http://www.medindia.net/healthnews/acoustic-neuroma-news.asp Medindia largest health website in india. en-us Copyright 2012. All Rights Reserved. Fri, 25 May 2012 03:54:10 GMT http://www.medindia.net/news/new-treatment-brings-hope-for-tinnitus-sufferers-101711-1.htm At last a new combination of therapies offer hope for those suffering from Tinnitus, a condition that causes ringing in the ears. The approach uses psychological training and audio therapy in small groups to reduce distress and refocus the mind so that it does not dwell on the sound. Dutch researchers tested it on 245 adults with tinnitus while 247 others were given "usual care," meaning they were referred for standard counseling at a hearing clinic. After 12 months, patients in the ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-treatment-brings-hope-for-tinnitus-sufferers-101711-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/cellular-mechanism-linked-to-tinnitus-identified-101327-1.htm Researchers at University of Leicester have discovered a cellular mechanism that could be helping the development of tinnitus, leading to hopes that there could be a development of new drug treatments for the condition in the near future. Tinnitus is a condition when one hears a persistent ringing or buzzing sound in the ear in the absence of other ambient sounds that one usually hears. Experts believe that this condition is caused by the nerve cells in the ear that have been damaged due to over exposure to loud noise....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/cellular-mechanism-linked-to-tinnitus-identified-101327-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/scineitsts-identify-novel-genetic-loci-for-high-frequency-hearing-loss-100654-1.htm Despite exhaustive research, the genetics responsible for frequency-specific hearing loss have remained elusive until recently. Now, a study published today in the open access journal iBMC Genetics/i reports, for the first time, genetic loci with effects that are limited to specific portions of the hearing frequency map, particularly those that are most affected in ageing-related hearing loss. Presbycusis is the loss of hearing for high-pitched sounds that gradually occurs in most individuals as they grow older....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/scineitsts-identify-novel-genetic-loci-for-high-frequency-hearing-loss-100654-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/vertigo-treatment-via-comparison-of-2-home-exercises-100596-1.htm Researcher from a CU School of Medicine, ailing from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and had to 'fix it' before she could go to work one day employed a manoeuvre to treat herself resulting in more sickness. "So I sat down and thought about it and figured out an alternate way to do it. Then I fixed myself and went in to work" and discovered a new treatment for this type of vertigo. More than seven million people in the U.S. can expect to have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/vertigo-treatment-via-comparison-of-2-home-exercises-100596-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/publication-of-initial-national-guideline-for-sudden-hearing-loss-99095-1.htm Sudden hearing loss, an alarming condition sending countless in the U.S. to the emergency room each year has its first national treatment guideline published in March in the journal IOtolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery/I. The guideline was developed by a 19-member panel led by Robert J. Stachler, M.D., an otolaryngologist in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head (and) Neck Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. "In most cases, patients will have multiple visits with several physicians ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/publication-of-initial-national-guideline-for-sudden-hearing-loss-99095-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/novel-therapy-offers-hope-for-tinnitus-sufferers-99021-1.htm A new study has claimed that a personalized treatment could reverse tinnitus and can help sufferers recover faster. Scientists have now found that playing sufferers the same tone which they "hear," halts auditory brain cells from creating the perceived noise. The new acoustic coordinated reset (ACR) therapy has shown in trials that it eases loudness and annoyance caused by tinnitus in seven out of 10 patients, the journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience reports. With ACR, the ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/novel-therapy-offers-hope-for-tinnitus-sufferers-99021-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/regulation-of-sound-sensitivity-in-the-brain-communicated-by-hair-cell-roots-of-inner-ear-98747-1.htm Inner ear`s hair cells have an earlier unknown `root` extension that could let them to communicate with nerve cells and the brain to regulate sensitivity to sound vibrations and head position, researchers have discovered. The hair-like structures, called stereocilia, are fairly rigid and are interlinked at their tops by structures called tip-links. When you move your head, or when a sound vibration enters your ear, motion of fluid in the ear causes the tip-links to get displaced and stretched, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/regulation-of-sound-sensitivity-in-the-brain-communicated-by-hair-cell-roots-of-inner-ear-98747-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-clinical-practice-guideline-on-sudden-hearing-loss-98316-1.htm The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation published a new Clinical Practice Guideline on Sudden Hearing Loss (SHL). A sudden loss of hearing is a frightening symptom that most often prompts urgent medical care. Current diagnosis and treatment plans vary greatly. This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of adults who present with SHL. Prompt, accurate recognition and management of sudden sensorineural hearing ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-clinical-practice-guideline-on-sudden-hearing-loss-98316-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/link-between-hearing-loss-and-risk-of-falling-98100-1.htm Hearing loss may also be a risk factor for falls, say researchers. The finding could help researchers develop new ways to prevent falls, especially in the elderly, and their resulting injuries that generate billions in health care costs in the United States each year, by some estimates. To determine whether hearing loss and falling are connected, Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D., at Johns Hopkins, and his colleague Luigi Ferrucci, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Institute on Aging, used data from ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/link-between-hearing-loss-and-risk-of-falling-98100-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/stem-cell-trial-for-hearing-loss-97257-1.htm A ground-breaking trial to test the use of umbilical cord blood transplants to treat hearing loss in infants has begun in US. The phase I trial follows promising studies on mice showing that such transplants were able to rebuild the structures of the inner ear, and some anecdotal evidence from humans, sparking hope of a cure for some forms of deafness. One of those people is two-year-old Finn McGrath, who suffered brain damage after being deprived of oxygen during a prolonged and complicated ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/stem-cell-trial-for-hearing-loss-97257-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/vitamin-a-supplementation-reduces-the-risk-of-hearing-loss-96794-1.htm bVitamin A supplementation in childhood may reduce the risk of hearing loss in adolescence and early adulthood, suggests a study./b About 278 million people worldwide suffer severe hearing loss. Two thirds of the affected belong to the developing world, and live with their economic and educational opportunities limited by hearing disability. Lack of adequate rehabilitation services haunts low-income countries. A middle ear infection called chronic otitis media is responsible ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/vitamin-a-supplementation-reduces-the-risk-of-hearing-loss-96794-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/diabetic-women-at-higher-risk-of-hearing-loss-96671-1.htm Women with diabetes are at an increased risk of suffering from age-related hearing loss, especially if the metabolic disorder is not well controlled with medication. According to the study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, women between the ages of 60 and 75 with well-controlled diabetes had better hearing than women with poorly controlled diabetes, with similar hearing levels to those of non-diabetic women of the same age. The study also shows significantly worse hearing in all women ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/diabetic-women-at-higher-risk-of-hearing-loss-96671-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Link-Between-MP3-Players-and-Early-Hearing-Loss-95434-1.htm Twenty-five percent of teens are in danger of early hearing loss as a result of high MP3 volume, reveals study. Today's ubiquitous MP3 players permit users to listen to crystal-clear tunes at high volume for hours on end - a marked improvement on the days of the Walkman. But according to Tel Aviv University research, these advances have also turned personal listening devices into a serious health hazard, with teenagers as the most at-risk group. Prof. Chava Muchnik of TAU's Department ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Link-Between-MP3-Players-and-Early-Hearing-Loss-95434-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Harmful-MP3-Noise-Exposure-Linked-to-Risk-of-Hearing-Loss-95229-1.htm Nine out of 10 city dwellers may be at risk of hearing loss resulting from harmful noise exposure, that mainly comes from leisure activities, says a new study. Historically, loud workplaces were blamed for harmful noise levels. But researchers at the University of Michigan found that noise from MP3 players and stereo use has eclipsed loud work environments, said Rick Neitzel, assistant professor in the U-M School of Public Health and the Risk Science Center. This proved true even though ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Harmful-MP3-Noise-Exposure-Linked-to-Risk-of-Hearing-Loss-95229-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Boy-Suffering-from-Goldenhar-Syndrome-Gets-New-Ear-94925-1.htm A 10-year old boy in England who was missing a part of his ear has been fitted with a new one after doctors in Kent sculpted the ear from his rib. Sean Wingrove-Smith suffered from a rare form of congenital defect known as Goldenhar Syndrome which prevents ears, lips or nose from developing fully in the womb. While Sean had no problems with this defect, he was subjected to taunts from bullies. He then underwent a number of surgeries at the Great Ormond Street Hospital where the doctors harvested ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Boy-Suffering-from-Goldenhar-Syndrome-Gets-New-Ear-94925-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Heightened-Touch-Sensitivity-Noted-in-DFNA2-Hearing-Loss-Patients-94723-1.htm People implicated by a certain form of inherited hearing loss have enhanced sensitivity to low frequency vibration, states a study by Professor Thomas Jentsch of the Leibniz-Institut fur Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)/Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Professor Gary Lewin (MDC), conducted in cooperation with clinicians from Madrid, Spain and Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The research findings, which were published in iNature Neuroscience/i, reveal previously unknown ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Heightened-Touch-Sensitivity-Noted-in-DFNA2-Hearing-Loss-Patients-94723-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/2-Key-Proteins-of-Inner-Ear-Transduction-Channel-Identified-93800-1.htm Two proteins have been identified that could be key components of the long-sought after mechanotransduction channel in the inner ear. This is the location where the mechanical stimulation of sound waves is transformed into electrical signals which the brain recognizes as sound. The research was conducted by National Institutes of Health-funded researchers and the findings are published in the Nov. 21 online issue of IThe Journal of Clinical Investigation. /IThe study used mice in which two genes, TMC1 and TMC2, have been deleted....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/2-Key-Proteins-of-Inner-Ear-Transduction-Channel-Identified-93800-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Study-Says-One-in-Five-Americans-Has-Hearing-Loss-93401-1.htm One in five Americans age 12 and over suffers from hearing loss, say US researchers. The estimate is the first to cover the entire United States instead of select populations according to location or age, said the study authors from Johns Hopkins University. "I couldn't find a simple number of how common hearing loss is in the US," said lead author Frank Lin, an assistant professor in the department of otolaryngology. "So we decided to develop our own." The findings, published in ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Study-Says-One-in-Five-Americans-Has-Hearing-Loss-93401-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Natural-Sweetener-Found-in-Chewing-Gum-Could-Help-Combat-Ear-Infections-93290-1.htm A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Toronto found that the natural sweetener xylitol could be used in treating ear infections. Xylitol is a popular ingredient used in mints, gums and lozenges and is known to have anti-bacterial properties. The researchers analyzed data from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs involving children under 12 years of age. The study checked the effectiveness of xylitol supplementation ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Natural-Sweetener-Found-in-Chewing-Gum-Could-Help-Combat-Ear-Infections-93290-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Cause-of-MRI-Vertigo-Discovered-91032-1.htm Researchers have discovered the cause of MRI vertigo. Researchers say that the MRI's strong magnet pushes on fluid that circulates in the inner ear's balance center, leading to vertigo or the dizzy sensation of free-falling while inside or when coming out of the tunnel-like machine. The finding published in ICurrent Biology/I could also call into question results of so-called functional MRI studies designed to detect what the brain and mind are doing under various circumstances. To ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Cause-of-MRI-Vertigo-Discovered-91032-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Tinnitus-Discovery-Could-Help-Stop-the-Ringing-90518-1.htm Neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are offering hope to the 10 percent of the population who suffer from tinnitus - a constant, often high-pitched ringing or buzzing in the ears that can be annoying and even maddening, and has no cure. Their new findings, published online last week in the journal IProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences/I, suggest several new approaches to treatment, including retraining the brain, and new avenues for developing drugs to suppress the ringing....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Tinnitus-Discovery-Could-Help-Stop-the-Ringing-90518-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Gray-Matter-Atrophy-in-the-Brain-may-be-Accelerated-by-Minor-Hearing-Loss-89963-1.htm Decline in hearing ability may accelerate gray matter atrophy in auditory areas of the brain thereby increasing the listening effort necessary for older people to successfully comprehend speech, a new research has indicated. A new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that in case of poor hearers the gray matter density of the auditory areas was lower in people with low hearing ability. When a sense (taste, smell, sight, hearing, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Gray-Matter-Atrophy-in-the-Brain-may-be-Accelerated-by-Minor-Hearing-Loss-89963-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Pressure-Device-Worn-On-The-Ear-At-Night-As-Treatment-For-Scar-Tissue-Evaluated-89235-1.htm A study of seven patients examined use of a pressure device worn overnight to supplement other therapy for auricular keloids (scar tissue buildup of the ear), as reported in an article published Online First today by IArchives of Facial Plastic Surgery/I, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Keloids are a type of scar tissue that develops after skin trauma in people with a genetic predisposition, according to background information in the article. The tissue extends beyond the original wound's ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Pressure-Device-Worn-On-The-Ear-At-Night-As-Treatment-For-Scar-Tissue-Evaluated-89235-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Stem-Cells-in-the-Ear-Used-to-Grow-Healthy-Cartilage-89184-1.htm For the first time Japanese scientists have successfully grown chunks of cartilage from stem cells in the ear, which could replace the synthetic materials currently used in surgery. Takanori Takebe at Yokohama City University in Japan is the first to confirm that the ear contains a source of stem cells, hidden in tissue called the perichondrium. His team removed part of the perichondrium from human ears and injected it into mice. The transplanted cells successfully grew into cartilage, which was still healthy after 10 months....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Stem-Cells-in-the-Ear-Used-to-Grow-Healthy-Cartilage-89184-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Sources-Say-Jermaine-Pennant-Underwent-Ear-Operation-89059-1.htm Reports say that soccer star Jermaine Pennant underwent a three-hour plastic surgery to pin back his stretched-out ears and set them in proper place. The Stoke City ace was spotted leaving a Harley Street clinic with his head bandaged in May, but denied the plastic surgery. He also lied to then fiancee Lara Murphy and his own family despite the explicit change in his looks. "It was incredible how he kept stringing his family along. Lara realised immediately because his ears are stuck ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Sources-Say-Jermaine-Pennant-Underwent-Ear-Operation-89059-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Biodegradable-Pellet-Targets-Glue-Ear-Infection-88659-1.htm A revolutionary biodegradable pellet has been developed by The University of Nottingham scientists that could transfer the lives of thousands of children who suffer from glue ear. The pellet that slowly releases antibiotics can be implanted in the middle ear during surgery to fit grommets, or small ventilation tubes. Over a period of three weeks it will release effective quantities of antibiotics to target any infection which can, in up to 20 per cent of cases, result in children having ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Biodegradable-Pellet-Targets-Glue-Ear-Infection-88659-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Study-Reveals-Why-Wearing-Helmets-While-Riding-Motorcycles-can-Lead-to-Hearing-Loss-88498-1.htm Motorcycle helmets, while protecting bikers' brains, may also contribute to hearing loss, but there was no explanation until now for this phenomenon. The distinctive roar of a Harley's engine is loud, but studies have revealed the biggest source of noise for motorcyclists is actually generated by air whooshing over the riders' helmets. Even at legal speeds, the sound can exceed safe levels. Now, scientists have identified a key source of the rushing din. Researchers from the University ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Study-Reveals-Why-Wearing-Helmets-While-Riding-Motorcycles-can-Lead-to-Hearing-Loss-88498-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Tinnitus-in-Elderly-Patients-as-an-Indicator-of-Prognosis-of-Mild-To-Moderate-Congestive-Heart-Failure-Study-87371-1.htm bAim of Study/b Claudio Borghi et al carried out a study to assess the prevalence of tinnitus in a large group of elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and to define the relationship between the occurrence of tinnitus and the severity and prognosis of CHF. bTinnitus/b Tinnitus is a head noise, which does not have an external source. It is usually perceived by the patient alone and cannot be heard by anyone outside. The noise may lasts for five or ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Tinnitus-in-Elderly-Patients-as-an-Indicator-of-Prognosis-of-Mild-To-Moderate-Congestive-Heart-Failure-Study-87371-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Ultrasensitive-Underwater-Microphone-Based-on-Orca-Ear-Developed-86977-1.htm Inspired by the extraordinarily acute hearing of marine mammal orcas, Stanford researchers have developed a highly sensitive underwater microphone. The new hydrophone can capture the whole range of ocean sounds, from the equivalent of a soft whisper in a library to an explosion of a ton of TNT just 60 feet away, at any depth and even under crushing pressure. It also can hear sound frequencies across a span of 17 octaves, spanning pitches far higher than the whine of a mosquito and far lower than a rumbling foghorn....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Ultrasensitive-Underwater-Microphone-Based-on-Orca-Ear-Developed-86977-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Screenings-Prevent-Hearing-Loss-Risk-Intellectual-Disability-In-Newborns-86597-1.htm Experts have advised pregnant women and newborn babies to routinely screen for a virus that causes hearing loss and intellectual disabilities in infants. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common viral infection that causes flu-like or no symptoms in healthy people. However, it can cause additional problems for pregnant women, particularly if the infection occurs for the first time during pregnancy, potentially resulting in hearing loss and intellectual disability in newborn babies. The prevalence of CMV worldwide at birth is about 0....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Screenings-Prevent-Hearing-Loss-Risk-Intellectual-Disability-In-Newborns-86597-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Steroid-Treatment-for-Sudden-Hearing-Loss-85501-1.htm The use of steroid injection for treating sudden hearing loss work just as well as the current standard treatment of oral steroids, reveals study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins Institute. As the name implies, sudden hearing loss (SHL) is a dramatic loss of hearing that occurs over a short period, usually less than 72 hours. Often, physicians never figure out the cause of the problem. Though about a third of patients regain some hearing on their own, others suffer a permanent loss if untreated....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Steroid-Treatment-for-Sudden-Hearing-Loss-85501-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Brain-Region-Linked-To-Tinnitus-85461-1.htm Australian researchers say they have identified a new brain region, the ventral subdivision of the cochlear nucleus, as a possible factor behind tinnitus. Tinnitus is a potentially debilitating disorder of hearing which is characterised by the perception of non-existent sounds, usually roaring, hissing or ringing in the ears. The changes in the brain that cause tinnitus are poorly understood. It is clear however that alterations in nerve cell electrical behaviour must underlie the abnormal "phantom" ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Brain-Region-Linked-To-Tinnitus-85461-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Swimmers-Ear-can-be-Avoided-by-Following-Proper-Hygienic-Procedures-85267-1.htm More than (Dollor) 500 million is spent annually on healthcare for patients suffering from swimmer's ear, a condition that can be easily avoided by correct hygiene, a new study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reveals. Swimmer's ear, also known as acute otitis externa, is the infection of the external ear canal caused due to the presence of water in the ear canal for a long time, allowing germs such as bacteria to grow and cause the infection. The condition can be easily prevented ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Swimmers-Ear-can-be-Avoided-by-Following-Proper-Hygienic-Procedures-85267-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/With-MP3s-Louder-Than-Pneumatic-Drills-Millions-of-Brits-are-Risking-Hearing-Loss-84531-1.htm Millions of Brits are unaware that they are risking hearing loss by turning up the volumes on their MP3s so high, it's louder than a pneumatic drill, a recent survey has revealed. One in six listens to their MP3 player at a level that is more deafening than an aeroplane taking off, according to the study conducted by The Hearing Company. The study, which polled 2,000 adults, found that one in 20 regularly plug into their music, which is more thunderous than a train hurtling past in a station, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/With-MP3s-Louder-Than-Pneumatic-Drills-Millions-of-Brits-are-Risking-Hearing-Loss-84531-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Cause-for-Tinnitus-Identified-83890-1.htm Tinnitus, ringing in the ear is caused by inhibition of key neural pathways in brain's auditory circuits, says study led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The discovery, which used a new technique to image auditory circuits using slices of brain tissue in the lab, points the way to drug development and effective treatment for a condition that currently has no cure. Prior research has shown that auditory circuits in the brain are more excitable in tinnitus ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Cause-for-Tinnitus-Identified-83890-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Study-Finds-That-Inner-Ear-can-Store-Recent-Sounds-83422-1.htm A new study has revealed that vibrations in the inner ear continue even after a sound has ended, perhaps serving as a kind of mechanical memory of recent sounds. In addition to contributing to the understanding of the complex process of sound perception, the results may shed light on other fascinating aspects of the auditory system, such as why some gaps between sounds are too brief to be perceived by the human ear. The inner ear contains a structure called the cochlea that serves as the organ of hearing....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Study-Finds-That-Inner-Ear-can-Store-Recent-Sounds-83422-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Ear-Infection-Lead-To-Obesity--82647-1.htm Ear infections could be linked to obesity, is the interesting conclusion drawn by Korean researchers at the Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea. The possibility of a link between childhood obesity and chronic otitis media with effusion [OME] had already been established. This team considered the prospect of related changes in taste buds linking the two. The study suggests that chronic ear infection and inflammation might affect a particular nerve, the chorda tympani, that controls taste at the front of the tongue....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Ear-Infection-Lead-To-Obesity--82647-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Study-Says-Newborn-Screening-may-Miss-Hearing-Loss-in-Some-Kids-82620-1.htm The universal newborn hearing screening programs fail to identify all kids at the risk of hearing loss, says study. Nearly one-third of pediatric cochlear implant recipients are diagnosed later in infancy or early childhood. "When universal newborn hearing screening programs (UNHS) were initially conceived, it was presumed that most hearing-impaired children, especially those without risk factors for progressive hearing loss, would fail the objective screening performed during the newborn ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Study-Says-Newborn-Screening-may-Miss-Hearing-Loss-in-Some-Kids-82620-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Scientists-Reveal-Role-of-Motor-Protein-in-Hearing-Loss-81935-1.htm The role of tiny molecular motors in the hair cells of the inner ear has been identified by University of Pennsylvania researchers. The vibrations felt by tiny molecular motors in the hair cells of the inner ear help us hear. Now, researchers have identified the mechanism by which a single amino acid change can disrupt the normal functioning of one of the critical components of that physiology-a molecular motor protein called myo1c, which resides in the cochlea of the inner ear. The mutation ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Scientists-Reveal-Role-of-Motor-Protein-in-Hearing-Loss-81935-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Significant-Reduction-Seen-in-Ear-Infections-in-US-Kids-81789-1.htm The number of children visiting doctors with an ear infection has seen a big drop in the United States over the last few years with researchers yet to find the exact reason for such a drop. While ear infection was one of the most common cause for children visiting the doctors, the number has fallen by more than half a million over a period of last fifteen years, constituting a drop of more than 30 percent. Though the researchers have not found the exact cause for such a big drop, the falling number ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Significant-Reduction-Seen-in-Ear-Infections-in-US-Kids-81789-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/National-Survey-Hearing-Loss-Rate-in-Older-Adults-Climbs-to-More-Than-60-Percent-81577-1.htm A new study led by Johns Hopkins and National Institute on Aging researchers has found that nearly two-thirds of Americans age 70 and older have hearing loss, but those who are of black race seem to have a protective effect against this loss. These findings, published online Feb. 28 in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, provide what is believed to be the first nationally representative survey in older adults on this often ignored and underreported condition. Contrary to the view ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/National-Survey-Hearing-Loss-Rate-in-Older-Adults-Climbs-to-More-Than-60-Percent-81577-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Drug-Cocktail-Reduces-Hearing-Loss-in-Mice-Study-81366-1.htm Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common problems people face, whether on a battlefield, in a factory or at a rock concert. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a low-dose, two-drug cocktail that reduces hearing loss in mice when given before they are exposed to loud noise. The drugs, already FDA-approved for other conditions, also treat hearing loss after noise exposure. While both drugs are known to protect hearing on their own, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Drug-Cocktail-Reduces-Hearing-Loss-in-Mice-Study-81366-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Take-Adequate-Care-to-Prevent-Hearing-Loss-81245-1.htm Recent insight reports that most of the hearing loss can be prevented with adequate precaution. According to data, nearly 21% Americans aged 48 to 59 suffer loss of hearing. The incidence of hearing loss among 80 year olds is about 90 percent. Hereditary factors also contribute to hearing loss, as much as living or working in a noisy environment does. But what may come as a surprise, is the link between cardiovascular disease and loss of hearing. Regular exercise can prevent cardiovascular disease, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Take-Adequate-Care-to-Prevent-Hearing-Loss-81245-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Hearing-Loss-is-Earliest-Sign-of-Dementia-80909-1.htm Hearing loss could be the earliest possible sign that a person has a high risk of suffering from dementia later in life, a new study published in the Archives of Neurology reveals. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University observed 639 people between ages of 36 to 90 years over an average period of 12 years. All of the volunteers did not suffer from any kind of dementia at the start of the study. Around 125 people suffered from mild hearing loss during the study period while 53 had moderate hearing ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Hearing-Loss-is-Earliest-Sign-of-Dementia-80909-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Tinnitus-Awareness-80516-1.htm The Tinnitus Awareness Week, 4SUPth /SUPto the 11th of February is being observed by the British Tinnitus Association (BTA) to make people more aware of this worrying condition. Tinnitus is a noise of ringing or buzzing which does not come from outside, but which is produced in the head of the person. Although the causes have not been established, it is believed that old age could be a primary factor. Hearing loss and physical damage to the ear could cause tinnitus. Other important reasons ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Tinnitus-Awareness-80516-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Ear-gasm-Vietnamese-Spa-Treatment-of-Ear-Picking-80034-1.htm While most find it a little unnerving when someone else probes their ears, in Vietnam, where ear picking is considered to be an art, many find it to be as good as sex. Ear picking is part of the country's pampering culture and it is offered in corner barbershops or 'hot tocs', and many returning Vietnamese-Americans can be seen flocking to them. "It brings a lot of happiness," MercuryNews.com quoted Silicon Valley resident Nguyen Tuong Tam, who always heads to a hot toc upon arriving in the city, as saying....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Ear-gasm-Vietnamese-Spa-Treatment-of-Ear-Picking-80034-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Music-Fools-the-Ear-by-Creating-Simplicity-79696-1.htm The brain simplifies complex musical patterns by removing redundant data and identifying patterns and thus soothes the ear, new research published in BioMed Central's open access journal IBMC Research Notes/I has suggested. There is a long held theory that the subconscious mind can recognise patterns within complex data and that we are hardwired to find simple patterns pleasurable. Dr Nicholas Hudson used 'lossless' music compression programs to mimic the brain's ability to condense audio information....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Music-Fools-the-Ear-by-Creating-Simplicity-79696-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Antibiotics-Best-Treatment-for-Ear-Infections-in-Children-79401-1.htm The most excellent treatment for middle-ear infections or acute otitis media, in young children was found to be antibiotics. These antibiotics was proved to be more effective than a placebo in relieving symptoms. These findings was carried out by clinical researchers at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and findings appear in the January 13th issue of the INew England Journal of Medicine/I. Most American children with middle-ear infections are treated with antibiotics....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Antibiotics-Best-Treatment-for-Ear-Infections-in-Children-79401-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Treatment-Possibility-for-Tinnitus-By-Rebooting-the-Brain-79399-1.htm Scientists have found a way to ease chronic ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus, by stimulating a neck nerve and playing sounds to reboot the brain, according to research published Wednesday. There is currently no cure for tinnitus, which can range from annoying to debilitating and affects as many as 23 million adults in the United States, including one in 10 seniors and 40 percent of military veterans. For Gloria Chepko, 66, who has suffered from tinnitus since she was four years old, the sound she describes as "like crickets....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Treatment-Possibility-for-Tinnitus-By-Rebooting-the-Brain-79399-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Ear-Infections-on-the-Rise-in-Pune-79187-1.htm The number of ear infections in Pune is on the rise with doctors blaming unusual cold weather for the spread of bacteria and viruses that cause the infections. Leading ENT specialist, Dr Kailash Sant said that while ear infections are normal during winter, the number has shot up by more than 20 percent of the average number while the inner ear infection cases have increased three fold. Dr Sant blames it on the cold weather that has helped the spread of a new strain of viruses. "The rise in infections ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Ear-Infections-on-the-Rise-in-Pune-79187-1.htm