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Brain's left hemisphere picks up peripheral noise

Our brain is very good at picking up speech even in a noisy room, an adaptation essential for holding a conversation at a cocktail party, and now we are beginning to understand the neural interactions that underlie this ability.

16 Nov 2007

Researchers neutralise the HIV virus

With the latest advances in treatment, doctors have discovered that they can successfully neutralise the HIV virus.

6 Nov 2007

Artificial organs targeted in medical technology venture

The University of Bern is bringing together its established areas of expertise in the field of medical technology. The outstanding international reputation of medical technology teaching and research in Bern is to be further enhanced in the long term by the creation of new assistant professorships.

5 Nov 2007

Breastfed babies breathe better, except when mother is asthmatic

When it comes to feeding babies, the old adage "breast is best" certainly holds true, with breastfed babies having less diarrhea and fewer ear infections and incidents of wheezing in early life.

2 Nov 2007

Roche's organ-rejection drug CellCept increases risk of birth defects, miscarriage, FDA says

FDA on Monday said Roche's organ-rejection drug CellCept increases the risk of birth defects and miscarriage during the first trimester of pregnancy, Reuters reports. CellCept prevents organ rejection among kidney, liver and heart transplant recipients.

31 Oct 2007

Transplant rejection drug boosts the risk of birth defects

Authorities in the United States have issued a warning with regard to a drug used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs.

30 Oct 2007

New insights into how the brain takes in and assembles stimuli from the outside world

The area of the brain that processes sounds entering the ears also appears to process stimulus entering the eyes, providing a novel explanation for why many viewers believe that ventriloquists have thrown their voices to the mouths of their dummies.

29 Oct 2007

Recent colds influence adverse respiratory events after surgery in children

For children undergoing general anesthesia for surgery or other procedures, the risks of several adverse respiratory (breathing-related) events are greater if the child has recently had a cold or other upper respiratory infection (URI).

24 Oct 2007

Antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat, or ear infection

Antibiotics are not justified to reduce the risk of complications after upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat, or ear infection, finds a study published on bmj.com.

19 Oct 2007

Ear infection superbug found to be resistant to all pediatric antibiotics

Researchers have discovered a strain of bacteria resistant to all approved drugs used to fight ear infections in children, according to an article to be published tomorrow in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

17 Oct 2007

Carnegie Mellon, Pitt team use wrist-mounted instrument to measure psychosocial stress

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, led by Pitt Psychology Professor Thomas Kamarck, are studying the effectiveness of a wrist-mounted instrument for measuring psychosocial stress exposure during the course of daily life.

17 Oct 2007

Strain of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae that causes ear infections emerges; resistant to antibiotics, pneumococcal vaccine

A strain of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, which can cause ear infections in children, has been detected that is resistant to all FDA-approved antibiotics for treatment of ear infections and is not covered by the pneumococcal 7-valent conjugate vaccine, according to a study in the October 17 issue of JAMA.

17 Oct 2007

Researchers tackle phantom sounds of tinnitus

For the more than 50 million Americans who experience the phantom sounds of tinnitus -- ringing in the ears that can range from annoying to debilitating -- certain well-trained rats may be their best hope for finding relief.

8 Oct 2007

Daytime sleepiness linked to chronic nasal obstruction

That midday wall you hit where you just can't stay awake may be an indicator of obstructed nasal passages and sleep-disordered breathing, according to a new study published in the October 2007 edition of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery .

2 Oct 2007

iPod shuffles used to help stutters

Compared to advancements in modern medicine over the past 70 years, there have been few new treatment options for people who stutter.

27 Sep 2007

Scientists produce equivalent of test-tube inner ear hair cells

Birds, fish and amphibians can do something that humans and other mammals generally cannot: re-grow damaged or lost inner ear hair cells.

27 Sep 2007

Simulation reveals how body repairs balance after damage

Your body goes to a lot of trouble to make sure you stay upright. But when the brain's neural pathways are impaired through injury, age or illness, muscles are deprived of the detailed sensory information they need to perform the constant yet delicate balancing act required for normal movement and standing.

26 Sep 2007

New cell culturing technique provides better understanding of hearing loss, tinnitus and balance problems

In a breakthrough that will likely accelerate research aimed at cures for hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance problems, scientists have perfected a laboratory culturing technique that provides a reliable new source of cells critical to understanding certain inner-ear disorders.

25 Sep 2007

Music training may offer benefits for literacy skills

Music training, with its pervasive effects on the nervous system's ability to process sight and sound, may be more important for enhancing verbal communication skills than learning phonics, according to a new Northwestern University study.

25 Sep 2007