Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Am Acad Audiol 2022 Jul 1. Epub 2022 Jul 1.

Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.

Background: Binaural hearing is of outmost importance for communicating in noisy surroundings and localizing the direction of sound. Unilateral hearing loss (UHL) affects quality of life in both childhood and adulthood, speech development and academic achievements. Sound amplification using air-conducting hearing aids (HA) is a common option for hearing rehabilitation of UHL. Read More

Front Psychol 2022 14;13:913944. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Department of Logopedics, Phoniatrics and Audiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

Research into the potential associations between tinnitus and cognition has investigated specific cognitive domains in laboratory settings despite adults with tinnitus reporting broad cognitive difficulties in every-day life. To address this limitation, the present study compared performance and perceived exertion on a visual office-like task in 38 adults with tinnitus (19 with normal hearing and 19 with hearing loss) and 38 adults without tinnitus (19 with normal hearing and 19 with hearing loss) matched for age, sex and educational background. All participants were also assessed for hearing, anxiety and depression, and participants with tinnitus were also assessed for tinnitus handicap. Read More

Am J Audiol 2022 Jun 30:1-9. Epub 2022 Jun 30.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY.

Purpose: Severe hearing loss is particularly prevalent among Veterans. In response, the Veterans Affairs (VA) provides hearing aids and cochlear implants as part of their comprehensive hearing loss treatment. The VA's national health care system and integrated electronic health records offer a unique opportunity to examine patterns and outcomes in the management of severe hearing loss. Read More

J Gerontol Nurs 2022 Jul 1;48(7):31-37. Epub 2022 Jul 1.

Hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline in older adults. Research has shown that hearing loss negatively affects cognitive screening test measures as patients may mishear verbally administered questions. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the impact of amplification on performance on a commonly used cognitive screening test. Read More

Ear Nose Throat J 2022 Jun 29:1455613221112346. Epub 2022 Jun 29.

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, 38084Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of sound therapy using hearing aids in patients experiencing tinnitus with acquired unilateral sensorineural hearing loss.

Methods: A total of 97 patients with unilateral tinnitus with acquired ipsilateral sensorineural hearing loss were included. Evaluation involved self-report questionnaires administered at entry, 3 months after treatment, and 1 year after treatment. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2022 Jun 29. Epub 2022 Jun 29.

Unit of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Adult and Development Age Human Pathology "Gaetano Barresi", Policlinico G. Martino, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria 1, 98125, Messina, ME, Italy.

Purpose: The study evaluated if there were differences between three types of hearing aids, Lyric extended wear (EW), receiver-in-the-ear canal (RITE), completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids in terms of audiological and psychosocial outcomes.

Methods: Fifteen patients were selected.

Inclusion Criteria: Pure-Tone Average (PTA) air conduction range of hearing threshold at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz from 15 dB HL to 75 dB HL. Read More

Otol Neurotol 2022 Jul;43(6):685-693

Department of Audiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

Background: Endolymphatic hydrops (EH) has been observed in both animal and human cochleae following cochlear implant (CI) surgery. We tested whether EH could be eliminated by administration of mineralocorticoid steroid antagonist spironolactone and explored the electrophysiological consequences of this.

Methods: Sixty-four adult guinea pigs underwent cochlear implantation with a dummy electrode. Read More

Otol Neurotol 2022 Jul;43(6):666-675

National Military Audiology and Speech Pathology Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

Hypothesis: Bilateral cochlear-implant (BI-CI) users will have a range of interaural insertion-depth mismatch because of different array placement or characteristics. Mismatch will be larger for electrodes located near the apex or outside scala tympani, or for arrays that are a mix of precurved and straight types.

Background: Brainstem superior olivary-complex neurons are exquisitely sensitive to interaural-difference cues for sound localization. Read More

Otol Neurotol 2022 Jul;43(6):e645-e650

MED-EL Medical Electronics, Innsbruck, Austria.

Introduction: Bilateral cochlear implantation has been shown to be beneficial in terms of sound localization and speech recognition in children with congenital deafness. However, little is known about the benefits of bilateral cochlear implantationin children who communicate in a tonal language such as Mandarin. This study aims to investigate the auditory perception and speech intelligibility of Mandarin-speaking children 1 year after first fitting. Read More

Otol Neurotol 2022 Jul;43(6):638-642

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, California.

Objective: Present results with remote intraoperative neural response telemetry (NRT) during cochlear implantation (CI) and its usefulness in overcoming the inefficiency of in person NRT.

Study Design: Case series.

Setting: Tertiary academic otology practice. Read More

Otol Neurotol 2022 Jul;43(6):e620-e627

Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Objective: To characterize the patterns of hearing loss and methods of hearing rehabilitation in the UK national cohort of adults with Alström syndrome.

Study Design: Retrospective review of electronic patient records.

Setting: UK National multi-disciplinary team (MDT) Alström service held at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. Read More

Ear Hear 2022 Jun 27. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Communication Sciences Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Objectives: We completed a registered double-blind randomized control trial to compare acclimatization to two hearing aid fitting algorithms by experienced pediatric hearing aid users with mild to moderate hearing loss. We hypothesized that extended use (up to 13 months) of an adaptive algorithm with integrated directionality and noise reduction, OpenSound Navigator (OSN), would result in improved performance on auditory, cognitive, academic, and caregiver- or self-report measures compared with a control, omnidirectional algorithm (OMNI).

Design: Forty children aged 6 to 13 years with mild to moderate/severe symmetric sensorineural hearing loss completed this study. Read More

Prog Med Chem 2022 7;61:1-91. Epub 2022 Jun 7.

Cinnabar Consulting, Bedford, United Kingdom; University College London Ear Institute, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Hearing loss is a severe high unmet need condition affecting more than 1.5 billion people globally. There are no licensed medicines for the prevention, treatment or restoration of hearing. Read More

Sr Care Pharm 2022 Jul;37(7):260-265

1The Peter Lamy Center on Drug therapy and Aging, University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland.

The purpose of this manuscript is to provide pharmacists with education on hearing loss that colleagues in audiology believe is most critical for pharmacists. As well as highlighting insightful interventions pharmacists can make in collaboration with hearing professionals, such as audiologists, otolaryngologists, and otologists, to improve patient care. This project was initiated by professional students at the University of Maryland in both Baltimore and College Park campuses, after completing the interprofessional elective course IPE Care in Geriatrics. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2022 Jun 13;22(12). Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1, Chofugaoka, Chofu-shi 182-8585, Japan.

In this study, we propose a method to reduce noise from speech obtained from a general microphone using the information of a throat microphone. A throat microphone records a sound by detecting the vibration of the skin surface near the throat directly. Therefore, throat microphones are less prone to noise than ordinary microphones. Read More

Medicina (Kaunas) 2022 May 31;58(6). Epub 2022 May 31.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400347 Cluj Napoca, Romania.

Hearing loss is the most common neurosensory disorder, and with the constant increase in etiological factors, combined with early detection protocols, numbers will continue to rise. Cochlear implantation has become the gold standard for patients with severe hearing loss, and interest has shifted from implantation principles to the preservation of residual hearing following the procedure itself. As the audiological criteria for cochlear implant eligibility have expanded to include patients with good residual hearing, more attention is focused on complementary development of otoprotective agents, electrode design, and surgical approaches. Read More

Brain Sci 2022 May 31;12(6). Epub 2022 May 31.

Hearing Systems Section, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Copenhagen, Denmark.

This study investigated the effect of broadband amplification (125 Hz to 10 kHz) as tinnitus treatment for participants with high-frequency hearing loss and compared these effects with an active placebo condition using band-limited amplification (125 Hz to 3-4 kHz). A double-blinded crossover study. Twenty-three participants with high-frequency (≥3 kHz) hearing loss and chronic tinnitus were included in the study, and 17 completed the full treatment protocol. Read More

Audiol Res 2022 Jun 6;12(3):316-326. Epub 2022 Jun 6.

EA 3450 DevAH, Development, Adaptation and Handicap, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lorraine, 54500 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France.

: The skull vibration-induced-nystagmus test (SVINT) is a noninvasive and effective screening tool for the function of the otolith and canal structures in children. It can instantaneously assess vestibular asymmetry. This study aimed to analyze the SVINT results of healthy children vs. Read More

Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 2022 Jun 29;7(3):807-815. Epub 2022 Mar 29.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head, and Neck Surgery Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to translate the Glasgow Benefit Hearing Aid Profile (GHABP) to Swedish, and to analyze its validity and reliability in patients undergoing rehabilitation with surgery or hearing aids.

Methods: The GHABP was translated to Swedish following published guidelines. One version of the questionnaire was adapted to fit the surgical intervention. Read More

Public Health Action 2022 Jun;12(2):74-78

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Setting: Previous and current patients with drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) who had documented treatment-related hearing impairment due to second-line injectable (SLI) use were identified from different DR-TB treatment initiation centres in Ethiopia.

Objective: To assess selected patients with DR-TB for eligibility for hearing aids and provide hearing aids to 10 eligible patients.

Design: This was an observational cohort study. Read More

Ear Hear 2022 Jun 23. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

Widex A/S, Lynge, Denmark.

Objectives: Today, approximately 70 to 80% of hearing aid fittings are made with silicone instant ear tips rather than custom earmolds. Nevertheless, little is known about the impact of instant ear tips on the acoustic coupling between the hearing aid receiver and the individual ear canal, even though it can have a major impact on the overall sound of the hearing aids. This study aimed to investigate the acoustic properties of different instant ear tip types and their across-subject variability, the within-subject reliability of those properties, and the influence of the users' level of experience with ear-tip insertion on the acoustics. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2022 Jun 22. Epub 2022 Jun 22.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Donders Centre for Neurosciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Purpose: To map healthcare utilized by subjects with chronic otitis media, with or without cholesteatoma and perform a cost analysis to determine key drivers of healthcare expenditure.

Methods: A registry study of 656 adult subjects with chronic otitis media that underwent a middle ear surgery between 2014 and 2018. Healthcare contacts related to all publicly funded specialist ENT care, audiological care and primary care for a disease of the ear and mastoid process were extracted. Read More

Trends Hear 2022 Jan-Dec;26:23312165221099894

WS Audiology A/S, Lynge, Denmark.

In recent years, a growing body of literature has explored the effect of hearing impairment on the neural processing of speech, particularly related to the neural tracking of speech envelopes. However, only limited work has focused on the potential usage of the method for evaluating the effect of hearing aids designed to amplify and process the auditory input provided to hearing-impaired listeners. The current study investigates how directional sound processing in hearing-aids, denoted directionality, affects the neural tracking and encoding of speech in EEG recorded from 11 older hearing-impaired listeners. Read More

Braz J Otorhinolaryngol 2022 May 20. Epub 2022 May 20.

Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital das Clínicas (HCFMUSP), Departamento de Otorrinolaringologia, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Objective: Our study aimed to measure the effectiveness of using HA in reducing the disturbance caused by tinnitus.

Methods: Study was designed as a within-subjects clinical trial. Nineteen patients with chronic tinnitus and untreated sensorineural hearing loss were under counseling, HA fitting and 6 months follow-up. Read More

N Z Med J 2022 Feb 4;135(1549):26-42. Epub 2022 Feb 4.

Section of Audiology, University of Auckland.

There are two models used in the literature to describe those who are d/Deaf: the medical and the cultural models. The medical model describes deafness as an unwanted disability that needs to be treated through the use of medical devices like cochlear implants (CIs). The cultural model describes the word "Deaf" (written with a capital) as a culture and membership of the Deaf community as a privilege. Read More

Nurs Crit Care 2022 Jun 21. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Background: Non-pharmacologic interventions might be effective to reduce the incidence of delirium in pediatric intensive care units (PICU).

Aim: To explore expert opinions and generate informed consensus decisions regarding the content of a non-pharmacologic delirium bundle to manage delirium in PICU patients.

Study Design: A two-round online Delphi study was conducted from February to April 2021. Read More

Trends Hear 2022 Jan-Dec;26:23312165221108259

Department of Medical Physics and Acoustic, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.

When listening with a cochlear implant through one ear and acoustically through the other, binaural benefits and spatial hearing abilities are generally poorer than in other bilaterally stimulated configurations. With the working hypothesis that binaural neurons require interaurally matched inputs, we review causes for mismatch, their perceptual consequences, and experimental methods for mismatch measurements. The focus is on the three primary interaural dimensions of latency, frequency, and level. Read More

HNO 2022 Jun 20. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.

Background: Systemic glucocorticosteroids ("steroids") are widely used worldwide as a standard of care for primary therapy of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). The German ISSHL guideline recommends high-dose steroids without evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and refers solely to retrospective cohort studies. This RCT aims to assess the efficacy (improvement in hearing) and safety (especially systemic side effects) of high-dose steroids versus standard of care (standard dose systemic steroids) for the treatment of unilateral ISSHL, when given as a primary therapy. Read More

Neurol Sci 2022 Jun 20. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.

Background: A high proportion of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) present with functional hearing deficiency as a result of neural abnormality in the late auditory brainstem.

Methods: In this randomized, two-period crossover study, we investigated the hypothesis that remote-microphone listening devices can ameliorate hearing and communication deficits in affected school-aged children (7-17 years). Speech perception ability in background noise was evaluated in device-active and inactive conditions using the CNC-word test. Read More

Disabil Rehabil 2022 Jun 18:1-7. Epub 2022 Jun 18.

Macquarie University Hearing, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.

Purpose: The main clinical intervention for older adults with hearing loss is the provision of hearing aids. However, uptake and usage in this population have historically been reported as low. The aim of this study was to understand the hearing loss characteristics, from measured audiometric hearing loss and self-perceived hearing handicap, that contribute to the decision of hearing aid ownership. Read More