scholarly journals Broadened population-level frequency tuning in the auditory cortex of tinnitus patients

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 1379-1384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenichi Sekiya ◽  
Mariko Takahashi ◽  
Shingo Murakami ◽  
Ryusuke Kakigi ◽  
Hidehiko Okamoto

Tinnitus is a phantom auditory perception without an external sound source and is one of the most common public health concerns that impair the quality of life of many individuals. However, its neural mechanisms remain unclear. We herein examined population-level frequency tuning in the auditory cortex of unilateral tinnitus patients with similar hearing levels in both ears using magnetoencephalography. We compared auditory-evoked neural activities elicited by a stimulation to the tinnitus and nontinnitus ears. Objective magnetoencephalographic data suggested that population-level frequency tuning corresponding to the tinnitus ear was significantly broader than that corresponding to the nontinnitus ear in the human auditory cortex. The results obtained support the hypothesis that pathological alterations in inhibitory neural networks play an important role in the perception of subjective tinnitus. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although subjective tinnitus is one of the most common public health concerns that impair the quality of life of many individuals, no standard treatment or objective diagnostic method currently exists. We herein revealed that population-level frequency tuning was significantly broader in the tinnitus ear than in the nontinnitus ear. The results of the present study provide an insight into the development of an objective diagnostic method for subjective tinnitus.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2314
Author(s):  
Mikolaj Przydacz ◽  
Marcin Chlosta ◽  
Piotr Chlosta

Objectives: Population-level data are lacking for urinary incontinence (UI) in Central and Eastern European countries. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence, bother, and behavior regarding treatment for UI in a population-representative group of Polish adults aged ≥ 40 years. Methods: Data for this epidemiological study were derived from the larger LUTS POLAND project, in which a group of adults that typified the Polish population were surveyed, by telephone, about lower urinary tract symptoms. Respondents were classified by age, sex, and place of residence. UI was assessed with a standard protocol and established International Continence Society definitions. Results: The LUTS POLAND survey included 6005 completed interviews. The prevalence of UI was 14.6–25.4%; women reported a greater occurrence compared with men (p < 0.001). For both sexes, UI prevalence increased with age. Stress UI was the most common type of UI in women, and urgency UI was the most prevalent in men. We did not find a difference in prevalence between urban and rural areas. Individuals were greatly bothered by UI. For women, mixed UI was the most bothersome, whereas for men, leak for no reason was most annoying. More than half of respondents (51.4–62.3%) who reported UI expressed anxiety about the effect of UI on their quality of life. Nevertheless, only around one third (29.2–38.1%) of respondents with UI sought treatment, most of whom received treatment. Persons from urban and rural areas did not differ in the degrees of treatment seeking and treatment receiving. Conclusion: Urinary incontinence was prevalent and greatly bothersome among Polish adults aged ≥ 40 years. Consequently, UI had detrimental effects on quality of life. Nonetheless, most affected persons did not seek treatment. Therefore, we need to increase population awareness in Poland about UI and available treatment methods, and we need to ensure adequate allocation of government and healthcare system resources.


Author(s):  
Min-Hua Lin ◽  
She-Yu Chiu ◽  
Wen-Chao Ho ◽  
Hui-Ying Huang

This study was the first institution-wide health promotion program in Taiwan to apply the five priority areas for taking action in public health highlighted in the Ottawa Charter for diabetes patients. We aimed to improve the quality of home care received by diabetic patients by training health care professionals in health promotion. This program consisted of developing personal skills, reorienting health services, strengthening community actions, creating supportive environments, and building healthy public policy. It was applied in the Yunlin Christian Hospital located in central Taiwan from August 2011 to November 2011. A health-promoting education course consisting of weight control, diabetes care, and quality management for diabetes was developed and applied to all 323 hospital staff. Then, hospital staff volunteers and diabetes patients were recruited to participate in the program. A total of 61 staff volunteers and 90 diabetes patients were involved in this study. Staff volunteers were trained to participate in communities to provide care and guidance to patients with diabetes. The World Health Organization Quality of Life(WHOQOL)-BREF-Taiwan Version questionnaires were investigated before and after implementation of this program for the patients. A health-promoting lifestyle profile questionnaire was filled by the staff. The investigation data were then analyzed by statistical methods. The diabetes patients experienced a significant increase in their satisfaction with health and health-related quality of life as well as significant improvements in health-promotion and self-management behaviors (p < 0.05). In addition, staff volunteers significantly consumes food from the five major groups than the other staff (p < 0.05). Various improvements in health-promoting behaviors were observed amongst the hospital staff and the diabetic patients. Our project could be a reference for other medical organizations to implement an institution-wide health-promotion program for diabetic patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Renzi ◽  
G Gasperini ◽  
V Baccolini ◽  
C Marzuillo ◽  
C De Vito ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Promoting self-care is one of the most promising strategies to manage people with chronic conditions and to improve the Public Health System resilience. In this context, the use of e-Health could facilitate self-care promotion, assure continuity of care and save time. Methods We performed an umbrella review on Cochrane, Scopus, Medline, PsychInfo, CINAHL to analyse e-Health self-care promoting intervention in patients with Type- 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) compared to traditional intervention. AMSTAR-2 was used for quality appraisal. Results 10 systematic reviews were included for an amount of 376 RCTs and 3 quasi-experimental studies. All the e-Health interventions retrieved were categorized in 4 subgroups: Phone Reminder, Telemonitoring, Psychoeducational intervention supported by PCs/Apps and Combined Intervention. Nurses (271/379 studies) and physicians (149/379 studies) were the healthcare workers mostly involved in the administration of e-Health interventions. T2DM (5 reviews; 175 studies) and CVD (7 reviews; 164 studies) patients gained more progresses in self-management than COPD patients (3 reviews; 8 studies). E-Health appeared effective both in promoting self-management and disease awareness. Globally, all the e-Health interventions seemed to improve Quality of Life and clinical outcomes. Phone reminders were most effective to increase Medication Adherence. All Causes Mortality registered a positive effect through Telemonitoring. Hospital Admission and Cost-Efficacy were explored only by telemonitoring and it did not show differences with traditional intervention. Conclusions E-Health is an effective strategy to promote self-care in patients with chronic conditions and to improve quality of life and clinical outcomes. Further research is required to test e-Health intervention in COPD patients and to examine if there is different efficacy among e-Health subgroups. Key messages E-Health should be integrated in Primary Care strategies to improve Public Health systems resilience. Nurses, as frontline Primary Health Care workers, should be advised for e-Health administration.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e17022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidehiko Okamoto ◽  
Henning Teismann ◽  
Ryusuke Kakigi ◽  
Christo Pantev

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1075-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Barreto Soares ◽  
Cléa Adas Saliba Garbin ◽  
Tânia Adas Saliba Rovida ◽  
Artênio José Ísper Garbin

The aim of this study is to establish the factors that influence the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS being treated at a specialized public service. The participants answered the questionnaire on sociodemographic conditions, issues related to HIV and daily habits. The quality of life was analyzed using the HIV/AIDS-targeted quality of life (HAT-QoL) instrument with 42 items divided into 9 fields: General Activity, Sexual Activity, Confidentiality Concerns, Health Concerns, Financial Concerns, HIV Awareness, Satisfaction with Life, Issues related to Medication and Trust in the Physician. Bivariate and multiple linear regressions were performed. Of the participants, 53.1% were women and had a mean age of 42 years. In analyzing the quality of life, the HAT-QoL domain with the lowest average was Financial Concerns (39.4), followed by Confidentiality Concerns (43.2), Sexual Activity (55.2) and Health Concerns (62. 88). There was an association between the variables: not being gainfully employed (p < 0.001), being mulatto or black (p = 0.045) and alcohol consumption (p = 0.041) with the worst quality of life scores. Inadequate socioeconomic and health conditions had a negative impact on the quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS.


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