Journal Reviews
Small but significant
These authors try to circumnavigate the conundrum of what is influenced by what. For something so small, the impact of the Stria Vascularis cannot be understated. The difficulty in reviewing the influence of loop diuretics or aminoglycosides on the Stria...
Is there an association with cognitive impairment and hearing loss in a developing country?
Hearing loss (HL) is the third leading chronic health condition among older adults. Most studies investigating HL and cognition have been performed in high-income countries. Risk factors for dementia (eg. hypertension, midlife hearing loss, obesity and physical inactivity) are more...
A twitch in time with a flicker of knowledge
The middle ear muscles can be seen as one of the ear’s safety mechanisms, and the interplay between eyes and ears has been established; think vestibular ocular reflex (VOR) or semi-circular canal dehiscence (SCCD). But can this protective mechanism be...
Steroid use in acute acoustic trauma
Acute acoustic trauma (AAT) injuries include noise-induced damage to inner and middle ear presenting as hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo. Classic presentation is sensorineural hearing loss with an intact tympanic membrane. The authors carried out a case-control study in military...
Inner ear immunity
There is much speculation regarding the ear’s immune response. The environment in which we live and breathe is getting ever more complex; aspects such as the percentage of the population with autoimmune conditions are on the rise and, therefore, it...
Assessment of audiological needs
A thorough assessment of audiological needs is crucial for a successful audiological rehabilitation. This study concentrated on creating the Québec Audiological Assessment Protocol for Younger and Older Adults (QAAP-YOA) that could be easily adopted in audiological clinics. The authors used...
How do mermaids hear?
When the imagery of childhood fairy tales meets the more clinically analytical mind of an adult, there may at some point come the question, ‘how do mermaids hear’? Luckily a department of biology in Denmark has sought to furnish such...
Moderating effect of hearing aids on association between hearing loss and brain structure?
Previous studies have suggested links between age-related hearing loss and structural changes in cortical regions with auditory and language functions, which could be causative of cognitive decline linked to the condition. The authors reason reduced sensory input could be causative...
COVID-19 impact on the workplace
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted several areas of people’s life. It is unsurprising that it is now a very common research topic. The described study concerned a discussion about what effects the pandemic had and might have on the audiology workplace,...
Loudness in non-organic hearing loss
Non-organic hearing loss has been of interest to researchers for a long time. In this study the authors compared a loudness rating measured in relation to the sound level for 1000 Hz in normal hearing patients and patients diagnosed with...
Do personal listening devices cause cochlear synaptopathy?
Cochlear synaptopathy is a condition in which noise interrupts the synaptic communication between sensory inner hair cells and low spontaneous rate cochlear nerve fibres. Since these nerve fibres are associated with signal coding in noisy backgrounds, their disruption leads to...
Prognostic value of vascular ultrasonographic findings in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is often idiopathic. Although the aetiology of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is unclear, vascular compromise is one of the frequently proposed hypotheses to explain its pathophysiology. Existing studies have shown an association between ISSNHL...
