Association of Cardiovascular Comorbidities With Hearing Loss in the Older Old.

Importance: In the United States, the population of individuals older than 80 years is expected to double in the next 40 years. Cardiovascular comorbidities are prevalent in this older old population, and their relationship with hearing loss has not been well characterized.

Objective: To investigate the association of cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related risk factors with auditory function among the older old (>80 years).

Increases in the Rate of Age-Related Hearing Loss in the Older Old.

Importance: There is a critical disparity in knowledge regarding the rate and nature of hearing loss in the older old (80 years and older).

Objective: To determine if the rate of age-related hearing loss is constant in the older old.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We performed a retrospective review that began on August 1, 2014, with audiometric evaluations at an academic medical center of 647 patients aged between 80 and 106 years, of whom 141 had multiple audiograms.

Hearing Aid Use is Associated with Better Mini-Mental State Exam Performance.

Objective: Hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline in the elderly. However, it is unknown if the use of hearing aids (HAs) is associated with enhanced cognitive function.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study at an academic medical center, participants underwent audiometric evaluation, the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), and the Trail Making Test, Part B (TMT-B).

Asymmetric hearing loss is common and benign in patients aged 95 years and older.

Objectives/hypothesis: The objective of our study was to investigate age-specific auditory function in the patient population aged 95 years and older.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review at a tertiary medical center.

Methods: Medical records of 51 patients older than 95 years (82% female, 18% male) who underwent audiologic testing were reviewed.

Lung to head ratio in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia does not predict long term pulmonary hypertension.

Purpose: Lung-to-head ratio (LHR) has been used for antenatal evaluation of infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). We hypothesized that LHR was predictive of acute and chronic pulmonary hypertension in infants with CDH.

Methods: Echocardiograms on all inborn infants with CDH (December 2001-March 2011) were reviewed.

Neovasculogenic therapy to augment perfusion and preserve viability in ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a global health concern with limited therapy. We recently described endogenous revascularization utilizing granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GMCSF) to induce endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) production and intramyocardial stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF) as a specific EPC chemokine. The EPC-mediated neovascularization and enhancement of myocardial function was observed.