Hearing aid use lowers risk of death

For people with hearing loss, the risk of death is lower among those who regularly use a hearing aid, researchers reported on Jan. 3, 2024 in The Lancet Healthy Longevity. “We found that adults with hearing loss who regularly used hearing aids had a 24% lower risk of mortality than those who never wore them,” said lead investigator Janet Choi, […]

Study finds two antibiotics for children with sinusitis equally effective, but one had fewer side effects

Brigham researchers found that patients prescribed amoxicillin-clavulanate had higher rates of gastrointestinal symptoms and yeast infections than those prescribed amoxicillin Acute sinusitis is one of the most common causes for children to be put on antibiotic medications, with patients in the United States filing nearly 5 million antibiotic prescriptions every year to treat the condition. The drugs amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanate […]

Treating back-to-school ear infections without antibiotic resistance

“Back-to-school” season means buying pens and paper, figuring out the new bus route, and … earaches. Doctors typically treat these infections with antibiotics, but children don’t always complete the full course, accelerating resistance to these medications. Today, researchers report developing a single-use nanoscale system that’s unlikely to generate resistance. Using a compound similar to bleach in test animals, they show […]

European Commission approval for Pedmarqsi to reduce the risk of hearing loss in paediatric oncology patients – Fennec Pharma

Fennec Pharmaceuticals Inc.has announced Pedmarqsi– known as Pedmark in the U.S. – was granted marketing authorization by the European Commission. Pedmarqsi is the first and only approved therapy in the EU for the prevention of ototoxicity (hearing loss) induced by cisplatin chemotherapy in patients 1 month to less than 18 years of age with localised, non-metastatic, solid tumors. Further, Pedmarqsi […]

Tonsillectomy both clinically and cost effective for adults

Scientists say tonsil removal is both clinically and cost effective for adults who get recurrent severe sore throats. The biggest study of its kind, carried out by Newcastle University, revealed that patients who had a tonsillectomy had 50% less sore throats over two years, compared to patients who did not undergo tonsillectomy. Publishing today (17 May) in The Lancet, the study […]

Simple nasal spray significantly reduces snoring and breathing difficulties in children

A simple nasal spray significantly reduced snoring and breathing difficulties in children and halved the number needing to have their tonsils removed, according to a new study. The research, led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and published in JAMA Pediatrics, found a saline (salt water) nasal spray was just as effective as an anti-inflammatory steroid nasal spray at easing sleep disordered breathing […]

1 billion + young people potentially at risk of hearing loss from headphones, earbuds, loud music venues

More than 1 billion teens and young people are potentially at risk of hearing loss because of their use of headphones and earbuds and attendance at loud music venues, concludes a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health. Governments around the world need to urgently prioritise ‘safe listening’ policies to safeguard aural […]

New nasal vaccine strategy could improve COVID-19 protection

Researchers from the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney have developed a new nasal vaccination strategy that induces potent lung immunity and protection against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The new vaccine approach has been tested successfully in mice and has the potential to be a powerful tool for enhancing protection against COVID-19 infection and minimising ongoing viral spread. Made up […]

Rheumatic fever and household overcrowding

Research led by the University of Otago in New Zealand has uncovered the strongest evidence yet that household overcrowding is a major risk factor for acute rheumatic fever and streptococcal infections of the skin. Their research is published in two companion articles in the international medical journal The Lancet Regional Health — Western Pacific. Lead researcher Professor Michael Baker of the […]