Audiological and Vestibular Follow-Up for Children with Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection: From Current Limitations to Future Directions.

Currently, the guidelines for audiological and vestibular follow-up in children with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) are not well-defined. The general recommendation is to evaluate hearing in all children with congenital CMV at the same intervals: once every 3-6 months up to 1 year of age, once every 6 months from 1 to 3 years of age, and once a year from 3 to 6 years of age. Additionally, there are no universally accepted protocols for the vestibular follow-up of children with congenital CMV, although video head impulse test (v-HIT) and cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs) are sometimes used.

TAS2R38 Genotype Does Not Affect SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.

Several chronic respiratory diseases could be risk factors for acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection: among them, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare (about 1:10.000) inherited ciliopathy (MIM 242650) characterized by recurrent upper and lower respiratory tract infections due to a dysfunction of the respiratory cilia. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether PCD subjects are more susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2 and whether some polymorphisms of the bitter taste receptor correlate with an increased prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity of symptoms.

Italian Speech-Language Pathologists and Telerehabilitation for Voice Disorders: A Survey on Satisfaction, Effectiveness, Limits, and Future Prospects.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of virtual voice therapy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown in Italy via the collection of opinions of speech-language pathologists (SLPs). All SLPs who regularly carried out their professional activity in public hospitals, private hospitals, or private practices in Italy were asked to fill out an online survey consisting of two sections: (1) demographic information (age, gender, work setting, seniority, working time, and regular use of virtual voice therapy) and (2) opinions regarding telerehabilitation (motivation, personal satisfaction, effectiveness, and future needs and uses). A total of 299 SLPs (mean age 39.

Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Patients Aged from 15 to 40 Years.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hearing characteristics and causes of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) in patients aged from 15 to 40 years, focusing on audiological outcomes one year after the diagnosis. The medical records of individuals with SSNHL who were referred to our tertiary-level audiologic center were reviewed. All patients had undergone comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, including high-resolution 3D-FLAIR delayed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), and screening for coagulation, infectious, and autoimmune diseases.

Otitis Media With Effusion After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Return to the Past and New Lessons.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) among children who attended a tertiary level audiologic center 2 and 3 years after the COVID-19 lockdown, and to determine the impact of temporary interruption of day care center attendance on chronic OME.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tertiary level referral audiologic center.

Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Children: Etiology, Audiological Characteristics, and Treatment.

The aim of this study was to evaluate audiological characteristics and parents' opinions on hearing device use in children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USNHL) who attended a tertiary-level audiologic center. The medical charts of 70 children aged 6 to 12 years with USNHL were reviewed. In 51.

Acute otitis media diagnosis in childhood: still a problem in 2023?

Background: Diagnosis of acute otitis media (AOM) in children can be challenging, given that symptoms are often non-specific or absent, and that the direct observation of the tympanic membrane in its entirety through otoscopy can sometimes be difficult. The aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic concordance in detection of AOM episodes between primary care paediatricians and physicians especially trained in paediatric otoscopy, and to characterize the most misleading elements in diagnostic failure.

Methods: Consecutive clinical charts of children regularly followed for recurrent AOM (RAOM, i.

Audiological findings in children aged 2-6 years with isolated speech-language delay.

Background: The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of hearing loss (HL) among preschoolers with speech-language delay who had passed the universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS).

Methods: This retrospective study included children aged 2-6 years with isolated speech-language delay who were referred to a third-level audiological center for a comprehensive audiological assessment, including otomicroscopy, tympanometry, and click-evoked auditory brainstem responses.

Results: A total of 375 speech-language delayed children (285 male and 90 female) were assessed.

Comment on Manchaiah et al. Social Representations of "Tinnitus" and "Health" among Individuals with Tinnitus Seeking Online Psychological Interventions. 2023, , 207-220.

We read with pleasure the interesting paper titled "Social Representations of "Tinnitus" and "Health" among Individuals with Tinnitus Seeking Online Psychological Interventions" by Vinaya Manchaiah et al. [..

Congenital Cytomegalovirus and Hearing Loss: The State of the Art.

In developed countries, congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is the most common congenital viral infection, representing the leading non-genetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss (HL). Diagnosis of cCMV infection can be performed by detection of CMV DNA in urine or saliva within 2-3 weeks after birth, or later in dried blood samples on the Guthrie card. Currently, there are many controversies regarding the preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches to cCMV infection.

Autosomal Dominant Non-Syndromic Hearing Loss (DFNA): A Comprehensive Narrative Review.

Autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss (HL) typically occurs when only one dominant allele within the disease gene is sufficient to express the phenotype. Therefore, most patients diagnosed with autosomal dominant non-syndromic HL have a hearing-impaired parent, although de novo mutations should be considered in all cases of negative family history. To date, more than 50 genes and 80 loci have been identified for autosomal dominant non-syndromic HL.

Sudden hearing loss and early hyperbaric oxygen therapy: A preliminary study.

Purpose: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a time-sensitive urgent condition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of hearing improvement in patients with idiopathic SSNHL who only received hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy within three days of symptom onset, instead of conventional corticosteroid treatment.

Methods: The medical charts of patients who experienced SSNHL between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2021, were reviewed.

Hearing outcomes in children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection: From management controversies to lack of parents' knowledge.

Objectives: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the leading nongenetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss (HL). However, there are no universally accepted approaches to diagnosis, follow-up and treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the main characteristics of cCMV-infected children, focusing on their management and long-term hearing outcomes.

Audiological and vestibular symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 5-11 years.

Purpose: The present study assessed the prevalence of audio-vestibular symptoms following SARS-COV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination among children, comparing the two groups. A further aim was to evaluate whether children with pre-existing unilateral hearing loss were more prone to adverse events.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included children aged 5-11 years with normal hearing or a proven history of unilateral hearing loss who contracted SARS-CoV-2 or received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Impact of COVID-19 containment measures on antibiotic prescribing for respiratory and ear diseases in pediatric primary care.

Background: In Italy, the antibiotic prescription rate for children is very high. The aim of this study is to evaluate the change in the monthly rate of antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory and ear infections among children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This retrospective study included all children aged <14 years who referred to a pediatric primary care clinic in Milan (Italy) between January 1, 2019, and April 30, 2022.

Vocal fatigue perceived in remote working by teachers of different school grades during COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: Teachers have an increased prevalence of voice disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of remote teaching on perceived voice fatigue among Italian teachers of all grades during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: s The participants were 195 female teachers (M=48.