<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE article  PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD Journal Publishing DTD v3.0 20080202//EN" "http://dtd.nlm.nih.gov/publishing/3.0/journalpublishing3.dtd"><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="3.0" xml:lang="en" article-type="research article"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">JDM</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title>Journal of Diabetes Mellitus</journal-title></journal-title-group><issn pub-type="epub">2160-5831</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Scientific Research Publishing</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.4236/jdm.2023.131006</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">JDM-123082</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Articles</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="Discipline-v2"><subject>Medicine&amp;Healthcare</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>
 
 
  Tympanometry Comparison of Diabetic Type I and Diabetic Type II Rats
 
</article-title></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Susan</surname><given-names>Amin</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref><xref ref-type="corresp" rid="cor1"><sup>*</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Ahmed</surname><given-names>Alaradi</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Ahmed</surname><given-names>Alekri</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Ali</surname><given-names>Alaysreen</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Ammar</surname><given-names>Kheyami</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Hasan</surname><given-names>Baksh</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"><sup>2</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Khalid</surname><given-names>Nazzal</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"><sup>2</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Abdullah</surname><given-names>Altamimi</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"><sup>2</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Omar</surname><given-names>Alhamdan</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"><sup>2</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Amer</surname><given-names>Kamal</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"><sup>2</sup></xref></contrib></contrib-group><aff id="aff2"><addr-line>Department of Physiology, Arabian Gulf University (AGU), Manama, Bahrain</addr-line></aff><aff id="aff1"><addr-line>School of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI-Bahrain), Busaiteen, Bahrain</addr-line></aff><pub-date pub-type="epub"><day>06</day><month>01</month><year>2023</year></pub-date><volume>13</volume><issue>01</issue><fpage>58</fpage><lpage>67</lpage><history><date date-type="received"><day>20,</day>	<month>July</month>	<year>2022</year></date><date date-type="rev-recd"><day>13,</day>	<month>February</month>	<year>2023</year>	</date><date date-type="accepted"><day>16,</day>	<month>February</month>	<year>2023</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement>&#169; Copyright  2014 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. </copyright-statement><copyright-year>2014</copyright-year><license><license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</license-p></license></permissions><abstract><p>
 
 
  Hearing impairment affects over two-thirds of adults with diabetes. We investigated whether rat models of type 1 and type 11 diabetes display impaired auditory function. Tympanometry measurements were conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats (control, n = 20), streptozotocin-induced type I diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 20) at 42 - 56 days old; Zucker rats (Hos: ZFDM-Lean (fa/+, n = 20) and Zucker Type 2 Diabetic rats (ZFDM (Hos: ZFDM-fa/fa); n = 20)), 90 days old. All rats were male. Control animals had normal type A tympanograms. Tweny one (75%) of the tympanic membranes in the diabetic type I group produced abnormal tympanograms: 46% were type B, 28% had no peak found, and 1% were type C. The ear canal measurements were lower in the left ear in type I mice (0.19 &#177; 0.07) and higher in the left ear for type II mice (0.23 &#177; 0.15 ml) compared to the controls of 0.39 &#177; 0.14 ml) and (0.2 &#177; 0.12 ml) respectively (P &lt; 0.0001). The compliances for the right ear and left ear were lower for the type II diabetic group (0.18 &#177; 0.05 ml) and (0.18 &#177; 0.05 ml) compared to the control group (0.28 &#177; 0.19 ml) and (0.28 &#177; 0.49 ml) (P &lt; 0.0001) respectively. In conclusion, control rats exhibited type A tympanograms with a highly functional middle ear system. Diabetic type I rats (n = 20) mostly exhibited type B tympanograms with a less compliant middle ear system. Compliance was reduced in the diabetic type I and II animals compared to the control. Future studies should utilise histological methods alongside tympanometry. Sections of the middle ear could be used to analyze ossicle size and confirm size differences. This information would be useful in avenues for treatment options for hearing loss in diabetes.
 
</p></abstract><kwd-group><kwd>Diabetes</kwd><kwd> Tympanometry</kwd><kwd> Auditory Function</kwd><kwd> Compliance</kwd><kwd> Ear Canal</kwd></kwd-group></article-meta></front><body><sec id="s1"><title>1. Introduction</title><p>Diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from abnormality of insulin secretion, tissue resistance to insulin’s actions or both. In type I diabetes insulin insufficiency is due to auto-immune mediated destruction of pancreatic β-cells. In type 2 diabetes, there are varying severities of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. People at risk of type II diabetes are typically obese hypertensive and dyslipidemic [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref1">1</xref>] .</p><p>Hearing impairment affects over two-thirds of adults with diabetes, approximately double that of non-diabetic adults. However, there is a lack of information regarding the nature of this impairment [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref2">2</xref>] . There are three categories of hearing loss: conductive, sensorineural, and mixed hearing loss [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref3">3</xref>] . Furthermore, there is a wide range of data on the association between diabetes and sensorineural hearing loss, including morphological changes in the number of cochlea receptors among diabetic I and II patients [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref4">4</xref>] .</p><p>Whether there is a link between diabetes and conductive hearing loss is debatable. For example, it has been reported that the incidence of conductive hearing loss is 23% in diabetic patients without any history of middle ear disease [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref5">5</xref>] . However, hyperglycemia may induce damage to small blood vessels in the ear in the same way as it causes retinopathy and damage to kidney blood vessels [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref6">6</xref>] . In addition, conductive deafness may be due to the thickening of the basement membrane as a result of hypoxia [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref7">7</xref>] , reduced immunity, recurrent middle ear infection, and degeneration and necrosis of the small ear bones [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref8">8</xref>] . Hyperglycemia is linked to impaired oxidative phosphorylation and reduced ATP availability for high-energy demand structures such as the stria vascularis [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref9">9</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref10">10</xref>] . Another potential mechanism involves the interaction of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and their cellular receptors (RAGEs), resulting in recruitment of inflammatory cells, subsequent endothelial dysfunction, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ultimately vascular complications of diabetes [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref11">11</xref>] . RAGE expression has also been identified in regions of the rat cochlea such as the organ of Corti, spiral ganglion, and stria vascularis [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref11">11</xref>] . Oxidative stress induced by ROS may play a pivotal role in the inner-ear systems [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref12">12</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref13">13</xref>] . Finally, microangiopathy has been implicated in diabetes-related hearing deficiency at low to high frequencies [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref14">14</xref>] .</p><p>Tympanometry can be used to study and compare characteristics of middle ear function; the output is a graph known as a “tympanogram”. This technique determines the acoustic admittance of the middle ear, based on air pressure changes in the external auditory canal [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref15">15</xref>] . A “test tone” of 226 Hz is effective for identifying middle ear disorders. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) has been used to evaluate hearing loss in rodents [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref16">16</xref>] but the results do necessarily indicate a middle ear infection and vice versa. Tympanometry is considered superior for diagnosing middle ear lesions.</p><p>Animal models are a useful way of capturing the diversity of changes observed in diabetic patients. The aims of this study are to study and compare tympanometry variables between streptozotocin-induced rats, a model of diabetes mellitus type I and Zucker rats, a model of type II diabetes.</p></sec><sec id="s2"><title>2. Material and Methods</title><sec id="s2_1"><title>2.1. Animals</title><p>Type 1 diabetic rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats (n = 40) aged 5 - 7 weeks (150 - 200 g) were housed in pairs on a 12 h light: 12 h dark cycle with free access to food and water. We did not include female rats because they are less sensitive to streptozotocin. For diabetes induction, rats (n = 20) were fasted for 4 - 6 h before administration of a single i.p. bolus injection of 100 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) (S-0130, Sigma, UK; dissolved in sodium citrate; pH 4.5). Seven days following the STZ, blood glucose was measured in a sample of venous blood (obtained by tail prick) taken from each animal (OneTouch<sup>&#174;</sup> Ultra<sup>&#174;</sup> 2; Lifescan, Inc., USA). All the STZ-treated animals had a blood glucose of &gt;15 mmol/L (280 mg/dL).</p><p>Type 2 diabetic rats. Ten weeks old male Zucker fatty diabetes mellitus (ZFDM) (Hos: ZFDM-fa/fa) rats (300 - 350 g) (n = 20) and their lean littermates (Hos: ZFDM-Lean (fa/+) (200 - 250 g) (n = 20) were housed in pairs; conditions were identical to those of the type 1 diabetic rats. The ZFDM-fa/fa animals obtain non-fasting blood glucose of 300 mg/dL) as early as 10 weeks of age, with a 100% cumulative incidence of diabetes by 21 weeks [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref17">17</xref>] .</p></sec><sec id="s2_2"><title>2.2. Protocol</title><p>This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Arabian Gulf University and RCSI medical university Bahrain, under project titled Diabetes type I and Middle Ear Pathology May 22<sup>nd</sup>, 2017; Grant number AGU/RCSI 2017-2018.</p></sec><sec id="s2_3"><title>2.3. Tympanometry Procedure</title><p>Tympanometry measurements were conducted in a quiet room, using a MT 10 tympanometer (Interacoustics, Assens, Denmark). Physical volumes (1.5 ml, 0.5 ml, and 0.25 ml) of the tympanometer were recorded, and measurements were taken from each ear.</p></sec><sec id="s2_4"><title>2.4. Tympanometry Variables</title><p>The MT 10 measures canal volume (V in ml) [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref18">18</xref>] , middle ear pressure (P in daPa), gradient (in ml) which is the steepness of the slope near the peak of the tympanogram [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref19">19</xref>] , and compliance volume which is the greatest amount of acoustic energy absorbed by the middle ear and corresponds to the the vertical peak of the tympanic tracing [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref20">20</xref>] .</p></sec><sec id="s2_5"><title>2.5. Tympanometry Classification</title><p>The classification of tympanograms has been well characterised elsewhere for humans and rodents [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref20">20</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref21">21</xref>] . Briefly, a “type A” tracing indicates a normal ear and is described a “bell-shaped curve with peak admittance occuring at or near zero data”. A “type B” tracing is abnormal and indicates that the middle ear is filled with fluid and the tympanum is rigid; it is described as a flat curve. A “type C” curve is an unreliable indicator of pathology but may be useful when correlated with other data; it is characterised by a bell-shaped curve in the negative pressure range. When the pressure is between −100 and −199 daPa it is called a type C1 curve and when between −200 and −400 a type C2 curve. Finally, if no peak is detected on the trace then this is termed a “NPF”.</p></sec><sec id="s2_6"><title>2.6. Data Analysis</title><p>This data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2016. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze continuous and categorical data. This was presented in the form of frequencies in graphs and as means &#177; SEM unless otherwise noted. An online T calculator was used to confirm differences within and between groups for the tympanometry variables. The level of significance was fixed at P &lt; 0.05.</p></sec></sec><sec id="s3"><title>3. Results</title><sec id="s3_1"><title>3.1. Group Comparisons</title><p>Control animals had normal type A tympanograms. Twenty one (75%) of the tympanic membranes in the type 1 diabetic group had abnormal tympanograms of which 46% were type b, 28% had no peak found, and 1% were type c (P &lt; 0.05) (<xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref>).</p></sec><sec id="s3_2"><title>3.2. Between Group Comparisons</title><p>The compliances for the right ear and left ear were lower for the type I diabetic group (0.17 &#177; 11 ml) and (0.13 &#177; 0.12 ml) compared to the control group (0.20 &#177; 0.11 ml) and (0.18 &#177; 0.15 ml) (P &lt; 0.0001) respectively.</p><p>The compliances for the right ear and left ear were lower for the type II diabetic group (0.18 &#177; 0.05) and (0.18 &#177; 0.05 dap) compared to the control group (0.28 &#177; 0.19) and (0.28 &#177; 0.49) (P &lt; 0.0001) respectively (<xref ref-type="table" rid="table1">Table 1</xref>).</p><p>Ear canal volume measurements between the control group and diabetic groups showed a significant difference in terms of being higher for the right ear for the type I (0.22 &#177; 0.08 ml) and lower for the type II mice (0.15 &#177; 0.1 ml) compared to the control of (0.17 &#177; 0.19 ml) and (0.26 &#177; 0.15 ml) (P &lt; 0.0001) respectively. The ear canal measurements were lower in the left ear in type I mice (0.19 &#177; 0.07) and higher in the left ear for type II mice (0.23 &#177; 0.15 ml) compared to the controls of (0.39 &#177; 0.14 ml) and (0.2 &#177; 0.12 ml) respectively (P &lt; 0.0001) (<xref ref-type="table" rid="table2">Table 2</xref>).</p><p>Gradient measurements between the control group and the diabetic type I group showed a decrease for the right ear with values of (127.80 &#177; 0.17 ml) and (115.38 &#177; 0.08 ml) (P &gt; 0.0001) respectively. Gradient measurements between the control group and the diabetic type I group showed an increase for the left ear with values of (125 &#177; 91 ml) and (160.78 &#177; 113 ml) respectively.</p><p>Gradient measurements between the control group and the diabetic type II group showed a decrease for the right ear with values of (101 &#177; 91 ml) and (44.5 &#177; 41.9 ml) respectively. Gradient measurements between the control group and the diabetic type II group showed an increase for the left ear with values of (24 &#177; 26 ml) and (54 &#177; 61 ml) (P &gt; 0.0001) respectively (<xref ref-type="table" rid="table3">Table 3</xref>).</p><p>The pressures in the right ear were lower for the type I diabetic group (−40.92</p><table-wrap id="table1" ><label><xref ref-type="table" rid="table1">Table 1</xref></label><caption><title> Compliance measurements in control versus experimental diabetes animals. Compliance is in ml</title></caption><table><tbody><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="middle" >Ear/Compliance in ml</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Right</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Left</th></tr></thead><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Control</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.20 &#177; 0.11</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.18 &#177; 0.15</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Diabetes Type I</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.17 &#177; 0.13</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.13 &#177; 0.12</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Control Hos: ZFDM-Lean (fa/+)</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.28 &#177; 0.19*</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.28 &#177; 0.49*</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Diabetes Type II Hos: ZFDM-(fa/fa)</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.18 &#177; 0.05*</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.18 &#177; 0.05*</td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap><table-wrap id="table2" ><label><xref ref-type="table" rid="table2">Table 2</xref></label><caption><title> Ear Canal measurements in control versus experimental diabetes animals. Ear canal volumes in ml</title></caption><table><tbody><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="middle" >Ear/Volume in ml</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Right</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Left</th></tr></thead><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Control</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.17 &#177; 0.19*</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.39 &#177; 0.14*</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Diabetes Type I</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.22 &#177; 0.08*</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.19 &#177; 0.07*</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Control Hos: ZFDM-Lean (fa/+)</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.26 &#177; 0.15*</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.2 &#177; 0.12*</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Diabetes Type II Hos: ZFDM-(fa/fa)</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.15 &#177; 0.1*</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.23 &#177; 0.15 *</td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap><table-wrap id="table3" ><label><xref ref-type="table" rid="table3">Table 3</xref></label><caption><title> Gradient measurements in control versus experimental diabetes animals. Gradient is in ml</title></caption><table><tbody><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="middle" >Ear/Gradient in ml</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Right</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Left</th></tr></thead><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Control</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >127.80 &#177; 0.17</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >125 &#177; 91</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Diabetes Type I</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >115.38 &#177; 0.08</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >160.78 &#177; 113</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Control Hos: ZFDM-Lean (fa/+)</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >101 &#177; 91</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >24 &#177; 26</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Diabetes Type II Hos: ZFDM-(fa/fa)</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >44.5 &#177; 41.9</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >54 &#177; 61</td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap><table-wrap id="table4" ><label><xref ref-type="table" rid="table4">Table 4</xref></label><caption><title> Pressure measurements in control versus experimental diabetes animals. Pressure is in</title></caption><table><tbody><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="middle" >Ear/Pressure in daPa</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Right</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Left</th></tr></thead><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Control</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >9.85 &#177; 50</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >8.17 &#177; 46.9</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Diabetes Type I</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >−40.92 &#177; 87</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >26 &#177; 44</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Control Hos: ZFDM-Lean (fa/+)</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >−52 &#177; 78</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >−95 &#177; 141</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Diabetes Type II Hos: ZFDM-(fa/fa)</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >30.8 &#177; 189</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >151.5 &#177; 47.3</td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap><p>Data are expressed as mean &#177; SD. N = 20 control rats. N = 20 Diabetic type 1 rats. N = 20 Hos: ZFDM-Lean (fa/+). N = 20 Hos: ZFDM-(fa/fa) * = (P &lt; 0.0001).</p><p>&#177; 87 daPA) compared to the control group (9.85 &#177; 50 daPa) and higher for the left ear (26 &#177; 44 daPa) compared to the control group (8.17 &#177; 46.9 daPa) (<xref ref-type="table" rid="table4">Table 4</xref>). The pressures in the right and left ear were higher for the diabetic type II mice compared to the controls (30.8 &#177; 189) and (151.5 &#177; 47.3 daPa) versus (−52 &#177; 78) and (−95 &#177; 141) daPa respectively (<xref ref-type="table" rid="table4">Table 4</xref>).</p></sec></sec><sec id="s4"><title>4. Discussion</title><p>In this study, control rats exhibited type A tympanograms with a highly functional middle ear system. Diabetic type I rats mainly exhibited type B tympanograms with a less compliant middle ear system. Compliance was also reduced in the diabetic type I and II animals compared to controls.</p><sec id="s4_1"><title>4.1. Use of Tympanometry</title><p>Tympanometry provides a quick examination of the middle ear. The standard deviations for compliance in our control rats (0.13 - 0.17) are consistent with those reported for humans (0.097 - 0.107 ml) [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref22">22</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref23">23</xref>] taking into consideration that human equivalent ear canal volume is much bigger than that of rats.</p></sec><sec id="s4_2"><title>4.2. Tympanometry Classification</title><p>Type A tympanograms were higher among the control animals indicating a fully compliant hearing system, and the B tympanograms were higher among the diabetic type I group suggesting fluid or infection in the middle ear although this cannot be confirmed) [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref22">22</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref24">24</xref>] .</p><p>Type B mean tympanogram amplitudes in the diabetic type 1 rats were significantly lower in both ears than those of control rats. This coincides with a similar study where tympanograms were studied in patients with type 1 diabetes and control subjects (20 - 40 years old) where reduced mean amplitudes were noted [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref23">23</xref>] . In one study, the associated hearing impairments to diabetes type II were associated with diabetic neuropathy [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref25">25</xref>] .</p></sec><sec id="s4_3"><title>4.3. Tympanometry Parameters: Compliance</title><p>We observed a reduction in compliance of the right ear of type 1 diabetic rats versus controls. There are several possible explanations for this observed reduction in compliance of the tympanic membrane including: 1) weakness of elastin and collagen fibers in the tympanic membrane and/or the ligaments of the ossicular system; 2) inflammation in the middle ear; 3) disorders affecting the cartilage or ossicles of the middle ear [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref26">26</xref>] . Additional studies are required to confirm these possibilities. Additonally, we noted an increased compliance in the left ear of type 1 diabetic rats compared to the controls. This phenomenon has been noted in children suffering with recurrent acute otitis media [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref27">27</xref>] . However, we are not able to confirm the reasons for the differences between left and right ears.</p><p>By comparison, we observed a decrease in compliance of both the left and right ear of the type II diabetic rats compared to the controls. It has been reported that decreased compliance is associated with abnormalities [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref21">21</xref>] . Our results may indicate a lesser severity of type II diabetes, however this cannot be confirmed. However, others have concluded that type II diabetes is more severe in terms of hearing loss at high frequencies [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref25">25</xref>] . Possible reasons for this more severe effect include lower serum levels of protein oxidation products, nitric oxide, and antioxidants activity [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref28">28</xref>] .</p></sec><sec id="s4_4"><title>4.4. Tympanometry Parameters: Pressure and Canal Volume</title><p>Interestingly, we found lower readings for the ear canal volume and pressure on the left compared to the right side in both types of diabetic animals. This agrees with one study which highlighted a relationship between type 1 diabetes and severity of left sided hearing loss with longer disease length [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref29">29</xref>] . In addition, hearing loss may be more related to glycaemic control rather than diabetes per se [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.123082-ref30">30</xref>] . Further studies could look at the (HbA1c) levels in the two groups.</p></sec><sec id="s4_5"><title>4.5. Limitations</title><p>Performing an airtight seal between the tympanometer and the ear canal was not always straightforward. We had some success by changing the tip size and gently pulling the external ear up to stretch the ear canal. However, the standard deviations of our measurements indicate that the problem was minimized. Our results could have been strengthened by including middle ear histology however were unable to do so due to technical limitations.</p></sec></sec><sec id="s5"><title>5. Conclusions</title><p>In conclusion, control rats exhibited type A tympanograms with a highly functional middle ear system. Diabetic type I rat mostly exhibited type B tympanograms with a less compliant middle ear system suggesting fluid or infection in the middle ear. Compliance was reduced in the diabetic type I and II animals compared to the control.</p><p>Future studies could look at a sophisticated animal study using several measurement techniques including histology. Sections of the middle ear could be used to analyze ossicle size and confirm size differences.</p></sec><sec id="s6"><title>Acknowldgements</title><p>We would like to thank Dr Ebrahim Rajab<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="/html.scirp.org/file/6-4300723x13.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> for his help with editing and reviewing the manuscript.</p><p>This was supported by grant from Arabian Gulf University/RCSI Bahrain (AGU/RCSI) 2017-2018.</p></sec><sec id="s7"><title>Conflicts of Interest</title><p>The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.</p></sec><sec id="s8"><title>Cite this paper</title><p>Amin, S., Alaradi, A., Alekri, A., Alaysreen, A., Kheyami, A., Baksh, H., Nazzal, K., Altamimi, A., Alhamdan, O. and Kamal, A. (2023) Tympanometry Comparison of Diabetic Type I and Diabetic Type II Rats. Journal of Diabetes Mellitus, 13, 58-67. https://doi.org/10.4236/jdm.2023.131006</p></sec></body><back><ref-list><title>References</title><ref id="scirp.123082-ref1"><label>1</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">Alvarenga, K.F., Duarte, J.L., Silva, D.P.C., Agostinho-Pesse, R.S., Negrato, C.A. and Costa, O.A. (2005) Cognitive P300 Potential on Subjects with Diabetes Mellitus. Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, 71, 202-207. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1808-8694(15)31311-2</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.123082-ref2"><label>2</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">Bainbridge, K.E., Hoffman, H.J. and Cowie, C.C. (2008) Diabetes and Hearing Impairment in the United States: Audiometric Evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999 to 2004. 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