Auditory Temporal Resolution in Normal-Hearing Preschool Children Revealed by Word Recognition in Continuous and Interrupted Noise

The purpose of this study was to examine temporal resolution in normal-hearing preschool children. Word recognition was evaluated in quiet and in spectrally identical continuous and interrupted noise at signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of 10, 0, and −10dB−10dB−10dB. Sixteen children 4to5years4to5years4to5yearsof age and eight adults participated. Performance decreased with decreasing S/N. At poorer S/Ns, participants demonstrated superior performance or a release from masking in the interrupted noise. Adults performed better than children, yet the release from masking was equivalent. Collectively these findings are consistent with the notion that preschool children suffer from poorer processing efficiency rather than temporal resolution per se

Temporal Resolution In Preschool Children

The purpose of this study was to examine temporal resolution in normal hearing pre-school children. Word recognition was evaluated in quiet and in spectrally identical continuous and interrupted noise at signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of 10, 0, and -10 dB. Sixteen children four to five years of age and eight adults participated. Performance decreased with decreasing S/N. At poorer S/Ns, participants demonstrated superior performance or a release from masking in the interrupted noise. Adults performed better than children, yet, the release from masking was equivalent. Collectively these findings are consistent with the notion that preschool children suffer from poorer processing efficiency rather than temporal resolution per se

Association of apolipoprotein E gene polymorphisms with blood lipids and their interaction with dietary factors

Several candidate genes have been identified in relation to lipid metabolism, and among these, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphisms are major sources of genetically determined variation in lipid concentrations. This study investigated the association of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at LPL, seven tagging SNPs at the APOE gene, and a common APOE haplotype (two SNPs) with blood lipids, and examined the interaction of these SNPs with dietary factors. METHODS: The population studied for this investigation included 660 individuals from the Prevention of Cancer by Intervention with Selenium (PRECISE) study who supplied baseline data. The findings of the PRECISE study were further replicated using 1238 individuals from the Caerphilly Prospective cohort (CaPS). Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in PRECISE and a validated semi-quantitative FFQ in the CaPS. Interaction analyses were performed by including the interaction term in the linear regression model adjusted for age, body mass index, sex and country. RESULTS: There was no association between dietary factors and blood lipids after Bonferroni correction and adjustment for confounding factors in either cohort. In the PRECISE study, after correction for multiple testing, there was a statistically significant association of the APOE haplotype (rs7412 and rs429358; E2, E3, and E4) and APOE tagSNP rs445925 with total cholesterol (P = 4 × 10- 4 and P = 0.003, respectively). Carriers of the E2 allele had lower total cholesterol concentration (5.54 ± 0.97 mmol/L) than those with the E3 (5.98 ± 1.05 mmol/L) (P = 0.001) and E4 (6.09 ± 1.06 mmol/L) (P = 2 × 10- 4) alleles. The association of APOE haplotype (E2, E3, and E4) and APOE SNP rs445925 with total cholesterol (P = 2 × 10- 6 and P = 3 × 10- 4, respectively) was further replicated in the CaPS. Additionally, significant association was found between APOE haplotype and APOE SNP rs445925 with low density lipoprotein cholesterol in CaPS (P = 4 × 10- 4 and P = 0.001, respectively). After Bonferroni correction, none of the cohorts showed a statistically significant SNP-diet interaction on lipid outcomes. CONCLUSION: In summary, our findings from the two cohorts confirm that genetic variations at the APOE locus influence plasma total cholesterol concentrations, however, the gene-diet interactions on lipids require further investigation in larger cohorts

Auditory pattern recognition and brief tone discrimination of children with reading disorders

Auditory pattern recognition skills in children with reading disorders were investigated using perceptual tests involving discrimination of frequency and duration tonal patterns. A behavioral test battery involving recognition of the pattern of presentation of tone triads was used in which individual components differed in either frequency or duration. A test involving measurement of difference limens for long and short duration tones was also administered. In comparison to controls, children with reading disorders exhibited significantly higher error rates in discrimination of duration and frequency patterns, as well as larger brief tone frequency difference limens. These results suggest that difficulties in the recognition and processing of auditory patterns may co-occur with decoding deficits in children with reading disorders. Learning outcomes: (1) As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to identify a relationship between reading and temporal processing. (2) As a result of this activity, the reader will be able to discuss the difference between sight–word decoding and phonological decoding. (3) As a result of this activity, the reader will be able to explain a relationship between reading skills and the identification of auditory patterns

An Investigation of Telephone Use Among Cochlear Implant Recipients

The purpose of this study was to examine telephone use among cochlear implant recipients. A questionnaire was constructed and mailed to 803 adults who received a Clarion cochlear implant system manufactured by Advanced Bionics Corporation. Question-naire recipients were implanted at least 12 months prior to receiving the questionnaire (i.e., they were implanted in 1998 or 1999). Approximately 60% (n = 478) responded, of whom 70% (n = 336) were considered telephone users (i.e., they answered the telephone and/or initiated calls). Telephone users were significantly younger and had significantly more daily hours of cochlear implant use than nonusers. Not surprisingly, there were differences between groups with respect to method of communication (i.e., more users employed oral communication, while more nonusers employed both oral and manual communication) and ability to understand words without lipreading (i.e., more users were able to understand). Thirty-seven percent of the telephone users were male, and 63% were female. The average age was 51.8 years (SD = 15.5). Ninety-five percent of users initiated calls to family and friends, 65% made appointments by phone, and approximately 50% asked for information about a product or service and conducted business over the phone. Over 95% of users could identify a dial tone, a busy signal, and voices. The average telephone use per week was 5.4 hr. Approximately 85% indicated that they were able to interact with strangers on the telephone within 5 months of receiving the sound processor. Approximately 30% communicated via a cellular phone for personal use. The findings of this survey suggest an increase in cochlear implant users\u27 telephone use relative to a decade earlier. Advances in cochlear implant and telephone technologies are 2 of several factors that may contribute to the changes observed

Systems, methods and products for diagnostic hearing assessments distributed via the use of a computer network

The systems, methods and associated devices performing diagnostic hearing tests which use a computer network to allow interaction between a test administration site and one or a plurality of remote patient sites. The test can be administered by an audiologist or clinician at a site remote from the patient, in a manner, which can allow interaction between the user and the clinician during at least a portion of the administration of the test. The diagnostic hearing tests can be performed such that they meet standardized guidelines such as ANSI requirements or certification standards and can include distortion product emission level measurements or middle ear compliance measurements

Systems, Methods and Products for Diagnostic hearing assessments distributed via the use of a computer network

The systems, methods and associated devices performing diagnostic hearing tests which use a computer network to allow interaction between a test administration site and one or a plurality of remote patient sites. The test can be adminis­ tered by an audiologist or clinician at a site remote from the patient, in a manner, which can allow interaction between the user and the clinician during at least a portion of the admin­ istration of the test. The diagnostic hearing tests can be per­ formed such that they meet standardized guidelines such as ANSI requirements or certification standards and can include distortion product emission level measurements or middle ear compliance measurements

Systems, Methods and Products for Diagnostic hearing assessments distributed via the use of a computer network

The systems, methods and associated devices performing diagnostic hearing tests which use a computer network to allow interaction between a test administration site and one or a plurality of remote patient sites. The test can be adminis­ tered by an audiologist or clinician at a site remote from the patient, in a manner, which can allow interaction between the user and the clinician during at least a portion of the admin­ istration of the test. The diagnostic hearing tests can be per­ formed such that they meet standardized guidelines such as ANSI requirements or certification standards and can include distortion product emission level measurements or middle ear compliance measurements

Systems, Methods and Products for Diagnostic hearing assessments distributed via the use of a computer network

The systems, methods and associated devices performing diagnostic hearing tests which use a computer network to allow interaction between a test administration site and one or a plurality of remote patient sites. The test can be adminis­ tered by an audiologist or clinician at a site remote from the patient, in a manner, which can allow interaction between the user and the clinician during at least a portion of the admin­ istration of the test. The diagnostic hearing tests can be per­ formed such that they meet standardized guidelines such as ANSI requirements or certification standards and can include distortion product emission level measurements or middle ear compliance measurements