Speed dependence, sources, and directivity of small vessel underwater noise.

Small vessels (<10 m) radiate underwater noise in sensitive coastal environments, but there is insufficient knowledge of their noise radiation. Through detailed measurements of seven small boats and a jet ski in a shallow water environment on the Swedish west coast, this study presents results on the speed dependence of small vessel underwater noise, its sources, and its directivity. For vessels with planing hulls, broadband source levels increase with speed until planing is attained. When planing, source level dependence on speed is weak. A detailed noise source analysis of one vessel showed that at low speed, tonals from the engine dominate the noise radiation, whereas at higher speeds, propeller tonals and broadband noise dominate. Noise radiation into different horizontal angles shows little angle dependence, and noise levels relative to the closest point of approach show a similar pattern across all investigated vessels. Received noise levels at approximately 100 m range are not high enough to cause hearing impairment in marine animals, but fast-moving small vessels may cause behavioural reactions or stress responses across several marine animal groups.

Male humpback whales switch to singing in the presence of seismic air guns.

Ocean noise produced by seismic exploration has been implicated in causing changes in baleen whale hearing, physiology, feeding, breeding, and migratory behaviours. Here, we observed changes in the mating tactics of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) during a one-hour exposure to nearby seismic air guns. Males employ a conditional mating strategy where they switch between singing and non-singing tactics. Singing is presumably an advertisement signal, while non-singing behaviours include seeking out and joining with females as well as forming competitive groups. During periods of active air guns, the number of male singing whales increased, and singers were more likely to be observed joining females. Conversely, non-singing males were less likely to engage in joining interactions suggesting that active air guns caused a switch in male breeding tactics. Though we cannot translate these effects into changes in breeding success, this indicates that seismic exploration has the potential to alter breeding behaviours in baleen whales.

Males miss and females forgo: Auditory masking from vessel noise impairs foraging efficiency and success in killer whales.

Understanding how the environment mediates an organism's ability to meet basic survival requirements is a fundamental goal of ecology. Vessel noise is a global threat to marine ecosystems and is increasing in intensity and spatiotemporal extent due to growth in shipping coupled with physical changes to ocean soundscapes from ocean warming and acidification. Odontocetes rely on biosonar to forage, yet determining the consequences of vessel noise on foraging has been limited by the challenges of observing underwater foraging outcomes and measuring noise levels received by individuals. To address these challenges, we leveraged a unique acoustic and movement dataset from 25 animal-borne biologging tags temporarily attached to individuals from two populations of fish-eating killer whales (Orcinus orca) in highly transited coastal waters to (1) test for the effects of vessel noise on foraging behaviors-searching (slow-click echolocation), pursuit (buzzes), and capture and (2) investigate the mechanism of interference. For every 1 dB increase in maximum noise level, there was a 4% increase in the odds of searching for prey by both sexes, a 58% decrease in the odds of pursuit by females and a 12.5% decrease in the odds of prey capture by both sexes. Moreover, all but one deep (≥75 m) foraging attempt with noise ≥110 dB re 1 µPa (15-45 kHz band; n = 6 dives by n = 4 whales) resulted in failed prey capture. These responses are consistent with an auditory masking mechanism. Our findings demonstrate the effects of vessel noise across multiple phases of odontocete foraging, underscoring the importance of managing anthropogenic inputs into soundscapes to achieve conservation objectives for acoustically sensitive species. While the timescales for recovering depleted prey species may span decades, these findings suggest that complementary actions to reduce ocean noise in the short term offer a critical pathway for recovering odontocete foraging opportunities.

Speech intelligibility prediction based on a physiological model of the human ear and a hierarchical spiking neural network.

A speech intelligibility (SI) prediction model is proposed that includes an auditory preprocessing component based on the physiological anatomy and activity of the human ear, a hierarchical spiking neural network, and a decision back-end processing based on correlation analysis. The auditory preprocessing component effectively captures advanced physiological details of the auditory system, such as retrograde traveling waves, longitudinal coupling, and cochlear nonlinearity. The ability of the model to predict data from normal-hearing listeners under various additive noise conditions was considered. The predictions closely matched the experimental test data under all conditions. Furthermore, we developed a lumped mass model of a McGee stainless-steel piston with the middle-ear to study the recovery of individuals with otosclerosis. We show that the proposed SI model accurately simulates the effect of middle-ear intervention on SI. Consequently, the model establishes a model-based relationship between objective measures of human ear damage, like distortion product otoacoustic emissions, and speech perception. Moreover, the SI model can serve as a robust tool for optimizing parameters and for preoperative assessment of artificial stimuli, providing a valuable reference for clinical treatments of conductive hearing loss.

Comparing human and machine speech recognition in noise with QuickSIN.

A test is proposed to characterize the performance of speech recognition systems. The QuickSIN test is used by audiologists to measure the ability of humans to recognize continuous speech in noise. This test yields the signal-to-noise ratio at which individuals can correctly recognize 50% of the keywords in low-context sentences. It is argued that a metric for automatic speech recognizers will ground the performance of automatic speech-in-noise recognizers to human abilities. Here, it is demonstrated that the performance of modern recognizers, built using millions of hours of unsupervised training data, is anywhere from normal to mildly impaired in noise compared to human participants.

Effect of kangaroo mother care and white noise on physiological-stress parameters in heel lancing: randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Newborns are exposed to varying degrees of stressful interventions due to procedures such as heel lancing used in routine metabolic screenings. It is an examination of the effects of white noise and kangaroo care on some physiological parameters and stress markers (cortisol and glucose-regulated protein 78-GRP78) in heel lancing in newborns. METHODS: Randomized controlled study was conducted at a gynecology service of a hospital between January and September 2023. 90 babies were divided into three groups: 30 babies in the Kangaroo Care Group (KCG), 30 babies in the White Music Group (WMG), and 30 babies in the Control Group (CG). All babies were randomly divided into groups. Stress parameters were measured by saliva collection method and physiological parameters by saturation device. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was determined between the total crying time, pulse and saturation values ​​according to the groups (p < 0.001; p = 0.001). A statistically significant difference was determined between the mean values ​​of cortisol and GRP78 measurements according to group and time interaction (p < 0.001). KCG was more effective in reducing total crying time and stabilizing pulse, saturation, salivary cortisol, GRP-78 values compared to WNG and CG. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that white noise and kangaroo care help reduce newborns' stress in the case of heel lancing. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The practice of kangaroo care and the use of white noise methods may assist healthcare professionals as supportive methods in stress management during invasive procedures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT06278441, registered on 19/02/2024.

Comparative analysis of noise and music exposure on inflammatory responses on lipopolysaccharide-induced septic rats.

OBJECTIVE: Environmental factors such as noise and music can significantly impact physiological responses, including inflammation. This study explored how environmental factors like noise and music affect lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation, with a focus on systemic and organ-specific responses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 24 Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n = 6 per group): Control group, LPS group, noise-exposed group, and music-exposed group. All rats, except for the Control group, received 10 mg/kg LPS intraperitoneally. The rats in the noise-exposed group were exposed to 95 dB noise, and the music-exposed group listened to Mozart's K. 448 music (65-75 dB) for 1 h daily over 7 days. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was utilized to detect the levels of inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), in serum and tissues (lung, liver, and kidney). Western blot examined the phosphorylation levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 in organ tissues. RESULTS: Compared with the Control group, LPS-induced sepsis rats displayed a significant increase in the levels of TNF-α and IL-1ß in serum, lung, liver, and kidney tissues, as well as a remarkable elevation in the p-NF-κB p65 protein expression in lung, liver, and kidney tissues. Noise exposure further amplified these inflammatory markers, while music exposure reduced them in LPS-induced sepsis rats. CONCLUSION: Noise exposure exacerbates inflammation by activating the NF-κB pathway, leading to the up-regulation of inflammatory markers during sepsis. On the contrary, music exposure inhibits NF-κB signaling, indicating a potential therapeutic effect in reducing inflammation.

Individual differences in the perception of phonetic category structure predict speech-in-noise performance.

Speech sounds exist in a complex acoustic-phonetic space, and listeners vary in the extent to which they are sensitive to variability within the speech sound category ("gradience") and the degree to which they show stable, consistent responses to phonetic stimuli. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that individual differences in the perception of the sound categories of one's language may aid speech-in-noise performance across the adult lifespan. Declines in speech-in-noise performance are well documented in healthy aging, and are, unsurprisingly, associated with differences in hearing ability. Nonetheless, hearing status and age are incomplete predictors of speech-in-noise performance, and long-standing research suggests that this ability draws on more complex cognitive and perceptual factors. In this study, a group of adults ranging in age from 18 to 67 years performed online assessments designed to measure phonetic category sensitivity, questionnaires querying recent noise exposure history and demographic factors, and crucially, a test of speech-in-noise perception. Results show that individual differences in the perception of two consonant contrasts significantly predict speech-in-noise performance, even after accounting for age and recent noise exposure history. This finding supports the hypothesis that individual differences in sensitivity to phonetic categories mediates speech perception in challenging listening situations.

An energy-based framework for predicting vehicle noise source intensity: From energy consumption to noise.

The vehicle noise source strength prediction model is a crucial component in the field of traffic noise prediction. Despite the establishment of noise source strength localized models in various countries, the theoretical underpinnings of the sound power level models within these frameworks remains unclear. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the correlation between vehicle noise and energy consumption. An energy-based source strength model framework (E-SSIM) is proposed, focusing on developing nonlinear models for basic noise level. E-SSIM is built on acoustical principles and the energy flow of vehicles, integrating noise and energy consumption through the application of multivariate regression theory, characterized by a transient or simplified mathematical framework. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis and road experiments are conducted to validate the proposed framework. The findings reveal that E-SSIM effectively integrates vehicle energy flow and principles of acoustics, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for the logarithmic mathematical structure in classical noise source strength models. The study reveals that in low-speed driving conditions (17-40 km/h), the sensitivity of noise energy to aerodynamic drag energy consumption reaches its peak. Specifically, the sensitivity of E-SSIM, as assessed by the A-weighted sound level, progressively decreases with increasing speed. On the contrary, for the Z-weighted sound level, the sensitivity initially decreases before rising again, reaching its peak stability and robustness at a speed of 23.8 km/h. E-SSIM exhibits superior precision in predicting A/Z-weighted sound pressure levels. Compared to classic logarithmic structural prediction models, the mean absolute percentage error of E-SSIM was reduced by 4.19% and 0.07%. Compared to typical models such as ASJ developed by the Acoustical Society of Japan and CNOSSOS-EU used by the European Commission, E-SSIM yielded a mean absolute percentage error reduction of 68% and 67%. Interestingly, as vehicle internal energy consumption increases, the prediction deviations of E-SSIM, ASJ, and CNOSSOS-EU gradually decrease, possibly because vehicle operating conditions approach stability. E-SSIM can utilize abundant vehicle data to develop generic models, promoting the advancement of noise prediction.

Activated tissue-resident macrophages contribute to hair cell insults in noise-induced hearing loss in mice.

Macrophages serve as the primary immune cell population and assume a pivotal role in the immune response within the damaged cochleae. Yet, the origin and role of macrophages in response to noise exposure remain controversial. Here, we take advantage of Ccr2RFP/+ Cx3cr1GFP/+ dual-reporter mice to identify the infiltrated and tissue-resident macrophages. After noise exposure, we reveal that activated resident macrophages change in morphology, increase in abundance, and migrate to the region of hair cells, leading to the loss of outer hair cells and the damage of ribbon synapses. Meanwhile, peripheral monocytes are not implicated in the noise-induced hair cell insults. These noise-induced activities of macrophages are abolished by inhibiting TLR4 signaling, resulting in alleviated insults of hair cells and partial recovery of hearing. Our findings indicate cochlear resident macrophages are pro-inflammatory and detrimental players in acoustic trauma and introduce a potential therapeutic target in noise-induced hearing loss.

[Study on the impact of aging on the brain activity patterns in auditory speech comprehension dual-route regions].

Objective: To elucidate the patterns of neural activity alterations associated with auditory speech comprehension across the lifespan and the impact of varying listening environments on these dynamics. Methods: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to measure the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin in the brains of 93 adults aged from 20 to 70 with normal hearing. These participants were recruited from Beijing Tongren Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medical University, between March 2021 and February 2023. Brain activity was recorded as subjects passively listened to sentences in both silent and noise conditions with varying signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). The alterations in brain activity were analyzed to delineate the age-related trends under different auditory conditions. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 software. Results: The bilateral primary auditory cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and Wernicke's area, critical for sound signal discrimination and perception, exhibited enhanced activity post-stimulus presentation. Broca's area, pivotal for speech production, demonstrated an initial decrease in activity followed by an increment after stimulus onset. The ventral middle temporal gyrus and dorsal postcentral gyrus showed augmented activity in later time windows. Furthermore, it was observed that in quiet conditions and at low noise levels (SNR=10 dB), auditory cortical activity diminished with age. With increasing noise levels (SNR=5 dB), compensatory brain regions (right ventral middle temporal gyrus and dorsal postcentral gyrus) showed enhanced activity with advancing age. As noise intensity further escalated (SNR=0, SNR=-5 dB), not only did auditory cortical activity decline, but also the activity in regions associated with semantic processing and motor functions reduced with age. Conclusion: During auditory speech comprehension, dual-pathway brain regions exhibit distinct activity patterns. With heightened noise exposure, an increasing number of brain regions are influenced by aging, manifesting as a general decline in activity in most dual-pathway regions, alongside a selective augmentation in some compensatory regions on the right hemisphere.

Sense of control and noise sensitivity affect frustration from interfering noise.

In order to develop effective strategies to address noise annoyance, it is essential to develop an explanatory model of the psychological mechanism(s) by which noise becomes annoying. Two online studies were conducted in which a total of 193 participants completed speech perception tasks with varying degrees of background noise. Signal-to-noise ratio levels ranged from -2 to -10 dB. The crucial manipulation in both experiments concerned participants' sense of control over the noise level in the task. Dependent measures were task performance, a self-reported measure of frustration with the task, and self-reported sensitivity (trait) to noise. Results showed small but significant effects of noise sensitivity and sense of control on subjective frustration. In both experiments, more noise-sensitive individuals expressed greater frustration than did those reporting less noise sensitivity. In addition, in experiment 2 there was a significant interaction between sense of control and noise level. Listeners under the higher noise-level conditions expressed relatively similar degrees of frustration irrespective of their sense of control, while those under the lower noise-level condition showed lower frustration with greater sense of control. Results support Stallen's [(1999). Noise Health 1(3), 69-79] theoretical framework of noise annoyance, but also suggest the need for further research under more ecologically plausible conditions.

CD36-mediated ROS/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway exacerbates cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 mice after noise exposure.

There is an association between noise exposure and cognitive impairment, and noise may have a more severe impact on patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment; however, the mechanisms need further investigation. This study used the classic AD animal model APP/PS1 mice to simulate the AD population, and C57BL/6J mice to simulate the normal population. We compared their cognitive abilities after noise exposure, analyzed changes in Cluster of Differentiation (CD) between the two types of mice using transcriptomics, identified the differential CD molecule: CD36 in APP/PS1 after noise exposure, and used its pharmacological inhibitor to intervene to explore the mechanism by which CD36 affects APP/PS1 cognitive abilities. Our study shows that noise exposure has a more severe impact on the cognitive abilities of APP/PS1 mice, and that the expression trends of differentiation cluster molecules differ significantly between C57BL/6J and APP/PS1 mice. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the expression of CD36 in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice increased by 2.45-fold after noise exposure (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, Western Blot results from the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex indicated that CD36 protein levels increased by approximately 1.5-fold (p < 0.001) and 1.3-fold (p < 0.05) respectively, after noise exposure in APP/PS1 mice. The changes in CD36 expression elevated oxidative stress levels in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, leading to a decrease in PI3K/AKT phosphorylation, which in turn increased M1-type microglia and A1-type astrocytes while reducing the numbers of M2-type microglia and A2-type astrocytes. This increased neuroinflammation in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, causing synaptic and neuronal damage in APP/PS1 mice, ultimately exacerbating cognitive impairment. These findings may provide new insights into the relationship between noise exposure and cognitive impairment, especially given the different expression trends of CD molecules in the two types of mice, which warrants further research.

Transcriptional profile changes caused by noise-induced tinnitus in the cochlear nucleus and inferior colliculus of the rat.

INTRODUCTION: Tinnitus is a prevalent and disabling condition characterized by the perception of sound in the absence of external acoustic stimuli. The hyperactivity of the auditory pathway is a crucial factor in the development of tinnitus. This study aims to examine genetic expression variations in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) and inferior colliculus (IC) following the onset of tinnitus using transcriptomic analysis. The goal is to investigate the relationship between hyperactivity in the DCN and IC. METHODS: To confirm the presence of tinnitus behavior, we utilized the gap pre-pulse inhibition of the acoustic startle (GPIAS) response paradigm. In addition, we conducted auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests to determine the baseline hearing thresholds, and repeated the test one week after subjecting the rats to noise exposure (8-16 kHz, 126 dBHL, 2 h). Samples of tissue were collected from the DCN and IC in both the tinnitus and non-tinnitus groups of rats. We employed RNA sequencing and quantitative PCR techniques to analyze the changes in gene expression between these two groups. This allowed us to identify any specific genes or gene pathways that may be associated with the development or maintenance of tinnitus in the DCN and IC. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated tinnitus-like behavior in rats exposed to noise, as evidenced by GPIAS measurements. We identified 61 upregulated genes and 189 downregulated genes in the DCN, along with 396 upregulated genes and 195 downregulated genes in the IC. Enrichment analysis of the DCN revealed the involvement of ion transmembrane transport regulation, synaptic transmission, and negative regulation of neuron apoptotic processes in the development of tinnitus. In the IC, the enrichment analysis indicated that glutamatergic synapses and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathways may significantly contribute to the process of tinnitus development. Additionally, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed, and 9 hub genes were selected based on their betweenness centrality rank in the DCN and IC, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal enrichment of differential expressed genes (DEGs) associated with pathways linked to alterations in neuronal excitability within the DCN and IC when comparing the tinnitus group to the non-tinnitus group. This indicates an increased trend in neuronal excitability within both the DCN and IC in the tinnitus model rats. Additionally, the enriched signaling pathways within the DCN related to changes in synaptic plasticity suggest that the excitability changes may propagate to IC. NEW AND NOTEWORTHY: Our findings reveal gene expression alterations in neuronal excitability within the DCN and IC when comparing the tinnitus group to the non-tinnitus group at the transcriptome level. Additionally, the enriched signaling pathways related to changes in synaptic plasticity in the differentially expressed genes within the DCN suggest that the excitability changes may propagate to IC.

Comparison of amount of noise and elimination strategies for noise in neonatal intensive care units of government and private hospitals in the Jodhpur district of India.

With technological advancement, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have become noisier than ever. Studies have shown the detrimental effects of increasing noise in NICU on growing pre-term and sick neonates. The present study aimed primarily to compare the amount of noise in NICUs of private and government hospitals. The secondary aim was to compare the strategies adopted by these hospitals to control the detrimental effects of noise on newborns. A detailed noise survey was conducted in the NICUs of two private and two government hospitals in the Jodhpur district, India. The noise survey was performed for a duration of 48 h using "Sound Ear 3-300" noise meters. The analyses were measured in Leq (equivalent continuous sound level) A-weighted decibels (dBA). The extracted data analysis revealed that the noise measured was in the range of 61.62-82.32 dBA in four NICUs of the district. The results also revealed a statistically significant difference between the NICU noise of private and government hospitals. The levels of alarming sounds differed between the hospitals with a general trend of lesser alarming sounds in private hospitals. The major differences in strategies adopted were that both private hospitals had a protocol to purposely reduce levels of alarming sounds when heard, and purposely limited the number of staff present in certain areas of the NICU, which were correlated with reduced sound compared to the government hospitals. Strategies like these require no additional cost to make drastic changes in the average noise measured.

Chronic noise exposure induces Alzheimer's disease-like neuropathology and cognitive impairment via ferroptosis in rat hippocampus.

BACKGROUND: Chronic noise exposure poses a remarkable public health concern, drawing attention to its impacts on the brain. Ferroptosis is involved in several brain-related diseases. However, the role of ferroptosis in the effects of chronic noise on the brain remains elusive. This study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic noise exposure on the brain and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: A chronic noise-induced cognitive impairment model in rats was constructed and validated. The pathological state and ferroptosis level of the rat hippocampus were determined using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Bioinformatics was employed to investigate the interrelationship between chronic noise exposure and genes. Genetic relationships were analyzed using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Cytoscape was employed for the prediction of upstream molecular and drug targets. RESULTS: In vivo experiments revealed that chronic noise exposure could induce Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like neuropathological changes in rat hippocampus and cognitive impairment. Moreover, protein markers indicative of ferroptosis and levels of lipid peroxidation were quantified to elucidate underlying mechanisms. Thereafter, oxidative stress- and ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) underwent functional enrichment and PPI network analyses. Additionally, 8 genes with diagnostic significance were identified. In MR analysis, retinoic acid receptor responder 2 (Rarres2) gene exhibited a negative genetic relationship with AD. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic noise exposure could induce AD-like neuropathological changes and cognitive impairment via ferroptosis. The results of MR analysis indicated that Rarres2 gene may act as a protective factor in AD. This gene may be upstream of ferroptosis and serve as a target for the prevention and treatment of chronic noise-induced cognitive impairment.

Effects of Ward Night Noise Management in the Context of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery on Postoperative Sleep Quality, Anxiety, and Hormone Levels of Thoracic Surgery Patients with Lung Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the effects of ward night noise management in the context of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) on postoperative sleep quality and anxiety of thoracic surgery patients with lung cancer. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 118 patients with lung cancer who underwent thoracic surgery (from January 2020 to December 2021). The patients were categorized into the control and observation groups, which comprised 63 and 55 cases, respectively, on the basis of perioperative management plans. The two groups were compared in terms of their score in Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), salivary cortisol (SC), thyroid hormone (TSH), and angiotensin II (Ang II) levels, and noise measurements at various timepoints. RESULTS: The observation group exhibited a significantly lower noise level than the control group (P < 0.001). No statistically significant difference was found in the AIS, STAI, and SDS scores and Ang II, TSH and SC levels between the two groups before their surgery (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group achieved significantly lower AIS scores at 1, 3 and 7 days after surgery (P < 0.05) and significantly lower STAI scores at 1 and 3 days postsurgery (P < 0.05). Significantly lower Ang II, TSH and SC indices were observed in the observation group after management than the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Night noise management in the context of ERAS can improve sleep quality and adverse moods of patients who underwent thoracic surgery for lung cancer, which helps in the promotion of prognosis.

Exposure to Noise or Music in Clinical Trials: A Scoping Review on Ethical and Methodological Considerations.

BACKGROUND: Use of noise or music in experimental human studies requires balancing the need to avoid subjecting participants to potentially harmful noise levels while still reaching levels that will produce a measurable change in the primary outcome. Several methodological and ethical aspects must be considered. This study aims to summarize ethical and methodological aspects, and reported outcomes, of previously published experimental paradigms using loud noise/music. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Four databases (Medline, Central, Web of Science, and Scopus) and two trials registries (Clinicaltrials.gov and EU Clinical Trials) were searched. Extracted items had the details of author and year of publication, study design and purpose, population, setting timeline and material, selected battery test, and effect of noise/music on participants' hearing. RESULTS: Thirty-four studies were included. Exposure safety considerations were reported in five studies. Eleven studies assessing hearing loss used white or narrow-band noise [(NBN (0.5-4 kHz), up to 115 dBA, duration range: 3'-24 hours)], and 10 used pop music (up to 106 dBA, duration range: 10'-4 hours). Experimental setting varied significantly. Temporary thresholds shift (TTS) and reduction in distortion product otoacoustic emissions were found at 1-8 kHz, with maximum average TTS∼21.5 dB at 4 kHz after NBN and ∼11.5 dB at 6 kHz after music exposure. All participants recovered their hearing, except for one participant in one study. In the 13 non-hearing loss studies, no hearing testing was performed after exposure, but loud noise was associated with temporary stress, bradygastria, and cardiovascular changes. Noise-induced subjective stress may be higher for participants with tinnitus. Loud noise (100 dBA, 10') increased diastolic and mean blood pressure only in participants with hypertension. CONCLUSION: Experimental exposure paradigms can produce temporary changes to hearing without measurable long-term health consequences. Methodological and ethical aspects identified in this review should be considered for the development of future paradigms.

Effects of the Combination of Noise Reduction Earplugs with White Noise and Rational Emotional Therapy on Emotional States of Inpatients with Colorectal Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore the effects of the combination of noise reduction earplugs with white noise and rational emotional therapy on the emotional states of inpatients with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: The study selected 152 CRC patients who received inpatient treatment in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2022 as the research objects. According to different nursing intervention modes, these patients were divided into the observation group (OG, n = 73, conventional nursing + noise reduction earplugs with white noise + rational emotional therapy) and the control group (CG, n = 79, conventional nursing) to compare the emotional status, sleep quality, and other indicators between the two groups. RESULTS: After 2 and 6 weeks of intervention, the severity of illness and global impression in the OG were notably lower than those in the CG. The OG had remarkably higher efficacy indexes than the CG (p < 0.05). The OG had overtly lower Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS) scores and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores than the CG (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The combination of noise reduction earplugs with white noise and rational emotional therapy can improve the emotion and sleep states of patients, with certain positive effects, which can be used as a potential nursing plan for CRC patients.

Assessment of Noise Exposure and Risk of Hearing Loss for Young People in Amusement Arcades.

BACKGROUND: Amusement arcades are one of the most popular entertainment venues for young people, but excessive noise levels inside them could harm young people's hearing. The aim of this study is to assess the characteristics and risk of noise exposure for young people in amusement arcades and understand their knowledge of and attitudes towards safe listening. METHODS: In this study, noise measurement was conducted in five large amusement arcades to collect 40 noise samples. At the same time, questionnaires were used in each amusement arcade to investigate young players' social information, subjective perception, and cognition of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). RESULTS: The level of the noise samples ranged from 83.05 to 89.4 dBA. There are significant differences in noise levels between amusement arcades (P < 0.05), but there is no significant difference in noise levels between different games (P > 0.05). The subjective questionnaire survey shows that 61.9% of young people feel that the sound of video games is noisy or very noisy, but it is worth noting that 63.5% of them do not know or think that noise will not cause hearing loss, and 39.7% of people will choose to do nothing to help them endure the noise in such an environment. For safe listening, young people are more inclined to choose measures to stay in quiet areas and reduce the volume of game devices. CONCLUSIONS: The noise levels in most amusement arcades have exceeded the exposure limits recommended by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA); subjective questionnaires also indicate that internal noise levels may cause hearing loss, and young customers did not know enough about safe listening. For young people's hearing safety, these issues need more attention.