vHIT gains were consistently equal to 1.0 in all age groups (20's to 60's), suggesting that abnormal criteria for vHIT gain (e.g. 0.8) and gain asymmetry (e.g. 8%) can be used, regardless of age. CSs were observed in about half of normal ears, suggesting that VOR is a hypometric system. The amplitudes and interaural difference of CSs were also similar in all age groups, suggesting that abnormal criteria for CS amplitude (e.g. 100°/s) and interaural difference (e.g. 40°/s) can be used, regardless of age.

Given our aging society and the prevalence of age-related hearing loss that often develops during adulthood, hearing loss is a common public health issue affecting almost all older adults. Moderate-to-moderately severe hearing loss can usually be corrected with hearing aids; however, severe-to-profound hearing loss often requires a cochlear implant (CI). However, post-operative CI results vary, and the performance of the previous prediction models is limited, indicating that a new approach is needed. For postlingually deaf adults (n de120) who received CI with full insertion, we predicted CI outcomes using a Random-Forest Regression (RFR) model and investigated the effect of preoperative factors on CI outcomes. Postoperative word recognition scores (WRS) served as the dependent variable to predict. Predictors included duration of deafness (DoD), age at CI operation (ageCI), duration of hearing-aid use (DoHA), preoperative hearing threshold and sentence recognition score. Prediction accuracy was evaluated using mean absolute error (MAE) and Pearson’s correlation coefficient r between the true WRS and predicted WRS. The fitting using a linear model resulted in prediction of WRS with r = 0.7 and MAE = 15.6 ± 9. RFR outperformed the linear model (r = 0.96, MAE = 6.1 ± 4.7, p < 0.00001). Cross-hospital data validation showed reliable performance using RFR (r = 0.91, MAE = 9.6 ± 5.2). The contribution of DoD to prediction was the highest (MAE increase when omitted: 14.8), followed by ageCI (8.9) and DoHA (7.5). After CI, patients with DoD < 10 years presented better WRSs and smaller variations (p < 0.01) than those with longer DoD. Better WRS was also explained by younger age at CI and longer-term DoHA. Machine learning demonstrated a robust prediction performance for CI outcomes in postlingually deaf adults across different institutes, providing a reference value for counseling patients considering CI. Health care providers should be aware that the patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss who cannot have benefit from hearing aids need to proceed with CI as soon as possible and should continue using hearing aids until after CI operation.

No abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of endovascular treatment of central venous stenosis in patients with arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) for hemodialysis. Five hundred sixty-three patients with AVFs who were referred for a fistulogram were enrolled in this study. Among them, 44 patients showed stenosis (n = 35) or occlusions (n = 9) in the central vein. For the initial treatment, 26 patients underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and 15 patients underwent stent placements. Periods between AVF formation and first intervention ranged from 3 to 144 months. Each patient was followed for 14 to 60 months. Procedures were successful in 41 of 44 patients (93.2%). Primary patency rates for PTA at 12 and 36 months were 52.1% and 20.0%, and assisted primary patency rates were 77.8% and 33.3%, respectively. Primary patency rates for stent at 12 and 36 months were 46.7% and 6.7%, and assisted primary patency rates were 60.0% and 20.0%, respectively. Fifteen of 26 patients with PTAs underwent repeated interventions because of restenosis. Fourteen of 15 patients with a stent underwent repeated interventions because of restenosis and combined migration (n = 1) and shortening (n = 6) of the first stent. There was no significant difference in patency between PTAs and stent placement (p > 0.05). Average AVF patency duration was 61.8 months and average number of endovascular treatments was 2.12. In conclusion, endovascular treatments of central venous stenosis could lengthen the available period of AVFs. There was no significant difference in patency between PTAs and stent placement.

No abstract

No abstract

Dynamic and delayed MR imaging can be useful for predicting depth of cancer invasion, perigastric infiltration (extraserosal invasion), and perigastric organ invasion by gastric cancer.

Based on our experience, preoperative determination of GB volume, GB wall thickness, and presence of color Doppler signals in the GB wall in patients with acute cholecystitis helps predict technical difficulties during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.