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Background: Several health institutions developed strategies to improve health content on Wikimedia platforms given their unparalleled reach. The objective of this study was to compare an online volunteer-based Wikimedia outreach campaign with university course Wikipedia assignments (both focused on improving hearing health content in Wikimedia's public digital knowledge archives), in terms of the reach of the contributions and the extent of the participants' input. A secondary objective was to examine the feasibility and the implementation of the different strategies., Methods: The research team partnered for the (1) coordination of improvements in hearing and healthcare content through educational programs using Wikimedia platforms, (2) participation in the global campaign Wiki4WorldHearingDay2023 and (3) evaluation of the proposed strategies. Metrics used in the comparison of the two strategies included the number of articles edited, number of views of the edited articles (as reach) and the extent of edits, captured as the number of words. The feasibility evaluation included assessing recruitment success and the implementation of the proposed plan among faculty, students from various university programs, and volunteers representing different constituencies., Results: The effort increased the availability of quality plain language information on hearing conditions and hearing care. Both strategies demonstrated to be feasible by their success in recruiting participants who contributed to the effort and by measurable outputs as edits. The contribution of content to Wikimedia platforms as part of education activities provided a more robust result. Wiki4WorldHearingDay2023 145 participants (78 from educational programs) contributed 167,000 words, 258 + references and 140 images to 322 Wikipedia articles (283 existing and 39 new ones), which were viewed 16.5 million times. Contributions occurred in six languages. Edits in Portuguese, mainly by those involved in educational programs, led the number of articles (226 or 70.2%) that were expanded or created during the 5-month tracking period., Conclusions: The elements that contributed to the success of the studied strategies include an impact topic, coordination with educational programs, international multidisciplinary collaborations, the dissemination of the initiative in several platforms, connection with a robust local Wikimedia affiliate, and the use of a technical infrastructure that provides metrics and coordination mechanisms., (© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Purpose: To verify the influence of verbal intellectual-cognitive skills on speech perception in noise, in elderly with sensorineural hearing loss, considering education, age, and degree of hearing loss., Methods: 36 elderly between 60 and 89 years old with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss participated in the study. After psychological assessment using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults (WAIS-III), they were grouped into (GI) 24 elderly without cognitive alteration and (GII) 12 elderly with risk of cognitive alteration. They underwent otorhinolaryngological assessment, audiological interview, pure tone audiometry, and assessment of speech perception in noise using the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT-Brazil). The Mann-Whitney U statistical test compared the results between the groups, and the Spearman correlation verified the variable's age, degree of hearing loss, and level of education., Results: There was no difference between the groups in the ability to perceive speech in noise, except in the noise on the left condition, in which GII showed better performance in HINT-Brazil. The degree of hearing loss and level of education influenced the perception of speech in noise. The level of education was correlated with the WAIS-III results., Conclusion: The decline in verbal intellectual-cognitive skills did not affect speech perception of noise in the elderly with hearing loss. The degree of hearing loss and level of education influenced the performance of the elderly in the speech perception test in noise. Performance in verbal cognitive skills varied according to the level of education.

Objectives: (1) To calculate the sensitivity and specificity of tympanometry with a 226 Hz probe to identify middle ear condition in children; (2) To propose the intersection range of static compliance and tympanometric peak pressure values obtained in ears with and without middle ear effusion., Methods: 224 children's ears without middle ear alteration, with a mean age of 1 year and 4 months (GI), and 56 children's ears with middle ear effusion (GII), with a mean age of two years, were analyzed. For analysis, the static compliance and tympanometric peak pressure values obtained in the tympanometry with a 226 Hz probe were considered., Results: In the group with no alteration, the Mann Whitney Test showed no significant difference between the sexes for the static compliance (p = 0.085) and tympanometric peak pressure (p = 0.782). No difference was seen, either, for compliance (p = 0.079) and pressure (p = 0.678) values, according to age. When applying the optimal criterion of the ROC curve, the cutoff value obtained was ≤0.26 ml for static compliance (sensitivity= 83.9 %; specificity= 86.6 %) and ≤-56 daPa for peak pressure (sensitivity= 82.1 %; specificity= 84.8 %). When comparing the values obtained for the two groups, it is noted that the data overlap, that is, they create an inconclusive intersection range between the normal middle ear and the altered one., Conclusion: The tympanometry cut-off with greater sensitivity and specificity was, respectively, 83.9 and 86.6 % for static compliance and 82.1 and 84.8 % for tympanometric peak pressure. The ranges from 0.16 to 0.43 ml for static compliance and from -109 to 25 daPa for tympanometric peak pressure do not allow defining the presence or absence of alteration in the middle ear, in children aged 6 to 36 months., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: To analyze the effects of auditory stimulation on heart rate variability (HRV) indices in healthy individuals with normal hearing and with hearing loss, regardless of type and/or grade, by means of a systematic review., Research Strategies: This is a systematic review with a meta-analysis that addresses the following question: in healthy individuals with normal hearing and/or with hearing loss, what are the effects of auditory stimulation on HRV indices in comparison to silence? We consulted the Cochrane Library, Embase, LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases and the gray literature (Google Scholar, OpenGrey, and ProQuest)., Selection Criteria: There were no restrictions as to period or language of publication., Data Analysis: We identified 451 records, an additional 261 in the gray literature, and five studies in a search through the references, resulting in a total of 717 records, with 171 duplicate records. After screening the titles and abstracts of 546 studies, we excluded 490 and considered 56 studies in full to assess their eligibility., Results: Nine of these studies were included in the systematic review, eight of which were suitable for the meta-analysis., Conclusion: It is suggested that auditory stimulation may influence the RMSSD, pNN50, SDNN, RRTri and SD2 indices of HRV in healthy adults with normal hearing.

Purpose: To analyze hyperbilirubinemia as an indicator for the definition of risk protocol in newborn hearing screening (NHS) and in auditory monitoring in full-term and preterm neonates., Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional and retrospective study. A total of 554 children born in a public maternity hospital were included and divided into two groups: (G1) with 373 full-terms neonates; (G2) with 181 preterm neonates. Data were collected from the participant's medical records to obtain information regarding the result of the NHS, performed by recording the automated auditory brainstem response (AABR), birth conditions, clinical characteristics, interventions performed, and results of the first test of total bilirubin (TB) and indirect bilirubin (IB) as well as the peak of TB and IB. A descriptive statistical analysis of the results was performed, and the level of significance adopted was 5%., Results: On the NHS test, quotes of retest referral rates were smaller in G1 when compared to G2. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding type of delivery, gender, presence of Rh and ABO incompatibility, G6PD enzyme deficiency, and performance of phototherapy. TB and IB levels at the first exam and at peak time did not differ between neonates with "pass" and "fail" results on the NHS test in both groups., Conclusion: Bilirubin levels in the neonatal period below the recommended values for indication of exchange transfusion are not directly related to the "fail" result on the NHS tests in term and preterm neonates.

Purpose: To evaluate the usability and satisfaction of users with the interface of the 'Agente Escuta' application, in addition to identifying problems and possibilities for improvement., Methods: Descriptive exploratory translational study, characterized by a usability test with a quantitative and qualitative approach, subdivided into three stages: (I) prior evaluation of usability by 10 judges, including students, primary care professionals, professors and researchers in Information Technology and Speech Therapy; (II) evaluation of the application by the target audience, that is, community health agents from six municipalities in Rio Grande do Norte; (III) evaluation of the satisfaction of the agents who used the application in their work routine. The System Usability Scale and the Net Promoter Score were used, in addition to a qualitative evaluation of the opinions., Results: Usability was rated as excellent by judges, regardless of category. In the evaluation by community health agents, usability was considered good and there was no effect of the city of origin. It was found that the perception of the judges and the target audience were different, with a lower score for the participants in the second stage. However, most would give positive publicity to the product. The heuristic with the highest score was ease of memorization and participants in the third stage were interested in continuing to use the tool in practice, even after the end of the study., Conclusion: The Agente Escuta prototype showed good usability and satisfaction and aspects that could be improved in future solutions were identified.

Objectives: To analyze the feasibility of using wideband absorbance to verify the patency of pressure equalizing tubes (PETs) in clinical practice and to present the response pattern of this measure for ears with patent PET., Methods: This observational case-control type study evaluated 48 ears of 30 children with severe or profound hearing loss, aged 10-44 months, of both sexes. The subjects were subdivided into two groups: 24 ears with Sheppard type PET (experimental group - EG) and 24 ears with normal middle ear (control group - CG), paired with the EG, according to age, sex, and ear evaluated. To obtain the wideband absorbance, a Middle-Ear Power Analyzer, version 5.0 (Mimosa Acoustics), was used, and absorbance values for pure tone and chirp stimuli were analyzed., Results: There was no influence of ear (right or left) on the measurements obtained. The EG showed higher absorbance values at low frequencies. Although the two stimuli made it possible to identify the difference in acoustic transfer function between the groups studied, compared to pure tone, the chirp stimulus allowed identification of differences in a higher number of frequencies., Conclusions: Ears with a patent PET present an acoustic transfer pattern that differs from that obtained for normal middle ears, with a higher absorbance at low frequencies. Both pure tone and chirp stimuli can be used to identify such differences, nevertheless, the use of chirp stimulus is recommended, since it allows differentiation over a wider frequency range., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest, financial, or otherwise., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To verify the effectiveness of a nursing training program in the area of children's hearing health using interactive tele-education., Methods: Interrupted time series with non-random control group pre-test/ post-test. A cohort of 41 nurses, with no previous formal training in hearing health. A "Children's Hearing Health" Cybertutor was employed. The effectiveness of the nursing training was verified by comparing pre- versus post-training performance and by analyzing responses to an evaluation questionnaire., Results: Following training, the performance was significantly better in all domains assessed and in the total score. The evaluation questionnaire demonstrated that the Cybertutor was well accepted and the performance revealed in the pre-training phase demonstrated the need for children´s hearing health training., Conclusion: The effectiveness of the nursing training program in the area of Children's Hearing Health using interactive tele-education could be proven, since there was an improvement in performance in all domains evaluated.