Music perception in electric acoustic stimulation users as assessed by the Mu.S.I.C. test.

AIMS: This study compared the music perception abilities of 13 electric acoustic stimulation (EAS) users with two control groups: unilateral cochlear implant (CI) users and normal-hearing (NH) listeners. METHODS: Groups were matched according to age and musical experience before hearing loss (HL) and tested using the Musical Sounds in Cochlear Implants (Mu.S.I.C.) test. RESULTS: No difference was found on rhythm perception, chord discrimination, dissonance rating, and emotion rating subtest performance between groups. Mean frequency discrimination scores were significantly better in EAS participants than in CI participants and not significantly worse than in NH participants. However, the EAS and CI groups scored similarly (significantly worse than NH participants) on both instrument detection and identification. Results for EAS participants were not significantly worse when the hearing aid component was removed. Frequency of listening to music before HL was negatively correlated with EAS participants' frequency discrimination scores, though singing and playing an instrument appeared to have no effect. EAS participants who indicated many reasons for listening to music and who listen to many genres after implantation scored higher on instrument detection and instrument identification. Better results on these two subtests were correlated with EAS participants' better postoperative auditory thresholds at 250 and 500 Hz. CONCLUSIONS: Though EAS participants performed better on music perception testing (though not timbre-based tasks) than CI participants, their scores did not reach the level of NH participants. This indicates that acoustic hearing in the low frequencies is helpful for music perception, though not the only important factor.

Phase-shift tinnitus treatment: an open prospective clinical trial.

We report on a novel treatment for tinnitus using phase-shift pure tone sound treatment in patients with predominantly pure tone tinnitus. Thirty-five patients with pure tone tinnitus unresponsive to all previous treatment were enrolled in the study. All patients were treated three times in one week. If the patient noticed an improvement, the therapy was continued for six weeks with a home device customised to their specific treatment frequency. Twenty-one of the 35 patients (60%) responded positively to the initial therapy sessions. Tinnitus was assessed before treatment, after three in-office Tinnitus Phase-Out System therapy sessions, and after six weeks of home use of the Patient Treatment Device. The assessment instruments were a VAS loudness scale and the quality of life Tinnitus Questionnaire. Significant tinnitus reduction was obtained on VAS after three office Tinnitus Phase-Out System therapy sessions (before treatment: mean VAS = 6.4; after three therapy sessions: mean VAS = 4.9; p = 0.042) and after six weeks of home use of the Patient Treatment Device (mean VAS = 4.9; p = 0.005). When analysing the mean TQ score over treatment, there was a significant improvement in total score from pretreatment (mean TQ score = 41.9) to six weeks after home use of the Patient Treatment Device use (mean TQ score = 36.4) (p = 0.003). In view of the results obtained, the Phase-Out Treatment for tinnitus may provide the majority of patients with a significant improvement in their symptoms. Further evaluation, comparing this specific Phase-Out Treatment with more general noise stimulation treatment, will further specify the indications for this treatment option.

The effects of NO synthase inhibitors on murine collagen-induced arthritis do not support a role of NO in the protective effect of IFN-gamma.

DBA/1 mice deficient in expressing the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) membrane receptor (IFN-gammaR KO mice) are more susceptible to collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) than wild-type mice, indicating that endogenous IFN-gamma plays a protective role in the pathogenesis of CIA. In IFN-gammaR KO mice, nitric oxide (NO) production during CIA is impaired. Because NO is known to exert immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects in certain model systems, the protective effect of IFN-gamma might be mediated by NO. Here, we tested in wild-type mice whether inhibition of NO production by metabolic inhibitors, aminoguanidine (AG) and L-N-(1-iminoethyl)lysine (L-NIL), could mimic the ablation of the IFN-gamma receptor. A high-dose regimen of AG supplied in the drinking water inhibited NO production, disease development, and anticollagen antibody production but was also associated with transient body weight loss. At a dose and time regimen that still inhibited NO production but did not cause body weight loss, AG failed to affect disease scores. Treatment with L-NIL, which more specifically than AG affects inducible NO production, caused a slight increase in anticollagen antibody production although not significantly affecting disease occurrence. These data indicate that the diminished capacity of the IFN-gammaR KO mice to produce NO following immunization with collagen is unlikely to account for their higher susceptibility to CIA.