Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Ear, Nose and Throat News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/ent/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113710.php SinoFresh HealthCare, Inc. (OTCBB: SFSH), the makers of SinoFresh Nasal Spray, announced the next step in a research and development program expected to lead to a nasal spray product for attacking MRSA -- the so-called "super bug" -- reservoirs in the nasal passage. These nasal reservoirs are believed by public health experts to be a significant source of MRSA infections. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113502.php Researchers have developed a series of tests that for the first time accurately measure the normality of taste (gustatory function) and smell (olfactory function) in young children, according to a new study published in the July 2008 edition of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113461.php It's almost time for the 49th Biennial National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana July 7-11, 2008. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113419.php Vibrato -- the pulsating change of pitch in a singer's voice -- is an important aspect of a singer's expression, used extensively by both classical opera singers and pop stars like Shakira. Usually, the quality of a vibrato can only be judged subjectively by voice experts. Until now, that is. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113342.php A recent study published in the April 2008 issue of the Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology has revealed the positive clinical effect of the adjunctive use of VitalStim® Therapy. A leading brand within the Empi Recovery Sciences line of pain management and rehabilitation products, VitalStim is a non-invasive neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) device for the treatment of dysphagia. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113089.php NAD President Bobbie Beth Scoggins has accepted an invitation to be one of six keynoters at the inaugural Deaf Bilingual Coalition (DBC) Conference in Milwaukee, WI, June 27-30. Dr. Scoggins will be speaking about early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) systems and how the deaf community can become involved in these systems and support deaf children and their families. "I look forward to the first DBC conference. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113015.php Three exciting events are taking place in Nottingham this week, all organised by The Ear Foundation, a Nottingham charity which supports profoundly deaf children, young people and adults who can now hear with their cochlear implants. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112618.php Morria Biopharmaceuticals Plc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs, today announced that it has initiated a Phase II equivalent study of MRX-4, in a nasal aerosol formulation, in 105 patients suffering from allergic rhinitis (AR). The two-arm, randomized, multi-dose, double-blind, placebo-controlled study includes Rhinocort(R) as the steroid comparator arm. The study is expected to be completed by the end of Q3 2008. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112364.php Researchers in The Netherlands found that recurrent ear infections occurred nearly twice as frequently in babies and young children who used dummies or pacifiers as those who did not and advised doctors to tell parents about the risks. Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112049.php Merck KGaA announced that it has submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) to broaden the use of the targeted therapy Erbitux® (cetuximab) to include 1st-line treatment of patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111817.php Neuromonics Inc. announced publication of the first clinical study evaluating the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment's effectiveness compared to relevant control groups. Published in the Sun, 15 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111323.php Smoking and body mass index (BMI) are risk factors in the development of age-related hearing loss, says one of the largest-ever studies into risk factors for hearing loss - but alcohol has a protective effect. The study¹ has just been published online in Springer's Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (JARO). Sun, 15 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111295.php While a number of theories have been advanced to account for why musical consonance is related to simple frequency ratios, as yet there is no completely satisfying explanation. Here we explore the theory of synchronization properties of ensembles of coupled neural oscillators to demonstrate why simple frequency ratios may have achieved a special status and why they are important for auditory perception. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110872.php Americans spent $11 billion on doctors' bills, prescription drugs, and other medical care to relieve allergy symptoms such as itchy or watery eyes, stuffy noses, wheezing, coughing, and headaches in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The cost is nearly double the $6 billion spent in 2000. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110760.php New data presented at the XXVII Congress of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) in Barcelona, Spain, demonstrate AERIUS® (desloratadine) significantly reduces allergy symptoms, including nasal congestion, sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal pruritus and ocular pruritus, in patients with intermittent allergic rhinitis (IAR) who experience symptoms lasting less than four days per week or less than four weeks per year. Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109943.php The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested more information on Meda's new drug application concerning azelastine hydrochloride nasal spray in a new formulation. Meda will initiate a discussion with the FDA to understand and clarify the needs of FDA and what steps need to be taken before the application may be approved. This process is anticipated to take several months before conclusion. Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109487.php New evidence for the first time suggests that people suffering from hay fever (allergic rhinitis) will over time experience a progressive worsening of their nasal passage functioning, depending on how long they have the disorder, according to a new study published in the June 2008 edition of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109486.php Three new studies published in the June 2008 edition of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery focus on what role gender plays in the prognosis of oral tongue cancer, chronic ear infections in children, and the success rates of hearing aid implants in the elderly. Fri, 30 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109323.php A study of cochlear implant patients seen by Indiana University School of Medicine physicians is the first research to show evidence that cochlear implants in both ears significantly improves quality of life in patients with profound hearing loss and that the cost of the second implant is offset by its benefits. Fri, 30 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109272.php A study of cochlear implant patients seen by Indiana University School of Medicine physicians is the first research to show evidence that cochlear implants in both ears significantly improves quality of life in patients with profound hearing loss and that the cost of the second implant is offset by its benefits. Fri, 30 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109169.php Innogene Kalbiotech Pte Ltd (Innogene), a drug development company has been working with the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) on a Phase II clinical trial. This targeted cancer therapy drug "Nimotuzumab" works on locally advanced squamous cell cancers of the head and neck (SCCHN). Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109012.php Is the smell of almonds closer to that of roses or bananas? Weizmann Institute scientists have now answered that question (roses) by showing for the first time that smells can be mapped and the relative distance between various odors determined. Their findings, which appeared recently in Nature Methods, may help scientists to unravel the basic laws underlying our sense of smell, as well as potentially enabling odors to be digitized and transferred via computer in the future. Tue, 27 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108852.php Wesley L. Hicks Jr., MD, FACS, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), was honored as one of "America's Leading Doctors" in 2007 - 2008 by Black Enterprise (BE) (May 2008 issue) for his leadership in the field of otolaryngology. Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108789.php In celebration of Memorial Day, the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) highlights the critical importance of hearing health to our nation's troops and emphasizes the need for hearing protection and screenings for the men and women who serve our country. Earlier this year, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced its increased efforts to fight the number one disability that troops face as they return home: hearing damage. Sat, 24 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108413.php Centrifuging astronauts for a lengthy period provided researcher Suzanne Nooij with better insight into how space sickness develops, the nausea and disorientation experienced by many astronauts. Nooij defended her PhD theses on this subject at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft, The Netherlands) on Tuesday 20 May. Gravity plays a major role in our spatial orientation.