HHTM Hearing News Round-up: This Week’s Notable Stories
Newsworthy items affecting the audiology profession and hearing care industry. Grab a strong cup of coffee (or a tea, if that’s your thing) and click on some of the links listed below to learn more. CMS Attempting to Streamline Paperwork and Restore Doctor-Patient Relationship On July 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid…
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While a Mysterious Part of the Ear is Revealed, Origin of Aural Attacks Continues to Baffle
The ceaseless march of technological progress in hearing science continues to amaze, yet mysteries of the ear still abound. Two recent headlines in the news show that as some questions get answered, others remain open. A study published June 19 in eLife, revealed a unique biological mechanism for maintaining fluid pressure and composition involving the…
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Children with Hearing Loss Experience More Bullying: Study
DALLAS, TEXAS — A new study from researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) indicates that children and adolescents with hearing loss experience higher rates of peer victimization, or bullying, than children with normal hearing. The study, published in the journal Exceptional Children, showed the type of bullying experienced by children hearing loss…
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USC Scientists Develop Method to Repair Damage to Cochlea
Recent research indicates hearing loss is expected to nearly double in 40 years. This figure includes individuals who suffer from the condition of “hidden hearing loss,” which is generally defined to be damage to the inner ear that leads to difficulty hearing soft voices in the presence of background noise, but an audiogram within the…
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Abortion Drug Holds Promise as Treatment for Acoustic Tumors
The Boston Business Journal reported this week that Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers plan to launch trials of a drug commonly used to induce chemical abortion, called mifepristone, to treat vestibular schwannoma. Vestibular schwannoma, a rare tumor, usually causes unilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but can also cause dizziness and facial nerve paralysis. Because of…
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Invasive Nature of Some Tinnitus Treatments Not a Deterrent for Many
Tinnitus is a highly prevalent condition with approximately 10%–15% of the population reporting the condition, and 1% to 2% of this group reporting burdensome tinnitus that leads to a severe decrease in the quality of life. Another consideration: tinnitus-related health care expenditures, which are mainly incurred out-of-pocket, are estimated to be nearly $2,000 per year…
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Sour Taste Linked to Sense of Balance
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — Findings published January 25th, in the esteemed journal Science, show that scientists at the University of Southern California discovered a new class of ion channels that are important in the inner ear for balance, and are also present in the taste cells that respond to sour flavors. These ion channels let…
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Ida Institute Announces Availability of Research Grants, Calls for Applications
NAERUM, DENMARK — The Ida Institute Research Committee announced that they are accepting proposals for research projects investigating outcomes of the use of Ida tools. Research grants will be awarded to projects that “develop evidence related to Ida Institute methods and tools and aim to demonstrate the effect of person-centered care in hearing rehabilitation.” …
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Rethinking the Hearing Aid User Guide to Improve Outcomes
Grit, guts, determination, fortitude, perseverance, tenacity. Those are a few of the words used to describe an individual’s ability to overcome obstacles and challenges in their life. No doubt, hearing care professionals, in their daily encounters with patients, are all-too familiar with these characteristics and how they affect treatment outcomes. Clinicians intuitively know that patients…
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Israeli Researchers Get One Step Closer to Unraveling Cause of Human Deafness
As much as 98% of the human genome does not code for protein. RNAs contained in this non-coding part act as regulatory molecules and have a substantial impact on gene expression. One type of these RNA molecules, called long non-coding RNAs, has been linked to a wide range of diseases and inheritable conditions such as…
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