Hearing Loss News and Research

Latest Hearing Loss News and Research

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

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

Study finds standard heel-stick test ineffective in identifying CMV infection in babies

A national study involving a UT Southwestern Medical Center neonatologist and pediatric infectious diseases specialist suggests that a screening test routinely performed in newborns is not very good at identifying cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, a leading cause of hearing loss in children.

4 May 2010

Hormone-like inner ear signaling system protects against noise-induced hearing loss

An in vivo study shows for the first time that there is a stress-response system within the cochlea that mirrors the signaling pathways of the body's fight or flight response. Researchers have identified a hormone-like signaling system of the inner ear that sets baseline hearing sensitivity and helps protect against noise-induced hearing loss.

4 May 2010

BioTime acquires ES Cell International

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of human stem cells and regenerative medicine, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of the Singapore company ES Cell International Pte Ltd.

3 May 2010

Study offers link between force of acceleration in roller coasters and common ear injury

The sharp turns, ups and downs, and high speeds of today's roller coasters bring a lot of thrills, but if you're not careful, the ride could also cause damage to your ears, say physicians at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

30 Apr 2010

IRIDEX commences commercial shipment of IQ 532 laser systems

IRIDEX Corporation, today announced the commencement of commercial shipment of the IQ 532 laser systems. The IQ 532 is a high-power, 532 nm, dual port multi-purpose laser system for use by ophthalmologists to treat sight-threatening eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma; and for use by otolaryngologists to correct certain types of conductive hearing loss.

30 Apr 2010

BioTime to acquire Singapore-based company, ES Cell International

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, today announced that it has agreed to acquire the Singapore-based company ES Cell International Pte Ltd.

30 Apr 2010

ASPO meeting to focus on children's ear, nose and throat health

The American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology will hold its annual meeting, April 30 - May 2, during the 2010 Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings - a joint meeting of eight otolaryngological societies in Las Vegas, NV.

27 Apr 2010

Researchers to measure children with Down syndrome to develop new growth charts

Parents and doctors have known for a long time that children with Down syndrome tend to grow more slowly and are considerably shorter than most other children. But pediatricians needing to record growth milestones at regular office visits have an outdated set of growth charts based on data collected more than 25 years ago.

23 Apr 2010

Receiving cochlear implant before 18 months of age improves child's ability to hear: Study

Receiving a cochlear implant before 18 months of age dramatically improves a deaf child's ability to hear, understand and, eventually, speak, according to a multicenter study led by scientists at Johns Hopkins.

21 Apr 2010

Hearing tests needed for children

The importance of hearing testing isn't widely understood by many parents. Parents may schedule appointments with an opthamologist for an eye exam for their children at regular intervals - but never think to similarly schedule a hearing test with an audiologist.

21 Apr 2010

Relative importance of genetic factors is low in tinnitus, says new research

The relative importance of genetic factors in tinnitus is low, according to new research from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. This is the first large population-based study to measure the heritability of tinnitus.

21 Apr 2010

Listening to personal music players can induce hearing loss

Young people who listen to personal music players for several hours a day at high volume could be putting their hearing at risk, warns an expert in an editorial published on bmj.com today.

21 Apr 2010

Early intervention therapy may improve language skills in children with hearing loss

Babies are being screened at birth for hearing loss in most (not all) provinces of Canada today. When identified early and given access to hearing technology and Auditory-Verbal Therapy the majority of children born with hearing loss today will learn to talk.

21 Apr 2010

Cochlear implantation improves comprehension and spoken language expression in children under 5

Children under 5 years of age with severe hearing loss who underwent cochlear implantation experienced greater improvement in comprehension and expression in spoken language than would be predicted from their pre-implantation language scores, with younger age at implantation associated with greater improvements, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA.

21 Apr 2010

Warning on hearing loss from personal music players

For the generation that cannot imagine living without their iPods here is some bad news. Listening to music at high volume can cause grave damage to your hearing. The risk is even higher for those who use earphones that are inserted into the ear canal as this intensifies the volume. There is growing evidence of young people having poorer hearing when they use such devices on a regular basis.

21 Apr 2010

Exposure to dust after WTC collapse impairs ability to detect odors and sense irritants

Individuals involved in rescue, recovery, demolition, and clean-up after the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster on September 11, 2001, were exposed to a complex mixture of airborne smoke, dust, combustion gases, acid mists, and metal fumes. The impact of this exposure on responders' upper and lower respiratory function has been well documented, but little is known about its impact on their sensitivity to odor and irritants.

19 Apr 2010

Researchers discover link between protein structure and hearing process

Rising from the top surface of each of the specialized receptor cells in our inner ears is a bundle of sensory cilia that responds to the movement of sound. As sensitive as they are fragile, these cilia can move to wisps of sound no larger than a molecule-but can shear at sounds that are larger than life.

17 Apr 2010

Embryos with two mums to remove the risk of hereditary diseases: new research

New research published in the journal Nature, could pave the way to world’s first genetically modified human baby. The research involves making embryos with genes from one man and two women. There are hundreds or families around the world who are left childless or have serious ill babies because they carry genes for hereditary illnesses. This research may bring hope to such couples. According to scientists on the team, within the next three years these women will be able to avail such techniques. There has been skepticism regarding ethical issues attached to making of “designer babies”.

16 Apr 2010