Combined electric acoustic stimulation with the PULSARCI(100) implant system using the FLEX(EAS) electrode array

This study demonstrates that electric acoustic stimulation (EAS(®)) using the FLEX(EAS) electrode is a successful treatment method for preservation and stability of low frequency hearing, and results in significant improvements in speech perception

The Interaction between Adult Cardiac Fibroblasts and Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes Leads to Proarrhythmic Changes in In Vitro Cocultures

Transplantation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes is one of the most promising therapeutic approaches after myocardial infarction, as loss of cardiomyocytes is virtually irreversible by endogenous repair mechanisms. In myocardial scars, transplanted cardiomyocytes will be in immediate contact with cardiac fibroblasts. While it is well documented how the electrophysiology of neonatal cardiomyocytes is modulated by cardiac fibroblasts of the same developmental stage, it is unknown how adult cardiac fibroblasts (aCFs) affect the function of embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (ESC-CMs). To investigate the effects of aCFs on ESC-CM electrophysiology, we performed extra- and intracellular recordings of murine aCF-ESC-CM cocultures. We observed that spontaneous beating behaviour was highly irregular in aCF-ESC-CM cocultures compared to cocultures with mesenchymal stem cells (coefficient of variation of the interspike interval: 40.5±15.2% versus 9.3±2.0%, p=0.008) and that action potential amplitude and maximal upstroke velocity (Vmax) were reduced (amplitude: 52.3±1.7 mV versus 65.1±1.5 mV, Vmax: 7.0±1.0 V/s versus 36.5±5.3 V/s), while action potential duration (APD) was prolonged (APD50: 25.6±1.0 ms versus 16.8±1.9 ms, p<0.001; APD90: 52.2±1.5 ms versus 43.3±3.3 ms, p<0.01) compared to controls. Similar changes could be induced by aCF-conditioned medium. We conclude that the presence of aCFs changes automaticity and induces potentially proarrhythmic changes of ESC-CM electrophysiology

Assessment of the subjective benefit of electric acoustic stimulation with the abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit

This study demonstrates that electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) significantly decreases the subjective impairment in speech perception

Audiological monitoring in Swiss childhood cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Full audiological monitoring is the best strategy to detect hearing loss early and to provide timely intervention in the absence of a clinical method of otoprotection. Full monitoring requires audiological evaluation before, and then during and after ototoxic cancer treatment. In a worldwide context of monitoring protocols that vary substantially, we analyzed the audiological monitoring of childhood cancer patients over the last decade across treatment centers in Switzerland. PROCEDURE: We retrospectively searched for audiological evaluations in all nine Swiss Pediatric Oncology Centers. We analyzed proportions of patients who had audiological monitoring and described type and timing of monitoring. We determined predictors of audiological monitoring using multivariable logistic regression and described time trends. RESULTS: We included 185 patients from the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry diagnosed from 2005 to 2013 who had platinum chemotherapy and/or cranial radiation ≥30 Gray and who were alive at time of study. Less than half of children, 43%, had full audiological monitoring (before, during, and after treatment), while 72% were tested after cancer treatment. Nonstudy patients were less likely to have had monitoring in all phases of cancer treatment. Patients who received treatment with cisplatin or both platinum chemotherapy and cranial radiation were more likely to have had monitoring after treatment. Monitoring during and after treatment increased over the study period, but monitoring before treatment was insufficient in all time periods. CONCLUSIONS: Our population-based study indicates that audiological monitoring is insufficient in Switzerland, particularly for nonstudy patients. Clinicians must become more aware of the importance of full audiological monitoring