Standardised profiling for tinnitus research: The European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research Screening Questionnaire (ESIT-SQ)

Background: The heterogeneity of tinnitus is substantial. Its numerous pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical manifestations have hampered fundamental and treatment research significantly. A decade ago, the Tinnitus Research Initiative introduced the Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire, a case history instrument for standardised collection of information about the characteristics of the tinnitus patient. Since then, a number of studies have been published which characterise individuals and groups using data collected with this questionnaire. However, its use has been restricted to a clinical setting and to the evaluation of people with tinnitus only. In addition, it is limited in the ability to capture relevant comorbidities and evaluate their temporal relationship with tinnitus. Method: Here we present a new case history instrument which is comprehensive in scope and can be answered by people with and without tinnitus alike. This ‘European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research Screening Questionnaire’ (ESIT-SQ) was developed with specific attention to questions about potential risk factors for tinnitus (including demographics, lifestyle, general medical and otological histories), and tinnitus characteristics (including perceptual characteristics, modulating factors, and associations with co-existing conditions). It was first developed in English, then translated into Dutch, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, and Swedish, thus having broad applicability and supporting international collaboration. Conclusions: With respect to better understanding tinnitus profiles, we anticipate the ESIT-SQ to be a starting point for comprehensive multi-variate analyses of tinnitus. Data collected with the ESIT-SQ can allow establishment of patterns that distinguish tinnitus from non-tinnitus, and definition of common sets of tinnitus characteristics which might be indicated by the presence of otological or comorbid systemic diseases for which tinnitus is a known symptom

DBIScholar: An iPhone Application for Performing Citation Analyses

Abstract. DBIScholar is a free iPhone App that allows for the retrieval and analysis of academic citations. As raw input DBIScholar uses data from Google Scholar. Based on their analysis, a number of citation metrics (e.g., h- and g-index, total number of citations) is calculated. Result are available on screen, but can be also stored and used by other Apps (e.g., email). We believe that DBIScholar and its services will be useful for authors to track the evolution of their citation metrics. Future releases will also cover other mobile platforms (e.g., Android)

The Effect of Non-Personalised Tips on the Continued Use of Self-Monitoring mHealth Applications

Chronic tinnitus, the perception of a phantom sound in the absence of corresponding stimulus, is a condition known to affect patients' quality of life. Recent advances in mHealth have enabled patients to maintain a 'disease journal' of ecologically-valid momentary assessments, improving patients' own awareness of their disease while also providing clinicians valuable data for research. In this study, we investigate the effect of non-personalised tips on patients' perception of tinnitus, and on their continued use of the application. The data collected from the study involved three groups of patients that used the app for 16 weeks. Groups A & Y were exposed to feedback from the start of the study, while group B only received tips for the second half of the study. Groups A and Y were run by different supervisors and also differed in the number of hospital visits during the study. Users of Group A and B underwent assessment at baseline, mid-study, post-study and follow-up, while users of group Y were only assessed at baseline and post-study. It is seen that the users in group B use the app for longer, and also more often during the day. The answers of the users to the Ecological Momentary Assessments are seen to form clusters where the degree to which the tinnitus distress depends on tinnitus loudness varies. Additionally, cluster-level models were able to predict new unseen data with better accuracy than a single global model. This strengthens the argument that the discovered clusters really do reflect underlying patterns in disease expression

Towards a unification of treatments and interventions for tinnitus patients: The EU research and innovation action UNITI

Tinnitus is the perception of a phantom sound and the patient's reaction to it. Although much progress has been made, tinnitus remains a scientific and clinical enigma of high prevalence and high economic burden, with an estimated prevalence of 10%–20% among the adult population. The EU is funding a new collaborative project entitled “Unification of Treatments and Interventions for Tinnitus Patients” (UNITI, grant no. 848261) under its Horizon 2020 framework. The main goal of the UNITI project is to set the ground for a predictive computational model based on existing and longitudinal data attempting to address the question of which treatment or combination of treatments is optimal for a specific patient group based on certain parameters. Clinical, epidemiological, genetic and audiological data, including signals reflecting ear-brain communication, as well as patients' medical history, will be analyzed making use of existing databases. Predictive factors for different patient groups will be extracted and their prognostic relevance validated through a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) in which different patient groups will undergo a combination of tinnitus therapies targeting both auditory and central nervous systems. From a scientific point of view, the UNITI project can be summarized into the following research goals: (1) Analysis of existing data: Results of existing clinical studies will be analyzed to identify subgroups of patients with specific treatment responses and to identify systematic differences between the patient groups at the participating clinical centers. (2) Genetic and blood biomarker analysis: High throughput Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) will be performed in well-characterized chronic tinnitus cases, together with Proximity Extension Assays (PEA) for the identification of blood biomarkers for tinnitus. (3) RCT: A total of 500 patients will be recruited at five clinical centers across Europe comparing single treatments against combinational treatments. The four main treatments are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), hearing aids, sound stimulation, and structured counseling. The consortium will also make use of e/m-health applications for the treatment and assessment of tinnitus. (4) Decision Support System: An innovative Decision Support System will be implemented, integrating all available parameters (epidemiological, clinical, audiometry, genetics, socioeconomic and medical history) to suggest specific examinations and the optimal intervention strategy based on the collected data. (5) Financial estimation analysis: A cost-effectiveness analysis for the respective interventions will be calculated to investigate the economic effects of the interventions based on quality-adjusted life years. In this paper, we will present the UNITI project, the scientific questions that it aims to address, the research consortium, and the organizational structure.Fil: Winfried, Schlee. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Stefan, Schoisswohl. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Susanne, Staudinger. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Axel, Schiller. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Astrid, Lehner. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Berthold, Langguth. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Martin, Schecklmann. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Jorge, Simoes. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Patrick, Neff. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Steven, Marcrum. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Myra, Spiliopoulou. Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg; AlemaniaFil: Uli, Niemann. Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg; AlemaniaFil: Miro, Schleicher. Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg; AlemaniaFil: Vishnu, Unnikrishnan. Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg; AlemaniaFil: Clara, Puga. Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg; AlemaniaFil: Lena, Mulansky. University Hospital Wuerzburg; AlemaniaFil: Ruediger, Pryss. University Hospital Wuerzburg; AlemaniaFil: Carsten, Vogel. University Hospital Wuerzburg; AlemaniaFil: Johannes, Allgaier. University Hospital Wuerzburg; AlemaniaFil: Efi, Giannopoulou. Zeincro Egeszegugyi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag; HungríaFil: Katalin, Birki. Zeincro Egeszegugyi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag; HungríaFil: Klairi, Liakou. Zeincro Egeszegugyi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag; HungríaFil: Rilana, Cima. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; BélgicaFil: Johan, Vlaeyen. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; BélgicaFil: Nicolas, Verhaert. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; BélgicaFil: Saskia, Ranson. Adelante Tinnitus Expertise Centre; Países BajosFil: Birigt, Mazurek. Charite—Universit atsmedizin Berlin; AlemaniaFil: Petra, Brueggemann. Charite—Universit atsmedizin Berlin; AlemaniaFil: Benjamin, Boecking. Charite—Universit atsmedizin Berlin; AlemaniaFil: Nyamaa, Amarjargal. Charite—Universit atsmedizin Berlin; AlemaniaFil: Elgoyhen, Ana Belen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; Argentin