All news from ENT

Improper Treatment Of Hearing Loss Tied To Cognitive Decline In Older Adults

Researchers examined data on 7,385 adults 50 and older without a diagnosis of dementia or other conditions tied to cognitive problems and without hearing implants or ear infections. Overall, about 41% had a mild hearing loss, 10% had a severe hearing loss, and 11% used a hearing aid. 

While age-related hearing loss has been linked to cognitive decline. The study suggests hearing aids may help minimize the risk of problems like impaired memory or executive function. People in the study who used hearing aids, however, were very different from those who did not use these devices.

The study was published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Diabetic Patients Die From Alcohol-Related Factors/Accidents

Diabetic patients are more likely to die from alcohol-related factors, accidents or suicide. The study was published in the  European Journal Endocrinology. The study findings suggest that the increased risk of death from these causes may be related to the mental health of patients, which may be adversely affected by the psychological burden of living with and self-treating this debilitating disease, with powerful and certain disorders.

Doubly Randomized Preference Trial of Prolonged Exposure Versus Sertraline for Treatment of PTSD

A multiyear clinical trial comparing medication and mental health in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder shows that patients who chose their form of treatment-whether drugs or therapy improved more than those who were simply prescribed one or the other regardless of the patient's preference. The study was published in the  American Journal of Psychiatry.

This is the first large-scale trial of hundreds of PTSD patients, including veterans and survivors of sexual assault, to measure if a patient preference in the course of treatment with the effectiveness of a type of cognitive behavioral therapy and use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a type of antidepressant often prescribed for PTSD.

Eradication of Drug-Resistant Bacteria with Probiotic/Antibiotic Combination

In the fight against drug-resistant bacteria, MIT researchers have enlisted the help of beneficial bacterium known as probiotics. In a new study, the researchers showed that by delivering a combination of antibiotic drugs and probiotics, they could eradicate two strains of drug-resistant bacteria that often infect wounds. To achieve this, they encapsulated the probiotic bacterium in a protective shell of alginate, a biocompatible material that prevents the probiotic from being killed by the antibiotic.

Higher Prevalence of K. Pneumoniae Strains in Neonates

The research was conducted by Kazan Federal University, Kazan State Medical University, City Clinical Children's Hospital No. 1, and Republican Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital. K. pneumoniae is known to cause a number of infectious diseases of lungs, kidneys, intestines, liver, and blood. It has become widely known in recent years because of the rapidly growing drug resistance supported by the production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs).

New Approach against Anthrax and Plague: Dual Vaccine

A team of researchers has now engineered a virus nanoparticle vaccine against Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis, tier 1 agents that pose serious threats to national security of the United States. B. anthracis and Y. pestis are the pathogens that cause anthrax and plague, respectively. The study is published in mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

New Findings: Mad Cow Disease found on Aberdeenshire Farm

Scotland has confirmed its first case of Mad Cow disease or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) since 2018 on a cattle farm. The case was confirmed after a cow died. The numbers show that there have been a total of 16 cases in the United Kingdom over the past seven years.

BSE wrecked havoc among cattle in the 1980s and 1990s when it affected and killed thousands of cows. A further 4.4 million cattle were slaughtered to avoid the spread of the disease. The disease was first identified in 1995. The last recorded case in Wales was seen in 2015.