Hearing Loss News and Research

Latest Hearing Loss News and Research

FDA accepts Sanofi Pasteur's Menactra vaccine sBLA for active immunization of infants and toddlers

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for use of Menactra® (Meningococcal [Groups A, C, Y and W-135] Polysaccharide Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine) for active immunization of infants and toddlers for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135.

26 Aug 2010

New article examines education practices, priorities for deaf-blind children

Deaf-blind children can be isolated and disconnected from people and activities. Without individualized support, they cannot access visual and auditory information and often complete school unable to seek future education, employment, or independent living. Providing appropriate special education and related services for deaf-blind children poses unique challenges.

26 Aug 2010

SOECIC announces UK's first operation to fit single cochlear implant to give sound in both ears

The UK's first operation to fit a single cochlear implant capable of giving sound in both ears takes place this Friday (27 August), thanks to the work of the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre (SOECIC), based at the University of Southampton.

26 Aug 2010

Panasonic introduces digital hearing instruments in U.S. market

Panasonic Corporation of North America, today announced that Panasonic Hearing instruments have been delivered to the U.S. market. The company is debuting three types of digital hearing instruments, including a new form factor that resembles the style of an MP3 player, a receiver-in-canal and behind-the-ear models. Panasonic is currently establishing a distribution network throughout the U.S.

From PHC Europe B.V. 26 Aug 2010

Improvement in mumps vaccine administration needed to prevent future outbreaks

Although immunity to mumps is high in the United States, mumps vaccine coverage must be maintained and improved to prevent future outbreaks, according to a new study, now available online (http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/655394), in the September 1, 2010 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

25 Aug 2010

More young people are losing their hearing: Study

A new study from US reveals that hearing loss is becoming more common among young people. The study reports that 1 in 5 adolescents now have some hearing problems, particularly in perceiving high-frequency sounds. Researchers say loud music could be one of the reasons for this.

18 Aug 2010

NASN encourages parents to vaccinate their children against meningococcal disease

More than half of adolescents 13 to 17 years of age have not been vaccinated against meningococcal disease, a rare but serious disease that can cause meningitis and take the life of a child in just a single day. In a recent Ipsos national survey, the majority of mothers with children in this age group had not vaccinated their children because they were not fully aware of the need for vaccination.

18 Aug 2010

Data indicates increased prevalence of hearing loss among U.S adolescents

Data from two nationally representative surveys indicates that the prevalence of hearing loss among U.S. adolescents increased by about 30 percent from 1988-1994 to 2005-2006, with 1 in 5 adolescents having hearing loss in 2005-2006, according to a study in the August 18 issue of JAMA.

18 Aug 2010

Scientists develop rapid diagnostic test for detecting meningococcal bacteria

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust have developed a groundbreaking test for meningitis which could help save lives.A rapid diagnostic test for meningococcal bacteria that can produce results within an hour has been developed by scientists from Queen's Centre for Infection and Immunity and the Trust. The speed of this new test is a vital factor in the treatment of young children with meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia who become very ill over a short period.

18 Aug 2010

Hearing loss in adolescents on the rise

Hearing loss is now affecting nearly 20 percent of U.S. adolescents age 12-19, a rise of 5 percent over the last 15 years, according to a new Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study co-led by Ron Eavey, M.D., director of the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center and the Guy M. Maness Professor in Otolaryngology.

18 Aug 2010

Jackson Laboratory to implement HighRes automated process for genotyping of laboratory mice

A highly accurate, automated process for managing the genotyping of laboratory mice is headed to Bar Harbor, Maine. In response to the increased demand for using transgenic mouse models and the requisite genotyping of such animals, The Jackson Laboratory will be implementing a HighRes Biosolutions automated process to improve the maintenance of their extensive and diverse mouse colonies.

17 Aug 2010

Survey finds high level of noncompliance with PPE protocols among safety professionals

Nearly all of the safety professionals in a survey released today said that workers in their organizations had at some point failed to wear the necessary safety equipment while on the job. An exceedingly high 98 percent of respondents who attended the recent American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) show in Baltimore answered "yes" when asked if they had observed workers not wearing safety equipment when they should have been, according to the survey, which was conducted by Kimberly-Clark Professional.

12 Aug 2010

Omega-3 fatty acids consumption reduces age-related hearing loss: Research

Research continues to unveil potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood, pointing to healthful effects on the lungs in children, the uterus in women and hearing in older adults. The August 2010 PUFA Newsletter and Fats of Life e-newsletters for health professionals and consumers, respectively, report the latest findings about these and other topics.

12 Aug 2010

UT Dallas receives grant from NIH to investigate nerve stimulation for tinnitus

The NIH has granted a University of Texas at Dallas researcher and a university-affiliated biomedical firm $1.7 million to investigate whether nerve stimulation offers a long-term cure for tinnitus.

12 Aug 2010

Dr. Hastings receives grant for Spinal Muscular Atrophy research

Michelle Hastings, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, in the Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, has been awarded a five-year $1.68 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support her research aimed at investigating treatments for the fatal children's disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

11 Aug 2010

New familial link in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia discovered

A UCSF-led team has discovered a direct link between an inherited genetic mutation, a set of developmental abnormalities and a rare form of childhood leukemia called juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, or JMML. The study demonstrates a new familial link in JMML and has significant implications, the researchers say, for improving the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

9 Aug 2010

GenVec signs new agreement with Novartis for supply of services relating to development materials

GenVec, Inc. today announced a new agreement for the supply of services relating to development materials with Novartis, related to the companies' collaboration in hearing loss and balance disorders. Under this new agreement, GenVec could receive approximately $13 million over four years to manufacture clinical trial material for up to two lead candidates.

7 Aug 2010

GenVec reports net loss of $4.2M for second-quarter 2010

GenVec, Inc. today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

6 Aug 2010

House to return after Senate approves extension of enhanced Medicaid funds

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will bring the House back from its recess next week to vote on an extension of enhanced state Medicaid funds the Senate is poised to approve as soon as Thursday afternoon, Politico reports.

6 Aug 2010

Study finds proximal prayer may help another person's healing

Findings reported today from a new international study of healing prayer suggest that prayer for another person's healing just might help especially if the one praying is physically near the person being prayed for.Candy Gunther Brown, an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, led the study of "proximal intercessory prayer" for healing. It is available online today and will be published in the September 2010 issue of the Southern Medical Journal.

5 Aug 2010