed good internal consistency reliability (α = 0.94) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.84). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the TFI-CH has eight factors which are exactly the same as the original version. The TFI-CH has good convergent and divergent validity as supported by the strong correlation of the overall scale with other tinnitus-related distress measures (r = 0.86, p < 0.01) and weaker correlation with the general health status measures. Moderate to strong effect sizes obtained 3 months after initial visit indicated that the TFI-CH is responsive in detecting change in tinnitus suffering., Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that the TFI-CH is a reliable and valid measure which should be useful in both clinical and research settings for intake assessment and for measuring treatment-related changes in tinnitus.