http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Health and social care provision needs to be put in place for a large increase (33%) in the 85 year old population in the UK by 2020, according to a study published today in the British Medical Journal. http://www.physorg.com/news180767378.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:10:26 EST news180767378 A gene associated with a rare form of progressive deafness in males has been identified by an international team of researchers funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The gene, PRPS1, appears to be crucial in inner ear development and maintenance. The findings are published in the Dec. 17 early online issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news180277698.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:20:05 EST news180277698 (PhysOrg.com) -- The first year to two years of life is a critical time for hearing impaired children and their language development. Whilst young babies with hearing difficulties can now be fitted with cochlear implants, accurately assessing the effectiveness of the implants does present challenges prior to their development of language skills. http://www.physorg.com/news179764984.html Medicine & Health Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:00:01 EST news179764984 (PhysOrg.com) -- A serendipitous discovery of deaf zebra fish larvae has helped narrow down the function of an elusive protein necessary for hearing and balance. The work, led by Rockefeller University`s A. James Hudspeth, suggests that hearing loss may arise from a faulty pathway that translates sound waves into electrical impulses the brain can understand. http://www.physorg.com/news179470963.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:03:48 EST news179470963 (PhysOrg.com) -- Becoming "hard of hearing" is a standard but unfortunate part of aging: A syndrome called age-related hearing loss affects about 40 percent of people over 65 in the United States, and will afflict an estimated 28 million Americans by 2030. http://www.physorg.com/news177007147.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:30:11 EST news177007147 What do you get when you cross a mouse with poor hearing and a mouse with even worse hearing? Ironically, a new strain of mice with "golden ears" - mice that have outstanding hearing as they age. http://www.physorg.com/news176986779.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:05 EST news176986779 (PhysOrg.com) -- Ava Martin seems less nervous than her parents as the three sit in an audiologist`s office at UC Irvine Medical Center a few days after Labor Day. In August, the 6-year-old had surgery to place a cochlear implant in her right ear. Now Ava plays with toys while Ginger Stickney describes to Dave and Gabrielle Martin the tests that will gauge how their daughter`s auditory nerve is responding to the implant. But first Stickney must activate the device that could restore function to Ava`s right ear - an ability lost years ago due to a congenital inner-ear defect that`s also destroying the hearing in her left ear. http://www.physorg.com/news176659178.html Medicine & Health Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:00:01 EST news176659178 Drivers who frequently take to the road with the top down may be risking serious damage to their hearing, according to research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA. http://www.physorg.com/news174052337.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:00:01 EST news174052337 Patients who exhibited a certain genetic mutation of anti-oxidant enzymes are three times more likely to develop age-related hearing loss (ARHL), according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA. http://www.physorg.com/news174052143.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:20:01 EST news174052143 Increased intakes of antioxidant vitamins have no bearing on whether or not a man will develop hearing loss, but higher folate intake can decrease his risk by 20 percent, according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA. http://www.physorg.com/news173988045.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:30:01 EST news173988045 A comprehensive study of the prevalence and risk factors for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) show that men, especially those who are white and married, are significantly more at risk than women, according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA. http://www.physorg.com/news173964311.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:07 EST news173964311 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. http://www.physorg.com/news171203447.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:40:02 EST news171203447 Discovery of a deafness-causing gene defect in mice has helped identify a new protein that protects sensory cells in the ear, according to a study led by University of Iowa researchers. The findings, which also involved Kansas State University, appear in the Aug. 21 issue of the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news170065521.html Medicine & Health Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:40:04 EST news170065521 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. http://www.physorg.com/news168705192.html Technology Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:50:03 EST news168705192 An otherwise effective treatment for cystic fibrosis places patients at a high risk of sensorineural hearing loss, according to new research published in the July edition of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.physorg.com/news165645625.html Medicine & Health Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:41:18 EST news165645625 (AP) -- The government is about to start a huge research effort to prove which are the best treatments for scores of ailments. Irregular heartbeat, prostate cancer, back pain and hearing loss lead the list of medical problems to be studied. http://www.physorg.com/news165584577.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:01 EST news165584577 The U.S. mass transit system, the largest in the world, provides affordable and efficient transportation to more than 33 million riders each weekday. The system is generally considered one of the safest modes of travel. But recent public health studies have identified several sources of environmental hazards associated with mass transit, including excessive noise, a large and growing problem in urban settings. http://www.physorg.com/news164623516.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:46:01 EST news164623516 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. http://www.physorg.com/news162994514.html Medicine & Health Sun, 31 May 2009 13:17:26 EST news162994514 Can a pair of bionic ears benefit a hearing-impaired child? Cynthia Zettler, a postdoctoral fellow in Ruth Litovsky's laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison thinks so. http://www.physorg.com/news161605109.html Medicine & Health Fri, 15 May 2009 11:18:58 EST news161605109 Older adults may have difficulty understanding speech because of age-related changes in brain tissue, according to new research in the May 13 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The study shows that older adults with the most difficulty understanding spoken words had less brain tissue in a region important for speech recognition. The findings may help explain why hearing aids do not benefit all people with age-related hearing difficulties. http://www.physorg.com/news161367888.html Medicine & Health Tue, 12 May 2009 17:25:14 EST news161367888 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. http://www.physorg.com/news160311444.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:00:45 EST news160311444 The respective microRNA seed region influences the production of sensory hair cells in the inner ear, both in the mouse and in humans. The findings have been published ahead of print in the current online issue of Nature Genetics. This study represents a major step forward in elucidating the common phenomenon of progressive hearing loss, opening up new avenues for treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news160059001.html Medicine & Health Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:50:25 EST news160059001 (AP) -- Wisconsin could become the first state requiring private insurance companies to cover cochlear implants for children with severe hearing problems. The state Legislature passed a bill Thursday requiring private health insurance plans to cover cochlear implants, hearing aids and related treatment for those under the age of 18. Gov. Jim Doyle has promised to sign it into law. http://www.physorg.com/news159728780.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:07:03 EST news159728780 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. http://www.physorg.com/news159713314.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:49:09 EST news159713314 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. http://www.physorg.com/news158930271.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:18:37 EST news158930271 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. http://www.physorg.com/news158772214.html Medicine & Health Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:24:49 EST news158772214 Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered that adult animals with hearing loss actually re-route the sense of touch into the hearing parts of the brain. http://www.physorg.com/news157129259.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:02:02 EST news157129259 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. The transplantation of stem cells that are capable of producing functional cell types might be a promising treatment for hearing impairment, but no human candidate cell type has been available to develop this technology. http://www.physorg.com/news157035388.html Biology Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:56:51 EST news157035388 Researchers at the University of Leeds have made a significant step forward in understanding the causes of some forms of deafness. http://www.physorg.com/news155383453.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:04:49 EST news155383453 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. http://www.physorg.com/news154967034.html Medicine & Health Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:24:19 EST news154967034