Ear News and Research

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Discovery of molecular defect involved in hearing loss

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have elucidated the action of a protein, harmonin, which is involved in the mechanics of hearing.

13 May 2009

New device allows for self-monitoring of blood lactate level

Performance athletes need to know their blood lactate level. It indicates how much lactic acid has collected in their blood as a result of physical exertion and enables conclusions to be drawn about their fitness. Professional athletes therefore regularly have to attend performance diagnosis sessions. As they pedal a cycle ergometer at various levels of exertion, a doctor takes blood samples from an earlobe. A special device then measures the concentration of lactate in the blood.

6 May 2009

Acclarent granted key patent covering balloon sinuplasty technologies

Acclarent, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded U.S. Patent Number 7,500,971, entitled "Devices, Systems and Methods for Treating Disorders of the Ear, Nose and Throat," to the company.

4 May 2009

Major step forward in understanding progressive hearing loss

The respective microRNA seed region influences the production of sensory hair cells in the inner ear, both in the mouse and in humans.

27 Apr 2009

Discovery of ion channel turns ear on its head

Scientists thought they had a good model to explain how the inner ear translates vibrations in the air into sounds heard by the brain.

23 Apr 2009

A nanoscale motor in the ear

Utah and Texas researchers have learned how quiet sounds are magnified by bundles of tiny, hair-like tubes atop "hair cells" in the ear: when the tubes dance back and forth, they act as "flexoelectric motors" that amplify sound mechanically.

22 Apr 2009

Missing molecules lead to deafness

Researchers have identified tiny molecules that may lead to big breakthroughs in the treatment of hearing loss and deafness.

16 Apr 2009

Topical bevacizumab therapy effective in treating corneal blood vessels growth that can cause blindness

Researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Schepens Eye Research Institute have concluded that short-term topical bevacizumab therapy reduces the severity of corneal neovascularization (formation of new blood vessels in the cornea that can create impaired vision or vision loss) without local or systemic adverse effects.

15 Apr 2009

Deafness - cure a hair away?

Despite modern medicine, one in 1,000 American babies are born deaf.

14 Apr 2009

New genetic understanding of progressive hearing loss

In parallel studies in human and mouse, two groups of researchers have come to the same conclusion: that a new kind of gene is associated with progressive hearing loss.

12 Apr 2009

Scientists show how a neuron gets its shape

Ask a simple question, get a simple answer: When Abraham Lincoln was asked how long a man's legs should be, he absurdly replied, "Long enough to reach the ground."

6 Apr 2009

Heart burn surgery reverses chronic rejection in transplant patient

Acid reflux is thought to be - at most - an irritating condition easily controlled with medication, diet and weight loss.

1 Apr 2009

High dosage brachytherapy obtains excellent results in head and neck tumors

High-dosage perioperative brachytherapy (applied within the surgical process) obtains excellent results in the treatment of head and neck tumours, at the same time as reducing the period of radiation.

29 Mar 2009

Research provides new perspective on the way kids think

For parents who have found themselves repeating the same warnings or directions to their toddler over and over to no avail, new research from the University of Colorado at Boulder offers them an answer as to why their toddlers don't listen to their advice: they're just storing it away for later.

24 Mar 2009

Osteoporosis linked to vertigo

People who have osteoporosis are more likely to also have vertigo, according to a study published in the March 24, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Mar 2009

Stem cell therapy may lead to treatment for deafness

Deafness affects more than 250 million people worldwide. It typically involves the loss of sensory receptors, called hair cells, for their "tufts" of hair-like protrusions, and their associated neurons.

23 Mar 2009

Dire need to increase awareness of diabetes in U.S.

According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 23.6 million children and adults living with diabetes in the U.S. Of this number, nearly 17.9 million people are currently undiagnosed, indicating that there is a dire need to increase awareness of the symptoms of the disease.

23 Mar 2009

New class of smart prosthetic implants may help prevent blindness

Blindness in millions of people with diseases that starve eye tissue and nerves of oxygen might be averted with a procedure being developed by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Southern California and the University of Tennessee.

20 Mar 2009

A silicone ear

To look at Matthew Houdek, you could never tell he was born with virtually no left ear.

17 Mar 2009

Telemedicine expansion gives parents more options

Parents who need after-hours healthcare for their children don't need to turn to the Emergency Department (ED) for common childhood illnesses, such as ear infections and sore throats.

17 Mar 2009