Ear News and Research

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Analysis of steroids as a treatment for sudden hearing loss

Although steroids are the most widely used treatment for sudden hearing loss, little scientific evidence supports their use or that of any other therapies for this condition, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis both published in the June issue of Archives of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery.

19 Jun 2007

Scientists step closer to curing genetic or acquired hearing loss

Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have discovered a way to transfer genes, which they hope will restore hearing, into diseased tissue of the human inner ear.

17 Jun 2007

Tiny electronic hearing devices

More than three decades ago, scientists pursued the then-radical idea of implanting tiny electronic hearing devices in the inner ear to help profoundly deaf people.

14 Jun 2007

Pig disease sweeps across China

China's chief veterinarian has said that 'high fever disease' which kills pigs has now spread across China.

12 Jun 2007

Babies given antibiotics more likely to develop asthma

Canadian researchers are suggesting that children who receive antibiotics as infants have a greater risk of developing asthma by the age of 7, than those children not given antibiotics.

12 Jun 2007

Cochlear implant restores hearing to patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have, for the first time, used a bionic ear to restore hearing in a patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease.

8 Jun 2007

Endocannabinoids appear to play important role in regulating inflammation

Endocannabinoids seem to play an important role in regulating inflammation processes. Scientists from the University of Bonn have discovered this in experiments on mice.

8 Jun 2007

FDA approves Norditropin for short stature in children with Noonan syndrome

Novo Nordisk has announced that Norditropin (somatropin[rDNA origin] injection) received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of short stature in children with Noonan syndrome.

3 Jun 2007

Molecular motors may speed nutrient processing

Matthew Tyska, Ph.D., recalls being intrigued, from the first day of his postdoctoral fellowship in 1999, with a nearly 30-year-old photograph.

1 Jun 2007

Cartilage shield restores hearing in some otitis media infection patients

Inserting a “shield” of cartilage into the inner ear is a less invasive and more cost-effective alternative to membrane reconstruction when treating hearing loss in selected patients suffering from chronic middle ear infections (otitis media), according to a new study published in the June 2007 edition of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery .

1 Jun 2007

Tobacco industry cops it from the WHO

The tobacco industry has been severely criticised by the World Health Organization (WHO) for misleading the public on the dangers of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke.

31 May 2007

Virtual autopsy helps determine drownings

"Virtual autopsy" performed with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) can aid forensics teams in determining if a person has drowned, according to a study published in the June issue of Radiology.

30 May 2007

Scientists convert the sequence of proteins into music

UCLA molecular biologists have turned protein sequences into original compositions of classical music.

17 May 2007

Some children who are born deaf recover from their deafness

There are two causes of congenital deafness among children. One is the lack of hair cells, receptors in the inner ear that convert sounds into pulse signals that activate the auditory nerve.

17 May 2007

Surgeons rebuild war veteran's nose using his own body parts

It took only seconds for the Humvee to flip over and crash on a highway near Camp Bucca in southern Iraq in August 2005.

17 May 2007

Experts explain China's mystery pig disease

According to media reports a mysterious disease has killed thousands of pigs in China's southern Guangdong province.

9 May 2007

Researchers produce tiny implants from titanium to mimick small bone in the human ear

The stirrup, a small bone in the human ear, can be accurately replicated using established production processes.

8 May 2007

Child infections are an increasing concern in affluent countries

Dr Deborah Lehmann, who leads infectious diseases research at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, said the findings show that infection is an increasing concern in affluent countries.

4 May 2007

Doctors ill equipped to confront parent smoking

With the growing concerns of children's exposure to secondhand smoke, it has become more critical than ever to involve health care providers such as pediatricians in educating parents about the potential hazardous health consequences.

2 May 2007

Nasal spray of virus enzymes for ear infections

Parents might one day give their children a weekly treatment with a nasal spray of virus enzymes to prevent them from getting severe middle ear infections, based on results of a study done in mice by investigators from St. Jude and The Rockefeller University.

27 Apr 2007