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Background: Children with hearing impairment (HI) face communication challenges during dental procedures due to hearing loss. Studies suggest that distraction techniques, like virtual reality (VR), can effectively divert their focus from stressful stimuli, resulting in a more comfortable dental experience. The present study aims to assess the effectiveness of distracting children with moderate to severe (HI) with virtual reality glasses that show cartoons in sign language during pulpotomy treatment compared to conventional management techniques. Methods: Forty children aged five to seven participated in a randomized controlled parallel two-arm clinical trial—the type of behavioral management employed determined which two groups children were randomly placed into. Group I (Study group) used virtual reality glasses as a diversion, while Group II (Control group) used the conventional behavior management approach. Local anesthesia was administrated, and a pulpotomy procedure was performed on the selected tooth, followed by stainless steel crown restoration (SSC). There were three methods used to assess dental anxiety before and after the procedure: the physiological method, which used heart rate (HR); the objective measure, which used the Venham Clinical Anxiety Scale (VCAS); and the subjective measure, which used the modified Facial Affective Scale (FAS). An independent t-test was employed for HR analysis of the difference between the groups as a continuous variable. The Pearson Chi-square test assessed differences between groups for categorical variables, such as (VCAS) (FAS). Results: No significant differences were found in mean (HR) or (VCAS) between the two groups throughout the procedures: during local anesthesia (p = 0.659, 0.282), pulpotomy (p = 0.482, 0.451), and stainless steel crown preparation (p = 0.090, 0.284). Anxiety levels by (FAS) remained statistically comparable between the two groups before and after the procedures (p = 0.507, 0.749), respectively. Conclusions: The use of VR glasses revealed no significant advantages in managing children with HI during the dental visit compared to the conventional method of child behavior management. Trial registration: The trial was prospectively enrolled on 11/11/2023 under the identification number NCT06153823 on ClinicalTrials.gov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hearing impairment is a known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), although less is known about vision impairment or dual sensory impairment (DSI) as risk factors for AD. We studied the association between diagnosed hearing impairment, visual impairment, or DSI, and the risk of AD. Method: The Medication use and Alzheimer's disease study (MEDALZ) is a register-based nested case-control study including 70,718 community-dwelling persons diagnosed with incident AD in 2005–2011 in Finland and their 282,845 matched controls. Sensory impairment diagnoses (limited to those that cause irreversible sensory loss designated by medical specialists) at least five years prior to AD diagnosis (or matching date) were obtained from national healthcare registers, including specialized outpatient visits. Associations were studied with cofounder-adjusted conditional logistic regression. Results: Hearing impairment was associated with an increased risk of AD compared to people without a diagnosed sensory impairment (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–1.19), while no association was found in people with visual (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 0.99–1.05) or dual sensory impairment (aOR 1.05 (95% CI 0.95–1.15). Conclusions: Hearing impairment can be a modifiable risk factor for AD, and thus its treatment in the aging population is important. Although we did not observe an association between visual impairment and AD, all sensory impairments decrease functioning and quality of life among older adults. Therefore, they should be treated, also among persons with cognitive decline or cognitive disorder. Clinical trial number: Not Applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epidemiological studies show inconsistent links between hearing/vision impairment and dementia risk. Using multisource data, we investigated how single or combined sensory impairments relate to risks of all-cause and specific types of dementia. Methods: We employed a triangulation approach combining three methodologies. We analyzed 90,893 UK Biobank (UKB) adults to explore single and joint effects of hearing and vision impairments on all-cause and Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VD) and non-AD non-VD (NAVD). A meta-analysis of prospective studies involving 937,908 participants provided stronger evidence. Finally, we conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genome-wide association studies from UKB (361,194 participants) and FinnGen (412,181 participants) to validate relationships between sensory impairments and dementia occurrence. Results: In the UKB cohort study, compared to participants with normal hearing, those in the mild and severe hearing impairment groups had progressively and significantly higher risk of all-cause dementia (mild: HR1.52, 95%CI 1.31–1.77; severe: HR1.80, 95%CI 1.36–2.38), AD (mild: HR1.63, 95%CI 1.30–2.04; severe: HR2.18, 95%CI 1.45–3.27), VD (mild: HR1.68, 95%CI 1.19–2.37; severe: HR1.47, 95%CI 1.22–1.78), and NAVD (mild: HR1.47, 95%CI 1.22–1.78; severe: HR1.98, 95%CI 1.43–2.75). Besides, vision impairment was associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia (HR1.55, 95%CI 1.18–2.04) and NAVD (HR1.51, 95%CI 1.07–2.13). Furthermore, dual sensory impairment was associated with stepwise increased risks of all-cause and cause-specific dementia than single hearing or vision impairment. In the meta-analysis of 31 prospective cohort studies, risks of all-cause dementia and AD were elevated in participants with single hearing impairment (all-cause dementia: HR1.30, 95%CI 1.21–1.40; AD: HR1.30, 95%CI 1.21–1.40) and dual sensory impairment (all-cause dementia: HR1.63, 95%CI1.14–2.12; AD: HR 2.55, 95%CI 1.19–3.91), while single vision impairment only associated with higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR1.43, 95%CI 1.16–1.71) but not AD. Finally, the MR analysis revealed a significant association between hearing impairment and all-cause dementia (OR1.74, 95%CI 1.01–2.99), AD (OR1.56, 95%CI 1.09–2.23), and NAVD (OR1.14, 1.02–1.26), as well as vision impairment and NAVD (OR1.62, 95%CI 1.13–2.33). Conclusions: Our findings showed significant associations between hearing and vision impairments and increased risks of all-cause and cause-specific dementia. Standardized hearing and vision assessment and intervention should be emphasized in dementia prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: This study aims to explore the potential relationship between unilateral or asymmetric glaucoma and ipsilateral hearing impairment. Methods: In this retrospective study, visual and hearing functions were assessed in patients with unilateral or asymmetric glaucoma. Correlations between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, visual field mean deviation (MD) values, and pure tone audiometry (PTA) measurements across various frequencies were analyzed to explore potential associations between visual and ipsilateral hearing functions. Differences in PTA values between ears ipsilateral to the more affected glaucomatous eyes and the contralateral ears were studied for statistical significance. Results: Twenty-six patients with unilateral or asymmetric glaucoma were included in the study. Significant differences in hearing thresholds between the ears corresponding to the more severely glaucomatous eyes and the contralateral ears were found at 0.7, 1, 1.5, and 3 kHz (p < 0.05). Additionally, a statistically significant difference was observed in the speech frequencies (0.5, 0.7, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 kHz) between ears corresponding to glaucomatous or more affected glaucomatous eyes and the contralateral ears (p = 0.016). Furthermore, a moderately positive correlation was found between differences in MD and PTA values at 0.125 kHz (r = 0.50; p = 0.01). Conclusions: This study highlights a potential association between unilateral or asymmetric glaucoma and ipsilateral hearing impairment, particularly at speech-relevant frequencies. These findings underscore the importance of integrated sensory assessment in the management of glaucoma patients, suggesting that early detection and intervention for concurrent hearing loss could enhance overall quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To introduce the urban outdoor version of the Situated Phoneme (SiP) test and investigate its test-retest reliability. Design: Phonemic discrimination scores in matched-spectrum real-world (MSRW) maskers from an urban outdoor environment were measured using a three-alternative forced choice test paradigm at different phoneme-to-noise ratios (PNR). Each measurement was repeated twice. Test-retest scores for the full 84-trial SiP-test, as well as for four types of contrasting phonemes, were analysed and compared to critical difference scores based on binomial confidence intervals. Study sample: Seventy-two adult native speakers of Swedish (26–83 years) with symmetric hearing threshold levels ranging from normal hearing to severe sensorineural hearing loss. Results: Test-retest scores did not differ significantly for the whole test, or for the subtests analysed. A lower amount of test-retest score difference than expected exceeded the bounds of the corresponding critical difference intervals. Conclusions: The urban outdoor SiP-test has high test-retest reliability. This information can help audiologists to interpret test scores attained with the urban outdoor SiP-test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) plays a role in various cellular processes such as differentiation, inflammation, cell survival and microtubule dynamics, depending on the cell type and the activated signaling pathway. Stat3 is highly expressed in the hair cells and supporting cells of the cochlea and is essential for the differentiation of mouse hair cells in the early embryonic stage. However, it is unclear how Stat3 contributes to the correct function of cells in the organ of Corti postnatally. To investigate this, an inducible Cre/loxp system was used to knock out Stat3 in either the outer hair cells or the supporting cells. The results showed that the absence of Stat3 in either the outer hair cells or the supporting cells resulted in hearing loss without altering the morphology of the organ of Corti. Molecular analysis of the outer hair cells revealed an inflammatory process with increased cytokine production and upregulation of the NF-kB pathway. However, the absence of Stat3 in the supporting cells resulted in reduced microtubule stability. In conclusion, Stat3 is a critical protein for the sensory epithelium of the cochlea and hearing and functions in a cell and function-specific manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating meaningful interaction can be challenging for communication partners of persons with intellectual disabilities and hearing impairment (IDHI). To elicit moments of interaction and communication, the sensory-enhanced interactive storytelling technique (SEIS-T) has been developed within clinical and educational practice for people with IDHI and their communication partners. SEIS-T uses custom-made storybooks, referential objects and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Although many positive communicative moments with SEIS-T have been mentioned by practitioners, scientific research regarding this approach is limited. The present study aimed to alleviate this by examining changes in communication patterns and engagement of children with IDHI over the course of 10 repeated SEIS-T sessions and comparing the results to regular storytelling sessions. Six children participated in a multiple-baseline study. An event-sampling method was applied to analyse videos of the reading sessions, with respect to the children’s verbal and nonverbal communicative acts (role, form and complexity), and their attention to the storytelling. Non-overlap of all pairs (NAP)-analysis was used to test differences between the baseline and intervention phase for each participant. Promising improvements were seen in the frequency and variety of communicative acts by the children and in their focused attention during storytelling, when employing the SEIS-T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the plant-based dietary index and vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI), and dual sensory impairment (DSI) among Chinese aged 65 and older. Methods: Based on the 2018 data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), a cross-sectional study was conducted on 14,859 samples. The assessment of dietary quality utilized the plant-based diet index (PDI), healthy plant-based diet index (hPDI), and unhealthy plant-based diet index (uPDI). Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between PDIs and sensory impairments. Additionally, restricted cubic spline analysis was utilized to investigate the nonlinear association between PDIs and sensory impairments. Results: Participants in the highest quintile of PDI exhibited reduced prevalence of VI (OR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.67–0.90, ptrend <0.001), HI (OR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.70–0.99, ptrend <0.001), and DSI (OR 0.62, 95% CI: 0.51–0.77, ptrend <0.001) relative to those in the lowest quintile. Moreover, individuals who ranked in the highest quintile for hPDI exhibited a 25% reduced risk of VI disease. Conversely, those in the highest quintile of uPDI were associated with increased prevalence of VI (OR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.17–1.61, ptrend <0.001), HI (OR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.12–1.65, ptrend <0.001), and DSI (OR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.25–1.95, ptrend <0.001). The relationship between PDIs increasing by every 10 units and sensory impairments showed similar patterns. Notably, hPDI demonstrated a nonlinear relationship with HI (pfor nonlinearity = 0.001), while the others exhibited linear associations. Conclusion: The increase in PDI and hPDI correlates with a reduced prevalence of one or more sensory impairments. Conversely, an increase in uPDI is associated with an elevated prevalence of multiple sensory impairments. Our study findings emphasize the significance of plant-based food quality, advocating for adherence to a plant-based dietary pattern while reducing the intake of less healthy plant foods and animal-based products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Cochlear implantation is a potential intervention for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss, in particular in the pediatric population. This literature review aims to comprehensively evaluate the applications of electrophysiological tests in enhancing cochlear implant (CI) outcomes for children. Methods: A literature review searched Medline and PubMed databases for articles on electrophysiological tests in CI children, using the terms "electrophysiological tests," "children," and "cochlear implant." The systematic search leads to 72 eligible texts. Results: Electrophysiological tests can be used to test CI children without the need for their active participation. These tests can be helpful in identifying and improving the health of deaf children in various ways, such as determining the CI functional status, the semantic integration effects in CI children, the effect of central auditory structures in speech stimulus processing, the development of lexical-semantic in CI children, and tracking the maturation of the central auditory system. CI enhances central auditory nervous system (CANS) maturation and auditory/language skills. Conclusion: The quality of electrophysiological tests can be improved to enhance hearing outcome prediction, postoperative physiology understanding, and hearing loss mechanisms. Electrophysiological tests study CANS maturation, identify lesions, aid CI programming, determine prognosis, and treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates an intervention program that uses mobile learning, designed for Israeli Arab hearing‐impaired elementary school students, focused on language and mathematics. Participants included 23 hearing‐impaired students, 39 teachers, and 46 parents. The evaluation combined quantitative and qualitative methods, using questionnaires, knowledge mapping, observations, individual semi‐structured interviews, and focus group discussions. Findings revealed: (1) integrating mobile learning promoted learning enjoyment of learning, and satisfaction with program implementation; (2) content knowledge development contributed to mathematical knowledge and all language components except grammar; (3) inequality among students persisted since only hearing‐impaired students benefited from the program, leading to another kind of inequality; (4) teachers coped with various challenges: lack of technological skills, need for differential teaching for different populations in the classroom, and general lack of attention in the classroom when using apps with audible instructions and (5) parents have vital role in implementing new learning approaches for special needs students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musical hallucinations (MH) are the subjective experience of hearing music when none is played. They are a rare, understudied area of psychiatry. MH are more common in women and older age and have several underlying aetiologies and predisposing factors such as hearing impairment, mental illness and certain medications. There are no consensus guidelines on treatment; thus, current treatment has two broad approaches: (1) the removal of potential inciting factors (e.g. optimising hearing aids, medications) or (2) pharmacotherapy (antipsychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilisers and cognitive enhancers). This paper presents a case series of patients presenting with MH to a psychiatry of old age service in Dublin City and reviews the current literature of MH. Older age, female gender and hearing impairment are known risk factors for MH. Our findings concurred with the literature—two of three patients were female, and two of three patients suffered from hearing impairment. As this was a psychiatry of old age service, all patients were elderly. One case had a swift resolution of symptoms with a combination of an antipsychotic and antidepressant. The other two cases had limited responses to treatment despite optimising their hearing aids and trials of a number of medications at therapeutic levels. Further research into MH is needed to establish a treatment that is evidence based and symptom focused. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensory impairment is common in older age and is associated with intra- and interpersonal struggles, however, treatment efforts may be hampered by functional difficulties or unwillingness to seek face-to-face mental health services. The current study examined the efficacy of an online psychological intervention for older adults with sensory loss and their spouses in Denmark, using a two-arm, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial study design with a wait-list control group. The intervention consisted of four digital, sequential modules that contained psychoeducation and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy inspired therapeutic activities. Individuals (N = 662) completed online surveys (using the SurveyXact platform) at baseline, 6 weeks, and 10 weeks post-baseline, in terms of well-being, relationship satisfaction, and depressive symptoms. The data were analyzed in SAS, version 9.4, using multilevel modeling to account for non-independence of data (nesting within participant and within couple), specifying an alpha level of 0.05. Inconsistent with the hypotheses, we found that the intervention group reported poorer well-being at 6 weeks, compared to the control group, and we found no effect in terms of relationship satisfaction or depressive symptoms. As the first study of an online intervention for older adults with sensory loss and their spouses, the study highlights the need for simple login procedures, and we speculate whether a user customizable format may be better, features that might be useful for any digital intervention aimed at elderly populations. These features may be of particular importance in implementing digital interventions into standard healthcare practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In speech audiometry, the speech-recognition threshold (SRT) is usually established by adjusting the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) until 50% of the words or sentences are repeated correctly. However, these conditions are rarely encountered in everyday situations. Therefore, for a group of 15 young participants with normal hearing and a group of 12 older participants with hearing impairment, speech-recognition scores were determined at SRT and at four higher SNRs using several stationary and fluctuating maskers. Participants' verbal responses were recorded, and participants were asked to self-report their listening effort on a categorical scale (self-reported listening effort, SR-LE). The responses were analyzed using an Automatic Speech Recognizer (ASR) and compared to the results of a human examiner. An intraclass correlation coefficient of r =.993 for the agreement between their corresponding speech-recognition scores was observed. As expected, speech-recognition scores increased with increasing SNR and decreased with increasing SR-LE. However, differences between speech-recognition scores for fluctuating and stationary maskers were observed as a function of SNR, but not as a function of SR-LE. The verbal response time (VRT) and the response speech rate (RSR) of the listeners' responses were measured using an ASR. The participants with hearing impairment showed significantly lower RSRs and higher VRTs compared to the participants with normal hearing. These differences may be attributed to differences in age, hearing, or both. With increasing SR-LE, VRT increased and RSR decreased. The results show the possibility of deriving a behavioral measure, VRT, measured directly from participants' verbal responses during speech audiometry, as a proxy for SR-LE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cochlear implant (CI) benefits deaf children's speech perception, language development and speech production. Early fitting of an implant results in improved outcomes. Over a period of more than 3 decades, cochlear implantation (CI) is firmly known as safe and effective treatment for children with bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) who develop minimal or no benefit from conventional hearing aid use. The primary aim of CI is to improve auditory perception of the child and hence the spoken language. The development of functional spoken language would be the major long-term benefits of CI. Children who received a cochlear implant before a real delay in spoken language development (i.e., between 12–16 months) were more able to achieve age-appropriate spoken language. These results strengthen the idea of doing cochlear implantation before 24 months of age, especially for children with a better ear aided pure tone with average thresholds greater than 65 dB prior to surgery.The main aim is to study the effect of age on CI patients results by applying simple questioners on 31 CI children, that are easy to assess the auditory perception and discrimination as an important prerequisite for language development. Results There was an inverse correlation between; age at CI, categories of auditory performance (CAPS), and meaningful auditory integration scale (MAIS) scores. While; there was direct correlation between MAIS & CAPS scores. Conclusions The auditory perception development after CI in children being 3 years old or younger is much better than the older children which would be reflected on their speech perception and acquiring their 1st word and sentence, but language development did not differ between both groups for this period of follow up. With a need of further detailed full language aspects assessment and follow up to ensure these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing loss affects over 1.5 billion individuals globally, with significant implications for mental health. This study investigates the association between hearing aid use and mental health outcomes, by particularly focusing on depression and unmet mental health needs (UMHN), across a diverse international sample. Utilizing data from the third wave of the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS), this study involved 17,660 participants with hearing impairment from 28 countries. The study examined the association between hearing aid use and mental health outcomes, including the likelihood of moderate and severe depression and UMHN due to lack of contact with general practitioners (GPs) and mental health specialists. Logistic regression models, adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics, health risk behaviours, and other relevant variables, were employed. Inverse probability weights were used to mitigate potential selection bias. Hearing aid usage was associated with significantly lower likelihoods of moderate depression (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.58, 95%CI = [0.54, 0.63]) and severe depression (OR = 0.61, 95%CI = [0.55, 0.69]), compared to non-usage. Hearing aid usage was also associated with reduced UMHN due to lack of GP contact for moderate (OR = 0.82, 95%CI = [0.75, 0.89]) and severe depression (OR = 0.75, 95%CI = [0.59, 0.95]). The depression risk reductions were greater among females and higher-educated subgroups but lower in individuals aged ≥65 years. Income level and rurality also impacted UMHN due to the lack of GP contact. No associations were found between hearing aids and UMHN due to the lack of mental health specialist contact. Hearing aid adoption showed protective associations against mood disorders and lowered unmet primary mental healthcare needs. Tailoring intervention strategies to vulnerable sociodemographic profiles could optimize mental health benefits among those with hearing loss. Integrating hearing health services within mental healthcare delivery frameworks is vital amidst the rising global burden. • There is little insight into hearing aids' impact on mental health and unmet mental health needs (UMHN). • Hearing aid use was associated with lower rates of depression and UMHN, bases on 17,000 participants from 28 countries. • The findings advocate for integrating hearing health into mental health frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the social barriers facing students with sensory impairment in Tanzanian higher learning institutions across different settings. Twenty‐seven students were involved in semi‐structured interviews, focus group discussions and open‐ended questionnaires. Students with sensory impairment reported that across the different settings, other people view them as incapable and as a socio‐economic burden. They also revealed that they were viewed as beggars. Their perceptions of these negative views resulted in their social isolation, and difficulties in forming and maintaining friendships. The study recommends setting up awareness‐creation campaigns aimed at demonstrating the capabilities of disabled people in Tanzania. In addition, the law governing the employment of disabled people in Tanzania should be enforced accordingly to increase their employment opportunities in different sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The inner ear is most susceptible to the aging effects. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are a good indicator for interpreting the age effects but are usually recorded at up to 8000 Hz frequencies in routine audiologic testing. The present study was designed to assess and compare the DPOAEs at conventional frequencies and at extended high frequencies (EHFs) across different age groups. METHODS: Extended high-frequency audiometry (9000-16 000 Hz) and DPOAEs from 500-16 000 Hz were recorded on 80 adult (160 ears) participants (15-55 years) with normal hearing sensitivity. The participants were categorized into 4 groups: group I (15-<25 years), group II (25-<35 years), group III (35-<45 years), and group IV (45-55 years). RESULTS: A statistically significant reduction in EHF thresholds was observed from group III onward. However, the thresholds were comparatively better for group III at frequencies 9000, 10 000, and 11 500Hz than group IV. No significant difference was observed for EHF DPOAEs in groups I and II (except at 16 000 Hz) and III and IV. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions at conventional frequencies in group IV were significantly poorer than the other 3 groups. A weak negative correlation was observed between the DPOAE parameters and EHF thresholds. The effect of age was more pronounced on EHF DPOAEs than EHF thresholds for frequencies 9000, 10 000, and 11 500 Hz. CONCLUSION: Distortion product otoacoustic emissions at EHF started deteriorating below the age of 30 years and showed a rapid decline above 35 years. Extended high-frequency DPOAEs can be used as screening tools to assess the function of the basal part of the cochlea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Spatial navigation, the ability to move through one's environment, is a complex skill utilized in everyday life. The effects of specific vestibular end-organ deficits and hearing impairments on spatial navigation have received little to no attention. We hypothesized that hearing impairment adversely affects spatial navigation and that bimodal impairments (vestibular and hearing) further impair navigation ability. Methods: Data from 182 participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging who had interpretable results for the video head impulse test (vHIT), cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMP), audiometric testing, and the triangle completion test (TCT) were retrospectively analyzed. Multiple linear regression, controlling for age, sex, and cognition, was employed to identify predictors of TCT performance in terms of end-point error, angle deviation, and distance walked. Results: oVEMP abnormalities were associated with larger end-point error (p = 0.008) and larger angle deviation (p = 0.002) but were not associated with distance walked (p = 0.392). Abnormalities on cVEMP testing and vHIT were not associated with distance walked (p = 0.835, p = 0.300), end-point error (p = 0.256, p = 0.808), or angle deviation (p = 0.192, p = 0.966). Compared with normal-hearing adults, hearing-impaired adults walked a shorter distance during the TCT (p = 0.049) but had a similar end-point error (p = 0.302) and angle deviation (p = 0.466). There was no interaction between vestibular and hearing function for predicting spatial navigation ability. Conclusion: In this cohort analysis, utricular dysfunction and hearing impairment were associated with poorer spatial navigation performance. We postulate that hearing impairment negatively affects one's ability to use real-time, intrinsic auditory cues and/or prior experience to guide navigation. Plain Language Summary: Spatial navigation, the ability to move through one's environment, is a complex skill utilized in everyday life. The effects of specific balance and hearing deficits on spatial navigation have not been extensively studied. Thus, we analyzed data from 182 participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging who completed balance, hearing, and spatial navigation tests to determine if hearing impairment may adversely affect spatial navigation and if combined deficits in balance and hearing further impair navigation ability. Our analyses accounted for the confounding effects of age, sex, and cognition on aspects of spatial navigation performance. We found that deficits in hearing and in the balance organ that senses horizontal translational movements were associated with worse performance on spatial navigation. However, deficits in the balance organs that sense vertical translational movements and horizontal rotational movements were not associated with worse spatial navigation ability. Surprisingly, we found that those with combined balance and hearing deficits did not perform significantly worse on spatial navigation than those with deficits in either balance or hearing alone. We believe that the abnormal function of the horizontal translational movement sensors likely explains the gait disorientation experienced by persons with inner ear problems. Additionally, we propose that hearing deficits impede one's ability to use real-time sound cues to guide navigation. Many of our participants had mild deficits; thus, further research on the effects of more severe balance and hearing deficits on spatial navigation is needed to gain a better understanding of how different sensory inputs contribute to spatial navigation ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auditory scene analysis (ASA) is the process through which the auditory system makes sense of complex acoustic environments by organising sound mixtures into meaningful events and streams. Although music psychology has acknowledged the fundamental role of ASA in shaping music perception, no efficient test to quantify listeners' ASA abilities in realistic musical scenarios has yet been published. This study presents a new tool for testing ASA abilities in the context of music, suitable for both normal-hearing (NH) and hearing-impaired (HI) individuals: the adaptive Musical Scene Analysis (MSA) test. The test uses a simple 'yes–no' task paradigm to determine whether the sound from a single target instrument is heard in a mixture of popular music. During the online calibration phase, 525 NH and 131 HI listeners were recruited. The level ratio between the target instrument and the mixture, choice of target instrument, and number of instruments in the mixture were found to be important factors affecting item difficulty, whereas the influence of the stereo width (induced by inter-aural level differences) only had a minor effect. Based on a Bayesian logistic mixed-effects model, an adaptive version of the MSA test was developed. In a subsequent validation experiment with 74 listeners (20 HI), MSA scores showed acceptable test–retest reliability and moderate correlations with other music-related tests, pure-tone-average audiograms, age, musical sophistication, and working memory capacities. The MSA test is a user-friendly and efficient open-source tool for evaluating musical ASA abilities and is suitable for profiling the effects of hearing impairment on music perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the need to find the most appropriate methods of teaching information from the STEM area to children with special needs, this article aims to investigate how technology-based pedagogies influence the motivation and emotional state of students with special needs when they have to assimilate knowledge in this field. The research data demonstrated an increase in the motivation for learning of these students through the use of ICT, but also an improvement in the affective state through the increase in self-confidence. These improvements were possible due to the fact that the students could go through each stage of the lesson at their own pace, with the possibility to return to those more difficult aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Hearing impairment is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), although less is known about vision impairment or dual sensory impairment (DSI) as risk factors for AD. We studied the association between diagnosed hearing impairment, visual impairment, or DSI, and the risk of AD. Method The Medication use and Alzheimer’s disease study (MEDALZ) is a register-based nested case-control study including 70,718 community-dwelling persons diagnosed with incident AD in 2005–2011 in Finland and their 282,845 matched controls. Sensory impairment diagnoses (limited to those that cause irreversible sensory loss designated by medical specialists) at least five years prior to AD diagnosis (or matching date) were obtained from national healthcare registers, including specialized outpatient visits. Associations were studied with cofounder-adjusted conditional logistic regression. Results Hearing impairment was associated with an increased risk of AD compared to people without a diagnosed sensory impairment (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–1.19), while no association was found in people with visual (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 0.99–1.05) or dual sensory impairment (aOR 1.05 (95% CI 0.95–1.15). Conclusions Hearing impairment can be a modifiable risk factor for AD, and thus its treatment in the aging population is important. Although we did not observe an association between visual impairment and AD, all sensory impairments decrease functioning and quality of life among older adults. Therefore, they should be treated, also among persons with cognitive decline or cognitive disorder. Clinical trial number Not Applicable.

Abstract Background Children with hearing impairment (HI) face communication challenges during dental procedures due to hearing loss. Studies suggest that distraction techniques, like virtual reality (VR), can effectively divert their focus from stressful stimuli, resulting in a more comfortable dental experience. The present study aims to assess the effectiveness of distracting children with moderate to severe (HI) with virtual reality glasses that show cartoons in sign language during pulpotomy treatment compared to conventional management techniques. Methods Forty children aged five to seven participated in a randomized controlled parallel two-arm clinical trial—the type of behavioral management employed determined which two groups children were randomly placed into. Group I (Study group) used virtual reality glasses as a diversion, while Group II (Control group) used the conventional behavior management approach. Local anesthesia was administrated, and a pulpotomy procedure was performed on the selected tooth, followed by stainless steel crown restoration (SSC). There were three methods used to assess dental anxiety before and after the procedure: the physiological method, which used heart rate (HR); the objective measure, which used the Venham Clinical Anxiety Scale (VCAS); and the subjective measure, which used the modified Facial Affective Scale (FAS). An independent t-test was employed for HR analysis of the difference between the groups as a continuous variable. The Pearson Chi-square test assessed differences between groups for categorical variables, such as (VCAS) (FAS). Results No significant differences were found in mean (HR) or (VCAS) between the two groups throughout the procedures: during local anesthesia (p = 0.659, 0.282), pulpotomy (p = 0.482, 0.451), and stainless steel crown preparation (p = 0.090, 0.284). Anxiety levels by (FAS) remained statistically comparable between the two groups before and after the procedures (p = 0.507, 0.749), respectively. Conclusions The use of VR glasses revealed no significant advantages in managing children with HI during the dental visit compared to the conventional method of child behavior management. Trial registration The trial was prospectively enrolled on 11/11/2023 under the identification number NCT06153823 on ClinicalTrials.gov.

The quality of education for children with special needs must be continuously improved to help them fully develop their potential. However, students with hearing impairments often face challenges in comprehending complex scientific concepts due to limitations in vocabulary and the abstract nature of traditional teaching materials. This study focuses on the development of animated learning videos covering human sensory systems to enhance conceptual understanding among students with hearing impairments. The research employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach using the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) and a pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design to assess the effectiveness of the videos. The product was tested on 10th-grade students at Special Senior High School of Magelang. Validation results showed that the animated video met the media criteria for validity, while the content criteria achieved high validity with scores of 79.6% and 80.4%, respectively. The effectiveness of the animated videos was further supported by an N-Gain score of 0.78, indicating a high level of improvement in student understanding. These findings suggest that the developed animated videos are highly feasible and effective tools for improving the conceptual understanding of students with hearing impairments.

Abstract Background Epidemiological studies show inconsistent links between hearing/vision impairment and dementia risk. Using multisource data, we investigated how single or combined sensory impairments relate to risks of all-cause and specific types of dementia. Methods We employed a triangulation approach combining three methodologies. We analyzed 90,893 UK Biobank (UKB) adults to explore single and joint effects of hearing and vision impairments on all-cause and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia (VD) and non-AD non-VD (NAVD). A meta-analysis of prospective studies involving 937,908 participants provided stronger evidence. Finally, we conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genome-wide association studies from UKB (361,194 participants) and FinnGen (412,181 participants) to validate relationships between sensory impairments and dementia occurrence. Results In the UKB cohort study, compared to participants with normal hearing, those in the mild and severe hearing impairment groups had progressively and significantly higher risk of all-cause dementia (mild: HR1.52, 95%CI 1.31–1.77; severe: HR1.80, 95%CI 1.36–2.38), AD (mild: HR1.63, 95%CI 1.30–2.04; severe: HR2.18, 95%CI 1.45–3.27), VD (mild: HR1.68, 95%CI 1.19–2.37; severe: HR1.47, 95%CI 1.22–1.78), and NAVD (mild: HR1.47, 95%CI 1.22–1.78; severe: HR1.98, 95%CI 1.43–2.75). Besides, vision impairment was associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia (HR1.55, 95%CI 1.18–2.04) and NAVD (HR1.51, 95%CI 1.07–2.13). Furthermore, dual sensory impairment was associated with stepwise increased risks of all-cause and cause-specific dementia than single hearing or vision impairment. In the meta-analysis of 31 prospective cohort studies, risks of all-cause dementia and AD were elevated in participants with single hearing impairment (all-cause dementia: HR1.30, 95%CI 1.21–1.40; AD: HR1.30, 95%CI 1.21–1.40) and dual sensory impairment (all-cause dementia: HR1.63, 95%CI1.14–2.12; AD: HR 2.55, 95%CI 1.19–3.91), while single vision impairment only associated with higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR1.43, 95%CI 1.16–1.71) but not AD. Finally, the MR analysis revealed a significant association between hearing impairment and all-cause dementia (OR1.74, 95%CI 1.01–2.99), AD (OR1.56, 95%CI 1.09–2.23), and NAVD (OR1.14, 1.02–1.26), as well as vision impairment and NAVD (OR1.62, 95%CI 1.13–2.33). Conclusions Our findings showed significant associations between hearing and vision impairments and increased risks of all-cause and cause-specific dementia. Standardized hearing and vision assessment and intervention should be emphasized in dementia prevention strategies.

Abstract Background There is a substantial body of observational research indicating an association between hearing impairment and dementia, yet the causal relationship and underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. This study aims to investigate the causal relationship between hearing impairment and its subtypes with dementia and cognitive function using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Methods We performed two-sample MR analysis to examine the causal effects of hearing impairment and its subtypes, including conductive and sensorineural hearing loss (CSHL), conductive hearing loss (CHL), sensorineural hearing loss (SHL), and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SIHL), on six dementia phenotypes (overall dementia, Alzheimer’s disease [AD], Lewy body dementia [DLB], frontotemporal dementia [FTD], Parkinson’s disease dementia, and vascular dementia) and four cognitive functions. Additionally, multivariable MR (MVMR) analysis was employed to investigate potential mediating mechanisms. Results Genetically determined CSHL was associated with an elevated risk of DLB (odds ratio [OR] 1.69; 95% CI 1.08 to 2.63; P = 0.021) and FTD (OR 1.66; 1.04 to 2.67; P = 0.035), but not AD (P = 0.958). Genetic predisposition to CHL was found to link with increased risks of AD (OR 1.07; 1.01 to 1.14; P = 0.031). Genetically determined SHL was causally associated with an elevated risk of semantic dementia (OR 3.81; 1.09 to 13.37; P = 0.037). Genetically predicted CHL and SIHL were both causally associated with lower general cognitive performance (β -0.015 and − 0.043; P = 0.007 and 0.013) and fluid intelligence score (β -0.045 and − 0.095; P = 0.037 and 0.040). In MVMR analysis, the causal relationship between hearing impairment and dementia was mediated by loneliness, depressed mood, and brain cortical volume, particularly the medial temporal lobe, but not by aging or ischemic stroke. Conclusion Overall, the study provides evidence supporting a causal relationship between hearing impairment and increased risks of different types of dementia (including AD, FTD, and DLB), as well as poorer general cognitive function. These findings underscore the importance of addressing hearing impairment as a modifiable risk factor for dementia.

Abstract Cochlear implant (CI) benefits deaf children's speech perception, language development and speech production. Early fitting of an implant results in improved outcomes. Over a period of more than 3 decades, cochlear implantation (CI) is firmly known as safe and effective treatment for children with bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) who develop minimal or no benefit from conventional hearing aid use. The primary aim of CI is to improve auditory perception of the child and hence the spoken language. The development of functional spoken language would be the major long-term benefits of CI. Children who received a cochlear implant before a real delay in spoken language development (i.e., between 12–16 months) were more able to achieve age-appropriate spoken language. These results strengthen the idea of doing cochlear implantation before 24 months of age, especially for children with a better ear aided pure tone with average thresholds greater than 65 dB prior to surgery.The main aim is to study the effect of age on CI patients results by applying simple questioners on 31 CI children, that are easy to assess the auditory perception and discrimination as an important prerequisite for language development. Results There was an inverse correlation between; age at CI, categories of auditory performance (CAPS), and meaningful auditory integration scale (MAIS) scores. While; there was direct correlation between MAIS & CAPS scores. Conclusions The auditory perception development after CI in children being 3 years old or younger is much better than the older children which would be reflected on their speech perception and acquiring their 1st word and sentence, but language development did not differ between both groups for this period of follow up. With a need of further detailed full language aspects assessment and follow up to ensure these results.

Background: According to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), adults with hearing loss to the extent that it affects their ability to communicate and hear should be offered hearing aids with proper counseling. Objective: The aim of the current study was conducted with the primary aim of evaluating the frequency of depression and associated factors among hearing loss patients. The secondary aim of the study was to determine the impact of usage of hearing aids on depression. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed at Qureshi ENT and Medical Center located in Karachi, Pakistan. The study was conducted from January to November 2022. The speech therapist performed the pure tone audiometry test to assess hearing ability. Depression was assessed using a PHQ-9 questionnaire and a score of 10 and higher was labeled as positive for depression. All of the patients were advised to use hearing aids regularly. Baseline depression level was assessed and patients were scheduled with a follow-up appointment after three months for assessment of depression level after usage of hearing aids. Results: A total of 251 patients with a median age of 22 years (IQR=22-35) were enrolled in the research. Median disease duration was 2.5 (IQR=2-3.5) years. The majority had disease of a mild nature (n=176, 70.1%) whereas 38 (15.1%) had moderate and 37 (14.7%) had severe disease. At baseline, depression was prevalent among 111 (n=44.2%) patients. On the multivariable regression model, younger age (aOR=0.41, 95% CI: 0.17-0.93, p=0.039), being unemployed (aOR=0.51, 95% CI: 0.26-0.98, p=0.046) and mild disease (aOR=0.06, 95% CI: 0.03-0.14, p

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of external auditory canal cholesteatoma (EACC) among children and to describe its radiological findings on high-resolution computed tomography (CT) of the temporal bone in order to improve the diagnostic accuracy of primary EACC. Methods: The clinical records and CT imaging features of 44 patients who were diagnosed with EACC between January 2017 and May 2022 at Shenzhen Children's Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical features, including external auditory canal wall findings, hearing damage, symptoms and physical examination findings, were analysed against the level of lesion involvement. The correlation between different types of EACC and the incidence of different clinical symptoms was analysed, and the degree of hearing impairment and the rate of bone wall destruction were examined using CT. Results: The mean age at EACC onset was 9.02 ± 3.15 years, and the mean age at onset for EACC involving the right ear was older than that of EACC involving the left ear (P < 0.05). There were 44 patients (46 ears), including 10 ears with type I EACC, 23 ears with type II EACC, and 13 ears with type III EACC. Conductive hearing loss was the main type of hearing impairment observed among EACC patients. There were differences in types I, II and III EACC in terms of hearing impairment; specifically, there was a significant difference in moderate hearing impairment between type II and type III EACC patients (P < 0.05). The four most common symptoms were otorrhea, otalgia, itching and bleeding. The incidence of itching symptoms was greater in type I EACC than the incidence of otorrhea, and the incidence of otorrhea symptoms in type II and type III EACC was significantly greater than that in type I EACC(P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the fracture rates of the anterior, posterior, superior or inferior walls of the external auditory canal within or between type II and type III EACC patients (P > 0.05). The failure rate of scute damage was significantly higher in type III EACC patients than in type II EACC patients (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The presence of otorrhea and hearing loss as well as the identification of granulation tissue during otoscopy suggest the need for a temporal bone CT scan. This imaging modality can aid in the early detection and accurate classification of EACC, thereby guiding the selection of appropriate surgical interventions and greatly assisting in preventing further progression of hearing impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise is one of the harmful health factors in industrial sites. Hearing impairments are one of the most common occupational diseases in a wide range of industries. The aim of this study is to determine the general prevalence of noise-induced hearing disorders among industrial workers and to homogenize the results of different studies in this field. In this systematic review and meta-analysis study, the keywords of Occupational Noise, Hearing Impairment, Workers, Industry in Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases without any lower time limit and until March 2022. Details of the identified studies were then transferred into the EndNote reference management software. Subsequently, duplicate studies were eliminated, and the remaining studies were evaluated in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria and through the three remaining phases of PRISMA i.e., screening, eligibility, and inclusion. To analyze the eligible studies, the random effects model was used, and the heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using the I2 index. In a review of 69 studies with a sample size of 3,552,888 people, the overall prevalence of hearing impairment among industrial workers was 28.8% (95% CI 26.2%–31.6%). The highest prevalence of hearing impairments was reported among agricultural and fishery workers with 45.7% (95% CI 35.1%–56.7%), and the highest prevalence of hearing impairment among industrial workers was found in the continent of Africa with 46.2% (95% CI 37.4%–55.2%). Due to the higher prevalence of hearing impairments among men, the elderly and in developing countries, it is necessary to establish pertinent laws and regulations in order for workers to use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and mandate employers to provide hearing protection programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosody is an essential component of speech naturalness and improves speech intelligibility. Prosodic deficits are notably prevalent among children with hearing impairment (CwHI). Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) are service providers responsible for identification and intervention of disorders of prosody. So far, there are limited published reports on the awareness and competence of SLPs in prosody intervention. The present study aimed to understand the knowledge and perspectives on prosody of SLPs working among CwHI through an online survey. A 10-item questionnaire was developed and utilized for this purpose. Additionally, information on the clinical service delivery of the respondents was also collected. A total of 130 SLPs responded to the survey (response rate = 65%). Although most respondents (93.1%) agreed that prosodic impairment impacted speech intelligibility of CwHI, 76.2% never provided intervention for prosodic deficits in CwHI. Several respondents (74.6%) opined of not receiving adequate training on assessment and intervention of prosodic impairments in CwHI. 82.3% of respondents were unaware of prosody assessment or treatment materials for CwHI. More than half of respondents (56.9%) felt that prosody is usually a low priority when considering the speech and language needs for CwHI. Nevertheless, 73% of respondents believed that it is necessary to target prosody as early as possible along with conventional speech and language interventions. The findings from this survey identify a clinical area largely ignored by SLPs among CwHI. Addressing these could lead to more comprehensive clinical care for CwHI, ultimately improving speech intelligibility and communication outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most developed nations, there is a general trend of enrolling hearing-impaired children with special education needs in regular schools. Inclusive education refers to children with special education needs becoming part of a mainstream school like typically developing peers. A good method for evaluating the success of such programs is to assess teachers' attitudes towards inclusion. The inclusive education approach may be challenging to implement across all educational setups due to the lack of academic resources, expertise, and training towards inclusive education. This study explored teachers' attitudes and perceptions towards the inclusion of children with hearing impairment in regular schools in Karnataka state. A tool named 'Teachers Attitude Questionnaire' which was developed by Galis and Tanner was used to study the attitudes and perceptions of school teachers. The tool was then revised by considering geographic and cultural differences and was administered to 421 teachers across Karnataka. Analysis revealed a higher score in all the 4 domains of inclusive education which shows that most teachers had a positive attitude towards inclusive education. Results about teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education based on work experience, type of school, gender, medium of instruction, and level of teaching were statistically significant, p < 0.05. This study concludes that teachers' attitudes varied concerning the level of experience and level of teaching. The results of the current study also stress the need for awareness programs to bring more positive attitudes among teachers, to successfully implement inclusive education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Hearing impairment in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), can affect the quality of life. At present, hearing dysfunction does not have an approved pharmacologic therapy. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and possible mechanisms of curcumin as a therapeutic agent on hearing impairment in patients with chronic kidney disease. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of 40 chronic kidney disease patients not on dialysis with hearing impairment. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group received curcumin daily and the other received a placebo for 12 weeks. The interval between III and V waves, latency of wave V, auditory brain stem response (ABR) threshold, speech reception threshold (SRT), and speech discrimination score (SDS) were evaluated and analyzed before and after the intervention. After treatment, in the curcumin group, III–V waves interval and the latency of wave V were significantly reduced (P value

Abstract Background The presence of sensory impairment among older age cohorts exerts a significant impact on both individuals and society generally. Although the impact of dietary patterns on health is vital across all stages of life, there still a paucity of comprehensive research on the association between dietary variety and sensory impairments. Objective To investigate the potential relationship between dietary diversity and the prevalence of visual and hearing impairment or dual sensory impairments (visual and hearing impairment) among the oldest old population. Methods This is a cross-sectional study relied on data obtained from the 2018 survey conducted by the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Subjects aged 80 and older with complete vision and hearing data were included in the study. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to examine the association between dietary components and visual and hearing impairment while controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic demographic factors, living habits, other food habits, and general health status. Results The study included 10,093 participants, with an average age of 92.29 ± 7.75 years. Vision and hearing function were assessed based on the ability to distinguish the direction of the break in the circle and the requirement for hearing aids, respectively. Upon controlling for confounding variables, individuals with a greater Dietary Diversity Score (DDS, the number of food groups, range: 1–11) had a reduced likelihood of experiencing visual impairment (odds ratio [OR] = 0.944, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.915—0.974) and dual sensory impairment (OR = 0.930, 95% CI, 0.905—0.955). In comparison to the low dietary variety group (insufficient dietary diversity, DDS

Background: Children with hearing impairment have difficulties affecting their ability to understand speech and general communication development. It is essential to understand the background of the factors affecting young children's speech intelligibility in the Pakistani setting. Objective: To explore the factors affecting speech intelligibility among children with hearing impairment. Methods: A total of n=107 individuals were selected for the 6-month study at GMT clinic, Siemens Hearing Clinic, Hearing and Speech Care Clinic, and RHS in Islamabad using non-probability convenience sampling. Children between the ages of 6 and 12 who had mild to profound sensorineural hearing loss and could express themselves at the phrase level met the inclusion criteria. Speech-impairing conditions and progressive or conductive hearing loss were included in the exclusion criteria. Using the Assessing Intelligibility Worksheet, data was collected, in which 17 utterances with 57 words spoken by the therapist participants were repeated and the responses were noted by the therapist. Multiple linear regression, descriptive statistics, and percentage distribution were all analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: A multiple regression model was run to predict intelligibility utterance from age, gender, type of hearing aid, technology of hearing aid, degrees of hearing loss, and talkativeness. This model significantly predicted speech intelligibility of hearing aid users {F (8, 98) = 42.905, p

Fricatives, and especially sibilants, are very frequently misarticulated by speakers with hearing loss. Misarticulations can result in phonemic contrast weakening or loss, compromising intelligibility. The present study focuses on the examination of acoustic characteristics of the Greek alveolar fricative /s/, an articulatorily demanding sound, produced by young adult speakers with profound hearing impairment and with normal hearing. An array of variables was examined using mixed-effects and random forest models aiming to assess the effectiveness of various measures in differentiating hearing-impaired and normal-hearing /s/ production. Significant differences were found in spectral and amplitude measures, but not in temporal measures. In hearing-impaired speech, spectral slope and RMS amplitude had significantly lower values, indicating a more distributed spectrum, suggestive of decreased flow velocity through the fricative constriction. Also, a trend for concentration of energy at lower frequencies was observed suggesting more posterior fricative articulation than normal. Moreover, measures capturing the variation of frequency and amplitude over time revealed different patterns of sibilance development across time than normal, denoting the production of a less well-formed or less sibilant /s/ by speakers with hearing impairment. The investigation of contextual effects on /s/ in hearing-impaired speech showed increased spectral variance, negative skewness and lower kurtosis in the labial (rounded) context /u/ in relation to the nonlabial contexts /i/ and /a/, indicating a more diffuse, less compact spectrum with concentration at high frequencies. Findings are discussed in relation to previous literature on fricative production by speakers with hearing impairment and normal hearing in Greek and other languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing impairment is considered to be related to the damage of hair cells or synaptic terminals, which will cause varying degrees of hearing loss. Numerous studies have shown that cochlear implants can balance this damage. The human ear receives external acoustic signals mostly under complex conditions, and its biophysical mechanisms have important significance for reference in the design of cochlear implants. However, the relevant biophysical mechanisms have not yet been fully determined. Using the characteristics of special acoustoelectric conversion in piezoelectric ceramics, this paper integrates them into the traditional FitzHugh–Nagumo neuron circuit and proposes a comprehensive model with coupled auditory neurons. The model comprehensively considers the effects of synaptic coupling between neurons, information transmission delay, external noise stimulation, and internal chaotic current stimulation on the synchronization of membrane potential signals of two auditory neurons. The experimental results show that coupling strength, delay size, noise intensity, and chaotic current intensity all have a certain regulatory effect on synchronization stability. In particular, when auditory neurons are in a chaotic state, their impact on synchronization stability is sensitive. Numerical results provide a reference for exploring the biophysical mechanisms of auditory neurons. At the same time, we are committed to providing assistance in using sensors to monitor signals and repair hearing impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The presence of sensory impairment among older age cohorts exerts a significant impact on both individuals and society generally. Although the impact of dietary patterns on health is vital across all stages of life, there still a paucity of comprehensive research on the association between dietary variety and sensory impairments. Objective: To investigate the potential relationship between dietary diversity and the prevalence of visual and hearing impairment or dual sensory impairments (visual and hearing impairment) among the oldest old population. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study relied on data obtained from the 2018 survey conducted by the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Subjects aged 80 and older with complete vision and hearing data were included in the study. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to examine the association between dietary components and visual and hearing impairment while controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic demographic factors, living habits, other food habits, and general health status. Results: The study included 10,093 participants, with an average age of 92.29 ± 7.75 years. Vision and hearing function were assessed based on the ability to distinguish the direction of the break in the circle and the requirement for hearing aids, respectively. Upon controlling for confounding variables, individuals with a greater Dietary Diversity Score (DDS, the number of food groups, range: 1–11) had a reduced likelihood of experiencing visual impairment (odds ratio [OR] = 0.944, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.915—0.974) and dual sensory impairment (OR = 0.930, 95% CI, 0.905—0.955). In comparison to the low dietary variety group (insufficient dietary diversity, DDS < 4), the high dietary diversity group (sufficient dietary diversity, DDS ≥ 4) exhibited a decreased risk of visual impairment (OR = 0.820, 95% CI, 0.713—0.944) and dual sensory impairment (OR = 0.751, 95% CI, 0.667—0.846). However, no statistically significant correlation was observed between dietary diversity and the presence of only hearing impairment (OR = 0.924, 95% CI, 0.815—1.047) (P < 0.05). Conclusions and implications: The synthesis of research findings suggests that following diverse dietary patterns and healthy nutritional practices may be an effective and affordable way to prevent age-related decline in visual impairment and dual sensory impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports on a scientometric study of 14150 publications on communication disorders research conducted from 1999 to 2018. The study analyses literature to determine different forms of documents, authorship patterns, keywords, citations, language of publication, etc. The results indicate that the majority of the publications are published in journals (75%), with the highest number of papers published in Autism (50744) and more than 54 (16575) cited references. At the same time, Autism has published below 21 (15115) volumes of articles. The dominant language of publications is English, scoring 96.39%. A significant number of publications have below 19 (82.1%) pages. This study observed that the maximum number of publications was 137287 (97%). Thus, communication disorders research is collaborative rather than solo authorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Tulcán Canton, Carchi Province, 22 cases of hearing impairment were identified in the educational sector. According to the National Council for Disability Equality (CODANIS 2023), the lack of adequate institutions and the limited training of teachers in sign language and inclusive methodologies hinder the learning of these students. At the José María Velasco Ibarra Basic General Education School (EGB), serious difficulties in the educational inclusion process are observed, the objective of the research is to design an institutional guide to improve the school inclusion of students with hearing disabilities. A theoretical approach encompassing educational inclusion and the characterization of hearing disabilities was utilized, applying a mixed methodological design that includes both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques, a survey was conducted with 27 teachers, and interviews were held with parents and administrators, revealing that educators lack knowledge about hearing disabilities, although they show a positive attitude towards inclusion. The results indicate that, despite shortcomings in inclusion, a guide was successfully designed in three modules: theoretical aspects of hearing disabilities, teaching actions, and sign language, complemented by the use of TIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Since hearing loss (HL) can lead to linguistic and especially morphosyntactic (MS) delay, creating a method for fostering and facilitating MS development is required. Accordingly, the auditory-based Sayeh Tahbaz Hoseynzadeh (STH)-method has been designed. Accordingly, the present article examines the effectiveness of this treatment. Case Description: Two hearing-impaired children (HIC) who used hearing aids, with moderately severe and severe HL and older than 3 years of age at the time of study, enrolled in the STH method for 24 weeks. The Persian developmental sentence scoring was used to analyze language samples together with some formal and informal assessments performed within a 12-week interval. Results: According to the Persian developmental sentence scoring used to analyze spontaneous language samples, the score of participant 1 changed from 0 to 10.6 and the score of participant 2 improved from 5 to 7.4 in the final assessment. Conclusion: The findings showed that STH-method helped in improving the MS skills of the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Hearing impairment is one of the sensory problems in children that affects various aspects of their lives and impacts their social skills (SS) and emotion regulation (ER).Research indicated that active play has a crucial role in children's social and emotional development. In this regard, the present study aims to investigate... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The purpose of the article: to analyze modern psychological and pedagogical methods of diagnosing auditory perception and speech of children with hearing impairment; to determine the main approaches to diagnosing the hearing and speech development of children with cochlear implants; to present the author's method of diagnosing the hearing and speech development of children with cochlear implants. Research methods: logical and theoretical analysis of literary sources; pedagogical experiment; procedures for quantitative and qualitative processing of experimental data, statistical processing by paired Student's t-test for linked groups. Results. The diagnostic methods used in working with children with cochlear implants are analyzed. The components (purpose, content, methods, procedure) of the psychological and pedagogical examination of a child with hearing impairment are considered. The author's method of diagnosing the hearing and speech development of children with cochlear implants is presented. It was established that the skills of detecting acoustic signals are formed at a sufficient level in most children. However, the level of formation of discrimination skills in many children is significantly lower, recognition skills are formed mainly at an average level, and the reproduction of unfamiliar material turned out to be the most complex and formed at a low and average level in most children, even those who have a significant hearing age. In the vast majority of cases, each subsequent listening and speaking skill is formed worse than the previous one, which proves the hierarchical system of their formation. The identified features formed the basis of the development of the phasing of the corrective and developmental impact and the content of each of the stages of the hearing and speech development of children with hearing aids with cochlear implantation systems. Conclusions. The dynamics of hearing and speech development of children with cochlear implants who participated in the study is generally positive, at the same time, most children do not reach a sufficient level, even with a significant hearing age. The presented technique can be used in working with children with cochlear implants of different physical and auditory ages in order to identify the level and dynamics of hearing and speech development, the «zone» of appropriate effort (steps and components that require special attention in a certain period of corrective and developmental work). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mouse models are used extensively to understand human pathobiology and mechanistic functions of disease‐associated loci. However, in this review, we investigate the potential of using genetic mouse models to identify genetic markers that can disrupt hearing thresholds in mice and then target the hearing‐enriched orthologues and loci in humans. Currently, little is known about the real prevalence of genes that cause hearing impairment (HI) in Africa. Pre‐screening mouse cell lines to identify orthologues of interest has the potential to improve the genetic diagnosis for HI in Africa to a significant percentage, for example, 10–20%. Furthermore, the functionality of a candidate gene derived from mouse screening with heterogeneous genetic backgrounds and multi‐omic approaches can shed light on the molecular, genetic heterogeneity and plausible mode of inheritance of a gene in hearing‐impaired individuals especially in the absence of large families to investigate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The study explored what shapes the career paths of students with hearing impairments, focusing on a quantitative, descriptive approach. With limited research addressing this group, this study aimed to fill the gap by investigating influential factors. A purposive sample of 115 students was selected from nine divisions of Punjab, using a validated questionnaire covering ten domains. With a reliability coefficient of 0.995, the survey collected data for analysis. The results highlighted that financial considerations and education are the most significant factors in career choices. Extracurricular activities, global integration, and technological advancements also play notable roles. Personal interests, role models, cultural norms, family influence, and peer groups were found to support career decisions. These elements create a complex, interconnected web influencing career planning. The study found that gaps in these areas often negatively impact career choices. Addressing these barriers is essential for fostering positive career pathways for hearing-impaired students. The study recommends creating comprehensive support systems to effectively empower and guide these students in their career journeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study evaluated the attitudes and perceptions of private dental practitioners (PPs) and students on treating patients with disabilities and sensory impairments. Methods and results: A multifaceted questionnaire was used to assess the participants' attitudes on providing care to persons with disabilities and sensory impairments [visual (VI) and hearing (HI)]. The survey evaluated different aspects of the participants' attitudes that included integrity, altruism, perceived barriers, and theory of planned behavior (TPB). One hundred twenty participants [students: n = 73, practitioners (PP): n = 47), with a mean‐age of 27.7 ± 5.3 years, completed the survey (response rate: 100%). Fourth‐year students scored better than the PP in integrity (p =.019). For altruism, the students scored better than PPs (vs. fourth‐year: p =.009, vs. fifth‐year: p =.031). There were no differences between the participant groups for the overall assessments of the TPB (p =.213), VI (p =.863), and HI (p =.261). Conclusion: Dental practitioners and students revealed a positive attitude, with few barriers, towards treating individuals with disabilities/sensory impairments and considered the training in the field of special care dentistry as a necessary part of the dental education. Furthermore, a demand for an increase in the hands‐on practical experience in treating individuals with disabilities/sensory impairments during the undergraduate study curriculum was identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sensory information obtained from the visual, somatosensory, and vestibular systems is responsible for regulating postural control, and if damage occurs in one or more of these sensory systems, postural control may be altered. Objective: To evaluate and compare the postural sway velocity between children with normal hearing and with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), matched by sex and age group, and to compare the postural sway velocity between children with normal hearing and with SNHL, with and without vestibular dysfunction. Methods: Cross-sectional study that evaluated 130 children (65 with normal hearing and 65 with SNHL), of both sexes and aged between 7 and 11 years, from public schools of the city of Caruaru, Pernambuco state, Brazil. The postural sway velocity of the center of pressure (COP) was assessed by a force platform, in two directions, anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML)), in three positions, namely bipedal support with feet together and parallel (parallel feet (PF)), bipedal support with one foot in front of the other (tandem foot (TF)), and single-leg support (one foot (OF)), evaluated with the eyes open and closed. Results: Children with SNHL demonstrated greater postural sway velocity compared to children with normal hearing in all the positions evaluated, with significant differences in the AP direction, with the eyes open (PF: p = 0.001; TF: p = 0.000; OF: p = 0.003) and closed (PF: p = 0.050; TF: p = 0.005). The same occurred in the ML direction, with the eyes open (PF: p = 0.001; TF: p = 0.000; OF: p = 0.001) and closed (PF: p = 0.002; TF: p = 0.000). The same occurred in relation to vestibular function, where the children with SNHL with an associated vestibular dysfunction demonstrated greater postural sway velocity compared to children with normal hearing in all the positions evaluated, demonstrating significant differences in the AP direction, with the eyes open (TF: p = 0.001; OF: p = 0.029) and eyes closed (PF: p = 0.036; TF: p = 0.033). The same occurred in the ML direction, with the eyes open (TF: p = 0.000) and with the eyes closed (PF: p = 0.008; TF: p = 0.009). Conclusions: Children with SNHL demonstrated greater instability of postural control than children with normal hearing in all the directions assessed. Children with SNHL and an associated vestibular dysfunction demonstrated the greatest instability of postural control in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined the prevalence of hearing impairment, visual impairment and Dual Sensory Impairment (DSI) and the risk factors among older persons Design: A Cross-sectional study where respondents were recruited by systematic random sampling. Setting: A tertiary institution at the Geriatric Centre, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Participants: A total of 388 older persons aged more than 60 years were recruited Interventions: A semi-structured pretested questionnaire was used over three months. Main outcome measures: Association between ageing, low income, poor quality of life, functional disability, and dual sensory impairment. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 70.2±6.3 years. The point prevalence of HI, VI and DSI were 14.9%, 8.0%, and 1.5% respectively. On logistic regression analysis, the most significant factors associated with HI were having no formal education OR=2.564(1.091-6.024) and previous hospital admission OR=3.473(1.856-6.499), for VI; increasing age OR=1.080(1.022-1.141) and poor income OR=2.941(1.263-6.897) and DSI; increasing age OR=1.224(1.054-1.421). Conclusion: Few (1.5%) older adults experienced DSI in our setting. The association between sensory impairments, age, and socioeconomic factors of poor education and income suggests the need for visual and hearing screening in older adults, particularly those with medical and socioeconomic issues, for early detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]