EXPRESS: On beat rhythm and working memory are associated with better speech-in-noise perception for older adults with hearing loss.

Even with the use of hearing aids (HAs), speech in noise perception remains challenging for older adults, impacting communication and quality of life outcomes. The association between music perception and speech-in-noise (SIN) outcomes is of interest, as there is evidence that professionally trained musicians are adept listeners in noisy environments. Thus, this study explored the association between music processing, cognitive factors, and the outcome variable of SIN perception, in older adults with hearing loss.

Is Partial Deafness Dysphonia Gender Related?

Unlabelled: Partial deafness (PD) is a hearing impairment that presents with normal hearing thresholds at low frequencies (up to 1 kHz), and deep hypoacusis at high frequencies. For many years, this type of hypoacusis has not been treated with typical hearing aids because of a low level of speech understanding improvement. Since the first worldwide PD cochlear implantation conducted in 2002, this type of hearing impairment became a subject of research also in the aspect of its influence on the patient's voice.

Hearing Loss Is Associated With Increased Mortality in a Cohort of Older Construction Trades Workers.

Background: Hearing loss has been associated with increased mortality, and there is evidence that regular use of hearing aids reduces the mortality risk. However, these associations have not been sufficiently studied in worker populations at high risk for noise-induced hearing loss.

Methods: Medical examination data for 19,379 workers employed in US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities were used.

The Influence of Remote Hearing Aid Adjustment Technology on the Current Practice of Tele-Audiology among Audiologists in Malaysia.

Objective:  Many hearing aid manufacturers have developed application programs that allow audiologists to fine-tune or adjust their patients' hearing aids remotely. This study aims to explore audiologists' experiences in using the remote hearing aid adjustment in Malaysia.

Method:  This is a qualitative research design where focus group discussions among audiologists were held.

The Effect of a Non-Surgical Adhesive Bone Conduction Device on Temporal Processing Performance in Adults with Single Sided Deafness: A Pilot Study.

Background: There is a dearth of information on the effects of bone conductive devices on temporal processing in individuals with single-sided deafness (SSD). This study investigates the effect of an adhesive bone conductive device on temporal processing in adults with SSD.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of temporal processing in adults with SSD was undertaken.

Combining unequal variance signal detection theory with the health belief model to optimize shared decision making in tinnitus patients: part 1-model development.

Introduction: The results from different Cochrane studies justify considerable professional equipoise concerning different treatment options for tinnitus. In case of professional equipoise, Shared Decision Making (SDM) is an indispensable tool for guiding patients to the intervention that best fits their needs. To improve SDM we developed a method to assess the accuracy and utility of decisions made by tinnitus patients when freely choosing between different treatment options during their patient journey.

Quality and Readability of Hearing Aid-Related Websites in English and Spanish.

Objective:  To determine the readability and quality of both English and Spanish Web sites for the topic of hearing aids.

Study Design:  Cross-sectional Web site analysis.

Setting:  Various online search engines.

Sentence Comprehension in Spanish-Speaking Children With Hearing Loss: On the Integration of Morphosyntactic and Lexico-Semantic Cues.

Purpose: Children with hearing loss (CHL) who use hearing devices (cochlear implants or hearing aids) and communicate orally have trouble comprehending sentences with noncanonical order. This study explores sentence comprehension strategies in Spanish-speaking CHL, focusing on their ability to integrate morphosyntactic cues (word order, morphological case marking) with verbs differing in their syntax-to-semantics configuration.

Method: Fifty-eight Spanish-speaking CHL and 58 children with typical hearing (CTH) with a hearing age of 3;5-7;8 (years;months; i.

Hearing aid verification: Practices and perceptions of South African audiologists.

Background:  Hearing aid verification is required to objectively measure hearing aid outputs by ensuring that the amplified speech spectrum closely approximates the prescription goals.

Objectives:  This study aimed to determine audiologists' perceptions and practices regarding hearing aid verification and identify facilitators and barriers to its use.

Method:  A cross-sectional national e-survey included questions related to demographics, perceptions of verification, verification practices and two open-ended questions regarding the facilitators and barriers to conducting hearing aid verification in South Africa.

Swedish translation and content evaluation of the Empowerment Audiology Questionnaire (EmpAQ-15).

Objective: Translating the newly developed Empowerment Audiology Questionnaire, EmpAQ-15 to Swedish, and performing content validation on the Swedish version.

Design: Best-practice principles using forward and back translations which were revised by a committee prior to field testing. Field testing was conducted by cognitive interviews with hearing-aid users talking through and rating the items in the translated questionnaire.

Electrical Bioimpedance-Based Monitoring of Intracochlear Tissue Changes After Cochlear Implantation.

Background: This study examined electrical bioimpedance as a biomarker for intracochlear tissue changes after cochlear implant surgery, comparing monopolar, three-point, and four-point impedance measurements over time and evaluating different measurement systems and approaches.

Methods: Impedance measurements were obtained from 21 participants during surgery and at four postoperative stages. Monopolar impedances were recorded using the Bionic Ear Data Collection System (BEDCS) and the Active Insertion Monitoring (AIM) system.

Impact of Hearing Loss Severity on Hearing Aid Benefit Among Adult Users.

Background: Hearing loss (HL) among older adults is a major global health concern. Hearing aids (HAs) offer an effective solution to manage HL and enhance the quality of life. However, the adoption and the consistent use of HAs remain low, making non-use a significant barrier to successful audiological rehabilitation.

Heterogeneous Group of Genetically Determined Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorders.

Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) is often missed by standard hearing tests, accounting for up to 10% of hearing impairments (HI) and commonly linked to variants in 23 genes. We assessed 122 children with HI, including 102 with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and 20 with ANSD. SNHL patients were genotyped for common variants using qPCR, while ANSD patients underwent whole exome sequencing, with variants analyzed across 249 genes.

Interaural level difference sensitivity in neonatally deafened rats fitted with bilateral cochlear implants.

Bilateral cochlear implant (CI) patients exhibit significant limitations in spatial hearing. Their ability to process interaural time differences (ITDs) is often impaired, while their ability to process interaural level differences (ILDs) remains comparatively good. Clinical studies aiming to identify the causes of these limitations are often plagued by confounds and ethical limitations.

School-Based Professionals' Knowledge of Autistic Speech and Augmentative and Alternative Communication Decision Making.

Autistic adults report communication access barriers related to the prioritization of speech over all other forms of communication. Our participatory research team, including autistic adults who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) both part- and full-time, designed and administered a 35-question online survey to examine school-based professionals' knowledge, training, and practices related to AAC and autism. The current study reports a portion of the larger data set specific to participants' definitions of speech terms related to autistic speech.

Comparison of Performance for Cochlear-Implant Listeners Using Audio Processing Strategies Based on Short-Time Fast Fourier Transform or Spectral Feature Extraction.

Objectives: We compared sound quality and performance for a conventional cochlear-implant (CI) audio processing strategy based on short-time fast-Fourier transform (Crystalis) and an experimental strategy based on spectral feature extraction (SFE). In the latter, the more salient spectral features (acoustic events) were extracted and mapped into the CI stimulation electrodes. We hypothesized that (1) SFE would be superior to Crystalis because it can encode acoustic spectral features without the constraints imposed by the short-time fast-Fourier transform bin width, and (2) the potential benefit of SFE would be greater for CI users who have less neural cross-channel interactions.

Resting-State Functional Connectivity Predicts Cochlear-Implant Speech Outcomes.

Objectives: Cochlear implants (CIs) have revolutionized hearing restoration for individuals with severe or profound hearing loss. However, a substantial and unexplained variability persists in CI outcomes, even when considering subject-specific factors such as age and the duration of deafness. In a pioneering study, we use resting-state functional near-infrared spectroscopy to predict speech-understanding outcomes before and after CI implantation.

The Transformation of Group Identity Among Parents of Children With Cochlear Implants in China: A Social Identity Perspective.

This study aims to explore the transformation of parental perspectives on the identity of being a parent of a child with cochlear implant (CI), termed CI parent herein, within the context of Chinese culture. Narrative interviews were conducted with six parents from three families who have children with CIs. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this study reveals that the group identity of Chinese CI parents is dynamic.

A hypothetical intervention on the use of hearing aids for the risk of dementia in people with hearing loss in UK Biobank.

Observational studies have reported that hearing aid (HA) use is associated with a reduced risk of dementia diagnosis, suggesting a possible protective effect. However, extant observational studies do not explicitly model causal effects, while randomised controlled trials on the effect of HA on dementia exhibit short follow-up. Here we used self-report, hearing tests, and healthcare records in UK Biobank to design a hypothetical intervention for the effect of HA use on the risk of dementia diagnosis in people with incident hearing loss (HL).

Individual Differences Underlying Preference for Processing Delay in Open-Fit Hearing Aids.

In open-fit digital hearing aids (HAs), the processing delay influences comb-filter effects that arise from the interaction of the processed HA sound with the unprocessed direct sound. The current study investigated potential relations between preferred processing delay, spectral and temporal processing abilities, and self-reported listening habits. Ten listeners with normal hearing and 20 listeners with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing impairments participated.

The Relationship of Pitch Discrimination with Segregation of Tonal and Speech Streams for Cochlear Implant Users.

Cochlear implant (CI) users often complain about music appreciation and speech recognition in background noise, which depend on segregating sound sources into perceptual streams. The present study examined relationships between frequency and fundamental frequency (F0) discrimination with stream segregation of tonal and speech streams for CI users and peers with no known hearing loss. Frequency and F0 discrimination were measured for 1,000 Hz pure tones and 110 Hz complex tones, respectively.

The Effect of Collaborative Triadic Conversations in Noise on Decision-Making in a General-Knowledge Task.

Collaboration is a key element of many communicative interactions. Analyzing the effect of collaborative interaction on subsequent decision-making tasks offers the potential to quantitatively evaluate criteria that are indicative of successful communication. While many studies have explored how collaboration aids decision-making, little is known about how communicative barriers, such as loud background noise or hearing impairment, affect this process.

Fluid Intelligence Partially Mediates the Effect of Working Memory on Speech Recognition in Noise.

Purpose: Although the existing literature has explored the link between cognitive functioning and speech recognition in noise, the specific role of fluid intelligence still needs to be studied. Given the established association between working memory capacity (WMC) and fluid intelligence and the predictive power of WMC for speech recognition in noise, we aimed to elucidate the mediating role of fluid intelligence.

Method: We used data from the n200 study, a longitudinal investigation into aging, hearing ability, and cognitive functioning.

The Relationship Between the Electrically Evoked Stapedius Reflex Threshold and Stimulus Burst Duration in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users: Preliminary Data.

Introduction: The electrically evoked stapedius reflex threshold (eSRT) is an objective measure that helps to fit cochlear implants (CIs). The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between different burst durations to elicit eSRT in pediatric CI users.

Materials And Methods: Different stimuli burst durations (100-500 ms) were applied to observe the effect in the reflex determination in 11 pediatric CI users.

Intraoperative Electrical Stapedius Reflex Testing to Monitor Cochlear Nerve Integrity during Simultaneous Vestibular Schwannoma Resection and Cochlear Implantation.

Objective: To compare the utility of intraoperative electrically evoked auditory brainstem response (eABR) and electrically evoked stapedial reflex testing (eSRT) for cochlear nerve integrity monitoring during simultaneous translabyrinthine resection of vestibular schwannoma (VS) and cochlear implantation.

Study Design: Historical cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary academic referral center.