OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze auditory brainstem response (ABR) waveforms of patients with tinnitus with normal hearing, according to tinnitus duration, and demonstrate the possible pathophysiological mechanisms of tinnitus. MATERIALS and METHODS: From January 2016 to December 2017, patients who presented to our hospital with tinnitus as their chief complaint were enrolled and reviewed retrospectively. Pure tone audiometry and ABR tests were performed. The patients were classified into three groups according to tinnitus duration: acute (6 months). The amplitudes of waves I and V and the latencies of waves I, III, and V were evaluated. In this study, 177 ears of 128 patients with tinnitus with normal hearing were evaluated. RESULTS: Wave V amplitude was significantly lower during the subacute phase than during the acute phase. The absolute latency value of wave V was greater during the subacute phase than during the acute phase. The interpeak latency I–V was significantly prolonged during the subacute phase compared with the acute and chronic phases. Wave V amplitude, wave V absolute latency, and interpeak latency I–V varied significantly between cases with a 1-month and 6-month tinnitus history. CONCLUSION: The compensatory response to tinnitus decreased sharply after 1 month of symptoms. Early tinnitus identification and treatment initiation are recommended. Cite this article as: Joo JW, Jeong YJ, Han MS, Chang YS, Rah YC, Choi J. Analysis of Auditory Brainstem Response Change, according to Tinnitus Duration, in Patients with Tinnitus with Normal Hearing. J Int Adv Otol 2020; 16(2): 190-6.

Two high-k dielectric materials (Al₂O₃ and HfO₂) were deposited on n-type (100) and (110) InAs surface orientations to investigate physical properties of the oxide/semiconductor interfaces and the interface trap density (D_it). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses (XPS) for native oxides of (100) and (110) as-grown n-InAs epi wafers show an increase in As-oxide on the (100) surface and an increase in InOx on the (110) surface. In addition, XPS analyses of high-k (Al₂O₃ and HfO₂) on n-InAs epi show that the intrinsic native oxide difference between (100) and (110) epi surfaces were eliminated by applying conventional in-situ pre-treatment (TriMethyAluminium (TMA)) before the high-k deposition. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) characterization of HfO₂ and Al₂O₃ MOSCAPs on both types of n-InAs surfaces shows very similar C-V curves. The interface trap density (D_it) profiles show D_it minima of 6.1 × 10¹²/6.5 × 10¹² and 6.6 × 10¹²/7.3 × 10¹² cm⁻² eV⁻¹ for Al₂O₃ and HfO₂, respectively for (100) and (110) InAs surfaces. The similar interface trap density (D_it) on (100) and (110) surface orientation were observed, which is beneficial to future InAs FinFET device with both (100) and (110) surface channel orientations present.

Background: There are no definite guidelines regarding the most adequate steroid regimens for acute acoustic trauma.Objective: To elucidate the dose-dependent differing benefits of oral steroids on hearing improvement following acute acoustic trauma.Methods: Twenty-nine patients treated with oral steroids following a diagnosis of unilateral acute acoustic trauma were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were sorted into two groups with an oral steroid regimen. Group 1 received a 14-day course of treatment: 60 mg prednisolone daily for 10 days, tapering off over days 11–14. Group 2 received prednisolone for a total of 10 days: 60 mg for 5 days, tapering down each day for the remainder. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the factors associated with the hearing gain.Results: In the multivariable regression (R² = 0.51, p < 0.001), patients in group 1 showed more significant improvement in the degree of hearing gain compared to group 2 (p = 0.03).Conclusion: After comparing the differing benefits of oral steroids on hearing improvement by dosage, we recommend a high dose of prednisolone (60 mg per day) for 10 days, tapering over the remaining 4 days, for better hearing recovery following acute acoustic trauma.

Objective: To analyze the factors associated with the benefits of concurrent administration of intratympanic steroid injection (ITSI) and oral steroids in patients with acute acoustic trauma (AAT) incurred during military training. Study Design: Retrospective analysis. Patients: Nineteen patients eligible under the criteria established concerning treatment for AAT were retrospectively reviewed in this study. Interventions: ITSI treatments were administered simultaneously alongside oral prednisolone. Main Outcome Measures: Patients were categorized into two groups depending on the time elapsed between exposure to the noise and treatment initiation: 1) “Early Treatment initiation,” defined as the treatment being initiated between 3 and 7 days; and 2) “Delayed treatment initiation,” defined as the treatment being initiated in >7 days. Pure-tone air conduction threshold audiometry, to record the pure-tone average (PTA) at 2, 4, and 8 kHz, was conducted upon each patient's initial visit, and 1 month after starting treatment. The degree of hearing gain (hearing gain [dB] = [initial PTA] – [final PTA]) was calculated and used as the metric for determining the treatment's outcome. The initial PTA and treatment onset were adopted as possible associated factors. Results: The mean ages of each group were 22.00 ± 2.12 years and 22.83 ± 2.64 years, respectively (p = 0.28). The initial PTAs were 46.41 ± 12.73 dB and 47.22 ± 14.74 dB, respectively (p = 1.00). In the multivariable linear regression analysis, the initial PTA and the treatment initiation showed a significant association (R² = 0.37). The unstandardized regression coefficient of the initial PTA was 0.37 (p = 0.04). Patients with early treatment initiation showed significant improvement in the degree of hearing gain compared with delayed treatment initiation (unstandardized regression coefficient = 12.63, p = 0.01). Conclusions: We demonstrated the importance of early treatment onset for maximizing the benefits of concurrent administration of ITSI with oral steroids in patients with AAT suffered during military training. Further evaluation is needed to confirm the factors associated with the efficacy of concurrent ITSI with oral steroids.

Background and Objectives: Hyperuricemia is associated with a variety of comorbidities. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between hyperuricemia and hearing impairment in Korean adults. Materials and Methods: Audiometric and laboratory test data from the 2019 to 2020 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were used for analysis. Hearing impairment was defined as a pure-tone average (0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz) threshold level ≥ 41 decibels. The definition of hyperuricemia was different for males and females: >7 mg/dL for males vs. >6 mg/dL for females. Results: A total of 4857 (weight n = 17,990,725) subjects were analyzed. The mean age was 56.8 years old. The weighted prevalence was 12.1% for hyperuricemia and 2.5% for gout. The prevalence of hearing impairment was 13.4%. In the univariable analysis, hyperuricemia was significantly associated with hearing impairment. However, the diagnosis of gout was not associated with hearing impairment. In the multivariable analysis, hyperuricemia (odds ratios (OR): 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03–1.92, p = 0.030) was associated with hearing impairment along with age (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.10–1.14, p < 0.001), female sex (OR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.34–0.64, p < 0.001), education (OR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.30–0.63, p = 0.001), and occupational noise exposure (OR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.25–2.22, p = 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, hyperuricemia was associated with hearing impairment in females (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.02–2.48, p = 0.041) and the elderly aged 60 years or more (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.05–1.99, p = 0.023). Conclusions: Hyperuricemia was independently associated with hearing impairment, especially in females and the elderly aged 60 years or more.

Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration is an easy, safe, and efficient method of diagnosing thyroid diseases. Recent guidelines and studies have demonstrated that this test has a low incidence of complications; thus, most guidelines do not provide recommendations for post-exam care. However, the risk of serious and fatal bleeding in selected patients with bleeding tendency exists. Although screening tests for coagulation are not always necessary, a thorough assessment of past medical history needs to be made to identify disorders affecting coagulation function and bleeding risk factors, such as the use of antithrombotic drugs. This is a case report of a 70-year-old female patient who continued to take edoxaban and suffered bilateral thyroid hematoma a few hours after ultrasound-guided thyroid fine needle aspiration. The patient successfully recovered after undergoing conservative treatment.