Sequential Bilateral Cochlear Implantations Improve Quality Of Life In Kids

A report published Online First by the Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
shows evidence to suggest that children receiving cochlear implants in
separate, sequential surgeries, see overall improvements in their
quality of life. The study, led by Marloes Sparreboom, M.A., Radboud University Nijmegen
Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, stresses the importance of
collecting information concerning the quality of life of children
receiving cochlear implantations, given the lack of previous research on
the matter. Countless other studies solely look at speech perception
and sound localization, with clinical settings that do not accurately
represent a typical everyday environment.

Link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240361.php

Grant trains teachers who understand hearing loss

With early screening and diagnosis, cochlear implants for
profoundly deaf children, better hearing aids and more effective teaching
methods, children with hearing loss are having unprecedented success in general
education settings.

To meet the needs of its fast-growing deaf and
hard-of-hearing populations, however, California needs more specialized
teachers. And this school year, the CLU Graduate School of Education’s efforts to
remedy the shortage received a major boost year in the form of a $1.2 million
Education Department grant.

Link: http://www.callutheran.edu/news/news_detail.php?story_id=8247

First FDA Approved Study of Stem Cells to Treat Hearing Loss

Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and Cord Blood Registry® (CBR) are
launching the first FDA-approved, Phase I safety study on the use of
cord blood stem cells to treat children with sensorineural hearing loss.

The study, which will use patients’ stem cells from their own stored
umbilical cord blood, is the first of its kind, and has the potential to
restore hearing. This follows evidence from published laboratory
studies that cord blood helps repair damaged organs in the inner ear.

The year-long study will follow 10 children, ages 6 weeks to 18 months, who have sustained post-birth hearing loss.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please visit: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53686-cord-blood-childrens-memorial-hermann-fda-approved-stem-cells-hearing-loss

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/first-fda-approved-study-of-stem-cells-to-treat-hearing-loss-begins-at-childrens-memorial-hermann-hospital-2012-01-12

Problems with cochlear implants rare in kids: study

Canadian researchers
have found that over the last 20 years, three percent of deaf children
who got cochlear implants at their hospital needed new ones because of
technical problems.
Almost all of the kids who needed a new device
implanted maintained or improved their hearing and speaking abilities
after the second procedure.
Complications of the implant procedures are rare, but include infections and damage to the devices. The
implants and related surgeries are usually covered by insurance.
More than 200,000 people have received cochlear
implants, including about 70,000 in the United States. According to the
Food and Drug Administration, they have been approved for commercial use
in the U.S. since the mid-1980s. 

Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/21/us-problems-cochlear-rare-idUSTRE7BK20320111221

Protein gives clue to hearing loss

A study carried out by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine have found that mice lacking the FGF20 protein were deaf from birth. This was
because the area of the inner ear containing a type of hair cell had
not developed normally, as it became stuck in an earlier developmental
stage. This suggests FGF20 is essential for the normal development of
these important cells that are necessary for hearing. The findings may provide a new target for researchers aiming for a
better understanding of deafness due to hair cell defects in humans.

Link: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/01January/Pages/fgf20-gene-cochlear-deteriation-deafness.aspx

Testing Guam Infants for Hearing Loss Remotely

Tests to determine hearing loss in baby’s are being conducted remotely at a CEDDARS testing center at the University of Guam. Events such as this are possible through the Teleaudiology Project, a collaboration between Drs. Debra Hayes and Susan Dreith of the Big Daniel’s Center for Children’s Hearing, Children’s Hospital-Colorado and the Univerity of Guam CEDDARS/Guam EHDI program. The urgent need for diagnosis of very young infants for hearing loss
prompted this much-needed collaboration to bring this service to
families in Guam.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027132506.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily:+Latest+Science+News%29