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Peer solicitation can improve reciprocal social interaction among children with autism

Peer solicitation - a child inviting another to play - can improve reciprocal social interaction among children with autism, according to a Vanderbilt University study released today in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

13 Dec 2013

First patient enrolled in Otonomy's pivotal Phase 2b study of OTO-104 for Meniere's disease

Otonomy, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for diseases and disorders of the inner and middle ear, today announced enrollment of the first patient in its pivotal Phase 2b study of OTO-104 for the reduction of vertigo in patients with unilateral Meniere's disease.

11 Dec 2013

Simple and affordable hearing aids for children

Norwegian researchers are developing a simple and cheap hearing aid that can be adapted to compensate for a child's hearing loss without the need for specialists. The aim is to help more people in the third world.

11 Dec 2013

Researchers develop new drug-eluting contact lens for prolonged delivery of glaucoma medication

10 Dec 2013

Researchers one step closer to development of drug-eluting contact lens for glaucoma treatment

For nearly half a century, contact lenses have been proposed as a means of ocular drug delivery that may someday replace eye drops, but achieving controlled drug release has been a significant challenge. Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are one step closer to an eye drop-free reality with the development of a drug-eluting contact lens designed for prolonged delivery of latanoprost, a common drug used for the treatment of glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers may have figured out ways to attack Meniere's disease

Researchers at University of Colorado School of Medicine may have figured out what causes Meniere's disease and how to attack it. According to Carol Foster, MD, from the department of otolaryngology and Robert Breeze, MD, a neurosurgeon, there is a strong association between Meniere's disease and conditions involving temporary low blood flow in the brain such as migraine headaches.

7 Dec 2013

Study: Track-side noise may exceed 8,500% of person's daily recommended noise exposure

As an acoustical engineer, Craig Dolder - currently a graduate student at the University of Texas, Austin - knew that loud noises can damage hearing. Even so, when Canada's Formula 1 Grand Prix coincided with an Acoustical Society of America (ASA) meeting that he was attending in Montreal, Quebec, earlier this year, Dolder was drawn to the racetrack and the deafening roar of the Formula 1 engines.

5 Dec 2013

Diversity essential for brain's ability to localize sounds

The ability to localize the source of sound is important for navigating the world and for listening in noisy environments like restaurants, an action that is particularly difficult for elderly or hearing impaired people.

4 Dec 2013

Computer models of neuronal sound processing in brain lead to cochlear implant improvements

Intact hearing is a prerequisite for learning to speak. This is why children who are born deaf are fitted with so-called cochlear implants as early as possible. Cochlear implants consist of a speech processor and a transmitter coil worn behind the ear, together with the actual implant, an encapsulated microprocessor placed under the skin to directly stimulate the auditory nerve via an electrode with up to 22 contacts.

3 Dec 2013

Medicaid expansion could exacerbate doctor shortage

As more people gain access to coverage as a result of the health law's expansion of the state-federal insurance program for the poor, finding doctors willing to treat them may be a challenge. Other stories look at how Americans in similar circumstances face vastly different health coverage options because of where they live.

3 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 2, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about healthcare.gov's status, the challenges that lie ahead and the concerns being expressed by consumers and insurers.

2 Dec 2013

Miller Reese Hutchinson patents first portable electric hearing aid

This month in 1901 brought good news for the hard of hearing, as Miller Reese Hutchinson of New York patented the first portable electric hearing aid. Called the "acousticon," the device was a smaller version of previous tabletop units.

28 Nov 2013

Auditory processing disorder diagnosis: an interview with Dr Doris-Eva Bamiou, UCL Ear Institute

It is a listening or hearing disorder, which is due to the brain’s defective analysis of sounds, so that individuals who are affected with this disorder cannot make sense of what they hear.

26 Nov 2013

Director of Scheie Eye Institute honored with WIO's Suzanne Veronneau Troutman Award

Joan M. O'Brien, MD, the George E. de Schweinitz and William F. Norris Professor of Ophthalmology, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and director of the Scheie Eye Institute at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, was recently presented with the Women in Ophthalmology's Suzanne Veronneau Troutman Award.

26 Nov 2013

Expert offers tips for families to avoid sensory processing disorders during holiday travels

While holiday travels can be stressful for any family, the season presents greater challenges for families of children with sensory processing disorders. Varleisha Gibbs OTD, OTR/L, director of doctoral projects and assistant professor of occupational therapy at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, said attempting to coordinate a child's sensory, dietary, and energy needs while traveling can make a holiday getaway seem like a full-time job.

26 Nov 2013

Chicken eggs can provide better understanding of human birth defects

Clemson University researchers found that chicken eggs can provide a better understanding of human birth defects. Susan Chapman, associate professor in Clemson's College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences, received a South Carolina IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence award that allowed researchers to identify two regions in the chicken genome that are associated with congenital deafness and spine deformities in humans.

26 Nov 2013

Genetic diagnostic test for inherited eye diseases now available from Mass. Eye and Ear

The Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology today announced the availability of a comprehensive genetic diagnostic test for inherited eye diseases.

22 Nov 2013

Study reveals benefits of bright light in treating anxiety

The bright light headset maker Valkee today announced the results of a new groundbreaking bright light study, showing statistically significant positive results in acutely alleviating anxiety symptoms. The world's first randomized, fully sham-controlled double blind trial of bright light treatment administered via ear canals brings sought-after new data to support the bright light studies carried out internationally since the 1980s.

21 Nov 2013

Study finds patients with focal epilepsy have widespread, abnormal connections in their brains

Patients with the most common form of focal epilepsy have widespread, abnormal connections in their brains that could provide clues toward diagnosis and treatment, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

20 Nov 2013

Topokine initiates Phase 2 clinical trial of XAF5 Gel for double chin treatment

Topokine Therapeutics has initiated dosing in a Phase 2, randomized controlled clinical trial of XAF5 Gel for reduction of excess submental fat, commonly known as "double chin." XAF5 Gel is a proprietary skin formulation of a compound already known to reduce fat around the human eye. Study participants are applying XAF5 Gel or placebo once a night to skin under the chin.

20 Nov 2013

Ear News and Research

Peer solicitation can improve reciprocal social interaction among children with autism

First patient enrolled in Otonomy's pivotal Phase 2b study of OTO-104 for Meniere's disease

Simple and affordable hearing aids for children

Researchers develop new drug-eluting contact lens for prolonged delivery of glaucoma medication

Researchers one step closer to development of drug-eluting contact lens for glaucoma treatment

Researchers may have figured out ways to attack Meniere's disease

Study: Track-side noise may exceed 8,500% of person's daily recommended noise exposure

Diversity essential for brain's ability to localize sounds

Computer models of neuronal sound processing in brain lead to cochlear implant improvements

Medicaid expansion could exacerbate doctor shortage

First Edition: December 2, 2013

Miller Reese Hutchinson patents first portable electric hearing aid

Auditory processing disorder diagnosis: an interview with Dr Doris-Eva Bamiou, UCL Ear Institute

Director of Scheie Eye Institute honored with WIO's Suzanne Veronneau Troutman Award

Expert offers tips for families to avoid sensory processing disorders during holiday travels

Chicken eggs can provide better understanding of human birth defects

Genetic diagnostic test for inherited eye diseases now available from Mass. Eye and Ear

Study reveals benefits of bright light in treating anxiety

Study finds patients with focal epilepsy have widespread, abnormal connections in their brains

Topokine initiates Phase 2 clinical trial of XAF5 Gel for double chin treatment

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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