Genome-wide association study indicates novel associations of annexin A13 to secretory and GAS2L2 with mucous otitis media.

To evaluate the genetics of chronic nonsuppurative otitis media (OM). We performed a genome-wide association study of 429,599 individuals included in the FinnGen study using three different case definitions: combined chronic nonsuppurative OM (7034 cases) (included serous and mucous chronic OM), mucous chronic OM (5953 cases), and secretory chronic OM (1689 cases). Individuals without otitis media were used as controls (417,745 controls).

The Effectiveness of Unilateral Cochlear Implantation on Performance-Based and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Finnish Recipients.

Understanding speech is essential for adequate social interaction, and its functioning affects health, wellbeing, and quality of life (QoL). Untreated hearing loss (HL) is associated with reduced social activity, depression and cognitive decline. Severe and profound HL is routinely rehabilitated with cochlear implantation.

Clinical and Genetic Characteristics of Finnish Patients with Autosomal Recessive and Dominant Non-Syndromic Hearing Loss Due to Pathogenic Variants.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is one of the most common sensory deficits worldwide, and genetic factors contribute to at least 50−60% of the congenital hearing loss cases. The transmembrane channel-like protein 1 (TMC1) gene has been linked to autosomal recessive (DFNB7/11) and autosomal dominant (DFNA36) non-syndromic hearing loss, and it is a relatively common genetic cause of SNHL. Here, we report eight Finnish families with 11 affected family members with either recessively inherited homozygous or compound heterozygous TMC1 variants associated with congenital moderate-to-profound hearing loss, or a dominantly inherited heterozygous TMC1 variant associated with postlingual progressive hearing loss.

Comparing the Speech Perception of Cochlear Implant Users with Three Different Finnish Speech Intelligibility Tests in Noise.

Background: A large number of different speech-in-noise (SIN) tests are available for testing cochlear implant (CI) recipients, but few studies have compared the different tests in the same patient population to assess how well their results correlate.

Methods: A clinically representative group of 80 CI users conducted the Finnish versions of the matrix sentence test, the simplified matrix sentence test, and the digit triplet test. The results were analyzed for correlations between the different tests and for differences among the participants, including age and device modality.

Improvements in Hearing and in Quality of Life after Sequential Bilateral Cochlear Implantation in a Consecutive Sample of Adult Patients with Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss.

Bilateral cochlear implantation is increasing worldwide. In adults, bilateral cochlear implants (BICI) are often performed sequentially with a time delay between the first (CI1) and the second (CI2) implant. The benefits of BICI have been reported for well over a decade.

The long-term learning effect related to the repeated use of the Finnish matrix sentence test and the Finnish digit triplet test.

To assess are there learning-related improvements in the speech reception thresholds (SRTs) for the Finnish matrix sentence test (FMST) and the Finnish digit triplet test (FDTT) in repeated use over 12 months. Test sessions were scheduled at 0, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, and each session included five FMST measurements and four FDTT measurements. The within-session and inter-session improvements in SRTs were analysed with a linear mixed model.

The Finnish simplified matrix sentence test for the assessment of speech intelligibility in the elderly.

A simplified version of the Finnish matrix sentence test (FMST) was developed to improve the reliability of hearing diagnostic for children and for patients with limited working memory capacity and/or vocabulary. Study 1 evaluated the word matrix of the Finnish simplified matrix sentence test (FINSIMAT) to rule out systematic differences between the new FINSIMAT test lists, and to provide reference values for normal-hearing (NH) young adults (YA). In Study 2, the FINSIMAT and the FMST were evaluated in elderly listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing impairment (HI).

The efficacy of microphone directionality in improving speech recognition in noise for three commercial cochlear-implant systems.

To investigate the effect of fixed and adaptive microphone directionality on speech reception threshold (SRT) in noise when compared to omnidirectional mode in unilateral cochlear-implant (CI) use for three different CI systems. Twenty-four CI recipients with bilateral severe-to-profound hearing loss participated in the study. Eight recipients of each CI system were enrolled, and their SRT in noise was measured when the speech and noise signals were co-located in the front to serve as a baseline.

A New Slim Modiolar Electrode Array for Cochlear Implantation: A Radiological and Histological Study.

Hypothesis: To explore the results of a new slim modiolar electrode array (SMA) with respect to intracochlear placement and trauma evaluated by detailed radiologic imaging and histology.

Background: Hearing and structure preservation is the goal of cochlear implantation for advanced hearing outcomes. Currently, this is most consistently achieved with thin lateral wall electrodes.

The development and evaluation of the Finnish digit triplet test.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to develop a reliable and easily accessible screening test for primary detection of hearing impairment.

Methods: Digits 0-9 were used to form quasirandom digit triplets. First, digit specific intelligibility functions and speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) were determined.

Characteristics and international comparability of the Finnish matrix sentence test in cochlear implant recipients.

Objectives: The first Finnish sentence-based speech test in noise--the Finnish matrix sentence test--was recently developed. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of the new test with respect to test-retest reliability, speech recognition curve, and international comparability in Finnish cochlear implant (CI) recipients.

Design: The speech reception thresholds (SRT) were measured by means of an adaptive test procedure and compared with the results of the traditional Finnish word test.