Sudden deafness may be defined as a sensorineural hearing loss that develope over a period of hours or a few days. The severity of the hearing loss may vary from mild to total loss of perception of the most intense sound. The loss of hearing may be permanent, or the hearing may spontaneously return to normal or near normal. Proposed explanations for sudden idiopathic sensorineural loss revolve primarily around viral or vascular etiologies. In addition to noise-induced deafness, which can be divided into a slowly progressive deafness caused by prolonged intense noise exposure and acute acoustic trauma caused by a single exposure to very intense sound. 45- and 52-year-old healthy male smokers with no previous otologic history, noted the acute loss of hearing with tinnitus in his right ear during his unusual intense noise exposed activities. There were no other associated symptoms of dizziness or visual change. After several days without improvement, they presented to the department of otolaryngology. Physical examination, neurologic evaluation, and otorhinolaryngologic examination were essentially within normal limits except for the hearing loss on the right ear. An audiogram revealed a severe primarily sensorineural sensitivity loss on the right. Routine laboratory studies were within normal limits. Two patients denied previous barotrauma, atypical or unusual drug usage, and unusual physical exertion or strain. We observed evidence of cochlear abnormality. The presence of cochlear dysfunction is supported by acoustic reflex threshold and auditory brain-stem response. These findings strengthened the probability of an acoustic trauma origin for the sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
Barotrauma ; Deafness ; Dizziness ; Ear ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Noise* ; Otolaryngology ; Physical Examination ; Physical Exertion ; Reflex, Acoustic ; Tinnitus

Exposure to high levels of music that could lead to music induced hearing loss (MIHL) has been of recent interest especially for young adults, considering their excessive use of personal listening devices such as MP3 player. More attention should be drawn to MIHL for noting that early noise exposure leads to earlier onset of presbycusis. In search of appropriate and safe listening habits for young adults, this investigation was aimed to evaluate output levels and frequencies generated by the Samsung galaxy note MP3 player depending on two earphone types; ear-bud and over-the-ear earphones and three music genres; rock, hip-hop, ballade. A sound level meter was used to measure output level and frequency spectrum between 12.5 and 16000 Hz at all 1/3-octave bands. The following results can be summarized. 1) The earphone styles did not produce significant difference in output levels, but the music genres did. However, the results of music genres varied. 2) Neither earphone styles nor music genres produced significant difference in frequency response spectrum, except music genres at the volume settings we usually listen to. Additionally, volume levels should be lower than 50% for usual listening situation. Through this investigation, it was noted that the frequency range was substantial between 50 and 1000 Hz regardless of the styles of earphones and music genres, implying that we should be cautious of this frequency range when we listen to music. Researchers should give more attention to the effects of the mixture of output level and frequency spectrum, considering that the auditory system has frequency specificity from the periphery to the central to provide refined methods for protecting our ears from MIHL.
Ear ; Galaxies ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; MP3-Player ; Music ; Noise ; Presbycusis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Young Adult

Mass and stiffness affect on the peculiar characteristics of transmission of the middle ear and the distinctive behavior of the cochlear mechanics. Applying the principle of the mass and stiffness, the band-pass characteristic transfer function of the middle ear has been explained. The greatest transfer function of the middle ear, approximately 24-29 dB, is observed at 1-2 kHz in both cat and human species. However, at lower frequencies, the transfer function was disturbed by the stiffness of the middle ear primarily due to middle ear cavity. At higher frequencies, the transfer function was disturbed by the stiffness of the middle ear primarily due to middle ear bones. Several examples, such as an acoustic reflex, otitis media, and otosclerosis are discussed. For understanding the traveling wave of the basilar membrane, different place tuning at certain stimulus frequencies, contrastingly shaped basilar membrane to the cochlear duct, and the structural and physical characteristics of the whole cochlear partition were reviewed in terms of changing width, mass, and stiffness from the base to apex. Being about ten times wider, more massive, and one hundredfold stiffer at the base than the apex, the nature of the cochlear partition to absorb high-frequency energy changes in fluid pressure declines toward the apex. Consequently, at the base of the cochlea, high frequencies stimuli are decoded while low frequencies stimuli are decoded at the apex of the cochlea. Due to these characteristics of the cochlear partition, the direction of the traveling wave was also proved to be in the fashion of base-to-apex always.
Animals ; Basilar Membrane ; Cats ; Cochlea ; Cochlear Duct ; Ear, Middle* ; Humans ; Mechanics ; Otitis Media ; Otosclerosis ; Reflex, Acoustic

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the influence of workplace violence experience on depression among female caregivers in Korea. Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis of data from the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). The study sample consisted of 484 female caregivers. IBM SPSS 25.0 was used for complex sample analysis, which considered sampling the weights of variables. Based on the survey questions, we used complex sample cross-tabulation and the complex sample general linear model (CSGLM). Results: About 10.1% of female caregivers experienced workplace violence. The factors influencing workplace violence experience on depression were organizational justice (p=.048) and illness (p=.004). However, in cases with no violence, the influencing factors were psychological work environment (p=.001), work environment satisfaction (p=.024), and work engagement (p=.004). Conclusion Caregivers are vulnerable to workplace violence. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate a policies such as organizational justice, work environment satisfaction, and work engagement to improve the working environment.

PURPOSE: This purpose of this study was to identify both good teaching and desirable teaching behaviors perceived by nursing students.METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. A convenience sample of 324 nursing students was selected and they completed self-reported questionnaires from November 1 to December 30, 2015.RESULTS: Among 4 perspectives of good teaching (traditional, systemic, interaction, and constructionism), the traditional perspective was perceived as the highest form of good teaching, while the systemic perspective was perceived as the lowest. Meanwhile, disclosure and clarity were perceived as the highest desirable teaching behaviors. Regardless of students' perspective of good teaching, all 4 perspectives of good teaching were positively related with clarity, enthusiasm, interaction, organization, and disclosure as desirable teaching behaviors independently.CONCLUSIONS: Nursing students perceived that the highest perspective of good teaching was the traditional perspective. Meanwhile, they perceived that clarity, enthusiasm, interaction, organization, and disclosure were desirable teaching behaviors regardless of their perspective of good teaching. Further study will be needed to perceive nursing faculty's awareness of good teaching and desirable teaching behaviors to identify the difference of awareness between nursing students and faculty.
Disclosure ; Education, Nursing ; Humans ; Nursing ; Students, Nursing

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the influence of workplace violence experience on depression among female caregivers in Korea. Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis of data from the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). The study sample consisted of 484 female caregivers. IBM SPSS 25.0 was used for complex sample analysis, which considered sampling the weights of variables. Based on the survey questions, we used complex sample cross-tabulation and the complex sample general linear model (CSGLM). Results: About 10.1% of female caregivers experienced workplace violence. The factors influencing workplace violence experience on depression were organizational justice (p=.048) and illness (p=.004). However, in cases with no violence, the influencing factors were psychological work environment (p=.001), work environment satisfaction (p=.024), and work engagement (p=.004). Conclusion Caregivers are vulnerable to workplace violence. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate a policies such as organizational justice, work environment satisfaction, and work engagement to improve the working environment.

Purpose: This study investigated clinical competency, COVID-19-related anxiety, coping strategies, self-efficacy, and perceived stress among graduating nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey. Participants were recruited from universities located in four major cities in South Korea. General demographic information, clinical competency, self-efficacy, perceived stress, COVID-19-related anxiety, and coping strategies were assessed using reliable questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple regression tests were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean clinical competency, self-efficacy, perceived stress, adaptive coping, and maladaptive coping were 138.16 ± 18.34, 83.85 ±14.02, 21.37 ± 5.79, 53.15 ± 4.64, and 30.98 ± 6.73, respectively. COVID-19-related anxiety was reported by 4.3% of participants. Clinical competency was significantly positively correlated with self-efficacy (r = .44, p < .001) and adaptive coping (r = .20, p = .035) and was significantly negatively correlated with maladaptive coping (r = .20, p = .035). The predictors of clinical competency were self-efficacy (β = .434, p < .001) and adaptive coping (β = .173, p < .039), which explained 23% of the variance in clinical competency. Conclusion Self-efficacy and adaptive coping strategies are significant predictors of clinical competence during the pandemic. Planning and implementing various curricular and non-curricular activities to increase senior students' self-efficacy and adaptive coping strategies will help prepare competent nursing graduates for the pandemic when they enter the nursing workforce.

Despite hearing loss being a prevalent chronic condition, estimated to nearly 20% of the global population by the World Health Organization, the specific association with individual lifestyle factors, particularly alcohol consumption, remains unclear. In South Korea, approximately 80% of the population engages in alcohol consumption, with a notably high prevalence among males, indicating a high-risk drinking pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the correlation between alcohol consumption and hearing loss in male workers, as well as to analyze additional variables such as alcohol flushing reaction, with the intention of improving worker health.

Despite hearing loss being a prevalent chronic condition, estimated to nearly 20% of the global population by the World Health Organization, the specific association with individual lifestyle factors, particularly alcohol consumption, remains unclear. In South Korea, approximately 80% of the population engages in alcohol consumption, with a notably high prevalence among males, indicating a high-risk drinking pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the correlation between alcohol consumption and hearing loss in male workers, as well as to analyze additional variables such as alcohol flushing reaction, with the intention of improving worker health.

Despite hearing loss being a prevalent chronic condition, estimated to nearly 20% of the global population by the World Health Organization, the specific association with individual lifestyle factors, particularly alcohol consumption, remains unclear. In South Korea, approximately 80% of the population engages in alcohol consumption, with a notably high prevalence among males, indicating a high-risk drinking pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the correlation between alcohol consumption and hearing loss in male workers, as well as to analyze additional variables such as alcohol flushing reaction, with the intention of improving worker health.