How Does a Face Mask Impact Speech Perception?

Face masks are mandatory during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to attenuation of sound energy and loss of visual cues which are important for communication. This study explores how a face mask affects speech performance for individuals with and without hearing loss. Four video recordings (a female speaker with and without a face mask and a male speaker with and without a face mask) were used to examine individuals' speech performance.

Cross-Sectional Areas and Volumes Occupied by Implants in Simulated Scaphoid Fractures.

Purpose: This study determined the volume of bone replaced by an implant at the proximal and distal poles of simulated scaphoid fractures. We also measured the cross-sectional area of the implant relative to the cross-sectional area of the scaphoid at 2 different simulated fracture locations.

Methods: Microcomputed tomograhy scans of 7 cadaveric scaphoids were used to create 3-dimensional models in which transverse proximal pole and midwaist fractures were simulated.

Coronary artery plaque progression and cardiovascular risk scores in men with and without HIV-infection.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the association of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk scores and coronary artery plaque (CAP) progression in HIV-infected participants.

Methods: We studied men with and without HIV-infection enrolled in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) CVD study. CAP at baseline and follow-up was assessed with cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA).

Coronary artery calcification and ethnicity.

Differences in risk factors do not fully explain the differences in the prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in various ethnicities. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is an established marker of subclinical coronary artery disease. Several published studies within and outside the United States (US) have shown that racial and ethnic differences exist regarding prevalence and severity of CAC.

Foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance accurately tracks direction of adiposity change in overweight and obese 7- to 13-year-old children.

Body composition measurements are valuable when evaluating pediatric obesity interventions. We hypothesized that foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) will accurately track the direction of adiposity change, but not magnitude, in part due to differences in fat patterning. The purposes of this study were to examine the accuracy of body composition measurements of overweight and obese children over time using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and BIA and to determine if BIA accuracy was affected by fat patterning.