Memory and potential correlates among children in Jordan.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive functioning hugely affects the performance of tasks of different complexity. Memory, one of the most important cognitive skills, allows children to practice and acquire necessary skills and knowledge and interact with the surrounding environment. Therefore, it is crucial to study the factors that influence the memory of children. The main purpose of his study was to investigate different variables related to memory in school aged children (5-9 years, N = 434). METHODS: Parents of the participants provided information about child's daily behavior, child's school academic achievement, work and family income data and demographics. Memory skills in children were assessed by using the Leiter International Performance Scale -Revised. RESULTS: The score of memory increased 2.53 points with upsurge in maternal occupation level, 3.08 points when the child ate breakfast and 4.51 points when the child daily slept nine hours and more. By contrast, increased family income and smoking by father resulted in decreased scores in memory. CONCLUSION: Screening for and understanding of memory and relevant factors are vital for broad understanding of children's capabilities and weaknesses as well as for developing appropriate interventions.

Effectiveness of stapedotomy in improving hearing sensitivity for 53 otosclerotic patients: retrospective review.

BACKGROUND: Otosclerosis is a common cause of progressive hearing impairment that causes fixation of the stapes. Surgical intervention is the preferred treatment approach to ameliorate the conductive hearing loss associated with stapedial otosclerosis. However, given that it is a difficult and delicate procedure, the surgery may fail for a number of reasons. Therefore, it is very important to evaluate the success rate of the surgical approach used in each regional center. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of stapedotomy in improving hearing sensitivity for otosclerotic patients at King Abdul Aziz University Hospital in Riyadh. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review with an analysis of pre- and postoperative surgical treatment. SETTING: Tertiary referral otolaryngology clinic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All cases who underwent stapedotomy between 1997 and 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative and postoperative audiometric assessments were conducted using conventional pure tone audiometry. Differences were analyzed by two-way repeated measures ANOVA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Pre- and postoperative pure tone thresholds for air and bone conduction. RESULT: Fifty-three patients underwent stapedotomy. Stapedotomy yielded significant improvements in mean (SD) postoperative air-conduction thresholds of about 18.7 (11.7) dB (P < .0001) and mean (SD) post.operative bone-conduction thresholds of about 2 (7.2) dB (P < .05). Additionally, a significant correlation was found between improvement in air-conduction thresholds and the size of preoperatve air-bone gap (P < .01) About 70%of patients achieved an air-bone gap of 20 dB or better. None of the cases examined in this study exhibited sensorineural hearing loss or adverse complications following stapedotomy. CONCLUSIONS: Stapedotomy is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with otosclerosis. Given that the majority of participants in this study exhibited mixed hearing loss preoperatively, the results further suggest that stapedotomy can also be effective in improving thresholds for these patients. LIMITATIONS: The sample size was relatively small.

Cochlear implant device activation and programming: 5 days postimplantation.

OBJECTIVE: Cochlear implants (CIs) are typically activated 3 to 6 weeks after the surgery. For some patients who live in remote areas, this waiting period could impose some personal and financial burdens. The current study examined whether CI recipients can be safely and effectively fitted with their speech processor five days after their implantation. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: A total of 23 patients (2-30 yr of age) undergoing traditional CI surgery were recruited to participate in this study. Participants were divided into 2 groups: an early-fit group whose devices were activated 5 days after surgery and standard-fit group whose devices were activated using the recommended waiting period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures of impedance and most comfortable levels were used to compare differences across the 2 groups of patients. Data were measured at the activation session and also at 4 weeks after the initial session. RESULTS: No adverse events were reported postoperatively. Electrode impedances were significantly lower for the early-fit group than that for the standard-fit group in the initial activation session but not in the 4-week follow-up session. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in the stimulation fitting levels in any of the sessions. CONCLUSION: The results presented in this article demonstrated that early activation for this sample did not seem to interfere with wound healing or with the fitting parameters suggesting that early activation should be considered as viable option to better serve CI patients' individual needs.

Factors related to cognitive function among elementary school children.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate cognitive functioning among elementary school children in Jordan. METHODS: A total of 468 children aged 6-12 years were recruited to participate in this study. Cognitive functioning was assessed using the LOTCA battery (Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment; Itzkovich et al., 2000). Information obtained from the parents included demographics, work and income data and child's daily behavior and school achievement. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that the cognitive functioning increased by 3.8 points for each increase in the child's GPA and increased by 2.35 points when the child ate breakfast regularly. By contrast, living in rural areas and smoking by a parent decreased cognitive functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding of the child's cognitive abilities is critical to establishing intervention goals and to planning therapeutic activities. Screening of cognitive abilities and associated factors is essential for a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the child's abilities and limitations. Further research is recommended to investigate other factors in different populations.