Ear News and Research

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University of Florida initiates enrollment in SPI-1005 Phase II trial for sensorineural hearing loss

The University of Florida (UF) has started enrolling subjects in a new study testing the oral drug developed by Sound Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SPI-1005) to prevent hearing loss caused by loud music. Loud music or noise can induce temporary and permanent auditory threshold shifts (TTS or PTS).

6 Dec 2012

Inflammatory marker targeted in ear infection

Systemic injection of an antibody against granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor inhibits middle-ear inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice, study findings show.

3 Dec 2012

Retail clinics could undermine primary care patient-physician relationships

Using retail walk-in health clinics, often located inside pharmacies or big-box stores, for simple acute care problems can interfere with establishing and maintaining a relationship with a primary care provider, finds a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

1 Dec 2012

Spoke sign may highlight pediatric middle ear effusion

The presence of a specific finding on otoscopy known as the spoke sign may help in the detection of middle ear effusion in pediatric patients, although its incorporation into clinical practice may require focused training, say US scientists.

27 Nov 2012

Chronic suppurative lung disease: an interview with Dr Robyn Marsh

Chronic suppurative lung disease, or CSLD, is used to describe a range of lung diseases characterised by a chronic wet cough and progressive lung damage. We are interested in the non-cystic fibrosis forms of the disease with a focus on bronchiectasis – the severe form of CSLD.

26 Nov 2012

Microbiologists discover how the spread of antibiotic resistance works in pneumococcus

Antibiotic resistance results from bacteria's uncanny ability to morph and adapt, outwitting pharmaceuticals that are supposed to kill them. But exactly how the bacteria acquire and spread that resistance inside individuals carrying them is not well-established for most bacterial organisms.

22 Nov 2012

Musical tones can reset the brain and effectively reduce insomnia

If you are among the 50 percent of Americans who suffer from insomnia, then you have probably tried everything – from warm milk to melatonin pills or prescription medications to induce sleep – with varying degrees of success and side effects. But what if sleep could be achieved not by a substance, but through 'balancing' brain activity?

21 Nov 2012

Fevers can be helpful as a child battles an illness

For many parents discovering their child has a fever can be unnerving. It's one of the most common reasons parents call their doctor or bring their child in for medical care. Fevers are just a natural part of many illnesses and, in fact, can be helpful as a child battles an illness.

15 Nov 2012

States wrestle with decisions regarding how to move forward on exchanges

News outlets report on how various states are responding to the implementation of the health law now that President Barack Obama has been re-elected.

14 Nov 2012

Labor, business groups step up efforts to shape 'fiscal cliff' debate over Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security

Some news outlets examine the impact of looming tax increases and spending cuts if a budget deal is not struck by the end of the year. Others examine the positions being staked out by powerful groups over issues such as Medicare and other entitlement programs.

14 Nov 2012

New CAM2 method could improve sound perception for users of hearing aids

A new software product developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge could greatly improve sound perception for users of hearing aids.

9 Nov 2012

New England Journal of Medicine publishes BMC's capnography training video

Physicians at Boston Medical Center (BMC) have developed a training video for health care providers about how to effectively use capnography to monitor ventilation and carbon dioxide levels for patients under anesthesia or conscious sedation. This is the sixth video published in the New England Journal of Medicine's Videos in Clinical Medicine section produced by BMC. It highlights the importance of using capnography to increase patient safety.

9 Nov 2012

New understanding of how noise can break critical tip link protein structure in inner ear cells

Researchers have mapped the precise 3-D atomic structure of a thin protein filament critical for cells in the inner ear and calculated the force necessary to pull it apart.

8 Nov 2012

University of Virginia student creates Musical Heart system

A University of Virginia graduate student has developed a biofeedback-based system that helps smartphones select music that will help get their owners' heart pumping during exercise, or slow it down when they want to cool down or relax.

7 Nov 2012

Binghamton researcher invents tiny directional microphone suitable for hearing aids

Binghamton University researcher Ron Miles invented a tiny directional microphone - suitable for use in hearing aids - that filters out unwanted sounds. Now, with help from the SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund, he hopes to bring the idea to the marketplace.

6 Nov 2012

Cannabis use causes temporary cognitive breakdown in non-psychotic individuals: Study

Researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway have found new support for their theory that cannabis use causes a temporary cognitive breakdown in non-psychotic individuals, leading to long-term psychosis.

3 Nov 2012

Allergic rhinitis common in otitis media patients

Allergic rhinitis is a common comorbidity in children with otitis media with effusion, suggest study findings.

2 Nov 2012

Mass. Eye and Ear opens new outpatient surgical center in Longwood/Mission Hill area of Boston

Massachusetts Eye and Ear, along with the Beal Companies, LLP, today celebrated the grand opening of its new outpatient surgical center at 800 Huntington Avenue in the Longwood/Mission Hill area of Boston. The location will provide access to Mass. Eye and Ear's world-class physicians and surgeons, and outpatient services.

1 Nov 2012

Eliminating bacteria's DNA, boosting antimicrobial proteins may help prevent recurrent ear infections

Eliminating bacteria's DNA and boosting antimicrobial proteins that already exist may help prevent middle ear infections from reoccurring. These are the findings from a Nationwide Children's Hospital study that examined how an immune defense protein common in the middle ear interacts with a structure meant to protect a colony of bacteria.

31 Oct 2012

Columbia Asia Hospitals conducts successful cochlear implants and BAHA surgery

Loss of hearing may not be a life threatening condition but it can certainly affect the quality of life and hamper a child’s normal growth. Deafness identified early helps address the challenges involved in the normal development of the child, including speech, which usually gets affected. Columbia Asia Hospitals across India has been conducting Cochlear implants and BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid) very successfully.

30 Oct 2012