Hearing News and Research

RSS

Japanese MHLW approves St. Jude Medical's AnalyST ICD with ST Monitoring device

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced regulatory approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of its AnalyST™ implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) with ST Monitoring, a revolutionary device that not only provides life-saving therapy for dangerously fast heart rhythms, but also continuously monitors electrical changes (called ST segments) to help physicians monitor for cardiac problems.

12 May 2010

DOD struggles with health care costs, VA faces challenges in providing care

Defense Secretary Robert Gate spoke about the need to control soaring defense costs, especially health care expenses, while Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki responded to several health care challenges facing veterans' health care.

12 May 2010

Preterm birth rates drop for most states and ethnic and gestational-age groups: March of Dimes

For the first time in three decades, the nation - and most states - saw a two-year decline in preterm birth rates, indicating that strategies implemented over the past seven years have begun to pay off, according to the March of Dimes.

12 May 2010

Limiting fat intake to below 20% can reduce risk of breast cancer recurrence by 24%

When one of the country's foremost physicians—people like Dr. Andrew Weil—need someone to care for their friends and family dealing with cancer, the man they turn to is Keith Block, M.D. "I believe in Keith's program and would head to the Block Center if I were facing a diagnosis of cancer. It is where I have and will continue to send my friends and family," said Dr. Weil.

11 May 2010

Can familiar voices heal traumatic brain injuries?

In January 2009, Ryan, a 21-year-old college student from Huntley, Ill., was in a coma after he had been flung from his snowmobile into a tree during an ice storm. He had a traumatic brain injury; the fibers of his brain had been twisted and stretched from the impact.

11 May 2010

Asthmatx announces first U.S. patient treated with BT delivered by Alair System

Asthmatx, Inc. reported today that doctors at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., recently treated the first U.S. patient with bronchial thermoplasty (BT) delivered by the Alair® System, the first device-based asthma treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

10 May 2010

Gift of hearing to be delivered to more than 70 underserved children, adults throughout Carolinas

Speedway Children's Charities and the National Rifle Association are partnering with the Starkey Hearing Foundation to deliver the gift of hearing to more than 70 underserved children and adults throughout the Carolinas on May 10, noon to 4pm, at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

7 May 2010

Gene patenting policies affect patient access to testing for disease-causing genes: Study

Policies allowing genes to be patented can make it more difficult for patients to access testing for important disease-causing gene mutations, according to a series of papers in a special online supplement published by Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics.

7 May 2010

USAID head outlines 'core areas' for agency's reform, announces policy bureau launch

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah outlined a "broad plan" for reforming the agency and discussed the "overarching themes that will guide USAID reform under his tenure" during a town-hall meeting on Wednesday, Foreign Policy's blog, "The Cable," reports.

7 May 2010

Round-up: Minnesota budget news; Coverage expansions in S.D. and Oregon; and states' opposition to federal health reform

The Minnesota House passed a bill on health care Tuesday that readies the state for implementing the federal health care overhaul and makes $170 million in cuts to mental health and other social programs, The (St. Paul, Minn.) Pioneer Press reports. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has promised to veto the bill over what he sees as a tax increase.

6 May 2010

Investigations on Tylenol recall from House Committee

Following the massive recall of children’s and infants’ fever medicine Tylenol and other over the counter drugs (like Motrin, Benadryl and Zyrtec) for children a congressional committee has urged an investigation into the problem.

6 May 2010

Democrat endorses GOP plan on hospital price disclosure

The Hill: Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, is endorsing two Republican plans to require hospitals disclose their prices while other Democrats are pushing a much broader bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Green "hopes to bring other Democrats with him, arguing a scaled-down approach stands a better chance of becoming law than the Democratic proposal, which would apply to all healthcare providers, including hospitals, physicians, pharmacies, drug makers and insurers."

6 May 2010

Genetics researchers use new approach to detect causal gene variants

In findings that may speed the search for disease-causing genes, a new study challenges the prevailing view that common diseases are usually caused by common gene variants (mutations). Instead, say genetics researchers, the culprits may be numerous rare variants, located in DNA sequences farther away from the original "hot spots" than scientists have been accustomed to look.

5 May 2010

Anesthesiologist identifies two changes to standard of care to protect developing brains

Doctors at Children's National Medical Center have found that carbon monoxide levels in the blood of young children increase during routine general anesthesia. Anesthesiologists have found for the first time that, under certain circumstances, infants and children may be exposed to carbon monoxide during routine anesthesia resulting in a rise in the carbon monoxide levels in the child's blood.

5 May 2010

Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery effective for patients with large acoustic neuromas: Study

A new Mayo Clinic study has found that Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery is a successful treatment for the majority of patients who have large acoustic neuromas (also known as vestibular schwannoma or neurolemmoma). Gamma Knife surgery already is an accepted treatment for small to medium-sized acoustic neuromas.

5 May 2010

Eight states to receive grants for local health programs

Pregnant women in eight states will receive prenatal services and education from the March of Dimes, thanks to a $313,000 grant from the WellPoint Foundation, Inc., a private, nonprofit organization wholly funded by WellPoint, Inc.

5 May 2010

Most women pay for abortions out of pocket; Okla. and Fla. abortion restrictions in the news

"Most women getting abortions pay for them out of their own pockets, with private insurers picking up the cost for just 12%, according to a new survey" from the Guttmacher Institute. The Journal adds that abortion coverage was "a flash point" in the health reform debate, "with abortion opponents seeking to block plans that include abortions from the new federally mandated insurance exchanges set to launch in 2014."

5 May 2010

Children with hearing loss in one ear have poorer oral language scores: Study

By the time they reach school age, one in 20 children have hearing loss in one ear. That can raise significant hurdles for these children, say the results of a new study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, because loss of hearing in one ear hurts their ability to comprehend and use language.

5 May 2010

USPTO rejects WARF's stem cell patent claims

In what two consumer groups today praised as a victory for open scientific inquiry, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected a controversial patent on human embryonic stem cells held by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).

4 May 2010

Over time some people may experience NIHL

Driving in traffic, mowing the lawn, playing an instrument, listening to an MP3 player, going to the movies, concerts or athletic games - all the types of noise people experience day after day. Each activity by itself might not be enough to cause noise-induced hearing loss but add it all up and over time some people may experience hearing loss.

4 May 2010

Hearing News and Research

Japanese MHLW approves St. Jude Medical's AnalyST ICD with ST Monitoring device

DOD struggles with health care costs, VA faces challenges in providing care

Preterm birth rates drop for most states and ethnic and gestational-age groups: March of Dimes

Limiting fat intake to below 20% can reduce risk of breast cancer recurrence by 24%

Can familiar voices heal traumatic brain injuries?

Asthmatx announces first U.S. patient treated with BT delivered by Alair System

Gift of hearing to be delivered to more than 70 underserved children, adults throughout Carolinas

Gene patenting policies affect patient access to testing for disease-causing genes: Study

USAID head outlines 'core areas' for agency's reform, announces policy bureau launch

Round-up: Minnesota budget news; Coverage expansions in S.D. and Oregon; and states' opposition to federal health reform

Investigations on Tylenol recall from House Committee

Democrat endorses GOP plan on hospital price disclosure

Genetics researchers use new approach to detect causal gene variants

Anesthesiologist identifies two changes to standard of care to protect developing brains

Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery effective for patients with large acoustic neuromas: Study

Eight states to receive grants for local health programs

Most women pay for abortions out of pocket; Okla. and Fla. abortion restrictions in the news

Children with hearing loss in one ear have poorer oral language scores: Study

USPTO rejects WARF's stem cell patent claims

Over time some people may experience NIHL

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

Exploring the G:Box and for high-quality imaging

Latest News