The P300 auditory event-related potential as a method to assess the benefit of contralateral hearing aid use in bimodal listeners: a proof-of-concept.

Bimodal listeners vary in the amount of benefit they receive from wearing the contralateral hearing aid. This may partially depend on the listener's auditory processing capacities. The current study explores whether the P300 event-related potential can provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the benefits of wearing a contralateral hearing aid.

A review on influencing factors on the minimum inhibitory concentration of essential oils.

With growing interest in essential oils as natural preservatives in the food industry, the literature is expanding enormously. To understand the antimicrobial activity of essential oils, the antimicrobial mechanism of individual essential oil (EO) compounds, and their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), are interesting starting points for research. Therefore, and to get insight into the factors influencing their antimicrobial activities, the Web of Science was searched for MICs of EO compounds (1995-2016).

Age-Related Changes in Binaural Interaction at Brainstem Level.

Objectives: Age-related hearing loss hampers the ability to understand speech in adverse listening conditions. This is attributed to a complex interaction of changes in the peripheral and central auditory system. One aspect that may deteriorate across the lifespan is binaural interaction.

Binaural interaction in the auditory brainstem response: a normative study.

Objective: Binaural interaction can be investigated using auditory evoked potentials. A binaural interaction component can be derived from the auditory brainstem response (ABR-BIC) and is considered evidence for binaural interaction at the level of the brainstem. Although click ABR-BIC has been investigated thoroughly, data on 500 Hz tone-burst (TB) ABR-BICs are scarce.

Is cochlear implantation an effective treatment for Menière's disease?

Objectives: describe the results of a retrospective study of cochlear implantation (CI) in seven subjects with Menière's disease.

Methodology: The subjects received either the Nucleus CI24RE(CA)/CI512 or the Advanced Bionics HiRes90K CI systems which use the ACE, MP3000, or HiRes S Fidelity 120 coding strategies. The audiometric measures included monosyllabic word lists (NVA) in quiet at 65 dB SPL and sentences in noise (LIST) at +10 dB SNR.

Multicentre investigation on electrically evoked compound action potential and stapedius reflex: how do these objective measures relate to implant programming parameters?

Objectives: The aims of this study were to collect data on electrically evoked compound action potential (eCAP) and electrically evoked stapedius reflex thresholds (eSRT) in HiResolution(TM) cochlear implant (CI) users, and to explore the relationships between these objective measures and behavioural measures of comfort levels (M-levels).

Methods: A prospective study on newly implanted subjects was designed. The eCAP was measured intra-operatively and at first fitting through neural response imaging (NRI), using the SoundWave(TM) fitting software.

Characteristics and determinants of music appreciation in adult CI users.

The main objective of this study was to assess the associations between self-reported listening habits and perception of music and speech perception outcomes in quiet and noise for both unilateral cochlear implant (CI) users and bimodal (CI in one ear, hearing aid in contra-lateral ear) users. Information concerning music appreciation was gathered by means of a newly developed questionnaire. Moreover, audiological data (pure-tone audiometry, speech tests in noise and quiet) were gathered and the relationship between speech perception and music appreciation is studied.

Impact of newborn hearing screening: comparing outcomes in pediatric cochlear implant users.

Objectives/hypothesis: To evaluate the impact of a newborn hearing screening program on the management and outcome of deaf children and to identify underlying factors that may be responsible for the differences between high and low performing implanted children.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study of 391 implanted children in Flanders (Belgium).

Methods: First, implanted children were sorted into two groups on account of screening age (early screened, n = 195 vs.

Normative data and test-retest reliability of the sinusoidal harmonic acceleration test, pseudorandom rotation test and velocity step test.

Rotational testing has been used in clinical practice to explore vestibular function. Frequently used stimulus algorithms include: sinusoidal harmonic acceleration test (SHAT), pseudorandom rotation test (PRRT), and velocity step test (VST). The aim of this study was to construct normative data as well as to evaluate the test-retest reliability of those rotational paradigms.

The vestibular evoked myogenic potential: a test-retest reliability study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) response in a clinical setting when only a feedback mechanism is available for monitoring background EMG.

Methods: Sixty-one healthy subjects participated in the investigation of the within-session reliability, whereas fourteen of them were retested after one week for examination of the between-session reliability. VEMPs were recorded using 500 Hz tone bursts with the subjects in a sitting position and their heads turned away from the test ear to the contralateral shoulder, thereby pushing their chin against the inflatable cuff of a blood pressure manometer, serving as feedback method.

Auditory steady-state responses in normal hearing adults: a test-retest reliability study.

The test-retest reliability of the auditory steady-state response (ASSR) has received limited attention. Therefore, the aim was to assess the test-retest reliability of an 80-Hz multiple-ASSR system in normal-hearing subjects by a comprehensive set of statistical methods. Twenty-nine participants (15 females) aged between 18 and 30 years contributed to two sessions (test-retest), and the ASSR thresholds were determined with a descending search protocol using a 10-dB precision.

Evaluation of the rotatory vestibular test: exploration of stimulus parameters.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to construct a rotational test protocol after exploring the stimulus parameters of the rotatory vestibular test.

Methodology: Twenty-four normal subjects were submitted to three different rotational paradigms: the sinusoidal harmonic acceleration test (SHAT), the pseudorandom rotation test (PRRT), and the velocity step test (VST). We investigated the influence of frequency and velocity on gain, phase and asymmetry values for the SHAT and the PRRT.

Auditory steady-state responses to MM and exponential envelope AM(2)/FM stimuli in normal-hearing adults.

The present study utilized a commercially available multiple auditory steady-state response (ASSR) system to test normal hearing adults (n=55). The primary objective was to evaluate the impact of the mixed modulation (MM) and the novel proposed exponential AM(2)/FM stimuli on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and threshold estimation accuracy, through a within-subject comparison. The second aim was to establish a normative database for both stimulus types.

Water irrigation versus air insufflation: a comparison of two caloric test protocols.

The aim of the present study was to construct and compare two caloric test protocols, one for water irrigation, and one for air insufflation. A set of reference data was constructed and tabulated as well as the intersubject variability. The effect of age, sex, ear, and temperature, as well as a possible priming effect and order effect were investigated.

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions: an objective technique for the screening of hearing loss in children treated with platin derivatives.

In order to develop a sensitive audiometric protocol for identifying ototoxicity in children, a retrospective study of 16 children treated with cisplatin and/or carboplatin was performed. Audiometric testing was done by means of pure-tone threshold audiometry (PTA), high-frequency audiometry (HFA), and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). Cisplatin caused a sensorineural high-frequency hearing loss in the study group compared to the controls (p < 0.

Comparison of the overall intelligibility, articulation, resonance, and voice characteristics between children using cochlear implants and those using bilateral hearing aids: a pilot study.

The purpose of this study was to determine and to compare the overall intelligibility, articulation, resonance, and voice characteristics in children using cochlear implants (CI) and children using conventional hearing aids (HA). Nine prelingually deaf children using CI and six children with a prelingual severe hearing loss using HA, were selected to participate. Objective (DSI, nasalance scores) as well as subjective assessment techniques (perceptual evaluations) were used.

Otologic disease in turner syndrome.

Objective: This study involved the assessment of the otologic and audiologic characteristics of a group of patients with Turner syndrome.

Study Design: Prospective study consisting of a questionnaire (77 of 123 responders) and an otologic and audiologic evaluation in patients with Turner syndrome (41 participants).

Setting: Tertiary academic medical setting.

Cochlear implantation in a patient with superficial siderosis of the central nervous system.

Objective: To perform an assessment of the viability of cochlear implantation in a patient with superficial siderosis of the brain.

Study Design: Case review.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Mechanisms in noise-induced permanent hearing loss: an evoked otoacoustic emission and auditory brainstem response study.

In this study 22 patients (44 ears) with noise-induced permanent hearing loss were audiologically evaluated using transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) and auditory brain-stem response (ABR). Twenty-one normal subjects (42 ears) without exposure to occupational noise were used as controls. Based upon the hearing loss at 4, 3, 2 and 1 kHz on the pure-tone audiogram, they were classified into four groups.

Multi-variant analysis of otoacoustic emissions and estimation of hearing thresholds: transient evoked otoacoustic emissions.

Evaluation of cochlear hearing loss by means of transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions is already established in clinical practice. However, accurate prediction of pure-tone thresholds is still questioned and is still regarded as troublesome. Both click- and tone-burst-evoked otoacoustic emissions at several intensity levels were measured and analysed in 157 ears from normally hearing and 432 ears from patients with different degrees of pure sensory hearing loss using the ILO88/92 equipment.

Sensitive detection of noise-induced damage in human subjects using transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions.

Thirty-eight males (76 ears) exposed to occupational noise were investigated using transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions. Based upon the hearing loss at 4 kHz, they were classified into four described groups. Ten normally hearing subjects (20 ears) without exposure to occupational noise were used as controls.

Masking effects and tinnitus as explanatory variables in hearing disability.

In cases of substantial auditory handicap, the degree of pure-tone hearing loss or hearing loss for speech is seen as the primary determining factor. Sometimes the presence of tinnitus complaints and disproportionate masking effects of noise on speech reception are seen as aggravating factors. To investigate the relevance of tinnitus and masking effects in the context of hearing disability, four factorial designs with self-perceived hearing disability as the dependent variable were submitted to an analysis of variance.

Choice of a tone-pip envelope for frequency-specific threshold evaluations by means of the middle-latency response: normally hearing subjects and slope of sensorineural hearing loss.

The effects of stimulus rise-fall and plateau times on the middle-latency response (MLR) waveform (Na-Pa amplitude and Pa latency) were investigated in 14 normally hearing subjects and an objective MLR threshold was evaluated at low and middle frequencies in ten normally hearing subjects and ten patients with slope of sensorineural hearing loss, using a selected stimulus-envelope time. After analyzing the effects of envelope times on the MLR waveform and the spectra of tone-pips, it was found that a rise-fall time of 4 ms with a plateau of 2 ms (4-2-4) is an acceptable compromise between a synchronous discharge and frequency specificity for estimating the MLR threshold. The MLR threshold produced by 4-2-4 tone-pips approximated the psychoacoustic threshold at low and middle frequencies in the normal and hearing impaired subjects.

Bilateral threshold frequency weighting in hearing disability predictions.

Hearing disability can be measured by questionnaires, interviews or self-ratings. As these measurement techniques are not always appropriate for direct application in individual cases, particularly in the context of compensation claims, the assessment is sometimes reduced to a surrogate measure derived from audiometric thresholds. No final agreement emerges from correlation studies on hearing disability as to the optimal set of audiometric descriptors.