Akihito Mizukoshi

Clinical Study of Acute Low-Tone Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Survey and Analysis of Glycerol Test and Orthostatic Test

Fifty patients (14 men and 36 women ranging in age from 16 to 66 years) with acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) were retrospectively analyzed in this study. The glycerol test and the orthostatic test were performed. On the glycerol test, 43.8% of 16 ears of the 14 men and 33.3% of 39 ears of the 36 women with ALHL had a positive result. On the orthostatic test, 42.9% of the 14 men and 52.7% of the 36 women with ALHL had a positive result. In addition, 28.6% of the 14 men and 33.3% of the 36 women had hypotension with a systolic blood pressure of 100 mm Hg or less. Our results suggest that endolymphatic hydrops as shown by the glycerol test and an underlying autonomic imbalance and/or insufficient blood circulation as shown by the orthostatic test may be important factors in the causation of ALHL.

Proposed method for assessing audible hazard alarms using simulated hearing impairment

The need for sound design schemes for alarm systems that can be easily heard by both people with hearing impairments and with those with normal hearing has been expressed from many quarters. While sound designs for various types of hazard alarm systems, different classifications of hearing impairments, and even ambient sound are required, no solutions have appeared thus far. This paper proposes to fill this need by using simulated impaired hearing based on a sound design assessment scheme applying the Amplitude bandwidth Compression/Expansion method (ACE) for modeling the characteristics of nonlinear aural fields. By having people with normal hearing listen to hazard alarm systems that employ this simulated hearing impairment, they can re-create the experience of people with hearing impairments, enabling them to identify the necessary aural elements of existing hazard alarm systems (car horns/alarms, railroad crossing warning sounds). This methodology proved to be effective for universal sound design.