PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Early evaluation and intervention critical for vaccinated children with hearing loss from meningitis

2010-10-19
(Press-News.org) Despite widespread use of pneumococcal vaccination, some children still develop deafness following pneumococcal meningitis, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Based on a small case series, early evaluation and simultaneous cochlear implantation in both ears may be a successful treatment strategy.

Since the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) became widely used in the United States in 2001, cases of meningitis and other related diseases have dramatically declined, according to background information in the article. "However, pneumococcal meningitis continues to occur, even in healthy children who receive the recommended PCV7 vaccination series in early childhood," the authors write. "For this reason, it is important for cochlear implant programs to remain prepared to proceed with expeditious implantation in children recently deafened by meningitis."

Urgent evaluation is essential in these children, because their cochlea tend to ossify or harden into bone, making implantation difficult. Nancy M. Young, M.D., and Tina Q. Tan, M.D., both of Children's Memorial Hospital and Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, review the cases of five children ranging in age from 15 months to 10 years. Despite vaccination, these children experienced sudden hearing loss in both ears between 2005 and 2007 following illness with pneumococcal meningitis.

All the children underwent magnetic resonance imaging before surgery and four underwent auditory steady state response testing, which evaluates hearing loss in children too young for other tests. All successfully underwent cochlear implantation to restore hearing in both ears. The average time between meningitis diagnosis and implantation was 36.8 days.

"A number of studies have discussed auditory steady state response testing as an important tool in evaluating pediatric cochlear implant candidates. Our cochlear implant center has found this information to be helpful in counseling families regarding cochlear implant candidacy and in assisting the audiologist with more rapidly achieving optimal amplification, thereby shortening the hearing aid trial," the authors write.

Children and infants in the authors' clinic usually undergo a two- to three-month hearing aid trial, but in three of the post-meningitis cases, this protocol was not followed. "A more aggressive approach was used to optimize the likelihood of full electrode insertion in both ears in a population known to be at risk for progressive ossification," they write.

In addition, the use of MRI can provide helpful information about changes in the cochlea before the onset of bone formation, they conclude. "In light of the unpredictable nature of post-meningitic ossification, we recommend that cochlear implant surgeons consider bilateral simultaneous implantation to increase the likelihood of successful electrode array insertions, thereby preserving the potential for these children to achieve useful binaural hearing."

###(Arch Otolaryngol. 2010;136[10]:993-998. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org.)

Editor's Note: This study was supported in part by the Lillian S. Wells Foundation. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Research team identifies new mechanism with suspected role in cancer

2010-10-19
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — If women had no prolactin receptors on cells in their mammary glands, they would not produce milk when they were nursing. Prolactin receptors are also found in other organs including the lung and the colon. The only problem is that these receptors are sort of like cellular wiring, and when the wrong conditions bring them together, the resulting short circuit can produce cancer. In new research published online Oct. 18, 2010, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, a team led by researcheres at Brown University and Rhode ...

Statin use associated with statistically significant reduction in colorectal cancer

2010-10-19
San Antonio, Texas, October 18, 2010 – A systematic review of the medical literature supports the hypothesis that statins, cholesterol‐lowering drugs used to prevent cardiac problems, are associated with reduced risk of colon and rectal cancers. A comprehensive analysis by investigators at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, included 22 scientific studies with more than 2.5 million combined participants. "Statin use was associated with a statistically significant reduction in colorectal cancer," explained Jewel Samadder, M.D., MSc. The relative risk was 0.88 ...

Attack on C. difficile: How can we combat this serious health issue

2010-10-19
In five different studies presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 75th Annual Scientific meeting in San Antonio, researchers explored the impact of various factors on increasing rates of Clostridium difficile infection (C. difficile), such as the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and the substantial increase in antibiotic use due to new National Hospital Quality Measures; strategies to combat high rates of C. difficile infections; and cutting‐edge treatments for this potentially deadly—and quite common—infection. Five studies were featured ...

Watching violent TV or video games desensitizes teenagers and may promote more aggressive behavior

2010-10-19
Watching violent films, TV programmes or video games desensitises teenagers, blunts their emotional responses to aggression and potentially promotes aggressive attitudes and behaviour, according to new research published online today in the Oxford Journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (Tuesday 19 October). Although previous research has suggested that people can become more aggressive and desensitised to real-life violence after repeatedly viewing violent media programmes, little is known about how the extent of watching such programmes and the severity ...

Fructose intolerance common in children with functional abdominal pain

2010-10-19
San Antonio, Texas (October 18, 2010) – Fructose intolerance, or fructose malabsorption, is common in children with recurrent or functional abdominal pain, but the condition can be effectively managed with a low‐fructose diet, according to the results of a new study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 75th Annual Scientific meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The study, "Fructose Intolerance/Malabsorption and Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children," investigated a total of 245 patients with unexplained chronic abdominal pain alone or associated ...

New undertsanding of gut hormones and gut function sheds light on obesity

2010-10-19
Research on obesity examining the role of hormones and the autonomic functions of the digestive system was presented at the 75th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American CoIlege of Gastroenterology. Gastric function, as well the activities of the autonomic nervous system that regulates digestion, are impaired in obese individuals in both fasting and fed states, according to a study from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, "Altered Postprandial Gastric and Autonomic Functions in Obese Subjects." Measures of gastric myoelectrical activity (GMA) by electrogastrography ...

Vitamin D deficiency puts IBD patients at greater risk of osteoporosis

2010-10-19
San Antonio, Texas (October 18, 2010) – Vitamin D deficiency puts patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) at greater risk of osteoporosis, osteopenia and an overall higher rate of abnormal bone density, according to the results of a new study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 75th Annual Scientific meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The study, "Vitamin D Deficiency and Abnormal DEXA Scans in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients," found that of the 161 IBD patients in the cohort, reduction in bone density with a diagnosis of osteoporosis ...

Acid reflux, functional dyspepsia have significant impact on disordered sleep

2010-10-19
San Antonio, Texas (October 18, 2010) – The impact of upper GI conditions, like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and functional dyspepsia, on sleep—and treatments aimed at providing relief to heartburn/acid reflux patients who suffer from disordered sleep—were explored in three new studies related to sleep dysfunction presented today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 75th Annual Scientific meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Functional dyspepsia is a common, but poorly understood, upper GI condition affecting approximately 10 percent of U.S. adults. ...

Notable racial disparities in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of colorectal cancer

2010-10-19
San Antonio, Texas (October 18, 2010) – The latest colorectal cancer research presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 75th Annual Scientific meeting in San Antonio this week strengthens the growing body of evidence that suggests significant disparity in colorectal cancer (CRC) demographics and outcomes between various races. In the first in a series of studies investigating colorectal cancer disparities that exist between various races, researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of colonoscopies performed in young patients from July 2003 to December ...

Encouraging findings suggest new avenues for treating liver disease in overweight Americans

2010-10-19
San Antonio, Texas, October 18, 2010 – Estimates of the prevalence of liver disease suggest that one‐third of the United States population has non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is now the most common cause for elevated liver function tests in the United States, a trend related to the obesity epidemic in this country. Non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the progressive form of NAFLD, can lead to cirrhosis and all its complications. Two studies presented at the 75th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology investigated ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

[Press-News.org] Early evaluation and intervention critical for vaccinated children with hearing loss from meningitis