Functional-structural reorganisation of the neuronal network for auditory perception in subjects with unilateral hearing loss: Review of neuroimaging studies.

This paper aims to provide a review of studies using neuroimaging to measure functional-structural reorganisation of the neuronal network for auditory perception after unilateral hearing loss

Importance of personality and coping expectancy on patient-reported hearing disability, quality of life and distress level: a study of patients referred to an audiology service

Purpose: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss (HL) affects up to 15% of the world’s adult population. Coping and personality are hypothesized to underlie quality of life (QoL) and distress scores. We aimed to study the importance of personality and coping in persons with HL for self-reported hearing disability, QoL, and distress. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out, including one hundred and fifty-eight adults seeking hearing aids. Pure-tone average hearing thresholds (PTA) were determined for each ear. A revised version of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) served as a measure of self-reported hearing disability. Further, the generic part of the European Organization for Research and Treatment (EORTC) QoL questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (distress measure) were answered. Levels of neuroticism and the Theoretically Originated Measure of the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (TOMCATS) coping expectancy were determined. Results: Hearing disability was determined by PTA (better ear) and level of neuroticism. Distress and QoL were determined by neuroticism and coping. Conclusion: More neuroticism was associated with worse outcome for the variables hearing disability, distress, and QoL. Helplessness and hopelessness were associated with worse hearing disability, increased distress, and lowered QoL. Patient reported hearing disability was also associated with PTA (better ear). There is a need to investigate further the associations between hearing disability and QoL to psychosocial parameters

Importance of personality and coping expectancy on patient-reported hearing disability, quality of life and distress level: a study of patients referred to an audiology service

Purpose According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss (HL) affects up to 15% of the world’s adult population. Coping and personality are hypothesized to underlie quality of life (QoL) and distress scores. We aimed to study the importance of personality and coping in persons with HL for self-reported hearing disability, QoL, and distress. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out, including one hundred and fifty-eight adults seeking hearing aids. Pure-tone average hearing thresholds (PTA) were determined for each ear. A revised version of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) served as a measure of self-reported hearing disability. Further, the generic part of the European Organization for Research and Treatment (EORTC) QoL questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (distress measure) were answered. Levels of neuroticism and the Theoretically Originated Measure of the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (TOMCATS) coping expectancy were determined. Results Hearing disability was determined by PTA (better ear) and level of neuroticism. Distress and QoL were determined by neuroticism and coping. Conclusion More neuroticism was associated with worse outcome for the variables hearing disability, distress, and QoL. Helplessness and hopelessness were associated with worse hearing disability, increased distress, and lowered QoL. Patient reported hearing disability was also associated with PTA (better ear). There is a need to investigate further the associations between hearing disability and QoL to psychosocial parameters

Quality of life in persons with hearing loss : a study of patients referred to an audiological service

Objective: To investigate the relationship between hearing loss (HL) and general quality of life (QoL) in adults seeking hearing aids (HAs). Design: The patients completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire’s general part and a questionnaire measuring self-assessed communication ability (Abbreviated Profile of hearing Aid Benefit—APHAB). These responses were compared with EORTC scores from a general population and patients with former head and neck cancer. Study sample: One-hundred and fifty-eight adults with HL were recruited prior to hearing aid (HA) fitting with one half seeking renewal of their HA. Results: General QoL scores among patients with HL were similar to those in the general population, but higher than in many chronic serious diseases. Patients with unilateral HL reported slightly worse social function and more fatigue than patients with bilateral HL. Self-assessed communication ability correlated with general QoL scores. Also, we found that best ear pure tone average (PTA), cognitive and physical QoL function predicted APHAB scores. Conclusion: In the investigated HL group, general QoL scores seem to be relatively close to those seen in the general population

Clinical application and psychometric properties of a norwegian questionnaire for the self-assessment of communication in quiet and adverse conditions using two revised APHAB subscales

Background: Difficulty in following and understanding conversation in different daily life situations is a common complaint among persons with hearing loss. To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no published validated Norwegian questionnaire available that allows for a self-assessment of unaided communication ability in a population with hearing loss. Purpose: The aims of the present study were to investigate a questionnaire for the self-assessment of communication ability, examine the psychometric properties of this questionnaire, and explore how demographic variables such as degree of hearing loss, age, and sex influence response patterns. Research Design: A questionnaire based on the subscales of the Norwegian translation of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit was applied to a group of hearing aid users and normal-hearing controls. Study Sample: A total of 108 patients with bilateral hearing loss, and 101 controls with self-reported normal hearing. Data Collection and Analysis: The psychometric properties were evaluated. Associations and differences between outcome scores and descriptive variables were examined. A regression analysis was performed to investigate whether descriptive variables could predict outcome. Results: The measures of reliability suggest that the questionnaire has satisfactory psychometric properties, with the outcome of the questionnaire correlating to hearing loss severity, thus indicating that the concurrent validity of the questionnaire is good. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the proposed questionnaire is a valid measure of self-assessed communication ability in both quiet and adverse listening conditions in participants with and without hearing loss

Hydrogels based on methylated-alginates as a platform to investigate the effect of material properties on cell activity. The role of material compliance

Alginate-based hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties are developed by chemical methylation of the polysaccharide backbone, which was performed either in homogeneous phase (in solution) or in heterogeneous phase (on hydrogels). Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC-MALS) analyses of methylated alginates allow to identify the presence and location of methyl groups on the polysaccharide, and to investigate the influence of methylation on the stiffness of the polymer chains. The methylated polysaccharides are employed for the manufacturing of calcium-reticulated hydrogels for cell growth in 3D. The rheological characterization shows that the shear modulus of hydrogels is dependent on the amount of cross-linker used. Methylated alginates represent a platform to explore the effect of mechanical properties on cell activity. As an example, the effect of compliance is investigated using hydrogels displaying similar shear modulus. An osteosarcoma cell line (MG-63) was encapsulated in the alginate hydrogels and the effect of material compliance on cell proliferation and localization of YAP/TAZ protein complex is investigated by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The results point out that an increase of material compliance leads to an increase of the proliferative rate of cells and correlates with the translocation of YAP/TAZ inside the cell nucleus