Uncovering a new family of conserved virulence factors that promote the production of host-damaging outer membrane vesicles in gram-negative bacteria.

CprA is a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) that contributes to resistance against colistin and antimicrobial peptides. The cprA gene is conserved across Pseudomonas aeruginosa clades and its expression is directly regulated by the two-component system PmrAB. We have shown that cprA expression leads to the production of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that block autophagic flux and have a greater capacity to activate the non-canonical inflammasome pathway.

A Hearing Intervention and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Secondary Analysis of the ACHIEVE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Health-related quality of life is a critical health outcome and a clinically important patient-reported outcome in clinical trials. Hearing loss is associated with poorer health-related quality-of-life in older adults.

Objective: To investigate the 3-year outcomes of hearing intervention vs health education control on health-related quality of life.

Assessing Cognitive Impairments in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients Using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Scores.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a chronic condition associated with cognitive impairment and various comorbidities. This prospective study evaluated cognitive deficits in OSA patients and identified clinical factors affecting cognitive function. Seventy-two participants were assessed using polysomnography (PSG) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

Effect of hearing intervention on communicative function: A secondary analysis of the ACHIEVE randomized controlled trial.

Background: The Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) Study was designed to determine the effects of a best-practice hearing intervention on cognitive decline among community-dwelling older adults. Here, we conducted a secondary analysis of the ACHIEVE Study to investigate the effect of hearing intervention on self-reported communicative function.

Methods: The ACHIEVE Study is a parallel-group, unmasked, randomized controlled trial of adults aged 70-84 years with untreated mild-to-moderate hearing loss and without substantial cognitive impairment.

Effect of Hearing Intervention Versus Health Education Control on Fatigue: A Secondary Analysis of the ACHIEVE Study.

Background: Fatigue is a common complaint among older adults with hearing loss. The impact of addressing hearing loss on fatigue symptoms has not been studied in a randomized controlled trial. In a secondary analysis of the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study, we investigated the effect of hearing intervention versus health education control on 3-year change in fatigue in community-dwelling older adults with hearing loss.

Adult-onset hearing loss and incident cognitive impairment and dementia - A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Background: We comprehensively summarized the cohort evidence to date on adult-onset hearing loss as risk factor for incident cognitive impairment and dementia, and examined the evidence for dose-response, risk for various dementia subtypes, and other moderators. Previous meta-analyses were less comprehensive.

Methods: We included cohort studies with participants without dementia and with hearing assessments at baseline, minimum 2 years follow-up and incident cognitive outcomes.

Hearing Impairment and Physical Activity and Physical Functioning in Older Adults: Baseline Results From the ACHIEVE Trial.

Background: Hearing loss is associated with restricted physical activity (PA) and impaired physical functioning, yet the relationship between severity of hearing impairment (HI) and novel PA measures in older adults with untreated HI is not well understood.

Methods: Analyses included 845 participants aged ≥70 years (mean = 76.6 years) with a better-hearing ear pure-tone average (PTA) ≥30 and <70 dB in the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study who wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for 7 days.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on audiology service delivery: Observational study of the role of social media in patient communication.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted an era in hearing health care that necessitates a comprehensive rethinking of audiology service delivery. There has been a significant increase in the number of individuals with hearing loss who seek information online. An estimated 430 million individuals worldwide suffer from hearing loss, including 11 million in the United Kingdom.

Recruitment and baseline data of the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study: A randomized trial of a hearing loss intervention for reducing cognitive decline.

Introduction: Hearing loss is highly prevalent among older adults and independently associated with cognitive decline. The Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study is a multicenter randomized control trial (partially nested within the infrastructure of an observational cohort study, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities [ARIC] study) to determine the efficacy of best-practice hearing treatment to reduce cognitive decline over 3 years. The goal of this paper is to describe the recruitment process and baseline results.

Description of the Baseline Audiologic Characteristics of the Participants Enrolled in the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders Study.

Purpose: The Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study is a randomized clinical trial designed to determine the effects of a best-practice hearing intervention versus a successful aging health education control intervention on cognitive decline among community-dwelling older adults with untreated mild-to-moderate hearing loss. We describe the baseline audiologic characteristics of the ACHIEVE participants.

Method: Participants aged 70-84 years ( = 977; = 76.

Loneliness and Social Network Characteristics Among Older Adults With Hearing Loss in the ACHIEVE Study.

Background: Hearing loss is linked to loneliness and social isolation, but evidence is typically based on self-reported hearing. This study quantifies the associations of objective and subjective hearing loss with loneliness and social network characteristics among older adults with untreated hearing loss.

Methods: This study uses baseline data (N = 933) from the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study.

HlyF, an underestimated virulence factor of uropathogenic Escherichia coli.

Objectives: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are primarily caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). This study aims to elucidate the role of the virulence factor HlyF in the epidemiology and pathophysiology of UTIs and investigate the dissemination of plasmids carrying the hlyF gene.

Methods: An epidemiological analysis was conducted on a representative collection of 225 UPEC strains isolated from community-acquired infections.

The use of home-based digital technology to support post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation: A scoping review.

Objective: To identify, map and synthesize the extent and nature of existing studies on the use of home-based digital technology to support post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation.

Data Sources: A comprehensive literature search was completed between 30 May 2022 and 05 April 2023, from seven online databases (CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PubMed, ScienceDirect, IEEExplore, Web of Science and PEDro), Google Scholar and the reference lists of already identified articles.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted according to Arksey and O'Malley (2005), and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.

Development and Critical Evaluation of a Condition-Specific Preference-Based Measure Sensitive to Binaural Hearing in Adults: The York Binaural Hearing-Related Quality-of-Life System.

Objectives: The widely-used generic preference-based measures of health-related quality of life-the EuroQol Descriptive System (EQ-5D) and the Health Utilities Index (HUI3)-are limited in their response to technologies that improve hearing. The EQ-5D lacks construct validity for hearing, while the HUI3 is restricted by a ceiling effect and by using speech reception as the only evidence of the ability to hear. Consequently, neither measure consistently registers benefits from binaural hearing, such as those from bilateral versus unilateral cochlear implantation.

Association of Hearing Loss with Physical, Social, and Mental Activity Engagement.

This article aims to evaluate a hearing loss intervention versus an aging education intervention on activity engagement in the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders pilot (ACHIEVE-P). Forty adults (70-84 years) with hearing loss recruited from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and de novo participated. Participants were randomized 1:1 to a best practices hearing intervention or a successful aging intervention.

Prevalence of Asymmetric Hearing Among Adults in the United States.

Objective: To estimate the national prevalence of asymmetric hearing among adults through applying two distinct audiometric criteria.

Study Design: National cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Ambulatory examination centers within the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Long-term Impact of Hearing Aid Provision or Cochlear Implantation on Hearing Handicap.

Objectives/hypothesis: Previous research has shown hearing handicap to be reduced following hearing aid use or cochlear implantation in short-to-medium follow-up periods, yet the impact of interventions for hearing loss on hearing handicap in the long term remains understudied. This article reports hearing handicap at 6 months, 12 months, and 5 years after either hearing aid provision or cochlear implantation.

Study Design: Observational study.

Prevalence and Population Estimates of Obstructive Eustachian Tube Dysfunction in US Adolescents.

This cross-sectional cohort study uses census data to approximate population estimates of obstructive eustachian tube dysfunction among US adolescents.

Hearing loss and employment: a systematic review of the association between hearing loss and employment among adults.

Background: Hearing loss affects over 1.3 billion individuals worldwide, with the greatest burden among adults. Little is known regarding the association between adult-onset hearing loss and employment.

Hearing Loss, Loneliness, and Social Isolation: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Social isolation and loneliness are associated with increased mortality and higher health care spending in older adults. Hearing loss is a common condition in older adults and impairs communication and social interactions. The objective of this review is to summarize the current state of the literature exploring the association between hearing loss and social isolation and/or loneliness.

Variations in Prevalence and Number of Older Adults With Self-reported Hearing Trouble by Audiometric Hearing Loss and Sociodemographic Characteristics.

This cross-sectional study evaluates 2613 participants 60 years or older in the NHANES study (2001-2012) for variations in self-reported hearing trouble by audiometric hearing loss and sociodemographic characteristics.