Within the context of aging and ageism, this article evaluates current research on the benefits and risks of prostate cancer screening. Prostate cancer is a concern for many men because it often strikes in the prime of life. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in American men and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality after lung cancer. Although the disease can be cured if discovered early, it is a slow-growing malignancy that leads to an agonizing death if left untreated. Differential diagnosis often is complicated by comorbid conditions that are part of the normal aging process. Moreover, practitioners' judgment often is prejudiced by common aging misconceptions. Despite the benefits of early screening and detection, the benefits of screening initiatives remain controversial.

Adenocarcinoma↗

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Exploring the efficacy of support groups for men with prostrate cancer.

For the 180,000 men who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, improvements in the disease's medical management have prolonged life expectancy. Long-standing treatment side effects include bowel and urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, which frequently are embarrassing and contribute to poor emotional well-being. Despite the popularity of support groups in alleviating emotional symptoms related to cancer and its treatment, few men participate in such groups. This article focuses on the reasons why men do not find support groups appealing and presents alternatives that may be more acceptable. Suggestions are made for clinical and research implications.

Attitude to Health↗

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A computerized scoring procedure for auditory brainstem response audiometry.

A weakness of auditory brainstem response (ABR) audiometry is the highly subjective manner in which the tracings are scored. This article describes a computerized scoring technique which was devised to reduce the subjective decision making in ABR test analysis. This correlation technique assumes only that the ABR, whatever its latency or waveform, will be highly consistent when the same stimulus conditions are repeated. This consistency should result in high correlations when two suprathreshold tracings are compared. In contrast, low correlations should occur when one of the tracings is a control containing no ABR. The extent of differences between correlations is used as the response criterion.

Adult↗

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Quantifying click stimuli in auditory brainstem response audiometry.

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Adult↗

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Comparison of auditory brain stem response latency norms for premature infants.

Two investigations were conducted in an attempt to devise an improved set of auditory brain stem response (ABR) latency norms for premature infants. The first study utilized the responses of 130 infants to develop conventional ABR wave V latency norms for different conceptual ages. In addition, three sets of alternative norms were devised which utilized both waves III and V and used ABR interwave intervals as measures of brain stem maturation. A second study examined how well each of the four sets of latency norms predicted the ABR latencies of an additional group of 131 normal-hearing infants. The results of this second study demonstrated that norms utilizing wave III and the I-III interwave interval as an indicator of brain stem maturation were more sensitive than conventional norms, which provide expected wave V latencies for different conceptual ages.

Audiometry, Evoked Response↗

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Influence of electrode impedance on auditory brain stem response recordings in the intensive care nursery.

ABR results from 400 newborns were examined for skin contact-electrode impedance effects on screening results. Neither high electrode impedance nor unbalanced impedance between the active electrodes appeared to have a significant effect on the screening results. Caution is advised in interpreting the results of this study. The authors are not advocating poor skin-electrode contact. However, satisfactory responses have been recorded with higher than previously reported optimal electrode impedance.

Audiometry↗

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Pitfalls in auditory brain stem response audiometry.

ABR audiometry is now a widely used clinical procedure. Although the technique provides valuable information about peripheral hearing status and assists in the detection of a retrocochlear lesion, it possesses a number of pitfalls which may not be readily apparent. This report discusses some of the limitations and problem areas in ABR audiometry.

Adult↗

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Auditory brain stem responses of premature infants to bone-conducted stimuli: a feasibility study.

The feasibility of bone conduction auditory brain stem response (ABR) audiometry in intensive care nursery neonates was investigated. Forty premature infants were tested with both air- and bone-conducted stimuli. Bone-conducted stimuli resulted in more identifiable ABRs and a greater number of subjects passing the hearing screening. The findings of this study suggest that bone conduction ABR audiometry is a feasible technique with premature infants. Due to the lower frequency composition of the bone-conducted click, it may be more effective than an air-conducted click when the immature cochlea is being evaluated.

Air↗

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Data collection using handheld computers.

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Data Collection↗

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Auditory brainstem responses in children with early recurrent middle ear disease.

Auditory brainstem responses were recorded from an experimental group of 15 children with early histories of recurrent middle ear disease for the purpose of examining the effects of reduced auditory input on auditory brainstem function. The responses from these children were analyzed in terms of absolute latencies, interwave latencies and latency shifts across sensation level. Comparisons were made to a control group of children with no history of middle ear disease. Results indicated significant differences between the groups. The experimental group demonstrated greater absolute latencies for waves III and V as well as greater interwave latencies. These findings support the interpretation of an association between early recurrent middle ear disease and brainstem function.

Auditory Pathways↗