Publications by authors named "A J Overton"
Article Synopsis
- - Wastewater surveillance has proven effective in tracking the spread of SARS-CoV-2, including its variants, particularly at transportation hubs like Toronto Pearson International Airport.
- - Canadian municipalities, including WWTPs in Ontario, use techniques like qPCR and whole genome sequencing to monitor the virus in wastewater.
- - Findings from wastewater samples at the airport often identified new viral lineages 1-4 weeks before clinical cases were reported, highlighting the potential for early detection in pandemic response.
Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 has emerged as a critical tool for tracking the spread of COVID-19. In addition to estimating the relative case numbers using quantitative PCR, SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA can be extracted from wastewater and sequenced. There are many existing techniques for using the sequenced RNA to determine the relative abundance of known lineages in a sample.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective(s): FDA-approved indications for cochlear implantation include patients with severe-to-profound unilateral hearing loss (UHL) or asymmetric hearing loss (AHL); however, these indications are not covered for Medicare beneficiaries. We assessed the outcomes of cochlear implant (CI) use for older adults with UHL or AHL.
Methods: Eighteen older adults (≥65 years of age at surgery) with UHL/AHL participated in a prospective, longitudinal investigation evaluating outcomes of CI use.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on cochlear implant recipients with unilateral hearing loss who possess functional acoustic hearing in the implanted ear, evaluating the effects of electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) on their hearing abilities over time.
- Participants showed significant improvements in speech recognition scores and subjective hearing assessments when evaluated at multiple intervals post-activation (1, 3, and 6 months).
- Results indicated that adults with unilateral hearing loss and functional hearing saw notable enhancements in both objective speech recognition and subjective hearing experiences soon after starting EAS use, compared to their preoperative state.