Efficacy of virtual reality pure-tone audiometry in training of hearing test for audiologist.

Background And Objectives: The immersive virtual reality (VR) simulator is advantageous because it is cost-effective, realistic, can be controlled directly by the user, and can be integrated into education and training in otorhinolaryngology. The present study explored the feasibility of incorporating VR pure-tone audiometry (PTA) into an audiologist training curriculum, and assessed audiology experts' willingness to use a VR PTA.

Materials And Methods: A total of 31 audiologists (16 skilled audiologists and 15 undergraduate students) participated in the study, using a developed VR PTA application with a Meta Quest 2 device.

Rasch analysis of a palliative care self-efficacy instrument for nursing assistants.

This study used Rasch models to evaluate the psychometric properties of a self-efficacy instrument focused on psychosocial aspects of palliative care developed for nursing assistants (NAs). NAs from 6 skilled nursing facilities in Illinois, U.S.

Enhanced Soil Fertility and Carbon Dynamics in Organic Farming Systems: The Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Abundance.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are critical for soil ecosystem services as they enhance plant growth and soil quality via nutrient cycling and carbon storage. Considering the growing emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices, this study investigated the effects of conventional and organic farming practices on AMF diversity, abundance, and ecological functions in maize, pepper, and potato-cultivated soils. Using next-generation sequencing and quantitative PCR, we assessed AMF diversity and abundance in addition to soil health indicators such as phosphorus content, total nitrogen, and soil organic carbon.

Factors Related to Clinical Competence among Graduating Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: This study investigated clinical competency, COVID-19-related anxiety, coping strategies, self-efficacy, and perceived stress among graduating nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey. Participants were recruited from universities located in four major cities in South Korea.

Music Perception Abilities of the Hearing Amplification System Users.

Background And Objectives: Recently, the improvement of music perception abilities for emotional stability and high quality of life has become important for the hearing loss group. This study aimed to examine and compare the music perception abilities of the normal hearing (NH) and hearing amplification system (HAS) groups to find the needs and methods of music rehabilitation. Subjects and.

Status of the Newborn Hearing Screening in the 4-Months Age National Infant Health Checkup in Korea: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Background: The aims of this study are to review data on 4-months age National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children (NHSPIC) using a National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database, and to analyze the newborn hearing screening (NHS) results and related characteristics of the 4-months NHSPIC for 7 years in South Korea.

Methods: We analyzed a NHIS database of infants who had participated in the 4-month age NHSPIC from 2010 to 2016. According to the results of hearing questionnaires and physical examination, we analyzed the outcomes of NHS and related infantile and socioeconomic factors.

Measuring palliative care self-efficacy of intellectual and developmental disability staff using Rasch models.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the psychometric properties of a palliative care self-efficacy instrument developed for intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) staff using Rasch analysis and assess the change in palliative care self-efficacy between 2 time points using Rasch analysis of stacked data.

Methods: Staff from 4 nonprofit IDD services organizations in a US Midwestern state ( = 98) answered 11 questions with Likert-style responses at baseline and 1-month follow-up post training. Rasch analysis was performed to examine rating scale structure, unidimensionality, local independence, overall model fit, person and item reliability and separation, targeting, individual item and personal fit, differential item functioning (DIF), and change in palliative care self-efficacy between 2 time points.

Do the oral health-related quality of life and the magnitude of its association with malocclusion differ by developmental stages of schoolchildren?

Introduction: As schoolchildren go through multiple developmental periods, their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) level may change over time. It is important to understand the association between malocclusion and OHRQOL in treatment planning for schoolchildren. This study aimed to examine OHRQOL and its association with malocclusion among schoolchildren at different developmental stages.

Feedback inhibition underlies new computational functions of cerebellar interneurons.

The function of a feedback inhibitory circuit between cerebellar Purkinje cells and molecular layer interneurons (MLIs) was defined by combining optogenetics, neuronal activity recordings both in cerebellar slices and in vivo, and computational modeling. Purkinje cells inhibit a subset of MLIs in the inner third of the molecular layer. This inhibition is non-reciprocal, short-range (less than 200 μm) and is based on convergence of one to two Purkinje cells onto MLIs.

dTMP imbalance through thymidylate 5'-phosphohydrolase activity induces apoptosis in triple-negative breast cancers.

Immunotherapy has a number of advantages over traditional anti-tumor therapy but can cause severe adverse reactions due to an overactive immune system. In contrast, a novel metabolic treatment approach can induce metabolic vulnerability through multiple cancer cell targets. Here, we show a therapeutic effect by inducing nucleotide imbalance and apoptosis in triple negative breast cancer cells (TNBC), by treating with cytosolic thymidylate 5'-phosphohydrolase (CT).

Improving Active Collaborative Clinical Learning Through a Mobile Application for Undergraduate Nursing Students.

Innovative teaching and learning strategies in pediatric clinical education are needed to ensure that learning outcomes are achieved efficiently and to improve students' satisfaction with the learning process. We developed a mobile application to enhance the clinical learning of nursing students during pediatric clinical practice and explored the participants' perceptions of the learning method. A mixed-method design and an online survey were used to assess participants' perceived achievement of learning objectives and satisfaction with the clinical practicum.

The Perspective of Administrators of Intellectual Disability Organizations on the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: To learn about the challenges, policies, and needed resources to serve people with intellectual disability and protect staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the perspective of intellectual disability service providers.

Methods: We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 16 intellectual disability organization administrators throughout Illinois, USA from November 2020 through February 2021.

Comparative Pharmacokinetics Between a Fixed-Dose Combination of Pitavastatin/Valsartan 4/160 mg and the Corresponding Individual Components Through a Partial Replicated Crossover Design in Healthy Male Subjects.

Hypertension and hyperlipidemia are often comorbid, requiring combination therapies of antihypertensive drugs and antihyperlipidemia drugs. Taking 1 fixed-dose combination (FDC) may increase patient compliance rather than taking each of the drugs separately. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic bioequivalence between an FDC of pitavastatin/valsartan 4/160 mg and the corresponding individual components.

Effects of Natural Versus Synthetic Consonant and Vowel Stimuli on Cortical Auditory-Evoked Potential.

Background And Objectives: Natural and synthetic speech signals effectively stimulate cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP). This study aimed to select the speech materials for CAEP and identify CAEP waveforms according to gender of speaker (GS) and gender of listener (GL).

Subjects And Methods: Two experiments including a comparison of natural and synthetic stimuli and CAEP measurement were performed of 21 young announcers and 40 young adults.

Effect of Online Palliative Care Training on Knowledge and Self-Efficacy of Direct Care Workers.

We evaluated the effectiveness of an online training on palliative care knowledge and self-efficacy among staff working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) using a one-group pretest-posttest design. Staff from four nonprofit residential and day services organizations in a U.S.

The Impact of an Internet Use Promotion Programme on Communication, Internet Use, and the Extent of Social Networks among Low-Income Older Adults.

We examined whether an internet use promotion intervention influences low-income older adults' communication modes, internet use, and social networks using existing data collected for an intervention. Participants living in public senior housing facilities in the United States ( = 77) completed surveys before and after a 12-week computer and internet training. The six-item Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6) was used to measure the extent of older adults' social networks.

The Effect of a Web-Based Deep Breathing App on Stress of Direct Care Workers: Uncontrolled Intervention Study.

Studies have demonstrated success in reducing stress levels in complex interventions including deep breathing components. Breathing exercise interventions, however, tend not to be studied in isolation. The aim of the study was to examine the impact of a breathing exercise using a web-based app on the stress levels of direct care workers (DCWs) who serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Occupational Performance of Hearing-Impaired and Normal-Hearing Workers in Korea.

Background And Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the occupational performance of Korean workers with and without hearing loss and analyze the hearing-related difficulties in the working environment.

Subjects And Purpose: The Amsterdam checklist for hearing and work was used for the analyses and the occupational environments of the Korean workers were investigated. Out of 129 total participants, 86 workers experienced severe to profound hearing loss and 43 had the normal hearing ability.

A Review of Contemporary Teleaudiology: Literature Review, Technology, and Considerations for Practicing.

The scope of teleaudiology has been noted with telehealth due to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) recently. As the notion has been around us for more than 20 years ever since 1999, it is necessary to perceive the knowledge accurately and prepare for the successful implementation of it. Therefore, the literature review including screening and diagnostic audiometry, cochlear implants and hearing aids, and aural rehabilitation, telecommunications technology regarding several fields of teleaudiology, and considerations for practicing were identified.

Molecular Layer Interneurons: Key Elements of Cerebellar Network Computation and Behavior.

Molecular layer interneurons (MLIs) play an important role in cerebellar information processing by controlling Purkinje cell (PC) activity via inhibitory synaptic transmission. A local MLI network, constructed from both chemical and electrical synapses, is organized into spatially structured clusters that amplify feedforward and lateral inhibition to shape the temporal and spatial patterns of PC activity. Several recent in vivo studies indicate that such MLI circuits contribute not only to sensorimotor information processing, but also to precise motor coordination and cognitive processes.

Status of early hearing detection and intervention in South Korea: a nationwide population-based study of national infant health checkup.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of early hearing detection and intervention after newborn hearing screening (NHS) in South Korea. A retrospective review of Korean national health insurance service data of all infants receiving the 4-month old national infant health checkup between 2010 and 2016 from a nationwide population-based database was conducted. Based on the results of the NHS-administered hearing questionnaires as part of the national infant health checkup, individuals were classified into "pass" (1,730,615 infants) or "refer" (10,941 infants) groups.

Effect of Speech Degradation and Listening Effort in Reverberating and Noisy Environments Given N400 Responses.

Background And Objectives: In distracting listening conditions, individuals need to pay extra attention to selectively listen to the target sounds. To investigate the amount of listening effort required in reverberating and noisy backgrounds, a semantic mismatch was examined.

Subjects And Methods: Electroencephalography was performed in 18 voluntary healthy participants using a 64-channel system to obtain N400 latencies.

Effect of noise and reverberation on speech recognition and listening effort for older adults.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the speech recognition ability and degree of listening effort for older adults in noisy and reverberating environments.

Methods: A total of 80 participants (40 older and 40 younger adults) participated in a sentence recognition test under 20 conditions with four levels of background noise and five levels of reverberation time. In each condition, the degree of listening effort was self-reported using a 5-point Likert scale.

Efficient recovery of recombinant CRM197 expressed as inclusion bodies in E.coli.

CRM197, which retains the same inflammatory and immune-stimulant properties as diphtheria toxin but with reduced toxicity, has been used as a safe carrier in conjugated vaccines. Expression of recombinant CRM197 in E. coli is limited due to formation of inclusion bodies.