Factors Affecting Successful Adoption of Connectivity Devices by Hearing Aid Users

Purpose or Research Questions * To investigate factors that affect the choice to purchase the HACD and the successful adoption of the device. * To evaluate patients’ views regarding use, benefit, and satisfaction with connectivity devices. Background Hearing aid connectivity devices - referred to as HACDs in this poster - are widely marketed to both consumers and professionals in the field of Audiology as devices that can be used to improve communication. However, studies have shown that sales and acceptance of assistive devices is variable (Cranmer, 1991). Becoming informed about device capabilities, and properly learning - and retaining - such information can be difficult for older adults (Hartley, 2010). While major manufacturers advertise multiple capabilities for such devices, there is limited literature regarding patients’ perceived benefit of the devices, and whether patients’ needs are met (Lesner, 2003). Methods/Proposed Methods Adult patients who had purchased a connectivity device within the past 5 years (from 5 major manufacturers), excluding patients with known cognitive impairment. All participants had followed the UNC Hearing and Communication Center (UNC-HCC) fitting protocol for HACDs. Subjects were contacted via telephone or in person in conjunction with a previously scheduled appointment. Once the subjects had given consent to participate, they verbally answered survey questions related to the HACDs. Surveys were completed by 30 (15 male, 15 female) out of 95 possible participants. The study was approved by the UNC Office of Human Research Ethics and was not funded. Results/Anticipated Results * No age effect was found in the study cohort: some older users use the device as frequently as younger users. * Outside recommendations for the device and personal research may be indicators of HACD success. * Subjects who reported using their HACDs 7 out of the last 7 days were more likely to use their device in a variety of ways compared to subjects who reported less than 7 days/week use. * Common complaints/reasons for limited use included: not liking the HACD design, poor quality of connectivity, and lack of benefit. * Overall, subjects, even those who use HACDs daily, were critical of aspects of their devices. Discussion (e.g., interpretation of results; potential contribution of anticipated results) * Additional scheduled support after the initial fitting may be essential for some users. * Identification of possible predictors of successful use of HACDs such as: personal research before device purchase, spousal support, comfort with technology, may improve fitting success. * The rise of tech savvy older adults, and increase in direct Bluetooth capability, may alter HACD fitting in the near future

Impaired Structural Connectivity of Socio-Emotional Circuits in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

Abnormal white matter development may disrupt integration within neural circuits, causing particular impairments in higher-order behaviours. In autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), white matter alterations may contribute to characteristic deficits in complex socio-emotional and communication domains. Here, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tract based spatial statistics (TBSS) to evaluate white matter microstructure in ASD.DTI scans were acquired for 19 children and adolescents with ASD (∼8-18 years; mean 12.4±3.1) and 16 age and IQ matched controls (∼8-18 years; mean 12.3±3.6) on a 3T MRI system. DTI values for fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity and axial diffusivity, were measured. Age by group interactions for global and voxel-wise white matter indices were examined. Voxel-wise analyses comparing ASD with controls in: (i) the full cohort (ii), children only (≤12 yrs.), and (iii) adolescents only (>12 yrs.) were performed, followed by tract-specific comparisons. Significant age-by-group interactions on global DTI indices were found for all three diffusivity measures, but not for fractional anisotropy. Voxel-wise analyses revealed prominent diffusion measure differences in ASD children but not adolescents, when compared to healthy controls. Widespread increases in mean and radial diffusivity in ASD children were prominent in frontal white matter voxels. Follow-up tract-specific analyses highlighted disruption to pathways integrating frontal, temporal, and occipital structures involved in socio-emotional processing.Our findings highlight disruption of neural circuitry in ASD, particularly in those white matter tracts that integrate the complex socio-emotional processing that is impaired in this disorder

FTIR imaging analysis of bioactive microsphere incorporated stem cell sheets for osteochondral defect repair

Several tissue engineering approaches have been proposed for articular cartilage repair, but to date there is no consensus on the optimal method. Self-assembling microsphere-incorporated cell sheets have been developed recently for cartilage tissue engineering applications, as they provide an environment for the chondrogenic induction of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). In the current study, early articular cartilage repair was assessed in a rabbit osteochondral defect model treated with self-assembling hMSC sheets incorporated with bioactive polymer microspheres. Histological sections were evaluated by FTIR imaging for molecular composition. We found that the incorporation of transforming growth factor β1 to the microspheres improved the quality of repair tissue based on increased repair tissue, and increased collagen maturity, at one and three months post-repair. Evaluation of repair tissue at longer timepoints will assess whether these preliminary results will extend to the quality of more mature repair tissue

Modeling gold nanoparticle biodistribution after arterial infusion into perfused tissue: effects of surface coating, size and protein corona

A detailed understanding of the factors governing nanomaterial biodistribution is needed to rationally design safe nanomedicines. This research details the pharmacokinetics of gold nanoparticle (AuNP) biodistribution after arterial infusion of 40 or 80 nm AuNP (1 μg/ml) into the isolated perfused porcine skin flap (IPPSF). AuNP had surface coatings consisting of neutral polyethylene glycol (PEG), anionic lipoic acid (LA), or cationic branched polyethylenimine (BPEI). Effect of a porcine plasma corona (PPC) on 40 nm BPEI and PEG-AuNP were assessed in the IPPSF. Au concentrations were determined by ICP/MS and arterial to venous concentration-time profiles were analyzed over 8 hr (4 hr infusion, 4 hr washout) using a two-compartment pharmacokinetic model. IPPSF viability and vascular function were assessed by change in glucose utilization, vascular resistance, or weight gain after perfusion. All AuNP demonstrated some degree of AuNP arterial extraction and skin flap retention, as well as enhanced kinetic parameters of tissue uptake; with BPEI-AuNP consistently having the greatest biodistribution even with a PPC. Toxicological effects were not detected. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed intracellular uptake of AuNP. These studies paralleled previous in vitro cell culture studies using the same AuNP in human endothelial and renal proximal tubule cells, hepatocytes, keratinocytes, showing BPEI-AuNP having the greatest uptake, although the presence of a PPC did not reduce IPPSF biodistribution as in the cell culture studies. These findings clearly indicate arterial to the venous extraction of AuNP after infusion with the magnitude of extraction being greatest with the BPEI surface coating and provide data and model structure necessary to construct the whole body physiologically based pharmacokinetic models capable of utilizing available in vitro data