Erol Belgin

This study aimed to examine the effects of age and sex on speech-evoked frequency-following response (FFR) latency, amplitude, and spectral features in Turkish-speaking young and middle-aged adults with normal hearing. Moreover, this study aimed to characterize the properties of speech-FFR in native Turkish speakers. A cross-sectional observational design was utilized. Sixty-one right-handed native Turkish speakers with clinically normal hearing were included: Thirty-one were young adults (aged 19–25 years) and 30 were middle-aged adults (aged 40–60 years), with an equal number of males and females in each group. The 40-ms /da/ syllable was presented monaurally to the right ear at 80 dB SPL using alternating polarity. Six wave peaks (V, A, D, E, F, O) were analyzed in both the temporal (latency, amplitude) and spectral (F0, F1, F2) domains. Statistical analyses included independent t-tests, Mann–Whitney U tests, and Spearman’s correlation. In the young group, females showed significantly shorter latencies than males across all peaks. In the middle-aged group, this sex difference was limited to A and D peaks. Latencies of D, F, and O waves positively correlated with age, while V wave amplitude negatively correlated with age. No significant sex-related differences were found in amplitude or spectral features. Both age and sex may affect subcortical auditory processing as reflected in Speech-FFR. Latency prolongation and amplitude reduction with advancing age may indicate early neural changes in time domain at the brainstem level, even in adults with normal hearing.These findings suggest potential clinical relevance for Speech FFR and emphasize the need for language specific normative data.

Objectives: The aim of the study is to determine the effect of a cochlear implant on the ability to understand speech in a noisy environment. Materials and Methods: Turkish HINT was applied to the experimental group consisting of 15 children with a unilateral Cochlear Implant (CI) aged between 7;9, and 13;9 (year; month) and the control group consisting of 15 children aged between 8;10 and 13;0 with normal hearing. Speech Reception Thresholds (SRTs) of the groups were obtained in quiet and noise in front conditions. The data obtained from the groups were compared. Results: The mean Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) in the quiet was found to be 65.4 dB in children with CI and 21.6 dB in normal-hearing children. The mean SRT in noise was found to be +6.0 dB Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) in children with CI and -1.6 dB SNR in normal-hearing children. A significant difference was found between the mean SRT values of the groups in quiet and noise conditions (p0,01). Conclusion: Children with CI need a higher SNR than children with normal hearing to understand speech in noise. In addition, the age of children with normal hearing had a significant effect on speech understanding skills in noisy conditions but not in quiet.

This study was designed to examine cochlear function in surgical postmenopausal women and natural menopause. Three groups, each including 20 patients, were formed: surgical menopause (SM), natural menopause (NM), and healthy controls who had not yet gone through menopause. Conventional audiometry (0.125–8 kHz), ultra-high frequency audiometry (10–16 kHz), and otoacoustic emission (OAE) tests were used in the evaluation of the patients. Almost all the hearing thresholds were significantly poorer in the menopause groups than in the control group (p < .05). However, the amplitudes of the healthy controls were higher in transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs), especially in many frequencies of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) (p < .05). In the SM group, all the frequencies between 0.125 and 10 kHz for the right ear, and 1, 2, 6 and 8 kHz air-conduction hearing thresholds for the left ear were significantly poorer compared to the NM group (p < .05). There was also a significant decrease in the 4, 6, and 8 kHz DPOAE amplitudes of the SM group compared to the NM group (p < .05). This study showed that postmenopausal women, in particular those with SM had significantly poorer hearing thresholds and lower OAE amplitudes. Menopause may be a potential risk factor for the development of hearing loss in women.

Tr en Amaç: Bu retrospektif çalışmanın amacı, işitme kaybı tanısı alan yenidoğanların demografik ve klinik özelliklerini sunmak ve işitsel re/habilitasyon sonuçlarını işitsel algı, konuşma ve dil becerileri açısından değerlendirmektir. Gereç ve yöntem: Yenidoğanların demografik verileri alındıktan sonra, işitsel algı performansları ile alıcı ve ifade edici dil becerileri, Ling'in altı sesi testi, IT-MAIS/MAIS ve Okulöncesi Dil Ölçeği kullanılarak, ilk başvuruda ve sonrasındaki 1., 2., 3., 4. ve 5. yılda değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular: İlk değerlendirmede ortalama yaşı 48.70 ± 17.19 ay (dağılım 5-75) olan toplam 30 yenidoğan (10 kız, 20 erkek) çalışmaya alınmıştır. Ling'in altı sesi ve IT-MAIS / MAIS puanlarında ve dolayısıyla fark etme ve tanıma performansında önemli artışlar olduğu görülmüştür. Bu gelişmeler, özellikle birinci ve ikinci yıllarda daha belirgindir. Yenidoğanların alıcı ve ifade edici dil performansları giderek artış görmekle birlikte, ikinci yılın sonunda kronolojik yaş seviyesine ulaşmıştır. Tartışma: Yenidoğan ulusal işitme taraması programları, özellikle işitme kayıplı yenidoğanların erken teşhis, değerlendirme ve tedavileri için yaygınlaştırılmalıdır. Bu konularda iletişim becerileirnin artırılması ve geliştirilmesi ve daha iyi sonuçlar elde edilmesi için oldukça gereklidir. Aim: The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to present the demographic and clinical features of newborns diagnosed with hearing loss and to evaluate the results of hearing rehabilitation in terms of auditory perception and speech and language skills. Materials and methods: Demographic data, auditory perception performances and receptive and expressive language skills of newborns were evaluated with Ling’s six sounds test, Infant-Toddler/Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale and Preschool Language Scale Fourth Edition on first admission and subsequently at 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th years. Results: A total of 30 newborns (10 girls, 20 boys), with an average age of 48.70±17.19 (range, 5 to 75) months at the initial evaluation-were included in this study. There was significant increases on the detection and recognition performance of Ling’s six sounds and IT-MAIS/MAIS scores. These improvements were observed more remarkably especially in the first and second years. Receptive and expressive language performances of newborns were increasing gradually and reached to the level of chronologic age at the end of the second year. Conclusion: Neonatal hearing screening programs must be popularized for early diagnosis and referral of newborns with hearing loss. Increased awareness and improvement of communication on these topics are mandatory for achievement of better results.