Hearing Loss News and Research

Latest Hearing Loss News and Research

Shire to file a Biologics License Application for REPLAGAL with the FDA

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces plans to file a Biologics License Application (BLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for REPLAGAL(R) (agalsidase alfa), its enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry disease, by the end of the year.

21 Oct 2009

Researchers study reading and written comprehension skills of deaf youngsters

A group of researchers at Seville University, headed by Isabel de los Reyes Rodríguez Ortiz, is analysing the reading comprehension processes of deaf youngsters, a factor closely linked to their level of expression, both verbal and using sign language.

21 Oct 2009

Failure to correct hearing loss may lead brain to forget how to hear and understand speech

Most of the 28 million Americans living with untreated hearing loss may not be aware that failure to take corrective action could result in the brain actually "forgetting" how to hear and understand speech, warns HearUSA audiologist Cindy Beyer.

19 Oct 2009

Stem cell treatments could repair the kidney defects associated with Alport syndrome

Several cell-based therapy approaches could provide new treatments for patients with Alport syndrome, reports an upcoming paper in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). "Our study opens up many considerations of how new therapies related to the use of stem cells can be devised for our kidney patients with chronic disease," comments Raghu Kalluri, MD, PhD (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA).

19 Oct 2009

NIH grants to develop screening tool for autistic disorder

A Florida State University College of Medicine researcher has been awarded two separate grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling $2.4 million to continue her work in detecting autism in children as young as 18 months.

19 Oct 2009

Cochlear and NXP Semiconductors sign design and manufacturing agreement

Cochlear Limited, Australian based world leader in Implantable Hearing Solutions, and NXP Semiconductors announced today that they have signed an agreement for the design and manufacturing of IC devices for Cochlear’s future generation Implantable Hearing devices.

14 Oct 2009

Sonitus Medical’s SoundBite hearing system ranks first on Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2010

Sonitus Medical, Inc., a medical device company developing the world's first non-surgical and removable hearing device to transmit sound via the teeth, today announced that technology it developed was ranked #1 on Cleveland Clinic's Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2010.

13 Oct 2009

Clarity offers new amplified telephone at no cost for people with hearing loss

Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. (FTRI), the non-profit distributor of specialized telecommunications equipment for people with hearing loss and speech disabilities, is offering a new amplified telephone developed by Clarity, a division of Plantronics, at no cost to seniors and others with hearing loss. The Clarity W425 Pro cordless telephone amplifies incoming sounds up to 45 dB.

9 Oct 2009

New high-performance, open fit digital hearing aid from America Hears

America Hears, Inc. (www.AmericaHears.com) introduced a new high-performance, open fit digital hearing aid offering significant value for listeners with mild to moderate hearing loss who need assistance hearing and understanding everyday speech, even in challenging listening environments such as noisy restaurants.

9 Oct 2009

The Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2010 announced at Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit

Cleveland Clinic's Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2010 list features a wide range of new techniques and therapies that are being developed to treat everything from deafness and Parkinson's disease to pneumonia and sleep disorders.

7 Oct 2009

Gene mutation linked to age-related hearing loss

Patients who exhibited a certain genetic mutation of anti-oxidant enzymes are three times more likely to develop age-related hearing loss (ARHL), according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.

7 Oct 2009

NIH awards $2 million grant to fight Neurofibromatosis type 2 disease

University of Central Florida Associate Professor Cristina Fernandez-Valle just landed two federal grants worth $2 million to research a disease that can leave children and young adults deaf, partially paralyzed or brain damaged.

6 Oct 2009

More than 1 million babies worldwide born prematurely die in first month, Study says

Each year more than 1 million babies born prematurely - before 37 weeks of development in the womb or within the first month of life - the "March of Dimes said Sunday in the first comprehensive global report on premature births," CNN reports. Nearly 10 percent of total births worldwide, or 12.9 million infants, are preterm, the study found.

6 Oct 2009

Preterm birth rate continues to rise

More than one million infants die each year because they are born too early, according to the just released White Paper, The Global and Regional Toll of Preterm Birth.

5 Oct 2009

Hearing loss is a concern for all ages: Sonic Innovations

In conjunction with Hearing Aid Awareness Week, Sonic Innovations (www.sonici.com), a Utah-based global hearing aid manufacturer, warns that not being able to hear is more important to your health than you may think. Hearing loss has been linked to depression, anxiety and self-esteem issues.

30 Sep 2009

Symposium on ways to lower preterm birth rate

Journalists are invited to attend a gathering of the nation's leading maternal-child and quality assurance health care experts who will review and develop programs that may help lower the nation's costly preterm birth rate.

26 Sep 2009

NIDCD awards research grant to Mobius Therapeutics

Mobius Therapeutics, LLC ™ has been awarded a research grant from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to study its investigational procedure, selective Photodynamic Myringotomy (PDM).

25 Sep 2009

Severe plagiocephaly in babies can lead to ear infections

The recommendation to lay babies on their backs to sleep has reduced sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), but has led to an increased number of infants with a skull deformity called deformational (or positional) plagiocephaly. Now new research suggests that infants with more severe plagiocephaly may have a higher rate of middle ear abnormalities associated with ear infections (otitis media), reports the September issue of The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

25 Sep 2009

MMI to provide sign language interpreters for deaf or hard-of-hearing patients

Under a voluntary resolution agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), deaf or hard-of-hearing patients at the Mid-Maryland Musculoskeletal Institute (MMI) of Frederick, Md., will be screened and provided with sign language interpreters whenever interpreter services are necessary for effective communication. MMI is an 11-physician orthopedic practice with offices in Frederick and Hagerstown, Md., serving approximately 1,000 patients per month.

23 Sep 2009

$1.2 million grant to study centrosomes and cilia and their connections to human disease

If you don't know how a human cell is supposed to work, it's hard to offer a good explanation when the cell goes haywire -- as it does in cancer. That's why a Florida State University College of Medicine researcher has been awarded a $1.2 million grant to explore the role of centrosomes and cilia in cell division and development and their connections to human disease.

22 Sep 2009