The Department of Defense has awarded a $1.27 million grant to the University of Kansas to study tinnitus. Tinnitus and hearing loss are the number one injury claim made by armed forces personnel returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Scientists will focus on whether the regeneration of hair cells in the inner ear can not only restore hearing, but also reduce tinnitus and restore normal brain function to targeted areas. This is the first clinical study that will examine the efficacy of replacing inner-ear hair cells to treat the disease. Researchers will conduct their studies in an animal model and then translate those results so they can be applied to humans. They study will last three years.

According to one of the researchers, Dianne Durham, PhD, professor of otolaryngology, “Our objective is to cure tinnitus, but first we have to find out what causes the ringing noises. Since the inner-ear hair cells transmit signals to the brain, we think replacing them will put us a step closer to our goal.”

An international team of scientists from the US, France and Germany have found a gene associated with a newly identified type of hearing loss. 

The gene is called SLC17A8 and is believed to be the cause of a previously unidentified class of congenital hearing loss. It is characterized by diminished ability to hear high frequency sound. According to a scientist at the University of Michigan Health System, Marci Lesperance, MD, the degree of hearing loss and the ages affected varies in individuals.

The discovery of the gene now allows for a simple screening test to indentify if a patient has a disposition for the specific type of hearing loss associated with SLC17A8 . Researchers found that this new found type of hearing loss is similar to presbycusis, a type of bilateral, age-related hearing loss. They believe that studying the gene will bring greater understanding about age related hearing loss and its causes.

Here’s one for the books… or at least the links. A study published in the British Journal of Medicine warns that certain golf clubs can cause hearing loss and by extension tinnitus.

The popular titanium clubs used by golfers everywhere create a mini sonic boom upon impact with a golf ball. Years ago the sound of a wood driver hitting a ball made a healthy click, but now the intense ping that explodes off titanium clubs creates a sound as loud as a jackhammer or jet engine at take-off.

Recent tests at Florida’s North Palm Beach Country Club with director of golf Mike Gray measured decibel levels on impact. “They design them to be louder, its more exciting. If it sounds louder, it feels like it will go father” said Gray.

Time and again the impact pinned the meter past 130 decibels. 130 decibels equals the noise level in close proximity to a jackhammer and a jet taking off on the runway. By comparison the blast from a gun muzzle hits 140 db and a rock concert clocks in at 132.

The study suggests wearing ear plugs. Tennis anyone?

It can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Some have tinnitus, others have migraines some individual experience a clicking or locking of the jaw, and others have pain on the sides and back of the neck.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder affects up to 3/4 of Americans at some time in their life. The TMJ is a complicated joint which connects the lower jaw to the temporal bone on the side of the head. Often the symptoms go away on their own, according to an article published in the New York Times, Personal Health section (2/3/2009). It’s causes are many; environmental, biologic, social, behavioral, to name a few and it impacts women most often. An incredible ninety percent of patients who seek treatment are women.

Those who experience the above symptoms are urged to obtain at thorough examination (often dentists trained in craniofacial care) and assessment of the problem before embarking on a therapy, especially if they have tinnitus or migraine headaches.

While surgery is the last resort there are many simple and safe therapy options:

1) Rest the jaw is the most important.
2) Stop harmful chewing and biting habits.
3) Avoid opening your moth wide while yawning or laughing.
4) Temporarily eat only soft foods, such as soup, yogurt, fish and cottage cheese, pureed vegetables and fruit.
5) Apply heat the side of the face and take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, for up to two weeks.

Two recent European studies discuss the relationship between tinnitus, depression and self-image. A study from the University Medical Center at Groningen, The Netherlands, revealed that a remarkable number of tinnitus patients are depressed and have a negative attitude toward life. They do not dare to share these feelings with others, which means they receive little social support, which in turn leads to withdrawal behavior. This is also described as the so-called “Type D personality”. No fewer than 94 of the 265 tinnitus patients investigated had such a personality type. These patients experienced significantly more psychological discomfort, the research revealed. Anxiety and depression appear to strengthen the effect of tinnitus. People with a Type D personality in particular should undergo treatment that concentrates on the reduction of anxiety and depression.

Another study from Innsbruck Medical University in Innsbruck, Austria showed that people suffering from tinnitus may also have negative feelings about their body concept and body image. Sixty-five patients with chronic tinnitus were interviewed concerning the subjective distress caused by their tinnitus, their body image and any depression. These were compared to a random sample of healthy control patients. Overall, the study collectively showed significantly less vitality and body dynamics, attractiveness/self-confidence and were less pleased with the appearance of their own body than the control patients. Comparison of those patients reporting severe tinnitus and those with mild tinnitus found that with increased tinnitus, patients suffered from significantly greater uncertainty and concern with regard to their bodies. In practice, problems involving a person’s body image should be given greater consideration during examination and when planning treatment and therapy should incorporate body-related exercises.

Barry Keate

Though the results weren’t overwhelming, US researchers found that a substance often used by plastic surgeons to reduce wrinkles was helpful for some in reducing tinnitus,  according to a news story in Hear-it.org.

Botox, a nerve agent commonly used in cosmetic surgery, was found to be helpful for approximately one out of four patients tested in a clinical study. Scientific researchers from the California Ear Institute, San Ramon, CA, conducted  tests using Botox treatment for patients with tinnitus. Twenty-six participants received small Botox injections in their ears; seven reported improvements in tinnitus symptoms after 4 months, 16 reported no change, and three said their tinnitus had become worse.

The placebo part of the experiment confirmed the results of the Botox treatments. Some participants reported no change when they received Placebo injections, others said their tinnitus got worse. The scientists say that more research is needed to gain an understanding of the effect of Botox on tinnitus and how it might become part of future tinnitus treatment strategies.

Individuals listening to personal stereo devices may find that the volume level just  isn’t as loud if European Union’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risk has their way.

According to committee researchers, one out of ten users listen to music at decibel levels that cause permanent hearing damage. MP3 players and the like with the use of in-ear headphone phones, commonly called “earbuds,” have the ability to reach 120dB. Hearing damage can begin as low as 90dB (think truck traffic). 120dB is 5 points louder than a rock concert. Ultimately this could put up to 10 million people in the EU at risk.

Typically younger people are the ones at risk for this type of hearing damage and the committee’s concern is that these music devices will eventually have a long-term negative impact on the health of their constituents.

A British study found that 6.9 per cent of people aged 18 to 25 played their personal stereos louder than 90dB. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People has calculated that more than two thirds of young people who regularly use MP3 players face premature hearing damage.

As well as hearing loss and tinnitus, loud noise can also affect the memory, attention, school performance and may even lead to higher blood pressure, according to some studies.

Apple, makers of iPod have introduced software that can limit the volume of their device, but only after being ordered to do so by the French government or have their products removed from stores.

The European Commission is organizing a conference to discuss the findings and is expected to recommend a reduction in the maximum legal volume of these personal stereo devices.

Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels grow toward tumors to promote new growth. When tumors grow beyond about 1-2 mm, they require additional oxygen and nutrients. They send chemical signals to the body to promote new blood vessels to supply the tumor, allowing them  to grow and eventually to metastasize, spreading cancer throughout the body. Efforts to reduce or eliminate angiogenesis have become one of the most promising and exciting areas in cancer therapy. If angiogenesis can be stopped, tumors will whither and die.

New research has shown that extracts of Ginkgo biloba are powerful antagonists to angiogenesis. A research paper published in Fundamentals of Clinical Pharmacology found that exposure of human breast cancer cells to Ginkgo extract inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells. Likewise with exposure of human bladder cancer cells exposed to the same Ginkgo extract.

A Boston-based team led by Dr. Bin Ye and Dr. Daniel Cramer at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that women who took Ginkgo supplements for six months or longer had a 60% lower risk  for ovarian cancer.

Research is ongoing and more is needed to precisely define how effective Ginkgo biloba will be in the search for cancer therapies. In the meantime, those people with tinnitus using Arches Tinnitus Relief Formula, including pharmaceutical-grade Ginkgo biloba extract, will benefit from the anti-angiogenesis properties of Ginkgo biloba.

Ginkgo biloba has many other healthful properties such as acting as an antioxidant, blood vessel health, reducing atherosclerosis, brain health and anti-depressant activity.

Look for a more detailed discussion of the anti-cancer properties of Ginkgo biloba in a future article in our newsletter, Quiet Times.

Barry Keate

Hearing loss caused by damage to the delicate hair cells of the inner ear (usually by loud noise) has been believed to be incurable. But now a team of scientists at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) are using gene therapy to grow functioning inner ear cells in mice embryos in the womb.

Gene therapy involves inserting a functional form of a gene called Atoh1 into the inner ear of unborn mice. The procedure showed that these animals ended up with more hair cells than normal. More importantly, the cells that had Atoh1 functioned in the same way as normal hair cells.

The work by OHSU and their exciting results has roots in similar scientific breakthroughs by other researchers at the University of Michigan who used gene therapy to generate hair cells in adult guinea pigs.

In other arenas, progress is being made in developing stem cell treatments for hearing loss. By injecting bone marrow stem cells into the inner ear of rats with damaged hearing, researchers found that they recovered more rapidly. You can read an article on stem cell research in mice in our Tinnitus Library.

Despite the encouraging news a functional procedure for humans is a long way off. There remain a range of obstacles to surmount before people with hearing problems see benefits from gene therapy treatment, such as how to deliver the hair cell genes into human ears. But as one researcher said, “it is no longer a pipe dream.”

It may just seem like common sense, but a new study confirms that things that are bad for the body tend to  negatively impact a range of human conditions including tinnitus and hearing loss.

A study on hearing loss at the Antwerp University, Belgium, found that smoking and obesity increase the chance of hearing loss, and subsequently tinnitus. Those who smoke or who are overweight are more at risk for hearing loss.

A healthy ear requires large amounts of oxygen and nutrients, which are supplied through the vascular system. The reason smoking and obesity affects hearing is similar to the reasons those factors can affect other organs. In smokers and obese individuals, lack of blood flow to the ears, coupled with failure to remove toxic waste from the ears, can impair hearing. Cardiovascular function is diminished by the stress put on the body by excess weight and/or smoking.

The study supports the idea that whether it is exposure to loud noise or a genetic predisposition to hearing loss, smoking and obesity will increase the odds that it will occur. And if that’s not enough to rethink or maintain a healthy lifestyle, studies also show that hearing loss can result in depression and financial loss!

Brent Curtis – Editor