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New device may restore voice in patients with laryngeal cancer

Patients who have lost their voice box through disease such as throat cancer may be able to speak immediately after a procedure to create a small opening at the throat.

8 Oct 2012

Sublingual immunotherapy highly effective for chronic allergy and asthma sufferers

Could it be that those with allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and childhood nasal allergies can finally get a break from their allergies and their allergy shots? Chicago's leading allergy, asthma, and immunology expert, Dr. Brian Rotskoff, who treats a large number of Chicago pediatric allergy patients, is happy to say, "Yes!"

5 Oct 2012

NYU Langone announces 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics Visiting Lectureship Program

NYU Langone Medical Center is pleased to announce the 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Visiting Lectureship Program on October 3, 2012.

4 Oct 2012

Stereocilia not only move sideways but also change in length: Study

The sensory cells of the inner ear have tiny hairs called stereocilia that play a critical part in hearing. It has long been known that these stereocilia move sideways back and forth in a wave-like motion when stimulated by a sound wave. After having designed a microscope to observe these movements, a research team at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has discovered that the hairs not only move sideways but also change in length.

4 Oct 2012

Steroid use during tonsillectomy does not raise excessive bleeding risk

Children who are given dexamethasone during tonsillectomy are not more likely to experience excessive bleeding after surgery than those who do not receive the steroid perioperatively, study findings suggest.

2 Oct 2012

CIB2 gene responsible for progression and severity of Usher syndrome

Usher syndrome is a hereditary disease in which affected individuals lose both hearing and vision. The impact of Usher syndrome can be devastating. In the United States, approximately six in every 100,000 babies born have Usher syndrome.

2 Oct 2012

CIB2 genetic mutation responsible for deafness associated with Usher syndrome type 1

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have found a new genetic mutation responsible for deafness and hearing loss associated with Usher syndrome type 1.

1 Oct 2012

Gentle chiropractic care improves child's overall health and well-being

Irritation to a young person's nervous system can begin in utero. The baby's position during delivery (natural or cesarean) can create stress on their nervous system. Even a "normal, healthy" birth can induce 40-50 pounds of pressure on a newborn's neck and spine.

29 Sep 2012

MD Hearing Aid line offers reasonable low-cost solution for persons with hearing loss

A study presented at the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. shows that the MD Hearing Aid line offers a reasonable low-cost solution to those who are not using hearing aids or other amplification devices because of cost concerns.

28 Sep 2012

Leptin hormone may play a role in hearing and vision loss

Leptin - commonly dubbed the "fat hormone" - does more than tell the brain when to eat. A new study by researchers at The University of Akron and Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) shows that leptin may play a role in hearing and vision loss.

27 Sep 2012

DNp63a protein employs epigenetics to keep cancer cells alive

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is diagnosed in about 700,000 people in the United States every year. Commonly contributing to SCC is a protein called DNp63a - it goes abnormally high and the ability of a patient's body to kill cancer cells goes abnormally low. In many cases of SCC, it's just that simple. And science thought the function of DNp63a was simple, as well: the tumor suppressor gene p53 is responsible for recognizing and killing cancer cells, and in SCC, it's usually inactivated. It looked like high DNp63a repressed p53, made SCC.

27 Sep 2012

Dexamethasone use during tonsillectomy not associated with excessive bleeding in children

Tonsillectomy is exceedingly common, with a reported increase in tonsillectomy rates in children younger than 15 years from 287,000 to 530,000 per year over the past decade. Although safe, adenotonsillectomy can result in significant complications, such as aspiration and bleeding. Complications are infrequent, but because tonsillectomy is so common, the absolute number of children experiencing tonsillectomy complications is formidable.

26 Sep 2012

Tips for health care providers when communicating with deaf or hearing impaired

This week is the International Week of the Deaf, held to draw attention to deaf and hearing-impaired people, their accomplishments and challenges they face. One health care issue is a potential communication barrier between medical providers and deaf or hard-of-hearing patients.

25 Sep 2012

Bilateral cochlear implants may restore binaural sound processing in the brain

Cochlear implants - electronic devices surgically implanted in the ear to help provide a sense of sound - have been successfully used since the late 1980's. But questions remain as to whether bilateral cochlear implants, placed in each ear rather than the traditional single-ear implant, are truly able to facilitate binaural hearing. Now, Tel Aviv University researchers have proof that under certain conditions, this practice has the ability to salvage binaural sound processing for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

24 Sep 2012

Pacifiers may stunt emotional development of baby boys

Pacifiers may stunt the emotional development of baby boys by robbing them of the opportunity to try on facial expressions during infancy.

20 Sep 2012

No link between low-level electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones and health risks

There is no scientific evidence that low-level electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones and other transmitting devices causes adverse health effects, according to a report presented by a Norwegian Expert Committee. In addition, the Committee provides advice to authorities about risk management and regulatory practice.

18 Sep 2012

Fifth Military Vision Research Symposium to take place from Sept. 18-20

Eye injuries in war have changed - and increased in number - as weapons, tactics, technology and strategies have evolved. Today's soldiers face threats from explosive devices that cause extensive damage areas not protected by body armor. Military experts and ophthalmologists from the Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear will convene in Boston, Mass., on Sept. 18 to address these issues at the Fifth Military Vision Research Symposium.

15 Sep 2012

Canadian physician wins AAO - Head and Neck Surgery Distinguished Service Award

For only the second time in the history of the American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO), a Canadian physician has won the AAO - Head and Neck Surgery Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Lorne Parnes is a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology -Head and Neck Surgery and Clinical Neurological Sciences at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.