Modern Medicine News

Under a settlement agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, deaf patients at the Fort Washington Medical Center in Prince George's County, Md., will be screened and provided with sign language interpreters whenever interpreter services are necessary for effective communication.

A new study by the University of East Anglia (UEA) suggests computers are now better at lip-reading than humans. The peer-reviewed findings will be presented for the first time at the eighth International Conference on Auditory-Visual Speech Processing (AVSP) 2009, held at the University of East Anglia from September 10−13.

A new study by the University of East Anglia (UEA) suggests computers are now better at lip-reading than humans. The peer-reviewed findings will be presented for the first time at the eighth International Conference on Auditory-Visual Speech Processing (AVSP) 2009, held at the University of East Anglia from September 10−13.

A team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute has discovered a genetic cause of progressive hearing loss. The findings will help scientists better understand the nature of age-related decline in hearing and may lead to new therapies to prevent or treat the condition.

Sonic Innovations, a U.S. -based digital hearing aid manufacturer, warns Americans who ignore a hearing loss are also losing income. A study from the Better Hearing Institute (BHI), a non-profit corporation that educates the public about the neglected problem of hearing loss and what can be done about it, gives the numbers.

Oticon Medical, a global medical device company within the William Demant Group, announced that it has obtained 501(k) clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to market the innovative Ponto bone anchored hearing system. The Ponto System features an easy-to-operate computer fitting platform to enable a more precise match between patient and sound processor.

Anyone with an MP3 device — just about every man, woman and child on the planet today, it seems — has a notion of the majesty of music, of the primal place it holds in the human imagination. But musical training should not be seen simply as stuff of the soul — a frill that has to go when school budgets dry up, according to a new Northwestern University study.

The British Tinnitus Association (BTA) is advising members of the Armed Forces to be aware of the dangers of excessive noise while they are undergoing training and intense combat. The warning comes as a soldier who had suffered permanent hearing loss and tinnitus in one ear as a result of exposure to excessive noise, during basic training, was highlighted in the media this week.

On Wednesday, August 26th, the American Hearing Research Foundation together with Northwestern University will present a lecture on hearing, hearing loss and hearing loss therapies entitled «What You Always Wanted to Know About Hearing: Ask a Doctor.» The lecture will be given by former AHRF grant recipient Claus-Peter Richter, M.D., Ph.D., and Andrew Fishman, M.D.

Hearing aids and cochlear implants act as tiny amplifiers so the deaf and hard-of-hearing can make sense of voices and music. Unfortunately, these devices also amplify background sound, so they're less effective in a noisy environment like a busy workplace or café. But help is on the way. Prof.

Audiologists from America Hears, Inc. now make online house calls to hearing aid customers who install the latest version of the company's Virtual Office hearing aid programming software on their personal computers at home.

New research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme will assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of bone anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) for people who are bilaterally deaf (deaf in both ears).

A new review of existing research says there is little evidence to support mandatory hearing-loss prevention programs at the workplace. Workers could simply wear earplugs and other devices that protect hearing, but even those are not always effective, the review authors found.

Treatment with the angiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab improved hearing and alleviated other symptoms in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2).

A team of researchers from the University of Alcalá de Henares (UAH) has shown scientifically that human beings can develop echolocation, the system of acoustic signals used by dolphins and bats to explore their surroundings. Producing certain kinds of tongue clicks helps people to identify objects around them without needing to see them, something which would be especially useful for the blind.

HearAtLast Holdings, Inc.

Riders of mass transit are exposed to noise at levels that may exceed recommended limits, and thus may experience noise-induced hearing loss given sufficient exposure duration times, reports a new study. Researchers evaluated the noise levels of a representation of New York City mass transit systems (subways, buses, ferries, tramways and commuter railways) during June and July 2007.

'Decibels for Life', the new campaign from Siemens Hearing Instruments, has been launched to maintain awareness of hearing loss. It will also champion hearing innovations that help overcome impairments leading to an improved quality of life. The ongoing campaign will address how hearing loss or wearing an inappropriate hearing instrument can mean missing out on a range of daily sounds.

HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HRAL) is pleased to announce that it has formed a strategic alliance with VitaSound to distribute Future Sonics MP3 Ear Buds. Future Sonics is the award-winning innovator of the original professional custom and universal fit earphones for personal monitoring for major tours, venues, artists, engineers, broadcasting and houses of worship worldwide.

The Cochlear Implant Program at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) working in collaboration with researchers at The University of Western Ontario's National Centre for Audiology, has joined 16 other world-class centres to form HEARRING — the International Network of Comprehensive Hearing Implant Centers of Excellence.

When it comes to maintaining their health, men tend to wait for serious symptoms to appear before taking the necessary precautions. Indications of serious physical conditions, however, can oftentimes take a silent form. Take hearing loss: The condition affects more than 31 million people, 65 percent of whom are men, but the signs of the condition are typically overlooked.

The House Ear Institute, HEI, established Family Camp 24 years ago as a comfortable, open forum where parents raising a child with hearing loss could share their experiences and exchange information and varying philosophies with one another.

Hearing and vocal problems go hand-in-hand among the elderly more frequently than previously thought, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. Together, they pack a devastating double punch on communication skills and overall well-being.

A determined effort by Audiology teams across the country has led to 99% of people receiving hearing aids or other appropriate treatment within the government's 18-week target. Figures for February 2009, just released by the Department of Health, show that the situation has been improving every month since April 2008.

Siemens Hearing Instruments has kicked off its new education initiative during Deaf Awareness Week with a visit by its hearing ambassador Kellie Moody to a Birmingham based deaf school. The visit and the launch of an education focused website ties into this year's Deaf Awareness theme of 'look at me'.

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have elucidated the action of a protein, harmonin, which is involved in the mechanics of hearing. This finding sheds new light on the workings of mechanotransduction, the process by which cells convert mechanical stimuli into electrical activity.

Picture yourself at a family dinner. Your grandchild, who speaks softly, is telling a story about their kindergarten class while your adult son calls out from the kitchen, asking if you've heard any news about Aunt Irene. A TV chat show is on in the background. You are having difficulty ignoring the television chatter and separating your son's query from your grandchild's story.

Loneliness is the most common symptom associated with hearing loss, according to a national survey by Specsavers to mark Deaf Awareness Week (4−10 May). [1] More than half of those surveyed (64%) find themselves isolated from social situations because of badly managed hearing loss.

Despite widespread concern about the impact of hearing loss on their quality of life, 49 percent of North Americans expose themselves at least once per week to potential harm and 61 percent haven't had their hearing tested within the past five years, according to a new survey from Unitron and Angus Reid.

Children and teenagers are frequently exposed to potentially damaging noise levels in schools, at home, and in sports, but there has been little reported on their risk for noise-induced hearing loss. In fact, three million children under the age of 18 have some hearing loss, and one factor is external noises.

With International Noise Awareness Day (29th April) approaching, the RNID has released shocking statistics showing that 90 percent of people have experienced the first signs of serious hearing damage after just ONE night out. There are 9 million people in the UK that suffer from hearing damage from excessive noise and another 4 million at risk.

Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München, led by Professor Martin Hrabé de Angelis, director of the Institute of Experimental Genetics, have developed a new mouse model with a genetic mutant in which a single base of a specific microRNA seed region has been altered. Mice carrying this miR-96 mutation suffer progressive hearing loss as they get older.

Many people may not be aware that they are battling a silent health crisis — one that affects over 30 million people. In fact, hearing loss, the third leading health condition among Americans, impacts one in 10 people, about 40 percent of whom are younger than 65 years old.

Scientists thought they had a good model to explain how the inner ear translates vibrations in the air into sounds heard by the brain. Now, based on new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine, it looks like parts of the model are wrong.

Researchers have identified tiny molecules that may lead to big breakthroughs in the treatment of hearing loss and deafness. An international team, including researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel and Purdue University, found that lack of these molecules causes abnormal development of the inner ear and leads to progressive hearing loss.

Researchers have identified tiny molecules that may lead to big breakthroughs in the treatment of hearing loss and deafness. An international team, including researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel and Purdue University, found that lack of these molecules causes abnormal development of the inner ear and leads to progressive hearing loss.

Despite modern medicine, one in 1,000 American babies are born deaf. The numbers increase markedly with age, with more than 50% of seniors in the United States experiencing some form of hearing loss. But the era of the hearing aid, and shouting at aging in-laws, may soon be over.

GPs are being urged to adopt online sign language translation software after concerns were raised at Deaf Day 2009, the UK's largest event for the deaf community at City Lit in London. At the event, deaf people took the opportunity to put their names to a demand for surgeries to use SignTranslate.

In parallel studies in human and mouse, two groups of researchers have come to the same conclusion: that a new kind of gene is associated with progressive hearing loss. The new gene — called a microRNA — is a tiny fragment of RNA that affects the production of hundreds of other molecules within sensory hair cells of the inner ear.

A new review of medical databases shows that neonatal hearing loss, already one of the most common birth disorders in the United States, is especially prevalent among Hispanic-Americans and those from low-income households, according to the April 2009 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. The wide-ranging study focused on hearing loss in newborns (neonates), children, and adolescents.

New research has identified visiting grandchildren as the main reason grandparents decide to have their hearing tested for the first time. Hearing specialist, Amplifon, who commissioned the research, found that the biggest single trigger for retirement age people to do something about hearing loss is the 'feeling of social exclusion' from not hearing their grandchildren clearly.

Cochlear Americas, the world's leader in advanced hearing technologies, brings together cochlear implant recipients and their families for the third Cochlear Celebration on March 26−29 in Anaheim, California. With over 600 recipients and their families expected to attend, this inspiring four-day event is the largest gathering of cochlear implant recipients in the world.

Hearing loss is a common disorder that can cause significant communication difficulties and directly affect the accurate transfer of information during a medical encounter. Hearing loss also often increases with age; as the Baby Boomers get older, the prevalence of hearing loss will increase.

Deafness affects more than 250 million people worldwide. It typically involves the loss of sensory receptors, called hair cells, for their «tufts» of hair-like protrusions, and their associated neurons.

Brits planning their summer holidays are being warned of the effects of dirty hotel swimming pools on their hearing. Research commissioned by hearing aid giant, Amplifon, found that sudden hearing loss can be brought on by exposure to dirty pools or water that has been over chlorinated.

Staff at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton have received specialist training in how to communicate with people with sight and hearing loss. More than 130 staff and representatives from local partner organisations attended the training which was delivered by DeafBlind UK, a leading national charity working for people with varying degrees of sight and hearing loss.

According to data from the Ministerio de Educación, Política Social y Deporte, nearly a million people in Spain suffer from some sort of hearing impairment. This collective has communication difficulties that become even more challenging when said communication must be carried out via a phone call, for example when arranging a doctor's appointment.

The majority of the 650,000 employees from Quebec's manufacturing sector — specifically those working in metallurgy and sawmilling — are exposed to noise levels that exceed governmental norms.

Researchers at the University of Leeds have made a significant step forward in understanding the causes of some forms of deafness. The Leeds team has discovered that the myosin 7 motor protein — found in the tiny hairs of the inner ear that pick up sound — moves and works in a different way from many other myosins.

America Hears, Inc., the leading online supplier of premium digital hearing instruments, introduced a new advanced-technology digital hearing aid for $999 and launched two new product families that deliver the industry's best price/performance starting at $749 per hearing aid.

Contrary to conventional medical wisdom, a new study by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers shows that healthy elderly patients with severe to profound hearing loss can undergo a surgical procedure to receive cochlear implants with minimal risk.

Lip reading is a critical means of communication for many deaf people, but it has a drawback: Certain consonants (for example, p and b) can be nearly impossible to distinguish by sight alone. Tactile devices, which translate sound waves into vibrations that can be felt by the skin, can help overcome that obstacle by conveying nuances of speech that can't be gleaned from lip reading.

A new study involving iPods and teenagers by the University of Colorado at Boulder and Children's Hospital Boston indicates teenagers who receive pressure from their peers or others to turn down the volume of their iPods instead turn them up higher.