Ear News and Research

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Intricon introduces new patent-pending APT Open in-the-canal hearing aid

IntriCon Corporation, a designer, developer, manufacturer and distributor of body-worn devices, today announced that it has launched its all-new, patent-pending APT Open in-the-canal hearing aid.

1 Feb 2011

Free radicals may damage eyes of patients with Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy

Scientists have found that free radicals (unstable molecules that cause the death of cells as the body ages) may also cause the damage in the eyes of patients with Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD), a hereditary disease that is one of the most common reasons for corneal transplants worldwide.

1 Feb 2011

Reduction in secondhand smoking associated with fewer cases of middle ear infection among children

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers and colleagues from Research Institute for a Tobacco Free Society have found that a reduction in secondhand smoking in American homes was associated with fewer cases of otitis media, the scientific name for middle ear infection. The study appears on January 26, 2011, as an online first article on the website of the journal Tobacco Control.

28 Jan 2011

FDA grants 510(k) clearance to Sonitus Medical's SoundBite Hearing System

Sonitus Medical, Inc., a medical device company that manufactures the world's first non-surgical and removable hearing prosthetic to transmit sound via the teeth, today announced that it has received FDA clearance for its SoundBite Hearing System. The FDA 510(k) clearance is the first for the company and the product.

27 Jan 2011

Alcon fourth quarter sales raise 5.7% to $1.81 billion in 2010

Alcon, Inc. reported that global sales rose 5.7 percent to $1.81 billion for the fourth quarter of 2010. Revenue from acquisitions added 100 basis points to sales growth in the quarter, while foreign currency fluctuations reduced reported sales growth by 20 basis points.

27 Jan 2011

Welch Allyn to feature new suite of devices at 2011 Arab Health Congress in Dubai, UAE

Welch Allyn, a leading global provider of medical products and solutions, will showcase its newest suite of devices that capture, format and transmit vital signs from the point of care to electronic medical records this week at the 2011 Arab Health Exhibition & Congress in Dubai, UAE.

24 Jan 2011

Mutation of microRNA miR-96 causes deafness

New research from the University of Sheffield has revealed that the molecular mechanism underlying deafness is caused by a mutation of a specific microRNA called miR-96. The discovery could provide the basis for treating progressive hearing loss and deafness.

21 Jan 2011

BOKA Powell releases new images of Methodist Hospital for Surgery in Texas

BOKA Powell released new images today of the completed Methodist Hospital for Surgery in Addison, Texas, a dedicated surgical hospital which opened last month.

21 Jan 2011

Successful larynx transplant for Californian woman

In a breakthrough, a surgical team in California on Thursday announced that they had successfully replaced the larynx of a 52-year-old woman who hadn’t been able to speak or breathe on her own for more than a decade.

20 Jan 2011

Salk Institute uncovers presenilin's productive side

Mutant presenilin is infamous for its role in the most aggressive form of Alzheimer's disease-early-onset familial Alzheimer's-which can strike people as early as their 30s. In their latest study, researchers at the Salk Institute uncovered presenilin's productive side: It helps embryonic motor neurons navigate the maze of chemical cues that pull, push and hem them in on their way to their proper targets.

19 Jan 2011

BHI, NHLBI and AHA join to promote American Heart Month and National Wear Red Day

The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) announced today that it is joining with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the American Heart Association (AHA) to promote American Heart Month in February and to celebrate National Wear Red Day® on February 4, 2011.

19 Jan 2011

Antibiotics need to be used only when diagnosis of acute ear infection is certain

A new study showed that antibiotics are more effective than previously thought in the treatment of acute ear infection (namely acute otitis media) in young children. However, half of the children became better without antibiotics. Expectedly, antibiotics caused more adverse events. Antibiotics should be used only when the diagnosis of acute ear infection is certain.

13 Jan 2011

Antibiotics for ear infection in kids better than watchful waiting: Study

Findings from two latest clinical trials reveal that a young child with ear infections recovers faster and more completely if doctors give antibiotics right away rather than waiting to see if the kid get better on his/her own. One of the studies was in the U.S. and one in Finland. Earlier it has been debated that for young children with middle ear infections or otitis media whether immediate antibiotic treatment was better than watchful waiting. Current treatment recommendations in the U.S., Canada, and Europe allow for a watch-and-wait approach to suspected middle ear infections in young children. Change is coming, predicts study leader Alejandro Hoberman, MD, of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

12 Jan 2011

Hybrid cochlear implant may benefit patients with profound hearing loss

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of nine centers in the U.S., and the only in Illinois, that is participating in a study investigating the effectiveness of a new cochlear implant device that aims to restore hearing for individuals with high-frequency hearing loss and functional low-frequency hearing.

12 Jan 2011

OraSure to introduce QuickFlu test for detection of type A and type B influenza

OraSure Technologies, announced today the impending launch of the OraSure QuickFlu Rapid Flu A+B Test, a U.S. Food and Drug and Administration approved in vitro rapid qualitative test for the detection of influenza type A and type B, including H1N1 viral infections.

11 Jan 2011

Driving convertible cars with top open may increase risk of noise-induced hearing loss

Driving convertible cars with the top open at speeds exceeding 88.5 kilometres per hour may put drivers at increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss, according to new research published in The Journal of Laryngology and Otology, by Cambridge University Press on behalf of JLO Ltd from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Missouri and The Ear Institute of Texas, San Antonio.

7 Jan 2011

Innovative approach in revision plastic surgery

Corrective cosmetic surgery cases are definitely on the rise. In fact, revision plastic surgery comprises nearly half of the patients Dr. Sam Rizk, Manhattan Facial Plastic Surgeon treats in his Park Avenue practice. From windblown tight facelifts to ski slope shaped, pointy noses, Dr. Rizk has fixed them all. He believes in a natural looking approach when it comes to doing any facial plastic surgery. Dr. Rizk knows that every nose is as unique as every patient's face is different.

3 Jan 2011

How parents gauge level of ear pain in preverbal children

Levels of pain severity from ear aches observed and reported by parents of preverbal children can be influenced as much by socioeconomic status and other non-clinical factors as symptoms unless physicians ask about specific observable symptoms, according to research in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society.

30 Dec 2010

Hormone enhanced meat taken off shelves at Coles

Hormonal growth enhancers banned three decades ago in Europe after being linked to health risks including breast cancer, kidney disease and birth defects are still being used in Australia to fatten beef, a federal farm chemical survey reveals.

28 Dec 2010

Take charge of your medical tests

Whether you're healthy or ill, there are a variety of medical tests your health care team might recommend for you. A yearly checkup often includes routine tests such as blood sugar and cholesterol levels, vision and hearing assessments, tests for heart functioning and others used to monitor a chronic condition—such as a lung function test for those with asthma.

20 Dec 2010