Polish Translation and Validation of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and the Tinnitus Functional Index.

The need for validated measures enabling clinicians to classify tinnitus patients according to the severity of tinnitus and screen the progress of therapies in our country led us to translate into Polish and to validate two tinnitus questionnaires, namely the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI). The original English versions of the questionnaires were translated into Polish and translated back to English by three independent translators. These versions were then finalized by the authors into a Polish THI (THI-Pl) and a Polish TFI (TFI-Pl).

Analysis of inner ear potassium recycling genes as potential factors associated with tinnitus.

Unlabelled: Tinnitus is defined as a perception of sound in the absence of an external acoustic stimulus. Several factors are known to influence tinnitus, e.g.

Acoustic analysis with vocal loading test in occupational voice disorders: outcomes before and after voice therapy.

Objective: To assess the usefulness of acoustic analysis with vocal loading test for evaluating the treatment outcomes in occupational voice disorders.

Methods: Fifty-one female teachers with dysphonia were examined (Voice Handicap Index--VHI, laryngovideostroboscopy and acoustic analysis with vocal loading) before and after treatment. The outcomes of teachers receiving vocal training (group I) were referred to outcomes of group II receiving only voice hygiene instructions.

The effectiveness of voice therapy for teachers with dysphonia.

Objective: An incorrect voice emission is a risk factor for developing occupational voice disorders. The study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of voice therapy in female teachers with dysphonia.

Methods: The study comprised 133 subjects with voice disorders, taking part in a vocal training programme.

Evaluation of voice acoustic parameters related to the vocal-loading test in professionally active teachers with dysphonia.

Introduction: Teachers are at risk of developing voice disorders. A clinical battery of vocal function tests should include non-invasive and accurate measurements. The quantitative methods (e.

Individual susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss: choosing an optimal method of retrospective classification of workers into noise-susceptible and noise-resistant groups.

Objectives: Individual susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) depends on the interaction between intrinsic and environmental factors. To proceed with the study on NIHL susceptibility genes an appropriate selection of workers susceptible and resistant to noise is crucial. The aim of the study was to compare four different methods of subject classification by the susceptibility to NIHL in a group of 949 workers of an electric power plant exposed to steady-state noise at the workplace.

Diagnostic value of voice acoustic analysis in assessment of occupational voice pathologies in teachers.

It has been shown that teachers are at risk of developing occupational dysphonia, which accounts for over 25% of all occupational diseases diagnosed in Poland. The most frequently used method of diagnosing voice diseases is videostroboscopy. However, to facilitate objective evaluation of voice efficiency as well as medical certification of occupational voice disorders, it is crucial to implement quantitative methods of voice assessment, particularly voice acoustic analysis.

The prevalence and risk factors for occupational voice disorders in teachers.

Objective: Occupational voice disorders in Poland account for over 25% of all occupational diseases. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of voice problems in the general population of Polish teachers, and identify risk factors for developing voice pathology.

Patients And Methods: The study group comprised 425 female full-time teachers (most of them primary and secondary school, age ranging from 23 to 61 years) and 83 non-teacher women (control) whose jobs did not involve vocal effort, matched for age to the study group.

Exacerbation of noise-induced hearing loss by co-exposure to workplace chemicals.

Background: : Numerous organic solvents applied in industry, like toluene, styrene, xylene and n-hexane have been demonstrated to impair hearing in animals. However, the effects of exposure to a given organic solvent and the interaction of noise and solvents on hearing in humans are still not fully recognized.

Study Design: : The study was aimed to assess the effects of occupational exposure to solvents alone or in combination with noise on hearing in 1117 employees of yacht, ship, plastic, shoe, and paint and lacquer industry.

Temporary changes in hearing after exposure to shooting noise.

Objectives: Firearm is a common source of impulse noise that may potentially damage hearing organ. It has been suggested that otoacoustic emissions, particularly transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE), might be more sensitive than pure-tone audiometry (PTA) in the assessment of changes to cochlea caused by noise. The aim of this study was to: (i) evaluate exposure to impulse noise from small-caliber weapons, (ii) compare the post-exposure changes in hearing measured by PTA and TEOAE and correlate them with noise parameters.

Effects of coexposure to noise and mixture of organic solvents on hearing in dockyard workers.

Questionnaire and audiometric data of 701 dockyard workers (517 noise and organic solvent mixture-exposed and 184 noise-only-exposed) were referred to 205 control subjects not exposed to either noise or solvents. The odds ratio (OR) of hearing loss was significantly increased by approximately 3 times in the noise-only group and by almost 5 times in the noise and solvent group. A moderate effect of solvent ototoxicity, in addition to noise, was observed on hearing threshold at a frequency 8 kHz.

Comparing changes in transient-evoked otoacoustic emission and pure-tone audiometry following short exposure to industrial noise.

It has been suggested that otoacoustic emissions, particularly transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE), might be more sensitive in assessment of changes to the cochlea caused by noise than pure-tone audiometry (PTA). The aim of the study was to compare temporary threshold shifts with the changes in TEOAE following a six-hour exposure to industrial noise at the intensity of 85-97 dB (A). Thirty two male employees of a metal factory were screened.

Otoacoustic emissions in industrial hearing loss assessment.

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are a sensitive and frequency-specific tool for assessing cochlear damage. Parameters of an OAE signal decrease at the frequency that approximately corresponds with the injured region. However, damage in the basal turn of the cochlea is important for signal processing and OAE generation in the higher cochlear partition.

Comparison of fascin expression in anaplastic large cell lymphoma and Hodgkin disease.

Diagnostic difficulties sometimes arise in distinguishing anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) from Hodgkin disease (HD), especially the syncytial variant. Study of the biologic features of diagnostic Reed-Sternberg cells in HD, in search of specific markers for Reed-Sternberg cells, has suggested fascin as a relatively specific and sensitive marker. We studied the frequency of fascin expression in 30 ALCLs and 34 cases of classic HD, including 17 cases of the syncytial variant.

Ototoxic effects of occupational exposure to styrene and co-exposure to styrene and noise.

Ototoxicity of styrene and the synergistic action of styrene and noise have been shown in rats. The respective data in humans are scarce and equivocal. This study evaluated the effects of occupational exposure to styrene and combined exposures to styrene and noise on hearing.

[Effect of voice emission training on the improvement in voice organ function among students attending the college of teachers].

One of the major causes of frequent voice disorders in teachers is incorrect vocal emission technique. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of logopedic training on voice emission parameters and vocal organ disorders in students attending the college for teachers. The study group comprised 45 female students who experienced vocal abnormalities after excessive vocal effort.

Occupational exposure to noise decreases otoacoustic emission efferent suppression.

With the discovery of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), the efferent cochlear system has become accessible for investigation in humans. Recently, it has been suggested that contralateral sound activated OAE efferent suppression may provide an early indication of auditory damage due to exposure to noise. In this study, OAE efferent suppression in normally hearing subjects, occupationally exposed to noise, was compared with respective effects in healthy, non-exposed subjects.

Potential role of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with secondary acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Secondary acute lymphocytic leukemias (ALL) are uncommon events in the pediatric patient population. There are few detailed reports on the laboratory characteristics and clinical course of patients with secondary lymphocytic leukemia. Historically, these patients have had a poor outcome.

[Hearing impairment in the plastics industry workers exposed to styrene and noise].

Styrene exerts ototoxic effect in animals, and the combined exposure to this solvent and noise produces a synergistic effect relative to the isolated exposure to noise. However, there is a lack of reliable evidence that chronic occupational exposure to styrene is ototoxic to humans. Neither has been documented its additive effect with noise.

Hearing loss among workers exposed to moderate concentrations of solvents.

Objectives: It is known that some industrial organic solvents are ototoxic. This study was aimed at evaluating the hearing effects of a mixture of organic solvents alone or in combination with noise on employees in paint and lacquer enterprises. The concentration of solvents was below the occupational exposure limits (OEL) for most of the subjects.

[Evaluation of voice quality in students from teaching colleges].

Vocal disorders are very common occupation-related disease in teachers. Their remarkable incidence might be associated with inappropriate techniques of speech and poor vocal hygiene. The aim of this study was to assess the function of vocal organ including voice emission technique in persons starting their teaching occupation.

Analysis of engraftment, graft-versus-host disease, and immune recovery following unrelated donor cord blood transplantation.

Unrelated cord blood (UCB) is being used as a source of alternative hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation with increasing frequency. From November 1994 to February 1999, 30 UCB transplant procedures were performed for both malignant and nonmalignant diseases in 27 children, aged 0.4 to 17.

Immunohistochemistry can be used to subtype acute myeloid leukemia in routinely processed bone marrow biopsy specimens. Comparison with flow cytometry.

Flow cytometry (FC) is the preferred method of immunophenotyping acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, there are situations in which FC is unavailable and in which immunohistologic staining of bone marrow biopsy specimens can be used to provide immunophenotypic information. To evaluate immunohistologic staining and to confirm its value, we selected 80 newly diagnosed cases of AML that were classified according to French-American-British (FAB) criteria and confirmed by flow cytometric analysis for this study.

[Assessment of hearing impairment in workers exposed to mixtures of organic solvents in the paint and lacquer industry].

Clinical and experimental studies indicate a possible harmful effect of chemicals, especially organic solvents, on the hearing system. In combined exposure to noise and solvents, very common in industry, it is most likely that a synergetic action of these factors enhances the traumatising effect of exposure to noise. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and the risk of hearing impairment in 117 paint and lacquer factory workers exposed to a mixture of organic solvents.

Flow cytometric immunophenotypic characterization of pediatric and adult minimally differentiated acute myeloid leukemia (AML-M0).

We reviewed the clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic profiles of 7 pediatric and 11 adult minimally differentiated acute myelogenous leukemias (AML-M0). We also compared and evaluated myeloperoxidase in leukemic blasts using standard cytochemical and polyclonal antibody immunohistochemical stains. No distinctive clinical findings were noted in either patient group; however, thrombocytopenia typically was more prominent in adults.