HYPOTHESIS Studies were designed to ascertain the impact of chronic middle ear infection on the numerous ion and water channels, transporters, and tissue remodeling genes in the inner and middle ear. BACKGROUND Permanent sensorineural hearing loss is a significant problem resulting from chronic middle ear disease, although the inner ear processes involved are poorly defined. Maintaining a bal...

A small percentage of children who have received the Nucleus multichannel cochlear implant have cochlear malformations of the inner ear and consequent partial electrode insertions. This case describes one child with a cochlear "common cavity" who received an implant at a young age. The case has been further complicated by a gradual malfunction of the electrode array, although the device has not...

Vertebrate hearing and balance are based in complex asymmetries of inner ear structure. Here, we identify retinoic acid (RA) as an extrinsic signal that acts directly on the ear rudiment to affect its compartmentalization along the anterior-posterior axis. A rostrocaudal wave of RA activity, generated by tissues surrounding the nascent ear, induces distinct responses from anterior and posterior...

Liposome nanocarriers (LPNs) are potentially the future of inner ear therapy due to their high drug loading capacity and efficient uptake in the inner ear after a minimally invasive intratympanic administration. However, information on the biocompatibility of LPNs in the inner ear is lacking. The aim of the present study is to document the biocompatibility of LPNs in the inner ear after intraty...

There are dozens of different myosin isozymes, though it's not clear why cells require such a diversity. These images of fluorescently-labelled hair cells from the inner ears of frog, guinea pig and mouse show the localization of actin (red at top left and bottom right) and of four different forms of myosin (green, except at bottom left, where myosin VI is labelled in red). Hair cells are the r...

In recent years, huge advances have taken place in understanding of inner ear pathophysiology causing sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo. Advances in understanding comprise biochemical and physiological research of stimulus perception and conduction, inner ear homeostasis, and hereditary diseases with underlying genetics. This review describes and tabulates the various causes of ...

Dlx5, a homeobox transcription factor, plays a key role in the development of many organ systems. It is a candidate gene for human split-hand/split-foot type 1 malformation associated with sensorineural hearing loss. A deletion of one of its enhancers has been implicated in human craniofacial defects/hearing loss and it has also been associated with autism. However, little is known of how Dlx5 ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Despite the advancement of concurrent chemoradiotherapy, inner ear symptoms such as hearing loss, tinnitus, or vertigo/dizziness are still experienced in irradiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) survivors. This study utilized an inner ear test battery to assess the causes and sequence of inner ear deficits in irradiated NPC survivors with a mean interval of 10 years after...

Keywords: enlarged endolymphatic duct and sac syndrome; sudden hearing loss; retrocochlear pattern Abstract: Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct (EVA) is one inner ear malformation found in 35% of children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss.(1) Case reports of late diagnosis of enlarged vestibular aqueduct in young adulthood are extremely rare. The authors present a case of unilateral sensorin...