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Research findings underscore importance of mice as reservoirs for tick-borne pathogens

People living in northern and central parts of the U.S. are more likely to contract Lyme disease and other tick-borne ailments when white-footed mice are abundant. Mice are effective at transferring disease-causing pathogens to feeding ticks. And, according to an in-press paper in the journal Ecology, these "super hosts" appear indifferent to larval tick infestations.

25 Mar 2014

Researchers estimate that around 1 million children suffer from TB annually

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston have estimated that around one million children suffer from tuberculosis (TB) annually- twice the number previously thought to have tuberculosis and three times the number that are diagnosed every year.

24 Mar 2014

Viewpoints: Romneycare and cutting workers; Fla.'s surprising ruling on malpractice reform

Health reform in Massachusetts in 2006 did not cause many workers to have their work hours cut, but that is no comfort for those workers nationwide who will begin to experience this side effect of the federal Affordable Care Act (Casey B. Mulligan, 3/19).

21 Mar 2014

School hearing tests cannot effectively detect adolescent high-frequency hearing loss

School hearing tests cannot effectively detect adolescent high-frequency hearing loss, which is typically caused by loud noise exposure, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.

21 Mar 2014

MRI magnetic fields may diagnose, treat balance disorders and dizziness, say researchers

Expanding on earlier research, Johns Hopkins researchers report that people with balance disorders or dizziness traceable to an inner-ear disturbance show distinctive abnormal eye movements when the affected ear is exposed to the strong pull of an MRI’s magnetic field.

20 Mar 2014

Real-time cervical cancer diagnostics: an interview with Sameer Kothari, Chief Executive of Zilico

Cervical cancer diagnosis is a two-step process. In developed countries, women are invited for a smear test which mainly uses LBC (liquid-based cytology), where a sample of cells are taken from the cervix and sent to a cytopathology lab for analysis.

From Zilico 19 Mar 2014

BU wins $2.75M grant from NIDCD to test and refine prototype Visually Guided Hearing Aid

Boston University (BU) College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College was recently awarded a five-year, $2.75M grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to test and refine a prototype Visually Guided Hearing Aid (VGHA).

19 Mar 2014

Inner-ear membrane uses tiny pores to mechanically separate sounds

Even in a crowded room full of background noise, the human ear is remarkably adept at tuning in to a single voice - a feat that has proved remarkably difficult for computers to match.

19 Mar 2014

Study: Just a fifth of people with hearing problems use hearing aid

Just a fifth of people with hearing problems wear a hearing aid, a study by The University of Manchester has found.

From The University of Manchester 18 Mar 2014

Viewpoints: The lesson from Florida's special election; hospital deaths; costs of treating hep C

But in recent months, the political landscape has grown bleaker [for Democrats] .... The question, of course, is why so many Republicans turned out [in the Florida special election last week] and why so few Democrats did. The answer among strategists on both sides was: Obamacare. But not in the sense that the healthcare law is so unpopular that Democrats are doomed; in fact, as more people sign up for health coverage, polls suggest that Obamacare is a little less toxic now than it was last fall. Instead, the problem is that a high-decibel debate over Obamacare has the effect of prompting conservatives to come out and vote, but not liberals (Doyle McManus, 3/16).

18 Mar 2014

Surgeons perform first auditory brainstem implant operation in Northeast Ohio

Surgeons at University Hospitals Case Medical Center have completed the first auditory brainstem implant (ABI) operation in Northeast Ohio on a woman who has lost most of her hearing due to benign tumors on her auditory nerves.

17 Mar 2014

Driving simulator may help people with hemianopia to drive safely

A diagnosis of hemianopia, or blindness in one half of the visual field in both eyes as the result of strokes, tumors or trauma often means the end of driving.

17 Mar 2014

Study: Musical aptitude is affected by a combination of genes involved in auditory pathway

Multiple regions in the human genome are reported to be linked to musical aptitude, according to a study published this week in Molecular Psychiatry.

13 Mar 2014

Researchers receive $3 million grant from NIH to study effects of asymmetric hearing loss

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the effects of asymmetric hearing loss in adults and children.

13 Mar 2014

Study: Severe C. difficile infections occur among children who prescribed antibiotics in doctor's offices

The majority of pediatric Clostridium difficile infections, which are bacterial infections that cause severe diarrhea and are potentially life-threatening, occur among children in the general community who recently took antibiotics prescribed in doctor's offices for other conditions, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published this week in Pediatrics.

10 Mar 2014

National clinical trial to test new avenue for tinnitus treatment

UT Southwestern Medical Center will take part in a national clinical trial to test a device that could provide relief for people suffering from tinnitus, a persistent buzzing or ringing sound in the ears. The device uses nervous system stimuli to rewire parts of the brain, in hopes of significantly reducing or removing tinnitus.

7 Mar 2014

Merck reports results from Phase 2b study of investigational house dust mite sublingual immunotherapy tablet

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced results from a Phase 2b study evaluating two doses of its investigational house dust mite sublingual immunotherapy tablet (MK-8237). The data were presented for the first time during a late-breaking oral session at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) in San Diego.

5 Mar 2014

UNM physician performs TORS procedure on patient with stage IV throat cancer

When Charlie Guinn sits down to eat with his lovely wife of 39 years, he thoroughly enjoys each bite. It's not just the food; the entire experience is a celebration. Just over a year ago, Mr. Guinn learned that he had stage IV throat cancer.

4 Mar 2014

Diamond-tipped drills reduce noise level, offer health and environmental benefits

If you choose the right equipment, drilling in concrete won't bother people in neighbouring rooms. Nordland Hospital in Norway plans to make the most of this discovery.