Mariola Sliwinska-Kowalska

Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland · Department of Audiology and Phoniatrics

Introduction: Auditory Processing Disorders (APD) is a syndrome characterized by impairment of the perception of soundsverbal and non-verbal ones, and weakening cognitive abilities such as auditory attention and auditory memory. This symptoms occur despite correct functioning of the peripheral part of the organ of hearing. Aim: A review of the curr...

Objectives: It has been shown that monitoring temporary threshold shift (TTS) after exposure to noise may have a predictive value for susceptibility of developing permanent noise-induced hearing loss. The aim of this study is to present the assumptions of the TTS predictive model after its verification in normal hearing subjects along with demonst...

Background: The posturography test allows assessment of the entire function of balance system and quantitative, device-based verification of the clinical Romberg test. Therefore, the aim of this study is assessment of usefulness of posturography as primary test for balance disorders in occupational medicine. Material and methods: The study is cr...

This study compares HS posturography on inertial sensors (MediPost) with force platform posturography in patients with unilateral vestibular dysfunction. The study group included 38 patients (age 50.6; SD 11.6) with unilateral vestibular weakness (UV) and 65 healthy volunteers (48.7; SD 11.5). HS tests were performed simultaneously on the force pla...

Background: Music is for many people an integral part of their lives. In recent years, loud music, whether recorded or played live, has been a significant source of noise. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between exposure to high sound levels and temporary threshold shift (TTS) in people working as fitness instructors. Material...

The aim of our study was to validate the method of head-shake static posturography (HS-posturography) in healthy individuals and to establish the value of this novel method in the diagnostics of patients with unilateral vestibular lesion (UV). The study included 202 participants divided into two groups, one consisting of 133 patients with canal par...

Background Hearing loss (HL) affects 466 million people of all ages worldwide, with a rapidly increasing prevalence, and therefore requires appropriate public health policies. Multi-disciplinary approaches that make use of eHealth services can build the evidence to influence public policy. The European Union-funded project EVOTION developed a platf...

No PDF available ABSTRACT The entertainment industry can pose a risk of hearing impairment to employees. The aim of the study is to assess whether occupational exposure to loud sounds (music) is related to temporary hearing threshold shifts in fitness instructors. The study comprised a total of 29 fitness instructors working in fitness clubs. The n...

Hearing loss is a disease exhibiting a growing trend due to a number of factors, including but not limited to the mundane exposure to the noise and ever-increasing size of the older population. In the framework of a public health policymaking process, modeling of the hearing loss disease based on data is a key factor in alleviating the issues relat...

Aim Occupational exposure to styrene has been shown to be associated with an increased probability of developing hearing loss. However, the sites of lesions in the auditory system in humans remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible adverse effects of styrene exposure on the cochlea of human subjects. Design The hearing...

The chapter reflects the main clinical manifestations of voice disorders, the wide diversity and multiple sociocultural interrelations of which contrast with a consistent systematic order of aetiological or symptomatic categories. Instead, the compilation follows prevailing purposes to provide a useful overview for application in everyday practice....

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the restriction in neck rotation and increased neck muscle tension could be causally related to vertigo and dizziness. Material and methods: Seventy-one patients reporting vertigo and/or imbalance were divided into 2 groups: 45 subjects with unilateral restriction (R+) and 26 without r...

No PDF available ABSTRACT Noise in the entertainment industry often reaches high sound pressure levels. The aim of this study was to analyze the temporary threshold shifts (TTSs) of hearing among fitness instructors. The study comprised a total of 30 fitness instructors working in fitness clubs. The noise dosimeters were used to determine individua...

Background Noise in entertainment industry often reaches high sound pressure levels. Nevertheless, the risk of hearing loss in this sector is insufficiently recognized. The aim of this study was the assessment of the relationship between noise exposure and temporary threshold shifts (TTS) for people working as bartenders at a variety of entertainme...

BACKGROUND In places associated with the entertainment industry in which music is performed or played, sounds with high sound pressure levels may occur. Such exposure is a threat to both people spending their free time at concerts, in discos or pubs, as well as employees in these places. The aim of the research conducted in 2017 was to assess on-th...

Background: Balance assessment relies on symptoms, clinical examination and functional assessment and their verification in objective tests. Our study was aimed at calculating the assessment compatibility between questionnaires, functional scales and objective vestibular and balance examinations. Material and methods: A group of 131 patients (in...

Background: Given the growing number of occupational voice users, easy and quick broad-scale screening is necessary to provide prophylaxis of voice disorders. The aim of the study was to assess applicability of the Voice Related Quality of Life questionnaire (V-RQOL) to screening occupational voice disorders. Material and methods: The research c...

Background: Hearing loss is defined as worsening of hearing acuity and is usually expressed as an increase in the hearing threshold. Tinnitus, defined as “ringing in the ear”, is a common and often disturbing accompaniment of hearing loss. Hearing loss and environmental exposures to noise are increasingly recognized health problems. Objectives: The...

Background: The aim of this study has been to assess the larynx and soft tissue around the vocal tract in a group of people with healthy voice, and in a group of patients with occupational dysphonia using the new laryngeal manual therapy palpatory evaluation scale (LMTPE). Material and methods: The examinations were performed in a study (dysphon...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the hearing status in young adults using portable audio players (PAPs) in relation to their listening habits. The study included 58 subjects, aged 22.8±2.8 years, non-occupationally exposed to noise. Questionnaire inquiry aimed at collecting personal data, the information on PAPs usage habits, self-assessment o...

The aim of the study was to assess the hearing threshold levels (HTLs) in employees exposed to noise generated by low-frequency ultrasonic technological equipment in comparison with the HTLs of workers exposed to audible noise at the similar A-weighted equivalent-continuous sound pressure level. The study includes measurements of ultrasonic and aud...

Introduction: Digital imaging techniques enable exploration of novel visualization modalities of the vocal folds during phonation and definition of parameters, facilitating more precise diagnosis of voice disorders. Aim: Application of computer vision algorithms for analysis of videolaryngostroboscopic (VLS) images aimed at qualitative and quant...

The mandate of the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise (ICBEN) is to promote a high level of scientific research concerning all aspects of noise-induced effects on human beings and animals. In this review, ICBEN team chairs and co-chairs summarize relevant findings, publications, developments, and policies related to the biologi...

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a complex disease resulting from the interaction between external and intrinsic/genetic factors. Based on mice studies, one of the most interesting candidate gene for NIHL susceptibility is CDH23-encoding cadherin 23, a component of the stereocilia tip links. The aim of this study was to analyze selected CDH23 s...

Occupational voice disorders make the most frequently certified category of occupational diseases in Poland, making up approximately 20% of all cases. This study presents the current knowledge of the etiopathogenesis of occupational voice disorders. It stresses the importance of the evaluation of vocal loading by means of objective measurements. Fu...

BACKGROUND Special consideration has recently been given to cepstral analysis with mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs). The aim of this study was to assess the applicability of MFCCs in acoustic analysis for diagnosing occupational dysphonia in comparison to subjective and objective parameters of voice evaluation. The study comprised 2 grou...

Over recent years numerous papers have stressed that production of voice is subjected to the nonlinear processes, which cause aperiodic vibrations of vocal folds. These vibrations cannot always be characterized by means of conventional acoustic parameters, such as measurements of frequency and amplitude perturbations. Thus, special attention has re...

This manuscript presents an overview of current knowledge on the influence of organic solvents on the hearing and balance systems. The authors analyzed--the literature data concerning the results of all human and the most relevant animal studies, published untill 2012. Moreover, the guidelines for occupational medicine specialists were proposed on...

Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures of occupational dysphonia play a major role in voice self-assessment, which is one of the elements of a comprehensive evaluation of voice disorders. The aim of the study was to assess the applicability of the Vocal Tract Discomfort (VTD) scale to monitor the effectiveness of voice rehabilitation and compare the...

The aim of this review was to summarize the studies on noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) which were carried out in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, South-East Europe, and former Soviet Union countries or Newly Independent States in the period from 1970 to 2012. The papers were identified by literature search of all accessible medical an...

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a complex disease that results from the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Over the last 10 years there has been a great increase in association studies trying to identify the susceptibility genes for NIHL in humans. They were conducted based on the candidate gene approach and comprised predominan...

Noise exposure causes an excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation as an unwanted byproduct of high metabolic activity. Oxidative stress and antioxidative protective mechanisms have been therefore proposed as the most interesting issues in the development of noise-induced hearing loss. The aim of this study was to examine changes in supero...

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) still remains a problem in developed countries, despite reduced occupational noise exposure, strict standards for hearing protection and extensive public health awareness campaigns. Therefore NIHL continues to be the focus of noise research activities. This paper summarizes progress achieved recently in our knowled...

Tinnitus is defined as a perception of sound in the absence of an external acoustic stimulus. Several factors are known to influence tinnitus, e.g. hearing loss, noise exposure, age, and hypertension. As only certain individuals develop tinnitus in the presence of the above risks and in approximately 50% of cases tinnitus is not attributed to any p...

Occupational voice disorders are characterized by rich symptomatology, which is dominated by symptoms by the vocal tract discomfort. Therefore, in the management it is important to consider these subjective complaints. The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of using the vocal tract discomfort scale (VTD) in evaluating the effects of reha...

Noise measurements and questionnaire inquiries were carried out for 124 workers of a rolling stock plant to develop a hearing conservation program. On the basis of that data, the risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) was evaluated. Additionally, the workers' hearing ability was assessed with the (modified) Amsterdam inventory for auditory disab...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception and annoyance of noise from wind turbines in populated areas. The study group comprised 156 subjects aged 15-82 years. All subjects were interviewed using a questionnaire developed to enable evaluation of their living conditions as well as health status and wellbeing. In addition, current mental...

The aim of our study was to assess the vestibular and balance system in non-symptomatic workers exposed to styrene and dichloromethane at the workplace. Subjects underwent videonystagmography including saccades, smooth pursuit (SP), optokinetic test (OKN), gaze nystagmus assessment, bithermal caloric test, and static posturography. Study groups inc...

The adverse effects of noise on health have been intensely explored in the previous fifty years. However, the scope of research conducted in Central and Eastern European countries (CEE), SouthEast European countries (SEE) and Newly Independent States (NIS) has remained unknown. The aim of this review is to present the variety of studies on non-audi...

The adverse effects of noise on health have been intensely explored in the previous fifty years. However, the scope of research conducted in Central and Eastern European countries (CEE), South-East European countries (SEE) and Newly Independent States (NIS) has remained unknown. The aim of this review is to present the variety of studies on non-aud...

The objective of this study was to evaluate hearing loss among workers exposed to styrene, alone or with noise. This cross-sectional study was conducted as part of NoiseChem, a European Commission 5th Framework Programme research project, by occupational health institutes in Finland, Sweden, and Poland. Participants' ages ranged from 18-72 years (n...

The aim of the study was to assess the applicability of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) in the screening diagnostics of voice dysfunction and in the evaluation of the level of handicap due to dysphonia. A total of 165 patients with voice disorders (vocal paresis, benign vocal fold masses, and functional dysphonia) and 65 healthy controls completed t...

The aim of this study was to assess the balance and vestibular systems in healthy workers exposed to low concentrations of organic solvent mixtures. The study groups comprised 60 workers exposed to mixture of organic solvents and 110 reference workers. All subjects performed static posturography and electronystagmography (ENG). In posturography, ab...

Balance assessment plays an important role in occupational medicine. The diagnosis of patients with balance disturbances is based on a number of laboratory tests, including rotational chair tests, one of the most important. The normative value of kinetic tests greatly depends on movement parameters and laboratory equipment, which vary between diagn...

This study aimed to assess exposure to sound and the risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in orchestral musicians. Sound pressure level was measured in 1 opera and 3 symphony orchestras; questionnaires were filled in. On the basis of that data, the risk of NIHL was assessed according to Standard No. ISO 1999:1990. Classical orchestral musician...

The primary aim of this work was to assess the effect of electromagnetic field (EMF) from the GSM mobile phone system on human brain function. The assessment was based on the assay of event related potentials (ERPs). The study group consisted of 15 volunteers, including 7 men and 8 women. The test protocol comprised determination of P300 wave in ea...

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between acoustic analysis and biopsychosocial implications of voice problems, evaluated by the Voice Handicap Index (VHI). The study comprised 120 female teachers with voice disorders, evaluated by videolaryngostroboscopy. 60.8% of this group were diagnosed as having functional dysphonia and...

The aim of the study was to investigate the annoyance of low frequency noise (LFN) at levels normally prevailing at workplaces in control rooms and office-like areas. Two different laboratory experiments were carried out. The first experiment included 55 young volunteers and the second one comprised 70 older volunteers, categorized in terms of sens...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of noise-induced hearing loss in the orchestral musicians and its relations with hearing status and self-reported hearing ability. The questionnaire inquiries, including the modified Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap ((m)AIADH), and sound pressure level measurements were carried...

The aim of this study, which was performed in the framework of the European project EMFnEAR, was to investigate the potential effects of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS, also known as 3G) exposure at a high specific absorption rate (SAR) on the human auditory system. Participants were healthy young adults with no hearing or ear dis...

The aim of this study, which was performed in the framework of the European project EMFnEAR, was to investigate the potential effects of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS, also known as 3G) exposure at a high specific absorption rate (SAR) on the human auditory system. Participants were healthy young adults with no hearing or ear dis...

It has been shown that oxidative stress plays an important role in development of noise induced hearing loss. Since static magnetic fields (SMF) exposure may alter dynamics of oxidative processes in the tissue, the aim of the study was to assess the influence of SMF on noise-induced alteration in the cochlear level of reactive oxygen species (ROS)...

The aim of this study was to assess sound exposure and the risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in orchestral musicians. Questionnaire inquiries and sound pressure level measurements were carried out in 63 musicians. Based on these data the risk assessment of the NIHL was performed according to ISO 1999:1990 (PN-ISO 1999:1990). The classical o...

Treatment in a health spa with proper infrastructure and professional medical care can provide optimal conditions for intensive voice rehabilitation, especially for people with occupational voice disorders. The most numerous group of people with voice disorders are teachers. In Poland, they have an opportunity to take care of, or regain, their heal...

Abstract The European project EMFnEAR was undertaken to assess potential changes in human auditory function after a short-term exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation produced by UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) mobile phones. Participants were healthy young adults with no hearing or ear disorders. Auditory function was assessed i...

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the leading occupational health risks in industrialized countries. It results from an interaction between environmental and genetic factors, however the nature of the genetic factors contributing to NIHL has not yet been clarified. Here, we investigated whether genetic variations in 10 genes putatively in...

The European project EMFnEAR was undertaken to assess potential changes in human auditory function after a short-term exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation produced by UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) mobile phones. Participants were healthy young adults with no hearing or ear disorders. Auditory function was assessed immediatel...

With the discovery of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), the efferent cochlear system has become accessible for investigation in humans. Recently, it has been suggested that contralateral sound activated OAE efferent suppression may provide an early indication of auditory damage due to exposure to noise. In this study, OAE efferent suppression in normal...

Little evidence exists on the possible adverse effects of styrene on the central part of the auditory system. The present investigation aimed to study the possible association between styrene exposure and temporal processing abilities. Fifty-nine styrene-exposed subjects and 50 nonexposed control subjects were tested. Pure-tone audiometry (125-8000...

The aim of this study was to assess annoyance related to low frequency noise (LFN) in employees of the control rooms and office-like areas. Subjects were 276 workers, aged 26–62 years, exposed to noise at A-weighted sound pressure level (SPL) of 41–66 dB. They were asked to assess noise annoyance at their workplace using a 100 point graphical scale...

Millions of people are daily exposed to high levels of noise. Consequently, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most important occupational health hazards worldwide. In this study, we performed an association study for NIHL based on a candidate gene approach. 644 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in 53 candidate genes were analyzed...

The aim of this study was to assess the application of Voice Handicap Index (VHI) in the diagnosis of occupational voice disorders in teachers as compared with the dysphonic non-teachers population. The subjective assessment of voice by VHI was performed in 105 teachers with dysphonia and 60 dysphonic subjects whose jobs did not involve vocal effor...

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most important occupational health hazards. Millions of people worldwide are exposed daily to harmful levels of noise. NIHL is a complex disease resulting from an interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Although the environmental risk factors have been studied extensively, little is kno...

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most frequent type of variation in the human genome and may underlie differential susceptibility to common genetic diseases. A candidate gene for susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is Cadherin 23 (CDH23). This study aimed to analyze genetic variation in the CDH23 gene in a group of 10...

To answer concerns as to the potential effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) generated by third generation mobile phones on the inner ear, the European Commission funded project "EMFNEAR" assessed potential changes in auditory function induced by UMTS field both in humans and in laboratory animals. The purpose of this paper is to present the fina...

To answer concerns as to the potential effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) generated by third generation mobile phones on the inner ear, the European Commission funded project "EMFNEAR" assessed potential changes in auditory function induced by UMTS field both in humans and in laboratory animals. The purpose of this paper is to present the fina...

Organic solvents are frequent air contaminants in industry and are found, for example, in paints, lacquers and printing inks. They are used in the production of furniture, plastics, fibres and rubber tyres. Over recent decades several studies in animals and humans have reported upon the effects of these substances on the auditory system and their i...

Oxidative stress in the cochlea is considered to play an important role in noise-induced hearing loss. This study determined changes in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the auditory brainstem response (ABR) in the cochlea of C57BL/6 mice prior to and immediately, 1, 3, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days after noise exposure (4...

To assess the usefulness of acoustic analysis with vocal loading test for evaluating the treatment outcomes in occupational voice disorders. Fifty-one female teachers with dysphonia were examined (Voice Handicap Index--VHI, laryngovideostroboscopy and acoustic analysis with vocal loading) before and after treatment. The outcomes of teachers receivi...

An incorrect voice emission is a risk factor for developing occupational voice disorders. The study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of voice therapy in female teachers with dysphonia. The study comprised 133 subjects with voice disorders, taking part in a vocal training programme. A reference group for the present study included 53 teachers wi...

The aim of the study was to investigate the annoyance related to low frequency noise (LFN), at levels normally occurring in the industrial control rooms and office-like areas, in subjects under field and laboratory exposure conditions. The field study comprised 233 male workers from industrial control rooms, aged 26-62 years, exposed to noise at mo...