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Urban children more likely to be smokers

More than 75 percent of fourth-graders in urban and rural settings have measurable levels of a nicotine breakdown product in their saliva that documents their second-hand smoke exposure, researchers report.

22 Mar 2012

Patients with tinnitus may soon have a definitive therapy

Clinical trials of the new therapy, called Acoustic Coordinated Reset (ACR), have shown that it reduces the loudness and annoyance caused by tinnitus in seven out of 10 patients.

21 Mar 2012

Study tests new method of sound simulation for treating tinnitus

A new clinical trial is to test whether a pocket-sized device that uses sound simulation to reboot faulty 'wiring' in the brain could cure people with the debilitating hearing disorder tinnitus.

21 Mar 2012

Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery publishes new sudden hearing loss guideline

The first national treatment guideline for sudden hearing loss, a frightening condition that sends thousands in the U.S. to the emergency room each year, was published this month in the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

20 Mar 2012

Cadherin-23 might play a role in earliest stages of breast cancer metastasis

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Biologist Lee Ligon has found a previously unknown connection between breast cancer tumor cells and the surrounding healthy tissue. The results provide new information on the earliest stages of breast cancer metastasis.

15 Mar 2012

Ultrasound system to track patients in hospitals

Patients admitted to hospitals in the future may find themselves equipped with a small ultrasound transmitter. With the help of their mobile phones, health care personnel will be able to keep track of where their patients are as well as any delays in their scheduled treatment.

14 Mar 2012

The two sides of pain

"Pain is both a curse and a blessing", says Jürgen Sandkühler, Head of the Department of Neurophysiology at the Centre for Brain Research at the MedUni Vienna ahead of the international "Brain Awareness Week", being held from the 12th to the 16th of March. On the one hand, pain has an important protective function for humans.

14 Mar 2012

Two scientists receive The Brain Prize 2012 for pioneering work on hearing and deafness

The Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation announced today that The Brain Prize 2012 is jointly awarded to Christine Petit and Karen Steel.

12 Mar 2012

Sientra’s breast implant approved by the U.S. FDA

The implant, manufactured by Santa Barbara-based Sientra, can be used for breast tissue reconstruction for women of any age and for breast augmentation in women 22 or older. The approval resulted from three years of clinical studies on almost 1,800 patients. Tightening of the area around the implant, re-operation, implant removal, uneven appearance and infection were some of the complications experienced during the study. Sientra is required to continue studies on the implant's long-term safety, effectiveness and risks of rare diseases under the approval.

12 Mar 2012

Epidemic bacteria can damage mucins to enter and infect a body part

Boston, MA- Scientists from the Schepens Eye Research Institute, a subsidiary of Mass. Eye and Ear and affiliate of Harvard Medical School, have found for the first time that a bacterial pathogen can literally mow down protective molecules, known as mucins, on mucus membranes to enter and infect a part of the body.

12 Mar 2012

Unknown 'root' extension in hair cells of the inner ear

The hair cells of the inner ear have a previously unknown "root" extension that may allow them to communicate with nerve cells and the brain to regulate sensitivity to sound vibrations and head position, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have discovered. Their finding is reported online in advance of print in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Mar 2012

Biologists identify how and where the brain processes FM sweeps

In both animals and humans, vocal signals used for communication contain a wide array of different sounds that are determined by the vibrational frequencies of vocal cords. For example, the pitch of someone's voice, and how it changes as they are speaking, depends on a complex series of varying frequencies. Knowing how the brain sorts out these different frequencies-which are called frequency-modulated (FM) sweeps-is believed to be essential to understanding many hearing-related behaviors, like speech.

9 Mar 2012

African Americans more likely to develop keloid after head and neck surgery

African Americans are seven times more likely than Caucasians to develop an excessive growth of thick, irregularly shaped and raised scarring on their skin - known as a keloid - following head and neck surgery, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

7 Mar 2012

Snoring toddlers may develop behavioural problems later: Study

A new study shows that babies and toddlers who snore, gasp for breath, or breathe with their mouth open while sleeping may be at a greater risk of behavioural problems all the way through second grade.

5 Mar 2012

Merck announces success of pill against ragweed allergy

Merck & Co. announced Monday that their experimental allergy tablet reduced allergic reactions to ragweed and helped patients use less medication to treat their symptoms.

5 Mar 2012

Inovio's SynCon vaccine for HPV types 6 and 11 induces CD8+ T cells in mice

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that its SynCon therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 and 11, which are associated with head & neck cancers and genital warts, among other conditions, induced strong antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in mice.

5 Mar 2012

Young children with SDB more likely to develop neurobehavioral problems

A study of more than 11,000 children followed for over six years has found that young children with sleep-disordered breathing are prone to developing behavioral difficulties such as hyperactivity and aggressiveness, as well as emotional symptoms and difficulty with peer relationships, according to researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

5 Mar 2012

Scientists to develop new carbon-based biointerfaces

In the future, neural implants could replace destroyed sensory cells in the eye or ear - a dream come true for humanity. One of the greatest challenges yet to be addressed is designing the interface between medical technology and human tissue. In order to overcome the limitations of existing models, scientists from Forschungszentrum Juelich and eleven other institutions involved in the NeuroCare project, which kicked off on 1 March 2012, will develop novel biointerfaces made of carbon.

3 Mar 2012

Link between brain dominance and laterality of cell phone use

If you're a left brain thinker, chances are you use your right hand to hold your cell phone up to your right ear, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

22 Feb 2012

Researchers discover class of proteins that detect 'painful touch'

In two landmark papers in the journal Nature this week, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute report that they have identified a class of proteins that detect "painful touch."

19 Feb 2012