METHODS: 120 primary pterygium participants were selected from patients who visited an ophthalmology clinic. We adopted image analysis software in calculating the size of invading pterygium to the cornea. The marking of the calculated area was done manually, and the total area size was measured in pixel. The computed area is defined as the area from the apex of pterygium to the limbal-corneal border. Then, from the pixel, it was transformed into a percentage (%), which represents the CPTA relative to the entire corneal surface area. Intra- and inter-observer reliability testing were performed by repeating the tracing process twice with a different sequence of images at least one (1) month apart. Intraclass correlation (ICC) and scatter plot were used to describe the reliability of measurement.
RESULTS: The overall mean (N=120) of CPTA was 45.26±13.51% (CI: 42.38-48.36). Reliability for region of interest (ROI) demarcation of CPTA were excellent with intra and inter-agreement of 0.995 (95% CI, 0.994-0.998; P<0.001) and 0.994 (95% CI, 0.992-0.997; P<0.001) respectively. The new method was positively associated with corneal astigmatism (P<0.01). This method was able to predict 37% of the variance in CA compared to 21% using standard method.
CONCLUSIONS: Image analysis method is useful, reliable and practical in the clinical setting to objectively quantify actual pterygium size, shapes and its effects on the anterior corneal curvature.
METHODS: Twenty children including 10 with ASD and 10 normally developing children aged 6-12 years were recruited for this study. One accessible ear was exposed to transient-evoked OAE, whereas the other was exposed to suppressor tones. Contralateral suppressors included white noise, Quranic recitations, environmental noise, and natural sound. The magnitude of OAE suppression was determined from the difference between the OAE amplitude with and without the masker (in dB sound pressure levels) for all sound types. The sound with the highest suppression effect was determined using effect size calculation and repeated-measures analysis of variance at a 95% confidence level. A high suppression effect may suggest a high sensory gating performance, whereas low suppression may indicate low sensory gating performance.
RESULTS: Based on the analysis, the sound with the highest suppression effect was that of the waterfall. The suppression results were supported by descriptive analysis findings and effect-size calculations.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a better understanding of the alternative sound stimuli, besides the standard white noise tone, for the assessment of sensory gating deficits among children with ASD. Sounds with a high suppression effect have the potential to be used as sound therapy interventions for children with ASD as part of rehabilitation and therapy.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: : Twenty-one children diagnosed with ASD participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. The experimental group received a combined intervention consisting of sound and working memory training (SWMT). Within this group, participants were subdivided to receive one of three sound stimuli-white noise, waterfall sound, or Quranic recitation-along with working memory training. Contralateral transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) were recorded before and after the intervention. Measurements included the absolute amplitude of overall suppression and frequency-specific suppression amplitudes. Statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate changes in TEOAE suppression from before to after the intervention, as well as to compare differences between groups.
RESULTS: : Based on TEOAE absolute amplitude, all experimental groups demonstrated increased contralateral TEOAE suppression following SWMT, with the greatest improvement observed in the white noise group. In addition, white noise WMT produced enhanced suppression across all octave frequencies, whereas the effects of waterfall sound and Quranic recitation WMT were restricted to frequencies of 1 kHz and 4 kHz, respectively. These findings are consistent with the gain score analysis, in which white noise yielded the highest suppression across all frequencies except 1 kHz.
CONCLUSIONS: : SWMT appears to be a promising approach for enhancing auditory sensory gating in children with ASD, as evidenced by improvements in contralateral TEOAE suppression. Among the sound modalities tested, white noise combined with working memory training produced the greatest enhancement in TEOAE suppression.