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Hello and welcome to this episode of Hearing Review TV.
your all-access pass to all things hearing. I'm Jon Daugharthy.
We begin this episode with new technology from Resound.
The Minnesota based company is offering a new
proprietary remote microphone technology that
enhances natural directivity, spatial awareness and
wind noise performance in aids.
Not only is the hearing aid hidden from view,
due to its placement in the concha cymba,
but it also improves acoustic performance
due to pinna effects.
Well, New Hampshire seems to stand behind
the motto, "live free or die."
Thanks to a new piece of legislation, every
insurance company in New Hampshire must cover at
least the first 15-hundred dollar cost of a new
hearing aid, plus fitting and dispensing services.
Furthermore, the new law puts hearing benefits
on par with other common medical services.
In other words, all hearing benefits cannot be
subject to any deductible or co-insurance or co-pay
that is greater than any other benefits provided by the insurer.
The New Hampshire law, passed in 2010 became
effective January 1, 2011.
A similar law went into effect at the same time in North Carolina,
with a coverage limit of 25-hundred dollars per ear
every 36 months, and an eligibility cap of 21 years old.
The two new laws bring the total number of states with
hearing aid coverage mandates to 18, and a list of these
will appear in the march edition of The Hearing Review.
If you thought sun-damage was the only risk you were taking
buying your new Porsche 911 convertible, think again.
New research published by the British Journal of Laryngology
and Otology shows that driving your c onvertible
with the top down above 55 mph can potentially
damage your hearing. It should be noted that
during the data collection, the car stereo
was turned off, there was no conversation between occupants,
air conditioning was turned off, the car horn was not used, and
there was no rain or other inclement weather.
The good news is, that when the top is closed, there is no
more than minimal risk of excessive noise exposure above 55 mph.
And in diagnostics news, researchers from the University of Iowa
have helped develop a new test that will simultaneously
screen all genes for inherited deafness.
The test, otoscope, is reported to screen all kinds of genes
known to cause deafness in a single test within one
to three months and for about $2,000.
While that is still a lot of money, the improvements are unparalleled.
Traditional testing involves sequencing one gene at a time to
test the exact genetic cause of inherited deafness
and can take up to a year.
This older method also comes at a much higher cost of around one
thousand dollars per gene and about $75,000
to test all known genes.
Is there an app for that? iPhone and AT&T
have released a new video relay service for iPhone
4 that allows deaf and hard of hearing customers to make VRS calls.
The free app allows a person who uses American sign language
to place a relay call to a hearing impaired person by communicating
through a certified ASL interpreter.
To learn more visit the itunes app store at www.itunes.com/appstore
And in other news, after 22 years of service, James Jerger,
Editor-in-Chief at Journal of the American Academy
of aAudiology will retire from his post on December 31, 2011.
Dr. Jerger is one of audiology's most distinguished researchers and
educators, and is also a founder of the American Academy of Audiology.
The academy is now searching for a new Editor-in-Chief
who will begin on January 1, 2012.
And finally, NIH-funded researchers were able to eliminate
tinnitus in a group of rats. The research
shows that, by stimulating certain nerves, the ringing sounds associated
with tinnitus can be eliminated in rats.
The research team induced changes in the auditory cortex
of a group of rats by pairing stimulation of the vagus
nerve, a large nerve that runs from the head to the neck
to the abdomen, with the playing of a single tone.
When the vagus nerve is stimulated, it releases
chemicals -- notably acetylcholine and norepinephrine -- as well as others,
that help promote changes in the brain. The research team
tested several frequencies and lengths and found
promising results after therapy began. The researchers
are currently working to fine-tune the procedure to better
understand such details as the most effective number
of paired frequencies to use for treatment,
how long treatment should last,
and whether the treatment would work comparatively
well in long-term cases.
Well, that concludes this episode of Hearing Review TV.
We hope you enjoyed this broadcast.