The discovery of acatalasemia (lack of catalase in the blood) and its significance in human genetics.

Catalase, a heme-containing antioxidant enzyme, was once considered essential for human survival. It is widely distributed in the human body and is particularly abundant in red blood cells. The term "acatalasemia" first appeared in the Proceedings of the Japan Academy in 1951, drawing global attention to families genetically deficient in catalase. This deficiency not only altered the significance of catalase but also played a pioneering role in human genetics during an era of limited genetic methodology. In this article, we examine the discovery of acatalasemia by an otolaryngologist during surgery on an 11-year-old girl. This remarkable journey led to epoch-making research spanning biochemistry, hematology, and human genetics.

Cochlear Implantation in the Poorer-Hearing Ear Is a Reasonable Choice.

Choosing the optimal side for cochlear implantation (CI) remains a major challenge because of the lack of evidence. We investigated the choice of the surgery side for CI (i.e., the better- or poorer-hearing ear) in patients with asymmetric hearing. Audiological records of 74 adults with a unilateral hearing aid who had undergone surgery at Okayama University Hospital were reviewed. The definition of 'better-hearing ear' was the aided ear, and the unaided ear was considered the poorer-hearing ear. We performed a multiple regression analysis to identify potential predictors of speech recognition performance after unilateral CI in the patients. Fifty-two patients underwent CI in the poorer-hearing ear. The post-Ci bimodal hearing rate was far higher in the poorer-ear group (77.8% vs. 22.2%). A multivariate analysis revealed that prelingual hearing loss and the patient's age at CI significantly affected the speech recognition outcome (beta coefficients: 24.6 and -0.33, 95% confidence intervals [11.75-37.45] and [-0.58 to -0.09], respectively), but the CI surgery side did not (-6.76, [-14.92-1.39]). Unilateral CI in the poorer-hearing ear may therefore be a reasonable choice for adult patients with postlingual severe hearing loss, providing a greater opportunity for postoperative bimodal hearing.

Features predicting treatment failure in pediatric acute otitis media.

OBJECTIVES: To facilitate better antibiotic stewardship, we conducted this clinical trial to identify the prognostic features of treatment failure in pediatric acute otitis media (AOM). STUDY: Design: This is a randomized, parallel-group, open-label, comparative clinical trial. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Children with AOM and aged between 1 month and 5 years were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either amoxicillin alone (70 mg/kg) for five days, or the same with additional clarithromycin (15 mg/kg) for the initial three days. The clinical course of AOM was evaluated based on tympanic membrane scores. Failure of treatment for AOM was confirmed on day 14. Nasal conditions were also assessed by a clinical scoring system for acute rhinosinusitis. RESULTS: Treatment failures occurred in 25 out of 129 (19.4%) children. The ratio of treatment failures by age was significantly higher in children younger than 2 years than in children older than 2 years. The tympanic membrane scores on day 3 (P = 0.0334) and day 5 (P < 0.0001) and acute rhinosinusitis scores on day 5 (P = 0.0004) were higher in failure cases than in cured cases. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated significant associations between the treatment failure with tympanic membrane scores and acute rhinosinusitis scores on day 5, and the antimicrobial treatment regimen. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement of acute rhinosinusitis and tympanic membrane scores on day five were important predictive features in failure of treatment for pediatric AOM. These results will be useful when discussing the treatment decisions with the patient's parents.

Genetic Counseling of a Hearing-impaired Patient with Multiple Genetic Mutations.

Since April 2012, genetic testing for congenital hearing loss is covered by the public health insurance in Japan. Recent (since August 2015) developments in next-generation sequencing technology have enabled the detection of 154 mutations in 19 genes. Genetic testing provides valuable information on hearing phenotype, prognosis, and prediction of associated symptoms. We report a hearing-impaired patient in whom multiple genetic mutations were detected. This patient carries two missense mutations in GJB2 (p.G45E, p.Y136X), as well as a mitochondrial mutation (7445A>G). Since the number of genes detectable by genetic testing has increased, the diagnosis of hearing loss can be made with greater accuracy. However, it is often difficult to clinically understand and interpret the genotype information, especially when multiple gene variants are detected in one patient or family. Genetic counseling plays an important part in the intervention for or follow-up of such patients. Genotypic and phenotypic information of other family members is necessary, so that both the patient and the family can understand and accept the results of genetic testing.

Novel ABHD12 mutations in PHARC patients: the differential diagnosis of deaf-blindness.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines ABHD12 mutation analysis in 2 PHARC patients, originally thought to be Usher syndrome. METHODS: The ABHD12 gene of 2 patients, who suffered from deaf-blindness and dysfunctional central and peripheral nervous systems, were sequenced. RESULTS: We identified that both cases carried the same novel splice site mutation in the ABHD12 gene. However, 1 had epilepsy and the other had peripheral neuropathy. Based on haplotype analysis, the mutation is likely not a hot spot, but rather could be attributable to a common ancestor. CONCLUSION: This study shows that PHARC has phenotypic variability, even within a family, which is consistent with previous reports. Differential diagnosis of "deaf-blindness" diseases is crucial. Confirming the presence of associated symptoms is necessary for differentiating some deaf-blindness syndromes. In addition, mutation analysis is a useful tool for confirming the diagnosis.

Effectiveness of domain-based intervention for language development in Japanese hearing-impaired children: a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: Decreasing language delay in hearing-impaired children is a key issue in the maintenance of their quality of life. Language training has been presented mainly by experience-based training; effective intervention programs are crucially important for their future. The aim of this study was to confirm the efficacy of 6-month domain-based language training of school-age, severe-to-profound hearing-impaired children. METHODS: We conducted a controlled before-after study involving 728 severe-to-profound prelingual hearing-impaired children, including an intervention group (n = 60), control group (n = 30), and baseline study group (n = 638). Language scores of the participants and questionnaires to the caregivers/therapists were compared before and after the intervention. Average monthly increase in each language score of the control group and baseline study group were compared with those of the intervention group. RESULTS: Language scores and the results of the questionnaire of the intervention group showed a significant improvement (P < .05). The average monthly language growth of the intervention group was twice that of the control group and 3 to 4 times that of the baseline study group (P < .05). The effect size was largest in communication (1.914), followed by syntax (0.931). CONCLUSION: Domain-based language training improved the language development and daily communication of hearing-impaired children without any adverse effects.

[The age at which the grade of Special Child Dependent's Allowance Act can be judged in the case of deaf children].

The spread of neonatal hearing screening has made the identification of hearing loss in early childhood possible, and most of the children with hearing loss are diagnosed and provided with early intervention within several months after their birth. However, they have to wait to receive the Special Child Dependent's Allowance until their hearing levels are evaluated with audiometers. Under the Special Child Dependent's Allowance Act now in force, a delay of several years occurs for those children before they can receive the allowance after diagnosis. We retrospectively reviewed hearing test results of children who had not reacted at 90dBnHL bilaterally in ABR within 12 months after birth, and examined when those results were certain enough to determine their allowance eligibility. We found that the eligibility in children with hearing loss alone could be determined at 1 year of age; as for children who had other disorders, since it was mostly difficult to test them with an audiometer, the diagnosis of hearing loss must always be made carefully but it was also possible to determine the eligibility for the allowance at 1 year of age.

[Assessment of hearing aid outcome using CADL].

The presence of hearing impairment deteriorates patients' quality of life by affecting their daily-life communication. Several self-report assessments are available to evaluate the subjective outcome of hearing aids, however, the procedures to evaluate the impairment of communication induced by hearing impairment has not been well established. A PC-recorded audio file prepared to evaluate the communication ability of hearing aid users, by extracting fifteen spoken language items from the Communication ADL Test: sp-CADL. A before and after study was performed among the hearing aid users who were attending Okayama University Hospital to evaluate the improvement in each of the 15 sp-CADL scores. Twenty-one adults were included in this study whose age ranged from 22 to 83 years old (mean: 56.7 years old). The total and individual scores of the sp-CADL improved significantly after the use of the hearing aids (p < 0.05). The total sp-CADL score of the patients with hearing aids showed a good correlation with the best scores of the speech discrimination test measured before wearing hearing aids.

Revision cochlear implant surgery in adults and children is a safe and effective technique: a retrospective single faculty study in Okayama University Hospital, Japan.

BACKGROUND: Cochlear implant (CI) surgery is a safe surgical technique, although some patients require revision CI surgery. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the cause and underlying reason of revision CI surgery as well as hearing outcomes in a single institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated patients who underwent CI surgery between April 2006 to March 2022 (n = 351). Sex, aetiology of hearing loss (HL), age and period from initial CI surgery to reimplantation, cause of revision, and related factors were examined. RESULTS: Twelve patients (8 males, 4 females) received CI reimplantation. The revision surgery rate was 2.59% (3.15% children, 1.69% adults); the period from initial surgery to reoperation was 8.60 ± 6.56 years for 9 children with congenital HL and 15.27 ± 5.72 years for 3 adults with progressive HL. Device failure was the most common cause (n = 8), followed by infections (n = 2), advanced facial irritation symptoms (n = 1), and electrode slip-out (n = 1). Mean preoperative and postoperative CI thresholds were 44.0 ± 9.46 dBnHL and 39.19 ± 8.89 dBnHL (p < .068), respectively. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Caregiver education, surgical technique advances, flap design, and extensive antibiotic use may decrease the revision surgery rate. The lack of post-revision deterioration of the hearing threshold contributed to well-being in patients with CI.

Effects of early identification and intervention on language development in Japanese children with prelingual severe to profound hearing impairment.

OBJECTIVES: Early identification and intervention for prelingual bilateral severe to profound hearing loss is supposed to reduce the delay in language development. Many countries have implemented early detection and hearing intervention and conducted regional universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS). However, the benefits of UNHS in later childhood have not yet been confirmed, although language development at school age has a lifelong impact on children's future. Our Research on Sensory and Communicative Disorders project attempted to reveal the effects of UNHS and those of early intervention on the development of verbal communication in Japanese children. METHODS: In this study, 319 children with prelingual bilateral severe to profound hearing loss, 4 to 10 years of age, were evaluated with the Test of Question-Answer Interaction Development used as an objective variable. Participation in UNHS and early intervention were used as explanatory variables. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was calculated after adjusting several confounding factors with use of logistic regression analysis. In addition, caregivers' answers were obtained by a questionnaire, and the process of diagnosis with and without UNHS was analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Early intervention was significantly associated with better language development (AOR, 3.23; p < 0.01). Participation in UNHS may contribute to better language development to some extent (AOR, 1.32), but not one that was statistically significant (p = 0.37). However, UNHS was significantly associated with early intervention (AOR, 20.21; p < 0.001). The questionnaire results indicated a lag in treatment after UNHS in more than 40% of screened cases. CONCLUSIONS: Early intervention strongly influenced language development. It is necessary to ensure that early identification leads directly to early intervention.

Language ability in the intermediate-scoring group of hearing-impaired children.

OBJECTIVES: Language development is a key issue in hearing-impaired children. However, interpersonal differences complicate our understanding of the situation. The bimodal or trimodal distribution of language scores in our other reports in this publication imply the presence of fundamental differences among these groups. The characteristic aspects of each group were profiled according to language data. METHODS: We divided 268 children with prelingual severe to profound hearing impairment into 3 groups according to their trimodal distribution observed on histogram-based analysis of their responses to the Test of Question-Answer Interaction Development. Test results in several language domains, including productive and comprehensive vocabulary, productive and comprehensive syntax, and academic achievement, were profiled and compared among these 3 groups. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed in the results of the Word Fluency Test, the Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, and the Syntax Test of Aphasia among the 3 groups. No significant difference was observed between groups who were lower-scoring and intermediate-scoring on the academic achievement tests referred to as Criterion Referenced Test-II and the Standardized Comprehension Test for Abstract Words. Only the higher-scoring group showed excellent results. The demographic factors were not significantly different among the 3 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Relatively poor academic achievement despite fair language production was the dominant feature of the intermediate-scoring group. This profile might correlate with academic failure in school.

Language development, interpersonal communication, and academic achievement among Japanese children as assessed by the ALADJIN.

OBJECTIVES: Japanese-speaking children in a standard sample were subjected to a test battery (ALADJIN: Assessment Package for Language Development in Japanese Hearing-Impaired Children) to evaluate the effect of language development on both interpersonal communication skills and academic achievement. METHODS: A total of 414 preschool and school-age children without hearing impairment were included in this study. The following tests make up the ALADJIN: the Test of Question-Answer Interaction Development (TQAID), the Japanese Language by Criterion Referenced Test-II (CRT-II) for measuring academic achievement, the Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PVT-R), the Standardized Comprehension Test of Abstract Words (SCTAW), both parts of the Syntactic Processing Test for Aphasia (STA), and the Word Fluency Test (WFT). Means and standard deviations at each academic grade level were calculated, and a multiple regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: A ceiling effect was observed for the TQAID and the STA in children in grade 3 of elementary school, and the scores for the PVT-R, SCTAW, and WFT increased incrementally according to grade level. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the PVT-R, WFT, and STA (production) have predictive power for the results of the TQAID (R = 0.59; R2 = 0.58; p <0.0001), whereas the SCTAW and STA (comprehension) have predictive power for the results of the CRT-II. CONCLUSIONS: Both vocabulary and syntax are important in communication development among children. The results of our multiple regression analysis suggest that different language domains may play different roles in the development of interpersonal communication skills and in academic achievement. The development of interpersonal communication skills is largely based on productive vocabulary and syntax abilities, whereas academic achievement is largely based on comprehensive vocabulary and syntax abilities. Children who have difficulties in either area should be evaluated with detailed language assessment tools such as the ALADJIN in an effort to aid in the selection of appropriate intervention.

Assessment package for language development in Japanese hearing-impaired children (ALADJIN) as a test battery for the development of practical communication.

OBJECTIVES: The measurement of language development in hearing-impaired children is an important step in assessing the appropriateness of an intervention. We proposed a set of language tests (the Assessment Package for Language Development in Japanese Hearing-Impaired Children [ALADJIN]) to evaluate the development of practical communication skills. This package consisted of communication skills (TQAID), comprehensive (PVT-R and SCTAW) and productive vocabulary (WFT), comprehensive and productive syntax (STA), and the STRAW. METHODS: A total of 638 children with greater than 70-dB hearing impairment were subjected to this set of language tests. Additional tests, including the PARS, the RCPM, and parental questionnaires, were administered to assess the backgrounds of the children. RESULTS: A trimodal distribution was observed among hearing-impaired children by the histogram-based analysis of each test. CONCLUSIONS: The ALADJIN is a useful Japanese-language evaluation kit for hearing-impaired children.

Syntactic development in Japanese hearing-impaired children.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined syntactic development of auditory comprehension of sentences in Japanese-speaking school-age children with and without hearing impairment. METHODS: In total, 592 preschool and school-age children (421 normal-hearing and 171 hearing-impaired) were included in this cross-sectional observation study conducted using the Syntactic Processing Test for Aphasia for Japanese language users. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the estimated age at which each syntactic structure was acquired. RESULTS: Acquisition of syntactic structures was observed in hearing-impaired and normal-hearing children. Basic word order sentences of agent-object-verb and the goal benefactive construction were acquired at preschool age (earlier group), whereas reverse word order sentences of object-agent-verb, source benefactive construction, passive voice, and relative clauses were acquired at school age (later group). The results showed that many hearing-impaired children may not acquire Japanese grammatical structures until the age of 12 years. CONCLUSIONS: Adequate screening for language development for school-age hearing-impaired children is required for an effective intervention.

[Problem and assignment for distinguishing the Usher syndrome type].

Usher syndrome is an autosomal-recessive disorder that causes bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and occasionally vestibular dysfunction. Usher syndrome types 1, 2, and 3 can be distinguished by differences in audiovestibular features. The objectives of this retrospective study were to evaluate 26 patients with Usher syndrome clinically. The 26 patients (male: 12 cases, female: 14 cases) with Usher syndrome, with a clinical diagnosis based on symptoms of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and RP, had been registered from 13 hospitals as a multicenter study. We assessed the clinical history and performed audiovestibular and ophthalmologic examinations, and genetic testing. Eleven of the patients were classified as having Usher type 1 (38.5%), 6 with Usher type 2 (23.1%), and 9 with Usher type 3 (38.5%). However, many patients with atypical Usher type 1 (70%) and type 2 (83.3%) were found compared with Usher type 3 (10%). The conductive rate of vestibular examinations including the caloric test (50%) was low. There were many variations in the clinical symptoms in Usher syndrome patients, therefore the classification of Usher types 1, 2, and 3 has been complicated. We have proposed a flowchart for the diagnosis of Usher types 1, 2, and 3.

[Subsidizing hearing aid purchase in mild to moderate pediatric hearing--pediatric status following prefectural assembly subvention].

The dissemination of newborn hearing screening (NHS) has enabled those with mild to moderate hearing loss to be diagnosed in early infancy. The "handicapped independence support law", however, prevents those not determined to be physically handicapped; i.e., those with mild to moderate hearing loss-, from government assistance in purchasing hearing aids. This results either in (i) parents purchasing hearing aids at their own expense or (ii) nonpurchase of hearing aids. To redress this situation, subvention in purchasing hearing aids of mild to moderate hearing loss children has been begun by some local governments. We petitioned for such aid at the Okayama Prefecture Assembly. A society for supporting pediatric hearing difficulty in Okayama Prefecture also submitted a similar petition in September 2009, and subvention began in April 2010 for all such children in Okayama Prefecture. We report procedures and details leading to this subvention.

[Progressive or delayed early-onset pediatric sensorineural hearing loss].

The introduction of newborn-hearing screening has enabled early childhood hearing loss to be diagnosed and increased the number of children undergoing early care. Bilateral hearing loss is found in 0.08% of newborns and children whose hearing loss progresses or onset is delayed account for 4 to 30% of all pediatric hearing impairment. Children with perinatal risk factors tend to have deteriorated hearing or delayed-onset hearing loss in early childhood, necessitating audiometric follow-up. We also are aware of some children without risk factors who develop hearing impairment during infancy or early childhood. Hearing deterioration may be difficult to diagnose objectively, especially in young children, the presence of risk factors must be determines as soon as possible, especially given the lack of hearing management and close examination of children without apparent risk factors. We retrospectively studied children born from April 1998 to March 2007 and undergoing cochlear implantation as of April 2008. Among cases, we focused on 10 whose hearing impairment advanced during infancy -4 with risk factors known before hearing deterioration progressed, and 6 cases thought not to have any risk factors. We detected enlarged vestibular acquaduct in 3 of these 6 cases, and 3 more of whom had no risk factors -2 passing newborn-hearing screening and 1 in whom such screening detected hemilateral hearing loss. Our results underscore the need for early temporal computed tomography for detecting enlarged vestibular aquaduct. Even children with mild or hemilateral hearing loss should undergo audiometric and developmental testing at least every 6 months up to going to elementary school. Children suspected of impaired hearing should undergo thorough hearing tests regardless of newborn hearing-screening results to catch any problems early. Appropriate regular hearing and language development check-up tests must also be developed.

[Multicenter clinical study of bone-anchored hearing aids in Japan--application for congenital auricular atresia].

The effectiveness of bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA) for the patients with congenital aural atresia was evaluated by multicenter clinical study in Japan. Twenty patients (17 bilateral and 3 hemilateral) of congenital auricular atresia were registered for this study and finally, 18 of them (15 bilateral and 3 unilateral) were subjected to further evaluation. Primary endpoint of this study was free sound-field pure-tone audiometory and speech threshold hearing test in quiet and noisy circumstances. Secondary endpoint of this study was patient's satisfaction based upon APHAB (Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit) questionnaire survey. These results were compared between before and 12 weeks after BAHA surgery. Both hearing level of pure tone and speech threshold significantly improved after BAHA surgery. APHAB scores also suggested the improvement of the QOL after BAHA usage, except for the scores that concerned with unpleasantness of noisy sound. BAHA is one of the useful options for the treatment of congenital auricular atresia.

Differential expression of glycogenes in tonsillar B lymphocytes in association with proteinuria and renal dysfunction in IgA nephropathy.

Aberrant O-glycosylation of serum and tonsillar IgA1 is one of the main pathogeneses of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). However, the synthesis of underglycosylated IgA1 in tonsils has not yet been characterized. This study examined tonsillar B lymphocytes of IgAN (n=34) using tonsils derived from patients with chronic tonsillitis (n=24) and sleep apnea syndrome (n=14) as a control. Gene expression of beta1,3-galactosyltransferase (beta3GalT), and the core 1 beta3GalT-specific molecular chaperone, Cosmc, UDP-N-acetyl-alpha-D-galactosamine: polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyl-transferase 2, were significantly decreased in tonsillar CD19-positive B lymphocytes from IgAN patients compared to control tonsillar tissues as determined by real-time RT-PCR. Tonsillar B cell beta3GalT gene expression significantly correlated with estimated GFR and negatively correlated with proteinuria and histological injury score. Western blotting showed the protein expression of beta3GalT in the tonsils to significantly decrease in IgAN in comparison to the controls. These data suggest the downregulation of beta3GalT in tonsillar B lymphocytes to be closely associated with the clinical characteristics of IgAN.

Expression and mutation analysis of her2 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

We analyzed mutation and expression status of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) mutation analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Mutations were absent in all 85 cases. Out of 57 cases available for IHC, Her2 protein expression was negative (0) in 40 tumors (70%). Seventeen tumors (29.8%) expressed Her2, among these 13 tumors (22.8%) showed a weak (+1) expression and 4 (7%) showed a moderate expression (+2), none showed a strong (+3) expression. There was not a significant association between expression and any of the patients' clinical variables or prognosis. Our results suggest that Her2 may not be useful as a molecular target in HNSCC.