Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Protiens tied to Usher Syndrom may be our Hearing's Missing Link..
Scientists with the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom, have identified protocadherin-15 as a likely player in the moment-of-truth reaction in which sound is converted into electrical signals. (Protocadherin-15 is a protein made by a gene that causes one form of type 1 Usher syndrome, the most common cause of deaf-blindness in humans.) The findings will not only provide insight into how hearing takes place at the molecular level, but also may help us figure out why some people temporarily lose their hearing after being exposed to loud noise, only to regain it a day or two later.
Full Article Here
This is HUGE! At least of third of all people with hearing loss can attribute it to Noise Induced Hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) accounts for about 90% of all hearing loss. If they can figure out how to harness these protiens or how to rebuild them, I might be out of a JOB! Haha! We have long known that small hair cells in the inner ear convert acoustical mechanical engergy into electrical signals through a process called mechanotransduction. But how this really works is kind of muddy, we don't fully understand how it all works. What we do know that sound enters our ears and vibrates the ear drum. This in turns sets the middle ear into motion and the bones of the middle ear vibrate the inner ear. The inner ear is filled with fluids and hair cells. The ripple effect caused by the vibration of the middle ear causes tiny structures on the hair cells to bump up against a membrane. These hair cells are arranged in layers, with each connected to the next by tiny threads of protien. These sets of cells are responsible for specific frequencies of sounds and together they form a channel. As these hair cells or stereocilia brush up against this membrane, tiny pores on the surface of the stereocilia open; letting potassium solutions rush in. This in turn produces a chemical reaction between these solutions and an electrical signal is sent up to our brain to be interperated as sound. The link that connects the tip of the shorter stereocilium to the side of the taller stereocilium must be present for that set of stereocilia to function. Scientists believe that the structure that connects the stereocilia together may be responsible for opening and closing the channel's gate - its way of sending that electrical signal up to the brain. If they can learn the exact makeup of this protien link, they'll be that much closer to understanding how the gate opens and closes. And possibly that much closer to a cure for sensorineural hearing loss. It seems that these protiens rebuild themselves, after a loud concert we can have a short shift in our hearing, but with in 24 hours we can hear normally again. The million dollar question though is why does this rebuilding of protiens stop with prolonged exposure to noise? Figure that out and you will make billions and put me out a job.
Full Article Here
This is HUGE! At least of third of all people with hearing loss can attribute it to Noise Induced Hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) accounts for about 90% of all hearing loss. If they can figure out how to harness these protiens or how to rebuild them, I might be out of a JOB! Haha! We have long known that small hair cells in the inner ear convert acoustical mechanical engergy into electrical signals through a process called mechanotransduction. But how this really works is kind of muddy, we don't fully understand how it all works. What we do know that sound enters our ears and vibrates the ear drum. This in turns sets the middle ear into motion and the bones of the middle ear vibrate the inner ear. The inner ear is filled with fluids and hair cells. The ripple effect caused by the vibration of the middle ear causes tiny structures on the hair cells to bump up against a membrane. These hair cells are arranged in layers, with each connected to the next by tiny threads of protien. These sets of cells are responsible for specific frequencies of sounds and together they form a channel. As these hair cells or stereocilia brush up against this membrane, tiny pores on the surface of the stereocilia open; letting potassium solutions rush in. This in turn produces a chemical reaction between these solutions and an electrical signal is sent up to our brain to be interperated as sound. The link that connects the tip of the shorter stereocilium to the side of the taller stereocilium must be present for that set of stereocilia to function. Scientists believe that the structure that connects the stereocilia together may be responsible for opening and closing the channel's gate - its way of sending that electrical signal up to the brain. If they can learn the exact makeup of this protien link, they'll be that much closer to understanding how the gate opens and closes. And possibly that much closer to a cure for sensorineural hearing loss. It seems that these protiens rebuild themselves, after a loud concert we can have a short shift in our hearing, but with in 24 hours we can hear normally again. The million dollar question though is why does this rebuilding of protiens stop with prolonged exposure to noise? Figure that out and you will make billions and put me out a job.
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Hi Guys,
As i was searching the web I found an interesting review site, that speaks about different types of Hearing Aids and their uses. People have written multiple articles with the reviews of
phonak audeo
miracle-ear
amplifon hearing aid
sonus
and other medical equipment reviews
Check it out. Really informative site
Regards,
Joanna Clark-Smith.
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As i was searching the web I found an interesting review site, that speaks about different types of Hearing Aids and their uses. People have written multiple articles with the reviews of
phonak audeo
miracle-ear
amplifon hearing aid
sonus
and other medical equipment reviews
Check it out. Really informative site
Regards,
Joanna Clark-Smith.
# posted by 
: 12:05 PM
: 12:05 PM Links to this post:
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