Hearing Loss News and Research

Latest Hearing Loss News and Research

New discovery helps explain the mechanics of hearing

A 30-year scientific debate about how specialized cells in the inner ear amplify sound in mammals appears to have been settled more in favor of bouncing cell bodies rather than vibrating, hair-like cilia, according to St. Jude investigators.

28 Aug 2007

New understanding of Leber congenital amaurosis

People suffering from a severe retinal disease will sooner or later lose their eyesight considerably or even become completely blind.

7 Aug 2007

Age-related hearing loss very common

For many people, hearing loss is part of aging. Hearing loss affects approximately one-third of people over age 65. Among people age 75 and older, 40 percent to 50 percent experience hearing loss.

7 Aug 2007

Bone-anchored cochlear stimulator provides new hope for those with significant hearing impairment

Thomas Lynch, age 2, is now able to hear on both sides of his head with a device and surgical procedure pioneered by a surgeon-led team at Loyola University Medical Center.

1 Aug 2007

Novel bioreactor to repair vocal chords

Damaged or diseased vocal cords can forever change and even silence the voices we love, from a family member's to a famous personality's.

31 Jul 2007

Cochlear implants reorganize brain's hearing center

Cochlear implants electronic devices inserted surgically in the ear to allow deaf people to hear may restore normal auditory pathways in the brain even after many years of deafness.

24 Jul 2007

Hearing loss and von Hippel-Lindau disease

Patients with the genetic disorder von Hippel-Lindau disease may suddenly experience hearing loss because of a tumor-associated hemorrhage in the inner ear, according to a study in the July 4 issue of JAMA.

4 Jul 2007

Meningococcal vaccine now recommended for ages 11 to 18

Recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), that all young people aged 11 to 18 should get a shot that protects them from the most dangerous type of meningitis, has been applauded by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).

28 Jun 2007

Hib vaccine could save hundreds of thousands of children in Asia

A new study from Bangladesh published online in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal shows that routinely vaccinating infants against H. influenzae type b (Hib), a bacterium that causes deadly Hib pneumonia and meningitis, could save hundreds of thousands of children in Asia.

28 Jun 2007

Training autistic brains to recognize visual and vocal cues

To understand the meaning of a conversation, kids automatically do what adults do - besides processing the meaning of words, they unconsciously "read" the expression on a person's face and listen to their tone of voice, then integrate that information with the context at hand to discern meaning, be it humor, anger, irony or straightforwardness.

28 Jun 2007

Tinnitus retraining therapy

It is estimated that between 10 and 17% of the population has suffered tinnitus at some time in their lives, according to a number of international studies.

27 Jun 2007

National Organization for Acoustic Neuroma Tumor Patients to celebrate 25th anniversary

The national Acoustic Neuroma Association (ANA), will mark its 25th anniversary at its 18th annual symposium in Philadelphia.

26 Jun 2007

Scoliosis gene found

Physicians have recognized scoliosis, the abnormal curvature of the spine, since the time of Hippocrates, but its causes have remained a mystery -- until now. For the first time, researchers have discovered a gene that underlies the condition, which affects about 3 percent of all children.

26 Jun 2007

Stem cells enhance hearing recovery

Researchers have shown that bone marrow stem cells injected into a damaged inner ear can speed hearing recovery after partial hearing loss.

26 Jun 2007

Cilia research may help find cure for inherited eye diseases

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified proteins in the rod and cones of the eye that could lead to the discovery of the genetic causes of a host of inherited eye diseases.

23 Jun 2007

Vaccine for human cytomegalovirus

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have patented a strategy for developing a human vaccine to prevent against Human Cytomegalovirus (hCMV) infection and disease.

23 Jun 2007

Otosclerosis gene identified

A gene responsible for the single most common cause of hearing loss among white adults, otosclerosis, has been identified for the first time, a scientist told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Nice, France.

19 Jun 2007

Analysis of steroids as a treatment for sudden hearing loss

Although steroids are the most widely used treatment for sudden hearing loss, little scientific evidence supports their use or that of any other therapies for this condition, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis both published in the June issue of Archives of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery.

19 Jun 2007

Scientists step closer to curing genetic or acquired hearing loss

Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have discovered a way to transfer genes, which they hope will restore hearing, into diseased tissue of the human inner ear.

17 Jun 2007

New data on the performance of meningitis vaccine in West African children

The Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) today released new data on the performance of a meningitis vaccine in West African children, suggesting that the new vaccine,expected to sell initially for 40 US cents a dose,will be much more effective in protecting African children and their communities than any vaccine currently on the market in the region.

14 Jun 2007