Hearing Loss News and Research

Latest Hearing Loss News and Research

Inner ear supporting cells protect hair cells by secreting HSP70

An underlying cause of hearing loss is the death of sensory hair cells in the inner ear, which can be damaged in response to a variety of factors including the use of aminoglycoside antibiotics.

26 Jul 2013

Supporting cells in the inner ear can help repair damaged sensory hair cells, say researchers

Researchers have found in mice that supporting cells in the inner ear, once thought to serve only a structural role, can actively help repair damaged sensory hair cells, the functional cells that turn vibrations into the electrical signals that the brain recognizes as sound.

26 Jul 2013

New research project has potential to treat human deafness and loss of balance

The sounds of success are ringing at Kansas State University through a research project that has potential to treat human deafness and loss of balance.

20 Jul 2013

Children with unilateral hearing loss are more likely to struggle in school

Children born with a complete absence of the external ear canal, even if only one ear is affected, are more likely than their peers to struggle in school, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

20 Jul 2013

Study finds simple action to reduce healthcare costs

A study led by a Loyola University Medical Center ENT physician provides a case study of a simple action that can reduce healthcare costs without compromising care.

19 Jul 2013

Researchers identify cellular channels critical for hearing

Ending a 30-year search by scientists, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have identified two proteins in the inner ear that are critical for hearing, which, when damaged by genetic mutations, cause a form of delayed, progressive hearing loss. Findings were published online July 18 by the journal Neuron.

19 Jul 2013

Research opens door to better understanding of inner-ear development process, potential treatments

Indiana University scientists have transformed mouse embryonic stem cells into key structures of the inner ear. The discovery provides new insights into the sensory organ's developmental process and sets the stage for laboratory models of disease, drug discovery and potential treatments for hearing loss and balance disorders.

12 Jul 2013

Scientists uncover easy strategies to prevent harmful side-effects of antibiotics responses

A team of scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University has discovered why long-term treatment with many common antibiotics can cause harmful side effects-and they have uncovered two easy strategies that could help prevent these dangerous responses.

4 Jul 2013

Parents, children should leave fireworks displays to experts, say Vanderbilt specialists

Vanderbilt specialists are urging parents and children to leave the fireworks displays to the experts this Fourth of July.

2 Jul 2013

Mayo Clinic provides tips to stay safe this summer

A backyard fireworks display may look pretty and get family and friends excited, but when it comes to lighting fireworks, leave it to the professionals, Mayo Clinic physicians are advising. Each year, Mayo Clinic doctors see dozens of patients who have lost fingers and limbs, gotten severe burns and suffered hearing loss as a direct result of using fireworks. Even seemingly harmless fireworks - such as sparklers - can cause severe burns and even blindness.

2 Jul 2013

Wellcome Trust-funded study could point to new therapies for glue ear

Important new insights into how the brain compensates for temporary hearing loss during infancy, such as that commonly experienced by children with glue ear, are revealed in a research study in ferrets.

28 Jun 2013

Young people need to wise up and turn the volume down on their earbuds, says audiologist

In today's disposable society, hearing is an endangered species. "Once hearing is damaged, it cannot be repaired," said Jyoti Bhayani, a certified audiologist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of Loyola University Health System. "And hearing aids have yet to become coveted status accessories so young people need to wise up and turn the volume down on their earbuds."

21 Jun 2013

Obesity in adolescents is associated with sensorineural hearing loss

Obese adolescents are more likely than their normal-weight counterparts to have hearing loss, according to results of a new study. Findings showed that obese adolescents had increased hearing loss across all frequencies and were almost twice as likely to have unilateral (one-sided) low-frequency hearing loss.

18 Jun 2013

Researchers identify genetic mutation responsible for MDP Syndrome

National Paracycling Champion Tom Staniford has an extremely rare condition which, until now, has puzzled his doctors. He is unable to store fat under his skin - yet has type 2 diabetes - and suffered hearing loss as a child. Now, thanks to advances in genome sequencing, an international research team led by the University of Exeter Medical School has identified Tom's condition and pinpointed the single genetic mutation that causes it.

17 Jun 2013

Adults formerly treated for childhood cancer have chronic health problems

In an analysis that included more than 1,700 adult survivors of childhood cancer, researchers found a very high percentage of survivors with 1 or more chronic health conditions, with an estimated cumulative prevalence of any chronic health condition of 95 percent at age 45 years, according to a study in the June 12 issue of JAMA.

14 Jun 2013

New study tests vestibular prosthesis to help restore balance for people with Meniere's disease

Many disorders of the inner hear which affect both hearing and balance can be hugely debilitating and are currently largely incurable. Cochlear implants have been used for many years to replace lost hearing resulting from inner ear damage.

14 Jun 2013

Study unravels cause of hearing loss in humans

A novel genetic mutation was first identified in 2010 as causing hearing loss in humans. Researchers have now discovered that this mutation induces malfunction of an inhibitor of an enzyme commonly found in our body that destroys proteins.

13 Jun 2013

Hearing loss linked to poor cognitive and physical functioning

"Hearing loss (HL) is a chronic condition that affects nearly 2 of every 3 adults aged 70 years or older in the United States. Hearing loss has broader implications for older adults, being independently associated with poorer cognitive and physical functioning. The association of HL with other health economic outcomes, such as health care use, is unstudied," writes Dane J. Genther, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and colleagues, in a Research Letter.

12 Jun 2013

Discovery highlights protective role of liver enzyme in treating jaundice

Helping to protect newborns and older patients against more severe effects of jaundice is the hope of University of Guelph researchers, who have shown how a liver enzyme protects cells from damage caused by the condition.

10 Jun 2013

LSUHSC audiologists recommend people to use today's technology to protect their hearing health

After studying noise in one French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans to determine whether or not noise levels exceeded municipal ordinances, Annette Hurley, PhD, Assistant Professor of Audiology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and Eric Arriaga, a third-year LSUHSC doctor of audiology student, recommend that people use today's technology to protect their own hearing health.

27 May 2013