Supra-Threshold LS CE-Chirp Auditory Brainstem Response in the Elderly.

Introduction: Aging deteriorates peripheral and central auditory structures and functions. In elders, for an accurate audiological evaluation, it is important to explore beyond the cochlear receptor. Audiograms provide an estimation of hearing thresholds, while the amplitudes and latencies of supra-threshold auditory brainstem response (ABR) can offer noninvasive measures of the auditory pathways functioning.

Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment and Its Association With Hearing Loss Among Adults Over 50 Years of Age: Results From a Population-Based Survey in Santiago, Chile.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of cognitive impairment and explore its association with hearing loss and other sociodemographic and clinical risk factors, using an objective measurement of hearing levels, in adults over 50 years of age.

Method: A population-based survey was completed in Santiago, Chile between December 2019 and March 2020. Participants were screened for cognitive impairment using the Short Chilean Mini-Mental State Examination and hearing levels were assessed with tonal audiometry (hearTest).

Hearing loss in school-aged children.

Background: Hearing loss is a common disability affecting 5% of the world's population. A lack of opportune diagnosis affects both the individual and society. In order to develop public health policies in the field of hearing health, countries must have information about epidemiology.

Speech Perception and Dichotic Listening Are Associated With Hearing Thresholds and Cognition, Respectively, in Unaided Presbycusis.

Presbycusis or age-related hearing loss is a prevalent condition in the elderly population, which affects oral communication, especially in background noise, and has been associated with social isolation, depression, and cognitive decline. However, the mechanisms that relate hearing loss with cognition are complex and still elusive. Importantly, recent studies show that the use of hearing aids in presbycusis, which is its standard management, can induce neuroplasticity and modify performance in cognitive tests.

Prevalence, risk factors and causes of hearing loss among adults 50 years and older in Santiago, Chile: results from a rapid assessment of hearing loss survey.

Objective: Among a representative sample of adults aged 50 years and older too (i) determine the prevalence of hearing loss, (ii) evaluate probable causes and risk factors of hearing loss, and (iii) assess the association between hearing loss measured by audiometry and self-report.

Design: A population-based survey of adults aged 50 and older in Santiago, Chile using the Rapid Assessment of Hearing Loss (RAHL) survey.

Study Sample: 538 participants completed a questionnaire, which included questions on socio-demographic and health characteristics and self-reported hearing loss.

How the COVID-19 pandemic affects specialty training: An analysis of a nationwide survey among otolaryngology residents in Chile.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, has become a global pandemic. Given that the highest viral load of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is found in the airway, otolaryngologists are at high risk of infection. As a result, multiple recommendations have emerged regarding protective measures for surgical teams, including suspending non-urgent procedures and surgeries.

The Spanish 12-item version of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing scale (Sp-SSQ12): adaptation, reliability, and discriminant validity for people with and without hearing loss.

Purpose: Because of the limited number of Spanish validated questionnaires available to assess auditory functionality in daily life situations in adults, the purpose of this study was to investigate the validity and the reliability of the Spanish version of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing 12 items scale (sp-SSQ12), adapted from the published Spanish SSQ49, and to provide reference data for normal and hearing-impaired populations.

Methods: The SSQ12 is a self-report questionnaire, consisting of 12 items assessing a range of daily life listening situations. One hundred fifty adults (101 female) with a mean age of 53.

Reduced suprathreshold auditory nerve responses are associated with slower processing speed and thinner temporal and parietal cortex in presbycusis.

Unlabelled: Epidemiological evidence shows an association between hearing loss and dementia in elderly people. However, the mechanisms that connect hearing impairments and cognitive decline are still unknown. Here we propose that a suprathreshold auditory-nerve impairment is associated with cognitive decline and brain atrophy.

Computer-aided diagnosis of external and middle ear conditions: A machine learning approach.

In medicine, a misdiagnosis or the absence of specialists can affect the patient's health, leading to unnecessary tests and increasing the costs of healthcare. In particular, the lack of specialists in otolaryngology in third world countries forces patients to seek medical attention from general practitioners, whom might not have enough training and experience for making correct diagnosis in this field. To tackle this problem, we propose and test a computer-aided system based on machine learning models and image processing techniques for otoscopic examination, as a support for a more accurate diagnosis of ear conditions at primary care before specialist referral; in particular, for myringosclerosis, earwax plug, and chronic otitis media.

Decellularized equine carotid artery layers as matrix for regenerated neurites of spiral ganglion neurons.

Today's best solution in compensating for sensorineural hearing loss is the cochlear implant, which electrically stimulates the spiral ganglion neurons in the inner ear. An optimum hearing impression is not ensured due to, among other reasons, a remaining anatomical gap between the spiral ganglion neurons and the implant electrodes. The gap could be bridged via pharmacologically triggered neurite growth toward the electrodes if biomaterials for neurite guidance could be provided.

Comprehensive analysis of HPV expression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in laryngeal carcinoma remains controversial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of HPV in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by determining presence of markers of viral infection. HPV DNA and E6*I mRNA status was determined by type-specific E7 PCR bead-based multiplex genotyping and RT-PCR assays in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma biopsy samples.

Prevalence of the 35delG mutation in the GJB2 gene in two samples of non-syndromic deaf subjects from Chile.

Hearing loss is the most common inherited sensorial deficiency in humans; about 1 in 1000 children suffer from severe or profound hearing loss at birth. Mutations in the GJB2 gene are the most common cause of prelingual, non-syndromic autosomal recessive deafness in many populations; the c.35delG mutation is the most common in Caucasian populations.

Inactivation of the putative suppressor gene DOK1 by promoter hypermethylation in primary human cancers.

The DOK1 gene is a putative tumour suppressor gene located on the human chromosome 2p13 which is frequently rearranged in leukaemia and other human tumours. We previously reported that the DOK1 gene can be mutated and its expression down-regulated in human malignancies. However, the mechanism underlying DOK1 silencing remains largely unknown.

DNA extraction from formalin-fixed laryngeal biopsies: Comparison of techniques.

Conclusion: PCR-quality DNA could be extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples with amplicons of at least 390 bp. Paraffin removal was not a necessary step. Proteinase K digestion was as efficient as the commercial kit for DNA extraction with a lower cost.

Human papillomavirus infections in laryngeal cancer.

Although the association and clinical significance of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections with a subset of head and neck cancers, particularly for oropharyngeal carcinoma, has recently been well documented, the involvement of HPV in laryngeal cancer has been inadequately evaluated. Herein we review the currently known associations of HPV infections in diseases of the larynx and their potential for oncogenicity. Using several methods of detection, HPV DNA has been detected in benign (papillomatosis), indolent (verrucous carcinoma), and malignant (squamous cell carcinoma) lesions of the larynx.

Exploring the relation between human papilloma virus and larynx cancer.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) has a role in benign and malignant pathology of the larynx. In this review we present the biological and epidemiological aspects related to these issues.

Molecular detection and typing of human papillomavirus in laryngeal carcinoma specimens.

Conclusions: Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA was detected in 32% of laryngeal carcinoma biopsy samples studied. The genotypes identified were high-risk types, the most frequent being HPV 16. Viral DNA was integrated into the host genome (genotype HPV 16), providing supporting evidence for a role of HPV in the carcinogenic pathway of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

[Authorship in the Chilean journal Revista de Otorrinolaringología y Cirurgía de Babeza y Cuello: analysis of three decades].

Background: The number of authors of scientific papers has increased significantly in the last decade. The increasing complexity of medical research but also vicious practices are possible causes of this trend.

Aim: To analyze the number of authors and type of papers published in the Chilean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery in the last three decades.