Use of Hearing Aids Embedded with Inertial Sensors and Artificial Intelligence to Identify Patients at Risk for Falling.

Objective: To compare fall risk scores of hearing aids embedded with inertial measurement units (IMU-HAs) and powered by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms with scores by trained observers.

Study Design: Prospective, double-blinded, observational study of fall risk scores between trained observers and those of IMU-HAs.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

The Relationship of Pitch Discrimination with Segregation of Tonal and Speech Streams for Cochlear Implant Users.

Cochlear implant (CI) users often complain about music appreciation and speech recognition in background noise, which depend on segregating sound sources into perceptual streams. The present study examined relationships between frequency and fundamental frequency (F0) discrimination with stream segregation of tonal and speech streams for CI users and peers with no known hearing loss. Frequency and F0 discrimination were measured for 1,000 Hz pure tones and 110 Hz complex tones, respectively.

Comparing human and machine speech recognition in noise with QuickSIN.

A test is proposed to characterize the performance of speech recognition systems. The QuickSIN test is used by audiologists to measure the ability of humans to recognize continuous speech in noise. This test yields the signal-to-noise ratio at which individuals can correctly recognize 50% of the keywords in low-context sentences.

The 2023 Annual Report of DataDerm: The database of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The American Academy of Dermatology launched DataDerm in 2016 as the clinical data registry platform of American Academy of Dermatology. DataDerm has evolved to be the largest database in the world containing information about dermatology patients, capturing information about their course of disease, associated therapeutic interventions, and health outcomes. As of December 31, 2022, DataDerm contained data from 14.

Safety and Early Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation of Nucleus Devices in Infants: A Multi-Centre Study.

This multi-center study examined the safety and effectiveness of cochlear implantation of children between 9 and 11 months of age. The intended impact was to support practice regarding candidacy assessment and prognostic counseling of pediatric cochlear implant candidates. Data in the clinical chart of children implanted at 9-11 months of age with Cochlear Ltd devices at five cochlear implant centers in the United States and Canada were included in analyses.

Immigrant Status Disparities in Hearing Health Care Use in the United States.

Objective: To determine whether immigrant status is associated with likelihood of audiogram and hearing aid use among US adults with hearing loss.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Nationally representative data from 2009 to 2010, 2011 to 2012, 2015 to 2016, and 2017 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles.

Speech-in-Noise Assessment in the Routine Audiologic Test Battery: Relationship to Perceived Auditory Disability.

Objectives: Self-assessment of perceived communication difficulty has been used in clinical and research practices for decades. Such questionnaires routinely assess the perceived ability of an individual to understand speech, particularly in background noise. Despite the emphasis on perceived performance in noise, speech recognition in routine audiologic practice is measured by word recognition in quiet (WRQ).

A Large-Scale Study of the Relationship Between Degree and Type of Hearing Loss and Recognition of Speech in Quiet and Noise.

Objectives: Understanding speech in noise (SIN) is the dominant complaint of individuals with hearing loss. For decades, the default test of speech perception in routine audiologic assessment has been monosyllabic word recognition in quiet (WRQ), which does not directly address patient concerns, leading some to advocate that measures of SIN should be integrated into routine practice. However, very little is known with regard to how SIN abilities are affected by different types of hearing loss.

DataDerm: Improving trends in performance measurement.

Background: Medicare's legacy quality reporting programs were consolidated into the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in 2015.

Purpose: The DataDerm registry of the American Academy of Dermatology was examined to understand the potential for and subsequent rate of improvement across 23 performance measures.

Methods: We examined the level of performance across 23 performance measures with at least 20 clinicians reporting on at least 50 patients' experience.

Evaluation of Asymmetries in Speech-in Noise Abilities in Audiologic Screening for Vestibular Schwannoma.

Objectives: Measures of speech-in-noise, such as the QuickSIN, are increasingly common tests of speech perception in audiologic practice. However, the effect of vestibular schwannoma (VS) on speech-in-noise abilities is unclear. Here, we compare the predictive ability of interaural QuickSIN asymmetry for detecting VS against other measures of audiologic asymmetry.

Preliminary Guidelines for Replacing Word-Recognition in Quiet With Speech in Noise Assessment in the Routine Audiologic Test Battery.

Objectives: For decades, monosyllabic word-recognition in quiet (WRQ) has been the default test of speech recognition in routine audiologic assessment. The continued use of WRQ scores is noteworthy in part because difficulties understanding speech in noise (SIN) is perhaps the most common complaint of individuals with hearing loss. The easiest way to integrate SIN measures into routine clinical practice would be for SIN to replace WRQ assessment as the primary test of speech perception.

The 2022 Annual Report of DataDerm: The database of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) launched DataDerm in 2016 as the clinical data registry platform of AAD. DataDerm has evolved to be the largest database containing information about dermatology patients in the world. As of December 31, 2021, DataDerm contained data from 13.

Prevalence of Cochlear Nerve Deficiency and Hearing Device Use in Children With Single-Sided Deafness.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of cochlear nerve deficiency (CND) in a cohort of pediatric patients with single-sided deafness (SSD). A secondary objective was to investigate trends in intervention and hearing device use in these children.

Study Design: Case series with chart review.

Identifying Listeners Whose Speech Intelligibility Depends on a Quiet Extra Moment After a Sentence.

Purpose: An extra moment after a sentence is spoken may be important for listeners with hearing loss to mentally repair misperceptions during listening. The current audiologic test battery cannot distinguish between a listener who repaired a misperception versus a listener who heard the speech accurately with no need for repair. This study aims to develop a behavioral method to identify individuals who are at risk for relying on a quiet moment after a sentence.

Dynamic Observation of Retinal Response to Pressure Elevation in a Microfluidic Chamber.

Dynamic observation of cell and tissue responses to elevated pressure could help our understanding of important physiological and pathological processes related to pressure-induced injury. Here, we report on a microfluidic platform capable of maintaining a wide range of stable operating pressures (30 to 200 mmHg) while using a low flowrate (2-14 μL/h) to limit shear stress. This is achieved by forcing flow through a porous resistance matrix composed of agarose gel downstream of a microfluidic chamber.

Remote Intraoperative Neural Response Telemetry: Technique and Results in Cochlear Implant Surgery.

Objective: Present results with remote intraoperative neural response telemetry (NRT) during cochlear implantation (CI) and its usefulness in overcoming the inefficiency of in person NRT.

Study Design: Case series.

Setting: Tertiary academic otology practice.

Outcomes in Patients Meeting Cochlear Implant Criteria in Noise but Not in Quiet.

Objective: Evaluate outcomes in cochlear implant (CI) recipients qualifying in AzBio noise but not quiet, and identify factors associated with postimplantation improvement.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary otology/neurotology clinic.

The 2021 annual report of DataDerm: The database of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The American Academy of Dermatology launched DataDerm in 2016 as the clinical data registry platform of the American Academy of Dermatology. DataDerm has evolved to be the largest database containing information about dermatology patients in the world. As of December 31, 2020, DataDerm contained data from 11.

Rapid prototyping of cell culture microdevices using parylene-coated 3D prints.

Fabrication of microfluidic devices by photolithography generally requires specialized training and access to a cleanroom. As an alternative, 3D printing enables cost-effective fabrication of microdevices with complex features that would be suitable for many biomedical applications. However, commonly used resins are cytotoxic and unsuitable for devices involving cells.

Valid Acoustic Models of Cochlear Implants: One Size Does Not Fit All.

Hypothesis: This study tests the hypothesis that it is possible to find tone or noise vocoders that sound similar and result in similar speech perception scores to a cochlear implant (CI). This would validate the use of such vocoders as acoustic models of CIs. We further hypothesize that those valid acoustic models will require a personalized amount of frequency mismatch between input filters and output tones or noise bands.

Treatment Tone Spacing and Acute Effects of Acoustic Coordinated Reset Stimulation in Tinnitus Patients.

Acoustic coordinated reset (aCR) therapy for tinnitus aims to desynchronize neuronal populations in the auditory cortex that exhibit pathologically increased coincident firing. The original therapeutic paradigm involves fixed spacing of four low-intensity tones centered around the frequency of a tone matching the tinnitus pitch, , but it is unknown whether these tones are optimally spaced for induction of desynchronization. Computational and animal studies suggest that stimulus amplitude, and relatedly, spatial stimulation profiles, of coordinated reset pulses can have a major impact on the degree of desynchronization achievable.

Influence of electrode to cochlear duct length ratio on post-operative speech understanding outcomes.

Objective: To assess whether the pre-operative electrode to cochlear duct length ratio (ECDLR), is associated with post-operative speech recognition outcomes.

Study Design: A retrospective chart review study.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Bidirectional Modulation of Contact Thermal Resistance between Boron Nitride Nanotubes from a Polymer Interlayer.

Enhancing the thermal conductivity of polymer composites could improve their performance in applications requiring fast heat dissipation. While significant progress has been made, a long-standing issue is the contact thermal resistance between the nanofillers, which could play a critical role in the composite thermal properties. Through systematic studies of contact thermal resistance between individual boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) of different diameters, with and without a poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) interlayer, we show that the contact thermal resistance between bare BNNTs is largely determined by reflection of ballistic phonons.

The completeness and accuracy of DataDerm: The database of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The utility of any database or registry depends on the completeness and accuracy of the data it contains. This report documents the validity of data elements within DataDerm, the clinical registry database of the American Academy of Dermatology. An external audit of DataDerm, performed by a third-party vendor, involved the manual review of 1098 individual patient charts from calendar year 2018 from 8 different dermatology practices that used 4 different electronic health records.

Contact Thermal Resistance between Silver Nanowires with Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) Interlayers.

Various nanofillers have been adopted to enhance the thermal conductivity of polymer nanocomposites. While it is widely believed that the contact thermal resistance between adjacent nanofillers can play an important role in limiting thermal conductivity enhancement of composite materials, lack of direct experimental data poses a significant challenge to perceiving the effects of these contacts. This study reports on direct measurements of thermal transport through contacts between silver nanowires (AgNWs) with a poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) interlayer.