Prevalence and characteristics of self-reported physical and mental disorders among adults with hearing loss in Denmark: a national survey

PURPOSE: Existing research shows that people with hearing loss have a high risk of additional physical and mental disorders. However, only a few population-based studies have been conducted. This study assesses the prevalence and characteristics of additional disorders among adults with hearing loss in Denmark and thereby contributes a population-based study to this area of research. METHOD: Data on self-reported physical and mental disorders from a national survey of 772 adults with hearing loss were compared to corresponding data from a national survey of 18,017 adults from the general population. RESULTS: People with hearing loss reported more physical and mental disorders than the general population. Specifically, they reported higher incidences of visual impairment, cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment, and "other mental disorders". CONCLUSION: Adults with hearing loss have a greater risk of additional physical and mental disorders. It is important for clinicians to have some understanding of the communication needs and characteristics of deaf and hard-of-hearing patients, so that they can recognize and treat symptoms and provide appropriate support

Cytoglobin Expression Is Induced in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Through Endothelial Cell-Derived Notch Signaling: Implications of a Protective Role in Blood Vessel Function

Communication between endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells is required for normal blood vessel formation and function. My research focuses on understanding the molecular signaling pathways that govern cell-cell communication and maintain vascular function. The Notch signaling pathway is an established mediator in cell-cell communication. Notch signaling is activated in smooth muscle cells by adjacent endothelial cells and induces gene expression profiles that determine smooth muscle cell function. In this study, I identified Cytoglobin as a gene that is induced in smooth muscle cells by co-cultured endothelial cells. Cytoglobin is a hexa-coordinate hemoglobin that has been implicated in stress regulation through its modulation of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species. My data demonstrate that Cytoglobin is induced in smooth muscle cells via the Notch signaling pathway and that smooth-muscle expressed Notch receptors are both necessary and sufficient for Cytoglobin expression. Cytoglobin induction by endothelial-derived Notch signaling is altered when smooth muscle cells are cultured with nitric oxide modulators, hypoxia mimics, and reactive oxygen species. This alteration hints at Cytoglobin’s potential role in modulating redox stress. My findings thus far support the notion that endothelial cells induce Cytoglobin expression in smooth muscle cells as a means to regulate nitric oxide bioavailability in blood vessels. Further examination of Notch signaling and Cytoglobin expression in dysfunctional vessels may reveal novel targets for therapeutic intervention of vascular-associated diseases.Nationwide Children’s HospitalAcademic Major: Chemistr

The Significance of Deaf Identity for Psychological Well-Being

Research has paid attention to how deaf identity affects life outcomes such as psychological well-being. However, studies are often carried out with small samples and without controlling for other variables. This study examined how different forms of identity—deaf, hearing, bicultural (deaf and hearing), and marginal (neither deaf nor hearing)—were associated with levels of psychological well-being and a number of other variables. The sample was 742 adults with hearing loss in Denmark. The study found that those with a deaf, hearing or bicultural identity had significantly higher levels of psychological well-being than those with a marginal identity. Further, it found that additional disability, educational level, and feeling discriminated against significantly and independently explained the degree of psychological well-being. Results are discussed here with respect to social identity theory and current deaf identity themes

Measure of Node Similarity in Multilayer Networks

The weight of links in a network is often related to the similarity of the nodes. Here, we introduce a simple tunable measure for analysing the similarity of nodes across different link weights. In particular, we use the measure to analyze homophily in a group of 659 freshman students at a large university. Our analysis is based on data obtained using smartphones equipped with custom data collection software, complemented by questionnaire-based data. The network of social contacts is represented as a weighted multilayer network constructed from different channels of telecommunication as well as data on face-to-face contacts. We find that even strongly connected individuals are not more similar with respect to basic personality traits than randomly chosen pairs of individuals. In contrast, several socio-demographics variables have a significant degree of similarity. We further observe that similarity might be present in one layer of the multilayer network and simultaneously be absent in the other layers. For a variable such as gender, our measure reveals a transition from similarity between nodes connected with links of relatively low weight to dis-similarity for the nodes connected by the strongest links. We finally analyze the overlap between layers in the network for different levels of acquaintanceships.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Parents’ management of the development of their children with disabilities: Incongruence between psychological development and culture

Being the parent of a disabled child is not easy, it is experienced as a situation marked by stress,crises and grief. As Vygotsky described eighty years ago, the development of children withdisabilities and the culture do not fit as they do for non-disabled children. The development of achild with disabilities is not determined by the child’s physical defect alone, but constituted by theincongruence between the physical defect and the culture. In this study, the lives of four familieswith deafblind children were followed for two years. Interviews and observations were conductedin different settings. This study finds that because of the incongruence between the physical defectand the culture, it is difficult to reach and maintain the zone of proximal development for a childwith disabilities. This study illustrates how the network of professionals and parents around thechild can make a local congruence that creates a platform for the child’s development

Induction of Cell Membrane Protrusions by the N-terminal Glutaredoxin Domain of a Rare Splice Variant of Human Thioredoxin Reductase 1

18 páginas, 5 figuras, 1 esquema, 1 película.The human thioredoxin system has a wide range of functions in cells including regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation, immune system modulation, antioxidant defense, redox control of transcription factor activity, and promotion of cancer development. A key component of this enzymatic system is the selenoprotein thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1), encoded by the TXNRD1 gene. Transcription of TXNRD1 involves alternative splicing, leading to a number of transcripts also encoding isoforms of TrxR1 that differ from each other at their N-terminal domains. Here we have studied the TXNRD1_v3 isoform containing an atypical N-terminal glutaredoxin (Grx) domain. Expression of the transcript of this isoform was found predominantly in testis but was also detected in ovary, spleen, heart, liver, kidney, and pancreas. By immunohistochemical analysis in human testis with antibodies specific for the Grx domain of TXNRD1_v3, the protein was found to be predominantly expressed in the Leydig cells. Expression of the TXNRD1_v3 transcript was also found in several cancer cell lines (HCC1937, H23, A549, U1810, or H157), and in HeLa cells, it was induced by estradiol or testosterone treatments. Surprisingly, green fluorescent protein fusions with the complete TXNRD1_v3 protein or with only its Grx domain localized to distinct cellular sites in proximity to actin, and furthermore, had a potent capacity to rapidly induce cell membrane protrusions. Analyses of these structures suggested that the Grx domain of TXNRD1_v3 localizes first in the emerging protrusion and is then followed into the protrusions by actin and subsequently by tubulin. The results presented thus reveal that TXNRD1_v3 has a unique and distinct expression pattern in human cells and suggest that the protein can guide actin polymerization in relation to cell membrane restructuring.This study was supported by grants from the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Research Council (Medicine), the Åke Wibergs Foundation and Karolinska Institutet.Peer reviewe

Assessment of Dementia in Individuals with Dual Sensory Loss:Application of a Tactile Test Battery

Background/Aims: Individuals with dual sensory loss (DSL) are more likely to experience cognitive decline with age than individuals without sensory loss. Other studies have pointed to the challenges in assessing cognitive abilities in individuals with DSL, as most existing instruments rely on use of vision and hearing. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a Tactile Test Battery (TTB) for cognitive assessment in individuals with DSL. Method: Twenty elderly individuals with DSL, 20 with diagnosed dementia, and 20 without dementia or DSL (controls) completed the following tactile tests developed for the present study: Spatial learning, Spatial recall, Tactile form board, Clock reading, and Naming. The participants with dementia and controls also completed the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results: Overall, participants with dementia performed significantly worse on the tactile tests than participants with DSL and control participants. No significant differences on the tactile tests were found between participants with DSL and controls. The TTB and MMSE scores correlated significantly. Conclusion: The findings from this study of applying tactile tests for cognitive examination in individuals with DSL are promising. They indicate that symptoms of dementia can be differentiated from symptoms related to DSL

Sexuality Among Adults with Congenital Deafblindness: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study Among Primary Carers

Research investigating the sexuality of individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities is increasing. However, little is known about the sexuality of people with congenital deafblindness (CDB). The aim of the current study was to create a profile of the sexuality of adults with CDB in Denmark. Data was collected from the primary carers of 95 adults with CDB by use of a survey with questions about sexual behavior, the object of sexual behavior, level of sexual frustration, and pedagogical support for sexual satisfaction. The data were analysed with regard to gender, age, severity of deafblindness, communication, activities of daily living (ADL), cognitive abilities, and carer characteristics. The results revealed that approximately half the number of participants showed sexual behavior while the other half did not. In the majority of cases, sexual behavior was self-stimulation, while, for the rest, sexual behavior was directed towards other people and/or objects. Around one out of ten participants was provided with pedagogical support to help satisfy their sexual needs. Sexual behavior was significantly associated with high scores for communication skills, ADL, and cognitive abilities. Further, high ADL and cognitive abilities were associated with the provision of pedagogical support for sexual satisfaction. Around one out of ten participants, all of whom were men, experienced sexual frustrations. The findings of the current study—the first quantitative study on sexuality among individuals with CDB—are comparable to the findings of studies among individuals with developmental disorders and underline the need for sexuality-related support for individuals with disabilities including those with CDB