Validation of the Greek Version of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to validate the Greek version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. METHOD: Eighty-six adult patients with chronic tinnitus participated in the study. Sociodemographic data and medical history were recorded during the interview. The patients underwent audiological examination and they were asked to fill in three questionnaires: the Greek version of the THI (THI-GR), the Greek version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the brief Tinnitus Severity Scale Questionnaire (TSSQ). RESULTS: The THI-GR showed good internal consistency, comparable to the original version. Cronbach's alpha was equal to 0.92, which suggests a robust reliability. All THI-GR subscales along with total score were significantly and positively correlated with the TSSQ grade and the audiogram results indicating the existence of convergent validity. Furthermore, THI-GR's subscales were significantly correlated with both State and Trait subscales, which indicates a correlation between tinnitus and stress. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the high reliability and validity of the THI-GR as a self-report measure for the evaluation of tinnitus-related annoyance and psychological distress in clinical practice.

Non-Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve and Concurrent Vascular Variants: A Review.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to review the current data on the coexistence of non-recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) and vascular variations. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted on MEDLINE for case reports, original articles and reviews regarding the presence of non-RLN and coexisting vascular variants. RESULTS: From the literature search, 104 cases of non-RLN with confirmed vascular variants were reported. More specifically, 97.7% (n=101) of cases involved a right and 2.3% (n=3) a left non-RLN. The most common concurrent vascular variant reported with a right non-RLN was an aberrant right subclavian artery (97%; n=98). One case report (0.9%) of an intrathyroidal right common carotid artery was noted and 2 cases (1.9%) were associated with normal vascular anatomy. Furthermore, all 3 cases of a left non-RLN were associated with a right aortic arch, while 2 of them were also accompanied with situs inversus. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of vascular variations of the great vessels must prompt the surgeon to search for a non-RLN. Intraoperative neuromonitoring increases the detection rate of non-RLN. Further research is required to determine anatomic landmarks for the perioperative identification of a non-RLN, allowing its protection from potential injury.

No Differences Identified in Transverse Plane Biomechanics Between Medial Pivot and Rotating Platform Total Knee Implant Designs.

BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) using well-designed, fixed bearing prostheses, such as medial pivot (MP), have produced good long-term results. Rotating-platform, posterior-stabilized (RP-PS) mobile bearing implants were designed to decrease polyethylene wear. Sagittal and coronal plane TKA biomechanics are well examined and correlated to polyethylene wear. However, limited research findings describe this relationship in transverse plane. We assumed that although axial plane biomechanics might not be the most destructive parameters on polyethylene wear, it is important to clarify their role because both joint kinematics and kinetics in all 3 planes are important input parameters for TKA wear testing (International Organization for Standardization 14243-1 and 14343-3). Our hypothesis was that transverse plane overall range of motion (ROM) and/or peak moment show differences that reflect on wear advantages when compared RP-PS implants to MP designs. METHODS: Two groups (MPs = 24 and RP-PSs = 22 subjects) were examined by using 3D gait analysis. The variables were total internal-external rotation (IER) ROM and peak IER moments. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was demonstrated between the 2 groups in kinetics (P = .389) or kinematics (P = .275). CONCLUSION: In the present study, no wear advantages were found between 2 TKAs. Both designs showed identical kinetics at the transverse plane in level-ground walking. Kinematic analysis could not illustrate any statistically significant difference in terms of overall IER ROM. Nevertheless, kinematic gait pattern differences observed possibly reflect different patterns of joint surface motion or abnormal gait patterns. Thus, wear testing with various input waveforms combined with functional data analysis will be necessary to identify the actual effects of gait variability on polyethylene wear.

Functional measurement: an incredibly flexible tool

Functional Measurement (FM) has been applied to a variety of settings that can be considered as "extreme" settings; that is, settings involving participants with severe cognitive disabilities or involving unusual stimulus material. FM has, as instance, been successfully applied for analyzing (a) umerosity judgments among children as young as 3 years, (b) area judgment among children and adolescents blind from birth, (c) moral judgment among persons with autism and persons with learning disabilities, (d) performance judgments among completely illiterate peasants living at the border of the Sahara, (f) esthetic emotion associated with music excerpts, and (g) ethical thinking among elderly people who were about to die. The methodological aspects of these studies are presented in great detail and the main findings are discussed. The reasons why FM was successful in uncovering new, sometimes unexpected findings in these settings are discussed, notably: (a) no verbalizations/justifications were asked for; that is, judgment processes were not viewed as intrinsically connected with language, and (b) very concrete, daily life material (concrete scenarios) likely to be understood by everyone was used(AU)

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Judging the pleasantness of contour-rhythm-pitch-timbre musical combinations.

The way people with various degrees of musical training integrate timbre, melodic contour, rhythm, and pitch information in an overall pleasantness judgment for musical excerpts was investigated. The theoretical and methodological framework of the study was the functional theory of cognition. In 2 experiments, participants were asked to attribute an overall pleasantness value to combinations of these factors. In Experiment 1, timbre, contour, rhythm, and overall pitch were manipulated. In Experiment 2, timbre and theme (a pattern of pitch and rhythm) were manipulated. Both experiments showed that in judging the pleasantness of musical combinations, participants apply a simple, additive rule in which the weight attributed to one element does not depend of the value of the other elements. Very few differences in regard to the combination rule were observed between participants with and without musical training. These results are discussed in reference to the controversy over pitch and rhythm interaction.