Why does my voice sound so different when it is recorded and played back? WUSTL otolaryngology professor Timothy Hullar replies.

References:

1. Jan. 13, 2009 — Why does my voice sound so different when it is recorded and played back? in the Scientific American - Mind & Brain

Diabetes in adults appears to be an independent risk factor for hearing loss, according to the findings from a recent study. In a related editorial, WUSTL otolaryngology professor Keiko Hirose comments on screening for hearing loss.

References:

1. June 16, 2008 — Hearing impairment common in adults with diabetes in the Reuters Health Medical News

WUSTL medical scientists led by otolaryngology professor Jianxin Bao have discovered some anti-epileptic drugs might help prevent or treat noise-induced hearing loss.
The study is reported in the journal Hearing Research.

References:

1. March 15, 2007 — Anti-epileptic drugs may help hearing loss in the United Press International

and 4 others.

Parents of the millions of young children who suffer from chronic ear infections can blame bacteria that collects in drug-resistant colonies for their kids' misery, researchers at Allegheny General Hospital have discovered. Independent expert Richard Chole, head of otolaryngology in the School of Medicine, comments.

References:

1. July 12, 2006 — Why Johnny's ears always hurt in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Static electric shock won't ruin a cochlear implant, but it will require an inconvenient trip to an audiologist. Static electricity is so much of a worry and hassle for the deaf that WUSTL electrical engineer Robert Morley has a grant to study one of its main sources: plastic playground slides. Some new "all inclusive" playgrounds, have deliberately included metal slides, which don't produce static electricity. But many others don't -- including some that are supposed to be accessible to disabled children. Morley, who helped pioneer digital hearing aids, got a small federal grant to study the issue.

References:

1. Dec. 12, 2005 — Static poses risk to deaf children in the Boston Globe
2. Dec. 9, 2005 — Static from plastic slides can drop deaf children back into silence in the Fort Wayne News Sentinel (IN)

and 5 others.

Article on new Japanese remote-controlled technology called galvanic vestibular stimulation — essentially, electricity messes with the delicate nerves inside the ear that help maintain balance.
WUSTL Professor of Otolaryngology Timothy Hullar comments.

References:

1. Oct. 25, 2005 — Remote control device 'controls' humans in the USA Today

and 70 others.

The third most-often reported medical mishap is wrong-site surgery.
A device invented by a St. Louis ear surgeon and WUSTL otolaryngology head Richard Chole soon may provide a very loud reminder to mark the right spot before the patient is sedated. Otherwise, an alarm will sound outside the operating room door.
The device, consisting of a patient wristband embedded with a chip and a marker pen with a specialized sticker that deactivates the chip, is aimed at correcting the communication breakdown that sometimes results in the mishap.

References:

1. Aug. 10, 2005 — Invention aims to avoid wrong surgeries in the Associated Press via Kansas City Star

and 4 others.

Story on stopping the ringing sound in your ears. New drug called gabpentin or neurontin will end the ringing. WUSTL researcher Jay Piccirillo comments on the study involving this drug. This is a drug used to treat phantom limb pain. (Bacon's text)

References:

1. Feb. 1, 2005 — New Drug to Stop Ringing Sound in Your Ears in the WCBS-TV New York

and 7 others.

Findings from a new cancer study may seem obvious — a patient's overall health is a critical factor in assessing prognosis. But the study's authors say data about patients' non-cancer ailments, called comorbidities, are not currently incorporated into cancer statistics. Physicians intuitively use a patient's overall health when determining the best course of treatment, but records used to track and study cancer data focus on tumor size and typically ignore comorbidity statistics, according to lead investigator Jay Piccirillo, associate professor of otolaryngology at the School of Medicine. "We need to incorporate comorbidity statistics into cancer registry records to make our data more accurate and, by extension, to help clinicians determine the best treatments for cancer patients."

References:

1. May 25, 2004 — Overall health affects cancer outcome in the Forbes

and 20 others.

Amy Hancock had three weeks to figure out what her first words would be. Hancock, who lost her voice to laryngeal cancer five and a half years ago, had time to think about it after undergoing an innovative larynx restoration surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital on May 23. On June 16 her surgeon, Washington University otolaryngologist Randal Paniello removed a tube from her throat, allowing her to speak for the first time post-op. Her first words: "Thank you Dr. Paniello."
"I expect her voice will get better," says Paniello. "We're still sort of working out some of the kinks in the system." Paniello is the first to perform the innovative surgery in the United States. "The goal is to recreate an air passageway from the back of the windpipe into the front of the swallowing passage." Typically, doctors create that passageway with a plastic prosthetic that allows air to flow and generate vibrations and speech.

References:

1. March 15, 2004 — Voice restoration surgery is a success in the KITV-TV Honolulu, HI

and 19 others.