Broadened Population-Level Frequency Tuning in Human Auditory Cortex of Portable Music Player Users

Nowadays, many people use portable players to enrich their daily life with enjoyable music. However, in noisy environments, the player volume is often set to extremely high levels in order to drown out the intense ambient noise and satisfy the appetite for music. Extensive and inappropriate usage of portable music players might cause subtle damages in the auditory system, which are not behaviorally detectable in an early stage of the hearing impairment progress. Here, by means of magnetoencephalography, we objectively examined detrimental effects of portable music player misusage on the population-level frequency tuning in the human auditory cortex. We compared two groups of young people: one group had listened to music with portable music players intensively for a long period of time, while the other group had not. Both groups performed equally and normally in standard audiological examinations (pure tone audiogram, speech test, and hearing-in-noise test). However, the objective magnetoencephalographic data demonstrated that the population-level frequency tuning in the auditory cortex of the portable music player users was significantly broadened compared to the non-users, when attention was distracted from the auditory modality; this group difference vanished when attention was directed to the auditory modality. Our conclusion is that extensive and inadequate usage of portable music players could cause subtle damages, which standard behavioral audiometric measures fail to detect in an early stage. However, these damages could lead to future irreversible hearing disorders, which would have a huge negative impact on the quality of life of those affected, and the society as a whole

Predicting general and cancer-related distress in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer

Background: Psychological distress can impact medical outcomes such as recovery from surgery and experience of side effects during treatment. Identifying the factors that explain variability in distress would guide future interventions aimed at decreasing distress. Two factors that have been implicated in distress are illness perceptions and coping, and are part of the Self-Regulatory Model of Illness Behaviour (SRM). The model suggests that coping mediates the relationship between illness perceptions and distress. Despite this; very little research has assessed this relationship with cancer-related distress, and none have examined women with screen-detected breast cancer. This study is the first to examine the relative contribution of illness perceptions and coping on general and cancer-related distress in women with screen-detected breast cancer. Methods: Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer (N = 94) who had yet to receive treatment completed measures of illness perceptions (Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire), cancer-specific coping (Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale), general anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale), and cancer-related distress. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that medical variables, illness perceptions and coping predicted 50% of the variance in depression, 42% in general anxiety, and 40% in cancer-related distress. Believing in more emotional causes to breast cancer (beta = .22, p = .021), more illness identity (beta = .25, p = .004), greater anxious preoccupation (beta = .23, p = .030), and less fighting spirit (beta = -.31, p = .001) predicted greater depression. Greater illness coherence predicted less cancer-related distress (beta = -.20, p = .043). Greater anxious preoccupation also led to greater general anxiety (beta = .44, p < .001) and cancer-related distress (beta = .37, p = .001). Mediation analyses revealed that holding greater beliefs in a chronic timeline, more severe consequences, greater illness identity and less illness coherence increases cancer-specific distress (ps < .001) only if women were also more anxiously preoccupied with their diagnosis. Conclusions: Screening women for anxious preoccupation may help identify women with screen-detected breast cancer at risk of experiencing high levels of cancer-related distress; whilst illness perceptions and coping could be targeted for use in future interventions to reduce distress

Triagem auditiva neonatal: aplicabilidade clínica na rotina dos médicos pediatras neonatologistas Neonatal hearing screening: clinical applicability in the routine of the neonatologists pediatrician doctors

OBJETIVO: identificar a aplicabilidade clínica da triagem auditiva neonatal na rotina dos médicos pediatras neonatologistas no município de Maceió-AL. MÉTODOS: foi realizado um estudo transversal analítico com 36 médicos pediatras neonatologistas por meio da aplicação de um questionário com seis perguntas objetivas. RESULTADOS: observou-se que 88,9% dos pediatras neonatologistas conhecem a triagem auditiva neonatal, no entanto, 11,1% desconhecem. No serviço particular de saúde, 66,1% encaminham todos os recém-nascidos para a triagem em sua rotina. No serviço público, apenas 7,4% encaminham todos os recém-nascidos e 42,8% não encaminham. Em relação à Lei Municipal nº 5.555/06, que obriga a realização da triagem auditiva neonatal universal nas maternidades e estabelecimentos hospitalares congêneres no município de Maceió, 41,7% dos médicos declararam não conhecer. Apenas 36,1% afirmaram conhecer o trabalho fonoaudiológico na prevenção da surdez. CONCLUSÃO: neste estudo, pode-se concluir que a triagem auditiva neonatal está inserida na rotina clínica da maioria dos médicos pediatras neonatologistas que trabalham na rede particular de saúde. No entanto, observa-se carência de recursos para a implantação e continuidade do programa no serviço público e pouco conhecimento do papel do fonoaudiólogo na prevenção da surdez.<br>PURPOSE: to identify the clinical applicability of neonatal hearing screening in the routine of neonatologist pediatrician doctors in the city of Maceió-AL. METHODS: an cross-section analytical study was carried out with 36 neonatologist pediatricians through the application of a questionnaire with six objective questions. RESULTS: it was observed that 88.9% of neonatologist pediatricians know on neonatal hearing screening; however, 11.1% do not know./ In the private health service, 66.1% refer all the newborn babies to the screening in their routine. In the public service, only 7.4% refer all the newborn babies and 42.8% do not. In relation to the Municipal Law number 5.555/06, which makes the neonatal hearing screening compulsory in the maternities and similar establishments in the city of Maceió, 41.7% of the doctors have declared not knowing. Just 36.1% have stated knowing the speech pathology related work in the prevention of deafness. CONCLUSION: in this study, it can be concluded that the neonatal hearing screening is inserted in the clinical routine of the majority of the neonatologist pediatrician doctors that work in the particular health service. However, there is a lack of resources for implementing and continuing the program in the public service and there is very little knowledge on the role of the speech pathologist in preventing deafness