Researchers Use Sound Waves Transport Droplets on Rewritable Biomedical Chip
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – Engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a “versatile microfluidic lab-on-a-chip that uses sound waves to create tunnels in oil to touchlessly manipulate and transport droplets”. According to an announcement on the University’s website, the technology could form the basis of a small-scale, programmable, rewritable biomedical chip that is completely reusable to…
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Using Research to Fill in Clinical Gaps: A Summary of Recently Published Hearing Research
by Brian Taylor, Editor-at-Large Gamblers, paramours and clinicians all deal in uncertainty. No matter which of those groups you belong, you make better decisions when relevant and timely information, based on sound scientific principles, is available. Sometimes you might even find a kernel of truth that changes your outlook or behavior. Here are five recently…
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Audiology and Covid-19
by Brian Taylor, Editor-at-Large Although the Corona virus is a life-threatening condition and hearing care is deemed non-essential service in many places, there are aspects of the pandemic germane to audiology. Recently, the Washington Post reported on the rise in Covid-19 cases in American meatpacking plants. In the article, epidemiologists speculate the high levels of…
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News You Can Use: A Quick Summary of Some Recently Published Clinical Research
by Brian Taylor, AuD, Editor-at-Large Healthcare professionals worth their salt know their clinical decisions often rely on the availability of high-quality research, as well as their ability to interpret and consume it. Below is a smattering of recently published audiology research that should garner the attention of conscientious clinicians. How Hearing Loss and Education…
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New Study Sheds Light on Discrepancy Between Self-Reports of Hearing Difficulty and Audiogram
In the perfect world, periodically, every adult would have their hearing measured by a licensed hearing care professional using standard pure tone audiometry. For patients this routine measurement would serve as a baseline when monitoring any changes in hearing sensitivity that results from aging, noise exposure or a medical condition. For practitioners and researchers, objective…
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Boys Town Receives $11 Million Grant for Pediatric Hearing and Communication Research
OMAHA, NEBRASKA — Boys Town National Research Hospital has been awarded an $11 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The five-year Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant will “expand the range of existing, highly successful research programs at the Boys Town…
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UCSF Scientists Translate Brain Signals into Speech Sounds
In a study, recently published in the journal Nature, scientists used brain signals recorded from epilepsy patients to program a computer to mimic natural speech — an advancement that could one day have a profound effect on the ability of certain patients to communicate. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health’s Brain…
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Hearing Loss in Older Adults Tied to Increased Risk for Depression
A research review, recently published in the journal The Gerontologist, suggests that older adults with hearing loss may be more likely than their peers without hearing difficulty to develop symptoms of depression. Compared to people without hearing loss, the study found older adults with some form of hearing loss were 47 percent more likely to…
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BU Engineers Send Loud and Annoying Sound Back to Where it Came
Getting an MRI can be an extremely nerve-wracking experience. In addition to the confining space, the noise can be highly annoying and anxiety provoking. Fortunately, acoustic engineers at Boston University have created a possible solution. Relying on their mathematical prowess and 3D printing technology, Reza Ghaffarivardavagh and Xin Zhang developed an open, ring-like structure that…
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Researchers Restore Hearing in Deaf Mice Using Gene Therapy
PARIS, FRANCE — Researchers have announced the successful restoration of hearing in an adult mouse model of DFNB9 deafness — one of the most frequent cases of congenital, genetic deafness. Individuals with DFNB9 deafness are profoundly deaf due to a deficiency in the gene coding for otoferlin, a protein which is essential for transmitting sound…
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