Effect of prestimulation on sentence comprehension by aphasic subjects

Aphasic subjects and controls were tested to determine whether comprehension of spoken sentences was enhanced by prestimulation concerning their contents. For each of the 20 test points, the subject listened to the test sentence and selected the corresponding picture from among four pictures presented simultaneously. The preparatory suggestions were given in one test condition and withheld in the other. Each prestimulation consisted of one or two sentences that indicated the persons, objects, or general situation to be presented in the test sentence. Analysis of variance indicated that the effect of the prestimulation was not significant.     

鼻息肉与上颌窦后鼻孔息肉变态反应差异的分析

目的对比鼻息肉（nasal polyps,NP）与上颌窦后鼻孔息肉（antrochoanal polyps,ACP）变应原检测结果的差异,以了解两种类型的鼻息肉疾病的病因及发病机制是否存在联系。方法回顾性分析42例NP患者及19例ACP患者的变应原皮肤点刺试验（SPT）的检测资料。结果42例NP患者在44种变应原中至少出现1次变应原阳性的比例为47．6％（20例）,而19例ACP患者中该比例为31．6％（6例）;所有受试者对包括白色念珠菌、交链孢霉菌、松、咖喱、水果、肉类在内的等17种变应原均未出现过敏现象,而其他27种变应原在所有61例受试者中则至少出现了1次阳性结果。两组患者采用秩和检验对此27种变应原进行比较,结果显示ACP患者SPT试验的阴性率明显高于NP患者,差异具有统计学意义（Z=- 5．0445,P〈0．05）。结论NP与ACP在变态反应学方面存在差异,两者的病因和发病机制可能有区别。     

A descending LOT-Bekesy screening test for functional hearing loss

This study investigated the screening efficiency of a descending version of Hattler's Lengthened Off-time (LOT) Bekesy test. The Descending LOT (DELOT) test was administered to 24 subjects who presented unequivocal audiometric evidence of functional hearing loss during clinical examinations and 30 subjects with no audiometric evidence of functional loss. The DELOT format substantially increased screening sensitivity: 29.2% more functional group subjects and 42.2% more functional group ears were identified correctly relative to LOT test identifications. There was one marginally positive DELOT outcome involving one ear in the nonfunctional group. The high sensitivity of the DELOT test was clearly a function of significantly larger intertrace gaps caused by the DELOT trace. The mean intertrace gap for the DELOT test was more than 10 dB greater than the gap for the LOT test.     

从皮肤试验分析变应性鼻炎的诊断

目的分析变应性鼻炎的诊断。方法采用皮肤点刺试验检测1248例成人变应性鼻炎患者的变应原。结果517例(41.43%)患者呈阳性皮肤反应,位于前4位的变应原是:屋尘螨、粉尘螨、杂草及树。对1种或2种变应原过敏者占76.4%。对2种变应原过敏的患者,多为具有交叉抗原的变应原。变应原等级为( )以上者占75%。结论皮肤点刺试验是变应性鼻炎诊断的重要手段,可以作出明确的特异性变应原的种类及严重程度的诊断。     

Aussage des Fistel- und Lagefistelsymptoms zur Erkennung einer Labyrinthfistel

Summary 111 patients with a chronic otitis media and symptoms of dizziness were investigated.Out of 75 patients, who were operated, a fistula of the labyrinth was suspected in 25 patients due to a positive fistula test or a positive (fistula) positional test. A fistula was found in 15 patients. In those 15 cases both the fistula and the positional (fistula) test were positive in nine cases. In the remaining six cases three had a positive fistula test and three a positive (fistula) positional test. The other 50 patients all with negative fistula reactions one fistula was whereas found by the operation.This would indicate, that a positive fistula test and a positive (fistula) positional test are of value in the preoperative evaluation of patients with chronic otitis media and symptoms of vertigo.     

Objective detection of auditory brainstem potentials: comparison of statistical tests in the time and frequency domains

Newborn hearing screening with auditory brainstem potentials (ABR) requires objective ABR detection by a statistical test procedure with high performance. Statistical testing can be performed in the time or frequency domain. The aim of the present study was to compare the performance of three tests in the time domain (Friedman test, variance ratio F(SP), Cochran's Q-test) with that of a test in the frequency domain (modified q-sample uniform scores test) that, in a former investigation, was shown to be the best test in the frequency domain. To compare the performance of the four tests, the test power was calculated and receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) were constructed from the probability density functions estimated using Monte Carlo simulations. In addition, a comparison on the basis of real near-threshold ABR data was carried out. The modified q-sample uniform scores test appeared to be the most powerful one. Some aspects of practical application are discussed.     

Brainstem electric-response audiometry in infants of a neonatal intensive care unit

Brainstem electric-response audiometry was used to assess the auditory function of 600 infants from a neonatal intensive care unit. Two groups of children were tested, one group as inpatients prior to discharge with a mean age at test of 39.4 weeks and one group as outpatients with a mean age at test of 55.4 weeks. Our results indicate that testing infants when they are older will reduce the incidence of failure on the initial evaluation and will reduce the identification of transient hearing losses which resolve spontaneously. Our results also indicate that a threshold of 30 dB nHL or less is probably normal and that some infants with a threshold of 40 dB nHL at first test require otological or audiological management.     

Cough as the sole manifestation of airway hyperreactivity

The authors report 18 patients who presented to the ENT department with isolated cough, which had begun one month to 14 years previously. As the ENT examination was negative, the patients were referred to the Department of General Medicine where a bronchial reactivity test with acetylcholine was found to be positive, leading to a diagnosis of airway hyperreactivity. The group was predominantly female (15/18) and atopy was rare; indeed, only one patient, who had a history of allergic rhinitis, was found to be atopic. Bronchodilators and inhaled steroids cured or helped the cough in 16/18 patients. When a patient presents with chronic cough without other respiratory symptoms it is important to consider a diagnosis of airway hyperreactivity and to confirm this with a challenge test of bronchoconstriction.     

畸变产物耳声发射测试对噪声性聋诊断的敏感度和特异度

目的 探讨畸变产物耳声发射测试对噪声性聋的诊断价值。方法 对115名军人（204耳）进行DPOAE幅值测试,采用两个等强度L1＝L2＝70dB SPL的纯音信号f1、f2＝1．2。测试1、2、4kHz和6kHz DPOAE幅值,根据DPOAE幅值是否大于或小于标准值,判断听力正常与否。并同纯音听阈进行对照。结果 1、2、4和6kHz各频率的敏感度分别是70％、67％、85％和73％;特异度分别是71％、66％、84％和75％。结论 DPOAE幅值测试用于诊断噪声性聋,缺乏足够的敏感性和特异性,单一的DPOAE幅值测试,不能诊断噪声性聋。     

Congruity and predictability between two measures of nonstandard dialect usage on four grammatical forms

This study investigated whether Nonstandard English (NSE) dialect responses to an examiner-constructed sentence completion test were congruent with and predictive of use of NSE during spontaneous conversation. The sentence completion test was designed to evoke either NSE or Standard English (SE) dialect variants of four grammatical forms for which the NSE dialect variants are highly stigmatized. The 76 Black male subjects were between the ages of 15:8 and 23:5 years. The grammatical forms assessed were verb-subject agreement third person singular, negative concord, possessive suffix, and continuative be. A low but statistically significant correlation was found between the percentage of NSE usage on the test and during conversation when all four grammatical forms were combined (r = .2344, p less than .05). Only the possessive suffix form showed a statistically significant correlation between the two measures when correlations were computed for individual grammatical forms (r = .4341, p less than .05). Thus, congruency was interpreted to be highly variable and dependent on the particular grammatical form. To measure predictability, data were inspected for each grammatical form to determine the percentage of subjects who used at least one NSE dialect variant for sentence completion test items when at least one NSE variant of that form occurred during spontaneous conversation. Responses to the sentence completion test were predictive of NSE during conversation for more than 90% of the subjects only for the negative concord grammatical form. It was concluded that the sentence completion test is satisfactorily congruent with and predictive of patterns of dialect used in spontaneous conversation only for certain specific grammatical forms. Some possible reasons for these variable results and their implications for second dialect assessment are offered.     

Development of the ETOC: a European test of olfactory capabilities

A number of smell tests designed to evaluate human olfactory capabilities have been published, but none have been validated cross-culturally. The aim of this study was therefore to develop a reliable and quick olfactory test that could be used to evaluate efficiently the olfactory abilities of a European population. This test, named ETOC and based on a combination of a supra-threshold detection task and an identification task, was designed to be a cross-cultural tool that would measure the decline in olfactory performance with ageing. Two versions of the ETOC, one easy and one less easy, were used to test the olfactory performance of European citizens in three countries (France, Sweden and the Netherlands). The results indicated that neither version of the ETOC is culture-dependent, and that both give scores that well reflect the decrease in olfactory abilities with increasing age. A retest session showed that the less easy (and final) version of the ETOC is also highly reliable.     

Screening of olfactory function using odourized markers

BACKGROUND: The goal of our study was to create a psychophysical test for the screening of olfactory function on the basis of commercially available odourized markers (OM). There are six coloured markers in one package filled with different odourants at suprathreshold levels. In order to identify the best approach, we investigated five different variations of the technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Olfaction was investigated in 189 subjects. Healthy participants as well as patients suffering from olfactory disorders were tested. Initially subjects were tested by one of five methods using OM. Finally, the "Sniffin' Sticks" test (butanol odour threshold, odour identification) was performed. RESULTS: Correlation of the OM screening test and the "Sniffin' Sticks" ranged from 0.49 to 0.93 indicating that variations of the technique strongly influence the results of testing. The best technique for evaluating olfactory function included spontaneous naming of odours and odour identification from a list of four distractors. The sensitivity of this method was sufficient to determine anosmia. CONCLUSIONS: The odourized markers screening test can be used to screen for anosmia in the general population. However, the precise quantification of olfactory function is not possible, because of the relatively small amount of odours.     

Methacholine challenge testing in the diagnosis of paradoxical vocal fold motion

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether methacholine challenge testing (MCT) combined with serial laryngoscopy could elicit and visualize paradoxical vocal fold motion (PVFM) during asymptomatic periods and suggest laryngeal dysfunction as an etiology of episodic dyspnea. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study of seven adult patients. METHODS: Medical records of seven adult patients who were referred to an otolaryngology clinic with recurrent episodes of dyspnea or choking and underwent bronchoprovocation testing were reviewed. After initial fiberoptic laryngoscopy and pulmonary function testing (PFT), bronchoprovocation was performed using aerosolized methacholine at increasing concentrations. Each administration was followed by repeated laryngoscopy and PFT. A positive endoscopic test was marked by the visualization of paradoxical adduction of the true vocal folds during inspiration. A positive bronchoprovocation test was marked by a 20% or greater decline in the forced expiratory volume. RESULTS: All seven patients demonstrated normal upper airway anatomy and function on initial laryngoscopy. In three patients, a positive endoscopic examination demonstrating PVFM was elicited during MCT. In three, the bronchoprovocation test was positive, and asthma was diagnosed. In one patient, both tests were negative. PVFM was seen in all patients whose chief complaint was choking (n = 2) but in only one of five patients whose chief complaint was dyspnea. CONCLUSIONS: PVFM may be elicited and observed during MCT coupled with serial laryngoscopy. This test holds promise in differentiating vocal cord dysfunction from asthma during asymptomatic periods in patients who present with recurrent episodes of refractory dyspnea.     

A study of the auditory responses to intra-uterine sound in the first few months after birth

The auditory responses of infants until 3 months after birth were examined using the doll "Nenkororin" which contains a tape recorder of the intrauterine sound (IUS). The purpose of this study was to assess the applicability of these responses to screening of infants with severe hearing impairment. The results are summarized as follows. 1. The IUS with 1/3-octaval audiofrequency of 400Hz-4kHz was presented to 152 neonates. Positive responses showing alert inactivity were obtained in 148 infants, but negative responses in 2 neonates. 2 infants were undetermined. The neonates showed negative responses had severe hearing impairment with comparison of ABR. ABR was also carried out in 69 of the 152 infants. The results of ABR well agreed with those of the IUS test. 2. A typical reaction of neonates who stopped crying and assumed a state of alert inactivity in responses to the IUS was demonstrated until approximately one month after birth. At the end of the first month after birth, the threshold of this reaction grew smaller than that of the one-week period after birth. The latent time of this reaction also tended to become shorter. 3. The infants mostly failed to respond to the 1/3-octaval noise consisting of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0kHz extracted from the IUS. From the experiment using high and low pass noise components extracted from the IUS. High response were obtained at low frequency band components below 1kHz. 4. Public health nurses without experience of auditory test were requested to compare the reaction by the IUS test and an auditory reflex test using tongue-clicking, whistling and paper-crumpling sounds. The IUS test was found to be easier for evaluation of the reactions than the other method of test. From the above results it is concluded that the auditory response to the IUS was useful for screening of severe hearing impairment in neonates until one after birth.     

继发性后半规管良性阵发性位置性眩晕的诊治

目的 探讨继发性良性阵发性位置性眩晕(BPPV)的诊断和治疗。方法研究继发性后半规管BPPV的内耳疾病6例病历资料,诊断依据为病史及Dix-Hallpike试验诱导出现的眼震结果。结果 6例内耳疾病(分别为突发性聋3例, 梅尼埃病2例, 前庭神经元炎1例)伴有后半规管良性阵发性位置性眩晕被确诊,通过Dix-Hallpike试验诱发出垂直扭转型眼震。结论 继发性BPPV临床较少见,常为后半规管受累,通过Dix-Hallpike试验和Epley手法复位可以确诊和治愈。     

分泌性中耳炎C型鼓室导抗图咽鼓管功能的检测

目的：探讨分泌性中耳炎（ＳＯＭ）、鼓室导抗图为Ｃ型患者的咽鼓管功能。方法：检测捏鼻吞咽法和捏鼻鼓气法后的鼓室导抗图,峰压点的移动进行量化处理,评价３０例ＳＯＭ（４２耳）的咽鼓管功能,并与正常对照组相比较。结果：咽鼓管功能障碍者５２．３８％,与正常对照组相比有显著性差异（Ｐ〈０．０５）。结论：咽鼓管功能障碍是ＳＯＭ的病因之一,但并非唯一因素。     

Walk-rotate-walk test identifies patients responding to Lempert’s maneuver, with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the horizontal canal

Two hundred and fifteen patients were diagnosed and treated for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the horizontal canal (BPPV-HC). All patients were tested with conventional positional nystagmus tests lying supine and rotating head for geotropic nystagmus, registered with Frenzels glasses, and in 109 cases with ENG. The walk-rotate-walk (WRW) test, developed by one of us (T.R.) and described in the text, was applied to all patients. The immediate good treatment results with Lempert’s maneuver verify the correct diagnosis of BPPV-HC. The WRW test is a more sensitive test for BPPV-HC than earlier positional tests. The unhabituated acute phase of vestibular neuritis shows positive test results and must be eliminated with caloric tests. The WRW test identifies as a dynamic test patients with symptoms of even lesser magnitude, where the compensatory capacity of the equilibrium system suppresses the diagnostic findings with earlier positional horizontal canal tests. Received: 14 December 2000 / Accepted: 5 February 2001     

Implementation and evaluation of a Danish test battery for auditory processing disorder in children

Objective: This study presents a Danish test battery for auditory processing disorder (APD). The tests were evaluated as to normative cut-off values (pass-fail criteria) and their test–retest reliability. Design: The battery consists of four behavioural tests: the filtered words (FW) test, the dichotic digits (DD) test, the gap detection (GD) test and the binaural masking level difference (BMLD) test. The tests were evaluated through listening experiments on children with no known history of auditory problems. Study sample: The normative cut-off values were obtained from 158 children (75 boys and 83 girls, aged 6–16 years), whereas the test–retest reliability was obtained from 20 children (10 boys and 10 girls, aged 6–11 years). Results: For each of the four tests one to four different cut-off values were determined depending on whether the scores from the two ears and the different age groups could be pooled. For each of the four tests the test–retest reliability was found to be satisfactory. The test–retest reliability was highest for the FW and the DD test. Conclusions: A Danish APD test battery is now available for clinical use with normative data.     

动态姿势图在外周性眩晕疾病中的临床应用

目的：探讨动态姿势图在外周性眩晕疾病中的诊断价值。方法：回顾性研究160例外周性眩晕患者资料。所有患者先行Synapsys（SPS）静动态平衡仪检查，然后运用视频眼震电图进行冷热试验。将结果进行比较分析。静态姿势图评定选取姿势图面积（SSKG）作为评定参数，动态姿势图评定选取感觉结构测试（SOT）结果作为评定参数。冷热试验选择一侧功能减低值进行评定。同时选取20例正常人，作动态姿势图检查作为对照。结果：外周性眩晕160例，动态姿势图SOT检查异常144例，占90．0％；冷热试验异常110例，占68．8％；静态姿势图SSKG异常76例，占47．5％。经统计学分析，动态姿势图异常检出率高于冷热试验及静态姿势图，差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。20例正常对照的动态姿势图SOT检查结果仅1例（5．0％）异常，外周性眩晕患者动态姿势图异常率明显高于健康对照组。160例患者中，共有40例（25．0％）冷热试验结果正常者，动态姿势图检查可发现异常结果。结论：动态姿势图检查具有客观性和可靠性，对平衡功能的评价更全面，可检出冷热试验检查结果正常的外周性眩晕患者平衡系统的功能障碍。     

Thickness of the gerbil tympanic membrane measured with confocal microscopy

A consonant identification test was carried out with 10 hearing-impaired listeners under various low-pass filter conditions. Subjects were also tested for cochlear dead regions with the TEN test. All subjects had moderate-to-severe high-frequency hearing losses. Consonant recognition was tested under conditions in which the speech signals were highly audible to subjects for frequencies up to the low-pass filter cut-off. Extensive dead regions were found for one subject with the TEN test. The remaining subjects may have had dead regions above 3 kHz, because of the severity of their hearing losses, but these could not be demonstrated with the TEN test. Average consonant scores for the subject group improved significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing audibility of high-frequency components of the speech signal. There were no cases of speech perception being reduced with increasing bandwidth. Nine of the subjects showed improvements in scores with increasing audibility, whereas the remaining subject showed little change in scores. For this subject, speech perception results were consistent with the TEN test findings. In general, the results suggest that listeners with severe high-frequency losses are often able to make some use of high-frequency speech cues if these cues can be made audible.