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The emergence of in-office ventilation tubes for the treatment of otitis media in children

In-office tympanostomy tube systems offer a quicker, anaesthesia-free alternative to traditional surgery for children, with promising outcomes and reduced costs. Tympanostomy tube or grommet insertion is the most common surgery performed on children worldwide. Whilst a relatively short and straightforward...

Hearables: in-ear sensing devices for recording of physiological signals

Colver Ken Howe Ne, Jameel Muzaffar and Manohar Bance discuss the potential of hearable systems to monitor physiological signals (e.g. from brain or heart, blood pressure, body temperature) unobtrusively. Such adaptations require high-quality sensors and sophisticated de-noising signal processing on...

Collaborating with patients on research priorities in hyperacusis: the James Lind Alliance project

An innovative and inclusive approach to the identification and prioritisation of research questions is to place the views of patients at the heart of the process, and in partnership with clinicians. The application of this to hyperacusis is described by...

The pong of poverty: George Orwell on the problem of olfactory classism

Throughout his fiction and non-fiction, George Orwell incorporated references to olfaction to invoke strong reactions in his readers. For example, in Nineteen Eighty-Four the protagonist Winston describes “the pleasant smell of [Julia’s] hair”. Orwell emphasises the invasiveness and emotional force...

Understanding the NAL-NL3 Prescription System: a new era of personalised hearing aid fitting

The NAL-NL3 system marks a transformative step in hearing aid fitting, shifting from a one-size-fits-most prescription to a modular, patient-centred approach. Developed by the National Acoustic Laboratories, this new system integrates a core audiogram-based prescription with targeted modules to address...

Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy / parathyroidectomy – a new approach

Historically, scarless surgery has been popular in certain cultures. But is it gaining traction around the world? A UK team tell us more. Background Alternative, remote access approaches to thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy are increasing in popularity, the newest of these...

How sight shapes sound: cross-modal plasticity and cochlear implantation

Visual cues support auditory recovery after cochlear implantation, with evidence showing cross-modal plasticity enhances speech perception and rehabilitation outcomes. Traditionally, clinical guidance around cochlear implantation has been shaped by a key concern: that reliance on visual communication, particularly speechreading, might...

Tinnitus treatment device from concept to commercialisation

Innovation in the field of healthcare is fraught with nearly insurmountable challenges. Bringing a novel product to the market requires a new (patentable) idea that can be reduced to practice, manufactured at scale, and can pass all regulatory barriers. In...