Language Growth in Children with Mild to Severe Hearing Loss who Received Early Intervention by 3 Months or 6 Months of Age

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of hearing screening, diagnosis, and early intervention (EI) by 3 months or 6 months of age on language growth trajectories for children with hearing loss (HL) relative to children with normal hearing (NH). Method: We recruited 133 children with mild to severe HL through universal newborn hearing screening records and referrals from audiologists in the United States; 116 children with NH who served as a comparison group. Examiners administered a battery of developmentally appropriate language measures between 12 months and 8 years of age. We constructed latent growth curve models of global language, grammar, and vocabulary using Bayesian statistics. Results: Children with HL demonstrated no significant differences in initial language skills compared to children with NH. Children in the 1-3-6 group also showed no difference in language growth compared to children with NH. The slope for the 1-2-3 group was significantly steeper than children with NH for global language and grammar. Conclusions: This study documents the positive impact of EI on language outcomes in children with congenital HL. It is among the first to provide evidence to support the potential effects of very early intervention by 3 months of age

Breakthrough Capability for UVOIR Space Astronomy: Reaching the Darkest Sky

We describe how availability of new solar electric propulsion (SEP) technology can substantially increase the science capability of space astronomy missions working within the near-UV to far-infrared (UVOIR) spectrum by making dark sky orbits accessible for the first time. We present two case studies in which SEP is used to enable a 700 kg Explorer-class and 7000 kg flagship-class observatory payload to reach an orbit beyond where the zodiacal dust limits observatory sensitivity. The resulting scientific performance advantage relative to a Sun-Earth L2 point (SEL2) orbit is presented and discussed. We find that making SEP available to astrophysics Explorers can enable this small payload program to rival the science performance of much larger long development-time systems. Similarly, we find that astrophysics utilization of high power SEP being developed for the Asteroid Redirect Robotics Mission (ARRM) can have a substantial impact on the sensitivity performance of heavier flagship-class astrophysics payloads such as the UVOIR successor to the James Webb Space Telescope

Breakthrough Capability for UVOIR Space Astronomy: Reaching the Darkest Sky

We describe how availability of new solar electric propulsion (SEP) technology can substantially increase the science capability of space astronomy missions working within the near-UV to far-infrared (UVOIR) spectrum by making dark sky orbits accessible for the first time. We present a proof of concept case study in which SEP is used to enable a 700 kg Explorer-class observatory payload to reach an orbit beyond where the zodiacal dust limits observatory sensitivity. The resulting scientific performance advantage relative to a Sun-Earth L2 point orbit is presented and discussed. We find that making SEP available to astrophysics Explorers can enable this small payload program to rival the science performance of much larger long development-time systems. We also present flight dynamics analysis which illustrates that this concept can be extended beyond Explorers to substantially improve the sensitivity performance of heavier (7000 kg) flagship-class astrophysics payloads such as the UVOIR successor to the James Webb Space Telescope by using high power SEP that is being developed for the Asteroid Redirect Robotics Mission

Factors Influencing Follow-Up to Newborn Hearing Screening for Infants Who Are Hard of Hearing

To document the epidemiological characteristics of a group of hard-of-hearing children, to identify individual predictor variables for timely follow-up after a failed newborn hearing screen, and to identify barriers to follow-up encountered by families

Contribution of macrophages to neural survival and intracochlear tissue remodeling responses following cochlear implantation

BACKGROUND: Cochlear implants (CIs) restore hearing to deafened patients. The foreign body response (FBR) following cochlear implantation (post-CI) comprises an infiltration of macrophages, other immune and non-immune cells, and fibrosis into the scala tympani, a space that is normally devoid of cells. This FBR is associated with negative effects on CI outcomes including increased electrode impedances and loss of residual acoustic hearing. This study investigates the extent to which macrophage depletion by an orally administered CSF-1R specific kinase (c-FMS) inhibitor, PLX-5622, modulates the tissue response to CI and neural health. MAIN TEXT: 10- to 12-week-old CX3CR1 + /GFP Thy1 + /YFP mice on C57BL/6J/B6 background was fed chow containing 1200 mg/kg PLX5622 or control chow for the duration of the study. 7 days after starting the diet, 3-channel cochlear implants were implanted in the ear via the round window. Serial impedance and neural response telemetry (NRT) measurements were acquired throughout the study. Electric stimulation began 7 days post-CI until 28 days post-CI for 5 h/day, 5 days/week, with programming guided by NRT and behavioral responses. Cochleae harvested at 10, 28 or 56 days post-CI were cryosectioned and labeled with an antibody against α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) to identify myofibroblasts and quantify the fibrotic response. Using IMARIS image analysis software, the outlines of scala tympani, Rosenthal canal, modiolus, and lateral wall for each turn were traced manually to measure region volume. The density of nuclei, CX3CR1 + macrophages, Thy1 + spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) numbers, and the ratio of the α-SMA + volume/scala tympani volume were calculated. Cochlear implantation in control diet subjects caused infiltration of cells, including macrophages, into the cochlea. Fibrosis was evident in the scala tympani adjacent to the electrode array. Mice fed PLX5622 chow showed reduced macrophage infiltration throughout the implanted cochleae across all time points. However, scala tympani fibrosis was not reduced relative to control diet subjects. Further, mice treated with PLX5622 showed increased electrode impedances compared to controls. Finally, treatment with PLX5622 decreased SGN survival in implanted and contralateral cochleae. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that macrophages play an important role in modulating the intracochlear tissue response following CI and neural survival

Contrasting impacts of heat stress on violent and nonviolent robbery in Beijing, China

Previous studies investigating the relation between heat stress and crime incidents often focus on violent crimes. In this study, the impacts of heat stress on two types of robbery (violent and nonviolent) in China are compared using crime statistics collected in Beijing and heat stress indices that consider the combined effects of temperature and humidity. The results indicate that the abrupt change in the trend of robbery rates is affected by the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The nonviolent robbery rates have a more pronounced seasonality and are better correlated with heat stress at daily scales, especially during the period from 2009 to 2014 when no trend exists. The results also demonstrate that both violent and nonviolent robbery rates significantly increase with heat stress in spring. The nonviolent robbery rates also significantly increase with heat stress in summer. The influence of heat stress on violent robbery rate is more complicated and nonlinear

Perceived quality of life among caregivers of children with a childhood-onset dystrophinopathy: a double ABCX model of caregiver stressors and perceived resources

Background: Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies, collectively referred to as dystrophinopathies, are recessive X-linked disorders characterized by progressive muscle weakness and ultimately cardiac and respiratory failure. Immediate family members are often primary caregivers of individuals with a dystrophinopathy. Methods: We explored the impact of this role by inviting primary caregivers (n = 209) of males diagnosed with childhood-onset dystrophinopathy who were identified by the Muscular Dystrophy Surveillance, Tracking, and Research Network (MD STARnet) to complete a mailed questionnaire measuring perceived social support and stress, spirituality, and family quality of life (FQoL). Bivariate and multivariate analyses examined associations between study variables using the Double ABCX model as an analytic framework. Results: Higher stressor pile-up was associated with lower perceived social support (r = -0.29, p 0.05). FQoL was positively associated with all support measures (correlations ranged from: 0.25 to 0.58, p-values 0.01-0.001) and negatively associated with perceived stress and control (r = -0.49, p <.001). The association between stressor pile-up and FQoL was completely mediated through global perceived social support, supportive family relationships, and perceived stress and control; supportive non-family relationships did not remain statistically significant after controlling for other mediators. Conclusions: Findings suggest caregiver adaptation to a dystrophinopathy diagnosis can be optimized by increased perceived control, supporting family resources, and creation of a healthy family identity. Our findings will help identify areas for family intervention and guide clinicians in identifying resources that minimize stress and maximize family adaptation.CDC [5U01DD000831, 5U01DD000187, 5U01DD000189, 5U01DD000191, 5U01DD000190]This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]