Otolaryngology News and Research

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The medical discipline and practice of otolaryngology is a specialty that addresses conditions of the ears, nose, and throat. Another name for this practice is otolaryngology head and neck surgery.

Anticancer drug restores hearing in neurofibromatosis patients

In a small clinical study with an anticancer drug that halts blood vessel growth, a handful of people with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and hearing loss had restoration of hearing.

15 Mar 2016

Enhanced diet helps slow progression of hereditary deafness

An enhanced diet helped reduce hearing loss in mice with the genetic mutation most commonly responsible for childhood deafness, new research suggests.

11 Mar 2016

Researchers reveal link between mitochondrial dysfunction and Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy

Researchers at Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear have shown a link between mitochondrial dysfunction in corneal endothelial cells and the development of Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy.

4 Mar 2016

DEK gene present in plasma can help predict outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have discovered that a human cancer-causing gene, called DEK, can be detected in the plasma of head and neck cancer patients. DEK may help doctors understand how a person's immune system could be used to treat cancer or predict outcomes for patients.

18 Feb 2016

Study: 94% of older adults in the U.S. have at least one sensory deficit

The first study to measure the full spectrum of age-related damage to all five senses found that 94 percent of older adults in the United States have at least one sensory deficit, 38 percent have two, and 28 percent have three, four or five.

18 Feb 2016

Taste deficits appear to be more prevalent in MS patients

Taste deficits appear to be more prevalent among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients than previously reported and correlate with brain lesions left by the debilitating disease, a new study from the University of Pennsylvania's Smell and Taste Center and the department of Radiology found.

9 Feb 2016

Loyola offers multidisciplinary digestive health program

Loyola University Health System now offers a multidisciplinary digestive health program to treat digestive tract and related medical conditions. Bipan Chand, MD, FACS, FASGE, FASMBS, and Neil Gupta, MD, MPH, are co-directors of the new program.

7 Feb 2016

Scientists identify potential marker for recurring HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer

A look-back analysis of HPV infection antibodies in patients treated for oropharyngeal (mouth and throat) cancers linked to HPV infection suggests at least one of the antibodies could be useful in identifying those at risk for a recurrence of the cancer, say scientists at The Johns Hopkins University.

7 Feb 2016

Brain's natural plasticity could compensate for inner ear damage

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have described, for the first time, the adult brain's ability to compensate for a near-complete loss of auditory nerve fibers that link the ear to the brain. The findings, published in the current issue of Neuron, suggest that the brain's natural plasticity can compensate for inner ear damage to bring sound detection abilities back within normal limits; however, it does not recover speech intelligibility.

29 Jan 2016

Standardized treatment approach makes outpatient thyroid surgery a safe option for elderly patients

A standardized treatment approach that starts with good screening and ends with patients going home to well-prepared caregivers, means outpatient thyroid surgery is safe for the vast majority of patients, including the elderly and super-elderly, physician-scientists say.

13 Jan 2016

Three new genetic associations identified for primary open angle glaucoma

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have led an international effort to identify three genetic associations that influence susceptibility to primary open angle glaucoma -- the most common form of adult onset glaucoma and the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world.

12 Jan 2016

FDA permits Sound Pharmaceuticals to start SPI-1005 clinical trial for treatment of Meniere's Disease

Sound Pharmaceuticals is pleased to announce that it began enrolling a clinical trial to test SPI-1005 in the treatment of Meniere's Disease (MD). MD or idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops is an inner ear disease that involves episodic vertigo, sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus.

5 Jan 2016

Emotions affect brain's creative network, new study finds

The workings of neural circuits associated with creativity are significantly altered when artists are actively attempting to convey emotions, according to a new brain-scanning study of jazz pianists.

5 Jan 2016

New study reveals why some vestibular schwannomas cause hearing loss

A new study at Massachusetts Eye and Ear showed that in some cases of vestibular schwannoma, a sometimes-lethal tumor often associated with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2), secretions from the tumor contain toxic molecules that damage the inner ear.

23 Dec 2015

Novel strategies on the way for difficult-to-treat head and neck cancer

Novel strategies are on the way for difficult-to-treat and advanced head and neck cancer, the most heterogeneous group of malignancies which are generally associated with poor survival, and encouraging results have been presented at the first ESMO Asia 2015 Congress in Singapore.

17 Dec 2015

REGENSCIENTIFIC obtains CE-mark for Renú Soft Tissue (Volumizing) Implant

REGENSCIENTIFIC announced today that it has received the CE-mark (CE 630688) for the Renú Soft Tissue (Volumizing) Implant for Lipoatrophy, Vocal Fold Insufficiency and Soft Tissue Augmentation.

16 Dec 2015

ALPHAEON agrees to bring Zelegent's office-based Elevoplasty technology to sleep specialists

ALPHAEON Corporation, a subsidiary of Strathspey Crown Holdings LLC, and Zelegent, Inc. jointly announced today that the two companies have entered into an exclusive worldwide agreement to bring Zelegent's office-based Elevoplasty technology to board certified sleep specialists.

15 Dec 2015

New prosthesis brings hope to patients with hearing loss

A new prosthesis for a traditional ear surgery is bringing hope to patients diagnosed with a hereditary disorder that causes hearing loss. After 63-year-old Diane Duncan was diagnosed with otosclerosis in her thirties, she transitioned into an isolated world where conversations with other people became limited, everyday noises like car engines running and cell phones ringing became almost inaudible.

10 Dec 2015

Sound deprivation causes irreversible damage to the inner ear

Massachusetts Eye and Ear investigators have shown that sound deprivation in adult mice causes irreversible damage to the inner ear. The findings, published in PLOS ONE, suggest that chronic conductive hearing loss, such as that caused by recurrent ear infections, leads to permanent hearing impairment if it remains untreated.

19 Nov 2015

AAO recognizes outstanding eye physicians and surgeons for innovation in patient care

The American Academy of Ophthalmology will pay tribute to outstanding eye physicians and surgeons who have made significant achievements in various areas of the profession. These range from scientific innovation and humanitarian service to education and advocacy. The honorees will be recognized AAO 2015, the Academy's 119th annual meeting in Las Vegas.

13 Nov 2015