Auditory temporal order and resolution in younger and older Maltese adults

Recent studies are accruing support for the existence of auditory processing disorder in adults as a multifactorial condition underlying alterations in the auditory mechanisms and the brain. However, local research that evaluates age-related changes in temporal order and resolution is still very limited. This paper explores agerelated differences on non-speech measures of temporal order and resolution by investigating the performance of younger and older Maltese adults on four tests of temporal processing. The study also compares the four measures of temporal processing and explores their relationship. Sixteen younger adults (YA) aged between 18 and 25 years and 10 older adults (OA) aged between 60 and 74 years participated in the study. Temporal ordering, as measured by the Duration Pattern Test (DPT) and the Frequency Pattern Test (FPT), and temporal resolution, as measured by the Random Gap Detection Test (RGDT) and the Gaps-in-Noise Test (GIN), were evaluated. Results indicated that in comparison to OA, YA performed significantly better in all four tests. Thus, the OA group required more time to identify temporal changes in a stream of sound and were less able to label patterns of duration and frequency. With regards to the comparison between measures, while a statistically significant difference between the two tests of temporal resolution emerged, no significant difference between temporal order tests was revealed. A negative correlation between temporal order and resolution was established, indicating that a greater percentage of correct responses on temporal order tests was related to shorter gap detection thresholds on resolution tests. These findings tentatively suggest that the two subtypes of temporal measures may underlie common auditory processing abilities but may be influenced by the type of stimuli employed or the auditory processing mechanisms being assessed.peer-reviewe

Comparison of hearing aid outcome measures in adult hearing aid users

Hearing aid outcome measures have become an essential part of audiological intervention. This study aimed to explore hearing aid benefit in Maltese hearing aid users through subjective and objective outcome measures. The Profil Imqassar dwar il-Benefiċċju tal-Hearing Aids (PIBHA), a translated version of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire, was used to subjectively examine hearing aid benefit in 56 adult hearing aid users falling in the 20- to 60-year age range. Thirty of these hearing aid users subsequently participated in clinical testing to evaluate hearing aid benefit objectively. Real ear measurements (REMs) and two non-word repetition tests, the Maltese Non-Words in Quiet (MNWQ) and the Maltese Non-Words in Noise (MNWN), were used in the study. Analysis aimed to identify which factors correlated with hearing aid benefit. It also explored the extent to which subjective perception of hearing aid benefit correlated with performance on non-word repetition and REMs in the local population. Daily use was associated with gender and hearing aid type. Non-word repetition scores were correlated with the PIBHA scores and with REMs. Unlike findings reported in the literature, REMs were not correlated with the self-reported measures of the PIBHA. Implications for including both subjective and objective measures in hearing aid fitting protocols are addressedpeer-reviewe

Contentious issues related to auditory processing disorder

A number of children undergo audiometric evaluation due to suspected hearing difficulties. Yet for some, their hearing sensitivity is found to be normal (Iliadou et al., 2017; Sharma, Purdy, & Kelly, 2009). Often, these children are described by parents and teachers as having difficulties to follow several instructions or attend to a conversation, and getting distracted when background noise is present (Iliadou et al., 2017; Witton, 2010). There are also reports of these children either misunderstanding or taking longer to understand simple verbal directions, and demonstrating selective hearing (Johnson, Benson, & Seaton, 1997). These weaknesses often cause educational, vocational and social challenges (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), 2005; British Society of Audiology (BSA, 2007). Children exhibiting these problems could be diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) (American Academy of Audiology (AAA), 2010; ASHA, 2005; BSA, 2007; Iliadou et al., 2017).peer-reviewe

The impact of socioeconomic status on auditory processing skills in Maltese children

Auditory processing skills (APS) may affect the development of language. Understanding the impact that socioeconomic status (SES) has on APS can help to identify individuals at risk of poor auditory processing skills and in turn develop more focused intervention strategies to target these skills before serious repercussions emerge. This study explored the impact of SES on the auditory processing skills of 41 Maltese children aged between 7 and 9 years. A self-devised questionnaire was used to gather information relating to the SES of the children, using maternal education and occupation to categorise SES. Such information was compared with the children’s performance on an auditory processing test battery in order to analyse its effect. Results demonstrated a significant correlation between SES groups and performance on the Duration Patterns Test (DPT), an auditory processing subtest which presents tones of varying duration as a stimulus. In addition, overall higher mean scores on almost all the tests were observed for the mid and high-mid socioeconomic groups. This study provides the first preliminary indications that lower SES could be associated with poorer APS in Maltese children.peer-reviewe

Auditory and language processing skills in Maltese children : a comparative study

Auditory processing disorder is described as a mixture of unrefined listening skills which, despite normal hearing, causes poor speech perception. These difficulties have also been reported in children with a diagnosis of language impairment (LI), literacy difficulties (LD)1, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The purpose of this study is to describe and compare the listening performance of typically developing (TD) children with those diagnosed with LI, LD, and ADHD on an assessment battery of auditory processing (AP) and language processing (LP). One hundred and one TD children and 53 children with a clinical diagnosis were assessed using four subtests of AP presenting linguistic stimuli, three AP subtests with non-linguistic stimuli and an assessment of LP. Parents of all children were required to fill in a questionnaire related to their listening difficulties. Parental report for the TD group on average yielded the lowest score, indicating fewer difficulties with listening skills in the TD group. The listening difficulties exhibited in the Maltese participants diagnosed with LI, LD and ADHD were mainly specific to the AP subtests using linguistic stimuli. The LI and LD groups generally performed significantly worse than the TD group on all AP subtests using linguistic stimuli, while the ADHD group performed significantly worse than the TD group on some of these tests. The same pattern did not emerge for the subtests using non-linguistic stimuli. Few significant effects between groups were evident. The LI groups were found to perform the weakest in all tests of language processing.peer-reviewe

AUDITORY AND LANGUAGE PROCESSING SKILLS IN MALTESE CHILDREN: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract. Auditory processing disorder is described as a mixture of unrefined listening skills which, despite normal hearing, causes poor speech perception. These difficulties have also been reported in children with a diagnosis of language impairment (LI), literacy difficulties (LD) 1 , and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The purpose of this study is to describe and compare the listening performance of typically developing (TD) children with those diagnosed with LI, LD, and ADHD on an assessment battery of auditory processing (AP) and language processing (LP). One hundred and one TD children and 53 children with a clinical diagnosis were assessed using four subtests of AP presenting linguistic stimuli, three AP subtests with non-linguistic stimuli and an assessment of LP. Parents of all children were required to fill in a questionnaire related to their listening difficulties. Parental report for the TD group on average yielded the lowest score, indicating fewer difficulties with listening skills in the TD group. The listening difficulties exhibited in the Maltese participants diagnosed with LI, LD and ADHD were mainly specific to the AP subtests using linguistic stimuli. The LI and LD groups generally performed significantly worse than the TD group on all AP subtests using linguistic stimuli, while the ADHD group performed significantly worse than the TD group on some of these tests. The same pattern did not emerge for the subtests using non-linguistic stimuli. Few significant effects between groups were evident. The LI groups were found to perform the weakest in all tests of language processing

The Gene Ontology knowledgebase in 2023

The Gene Ontology (GO) knowledgebase (http://geneontology.org) is a comprehensive resource concerning the functions of genes and gene products (proteins and noncoding RNAs). GO annotations cover genes from organisms across the tree of life as well as viruses, though most gene function knowledge currently derives from experiments carried out in a relatively small number of model organisms. Here, we provide an updated overview of the GO knowledgebase, as well as the efforts of the broad, international consortium of scientists that develops, maintains, and updates the GO knowledgebase. The GO knowledgebase consists of three components: (1) the GO-a computational knowledge structure describing the functional characteristics of genes; (2) GO annotations-evidence-supported statements asserting that a specific gene product has a particular functional characteristic; and (3) GO Causal Activity Models (GO-CAMs)-mechanistic models of molecular "pathways" (GO biological processes) created by linking multiple GO annotations using defined relations. Each of these components is continually expanded, revised, and updated in response to newly published discoveries and receives extensive QA checks, reviews, and user feedback. For each of these components, we provide a description of the current contents, recent developments to keep the knowledgebase up to date with new discoveries, and guidance on how users can best make use of the data that we provide. We conclude with future directions for the project

COMPARISON OF HEARING AID OUTCOME MEASURES IN ADULT HEARING AID USERS

Abstract. Hearing aid outcome measures have become an essential part of audiological intervention. This study aimed to explore hearing aid benefit in Maltese hearing aid users through subjective and objective outcome measures. The Profil Imqassar dwar il-Benefiċċju tal-Hearing Aids (PIBHA), a translated version of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire, was used to subjectively examine hearing aid benefit in 56 adult hearing aid users falling in the 20-to 60-year age range. Thirty of these hearing aid users subsequently participated in clinical testing to evaluate hearing aid benefit objectively. Real ear measurements (REMs) and two non-word repetition tests, the Maltese Non-Words in Quiet (MNWQ) and the Maltese Non-Words in Noise (MNWN), were used in the study. Analysis aimed to identify which factors correlated with hearing aid benefit. It also explored the extent to which subjective perception of hearing aid benefit correlated with performance on non-word repetition and REMs in the local population. Daily use was associated with gender and hearing aid type. Non-word repetition scores were correlated with the PIBHA scores and with REMs. Unlike findings reported in the literature, REMs were not correlated with the self-reported measures of the PIBHA. Implications for including both subjective and objective measures in hearing aid fitting protocols are addressed

Gene expression profiling identifies emerging oncogenic pathways operating in extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type

Biopsies and cell lines of natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (NKTCL) were subject to combined gene expression profiling and array-based comparative genomic hybridization analyses. Compared with peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified, NKTCL had greater transcript levels for NK-cell and cytotoxic molecules, especially granzyme H. Compared with normal NKcells, tumors were closer to activated than resting cells and overexpressed several genes related to vascular biology, Epstein-Barr Virus–induced genes, and PDGFRA. Notably, platelet-derived growth factor receptor α and its phosphorylated form were confirmed at the protein level, and in vitro the MEC04 NKTCL cell line was sensitive to imatinib. Deregulation of the AKT, Janus kinase–signal transducers and activators of transcription, and nuclear factor-κB pathways was corroborated by nuclear expression of phosphorylated AKT, signal transducers and activators of transcription 3, and RelA in NKTCL, and several deregulated genes in these pathways mapped to regions of recurrent copy number aberrations (AKT3 [1q44], IL6R [1q21.3], CCL2 [17q12], TNFRSF21 [6p12.3]). Several features of NKTCL uncovered by this analysis suggest perturbation of angiogenic pathways. Integrative analysis also evidenced deregulation of the tumor suppressor HACE1 in the frequently deleted 6q21 region. This study highlights emerging oncogenic pathways in NKTCL and identifies novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets