Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year 2012

hi all

This 2011 has been come back very fast and will be gone in a couple of weeks.

There is some dark clouds gathering in the likes of the euro troubles. I think it could get quite challenging and more people will feel stressed out and perhaps got the sudden hearing loss I have 2 years ago on 4 Jan 2010.

Stress is the No.1 leading cause of all the dreaded illnesses that befall humans.

So let's cheer up!

I have here my favourite Christmas song :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbb3skLR0Bo&feature=player_embedded

Challenges for finding a cure

This is a great article:

http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/haircellchallenge.htm

Test of sudden hearing loss

Just come across this article. Wish I have read it when I got my Sudden Hearing Loss :


http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/medicalemergency.htm

Helping Others Will Lessen One's Pain / An online help group ?

hi all

I recently heard over the radio an interview with a lady who narrate how she got into depression . She got herself out of it by doing social service to help others, by focussing on others.

It work for me!

Also recently thinking whether we should set up an online help group (like the one who help alcoholic) , as I believe many fellow sufferers would go into depression (like myself) ..

GSK supplies more fuel to the battle front with hearing loss with human trial possibly from 2013

GSK joins battle .

Human trial possibly from 2013. See :


http://www.inpharm.com/news/165362/gsk-biotech-uk-autifony-therapeutics

Update of me

hi all

It has been a while since I post. Just an update of myself :

I have grown accustomed to my left ear hearing loss and its resultant tinnitus.

But I am still very much everyday watching at the horizon for the dawn of hearing to come.

If you have problem coping, or like to ask me a question, feel free to e-mail me at my email wongtanlim3@yahoo.com

Fully Invisible Hearing Aid

See :

http://www.envoymedical.com/

See FDA approval and some critics' view here :

http://topnews.us/content/213643-fda-approves-first-totally-implanted-hearing-aid


I wonder if later gene therapy / stem cell therapy becomes available, whether one can still go for the hair cell regeneration or the Esteem procedures would kill off my ear hair cells (like cochlea implant does)?

As advised by me in my home page, please seek all the necessary medical advice before you embark on this or any other procedures highlighted by me, or others.

Some success in gene therapy by Sound Pharma

Some success in gene therapy by Sound Pharma:


http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ucla-and-sound-pharmaceuticals-identify-a-key-hearing-regeneration-protein-in-the-human-inner-ear-116856853.html

Nanotechnology Vs Sensorineural hearing loss :

Nanotechnology Vs Sensorineural hearing loss :

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wnan.125/pdf

Hopes to see more development here and elsewhere.

Just last week, I read 2 persons have gotten sudden hearing loss last year, like me ( I got mine on 4 Jan 2009) ..

Hearing with your nose

Hearing with your nose: How nasal stem cells could tackle childhood hearing problemsStem Cell scientists in Australia have found that patients suffering from hearing problems which began during infancy and childhood could benefit from a transplant of stem cells from their nose. The research, published today in STEM CELLS, reveals that mucosa-derived stem cells can help preserve hearing function during the early-onset of sensorineural hearing loss.Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by the loss of sensory cells or neurons in the cochlea, the sensory organ of the inner ear responsible for hearing. The condition can have genetic causes, often arising during infancy and childhood, hindering cognitive development and leading to speech and language problems."One of the challenges in tackling this condition is that the regenerative ability of the human cochlea is severely limited", said lead author Dr. Sharon Oleskevich from the Hearing Research Group at The University of New South Wales. "It has been proposed that the transplantation of cells from other parts of the body could treat, prevent or even reverse hearing loss. The transplanted cells have the potential to repair tissue by replacing damaged cells and enhancing the survival of existing cells, preventing the condition from developing further."To investigate the effects of this treatment, nasal stem cells were injected into the cochlea of mice displaying symptoms of hearing loss. Mice were chosen for this treatment as they display a similar decline in hearing function following infancy."The authors have used an interesting type of adult stem cell, related to mesenchymal stem cells, to reduce the extent of hearing loss. Since the cells did not integrate into the cochlea, it is likely that the effects from the adult stem cells were due to the release of factors to preserve function of the endogenous stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells are known to provide factors to keep many types of cells healthy and functioning," said Jan Nolta, Associate Editor of STEM CELLS.Patient hearing levels were examined using the auditory brainstem response assay, which determines the lowest sound level to which the brain responds, known as the hearing threshold.The mice which received the transplanted cells were compared to mice who had not received the treatment a month later, revealing that the hearing threshold level in stem cell-transplanted mice was significantly lower."The results demonstrate a significant effect of nasal stem cell transplantations for sensorineural hearing loss," concluded Oleskevich. "These cells can be obtained easily from the nasal cavity making this transplantation a potential treatment for other human conditions including Parkinson's disease and cardiac infarction." http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/w-hwy020911.php (external link, opens new browser window)

Some more literature on delivery vehicle of healing agent

See :

http://preview.jnanobiotechnology.com/content/pdf/1477-3155-8-32.pdf

So when I am doing nothing to contribute to the hearing cause, scientists are working hard. I am really hit myself on the head.

Bravo scientists, keep up the good work in 2011!