ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive function in the elderly population through propensity score matching method. Methods: We analyzed the data of 7605 participants aged 60 and above who were included in the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The non-substitutable 1â¶1 nearest neighbor matching method without caliper value was used for propensity score matching and G-computation was used to estimate the average treatment effect (ATE) of hearing loss on all dimensions of cognitive function. Results: Before matching, there were 3626 (47.68%) women, with 1409 (18.53%) of whom suffering from hearing loss and 3031 (39.86%) of whom suffering from cognitive impairment. After matching, 1409 subjects were included in the hearing loss group and 1409, in the normal hearing group, with both groups sharing similar distribution of basic demographic characteristics. The results for the average treatment effect of the population indicated that the cognitive function scores of the hearing loss group were lower than those of the normal hearing group, with the overall cognitive function being 0.593 points lower (95% confidence intervel [CI]: ï¼0.916-ï¼0.257, P<0.001), orientation being 0.183 points lower (95% CI: ï¼0.302-ï¼0.055, P=0.004), immediate memory being 0.150 points lower (95% CI: ï¼0.218-ï¼0.085, P<0.001), and language skills being 0.178 points lower (95% CI: ï¼0.303-ï¼0.058, P=0.006). The prevalence of cognitive impairment of the hearing loss group was 4.2% higher than that of the normal hearing group (95% CI: 0.007-0.077, P=0.020). Conclusion: Hearing loss adversely affects the orientation, memory, and language skills of the elderly population and forms a potential risk factor for cognitive impairment in the elderly population.
Subject(s)
East Asian People , Hearing Loss , Humans , Aged , Female , Male , Longitudinal Studies , Propensity Score , Cognition , LanguageABSTRACT
We propose a cost-effective narrow bandpass filter based on a guided-mode resonance (GMR) structure, operating at full conical mounting configuration. Two additional layers above the GMR structure with designed geometry is considered to create a large angle of incidence (AOI) on the GMR structure with an almost normal AOI on the entire structure. In the visible wavelength range, the transmission spectrum contains three peaks: two peaks that are due to the GMR effect and one that is due to thin-film interference. The modal characteristic of the two GMR peaks is identified using a matrix method for the n-layer waveguide structure. The two GMR peaks with bandwidths of â¼1nm and â¼0.5nm correspond to the fundamental TE and TM modes, respectively. The GMR peaks can be pushed away from the thin-film interference peak by modulating the grating depth.
