New surgical procedures are being developed that could help to speed healing time and reduce pain for adult patients suffering from chronic tonsillitis. In a paper presented at the 2007 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, researchers discuss the efficacy of Co2 laser tonsil subtotal ablation and bipolar radiofrequency ablation tonsillectomy as an alternative treatment to conventional cold-steel tonsillectomy. [click link for full article]

The American Sleep Association is preparing for Sleep Apnea Awareness Week, a national event focused on increasing public awareness about this potentially deadly sleep disorder. The event will occur during the first seven days of October. Local and national members and affiliates of the American Sleep Association (ASA) will be participating in the event. ASA affiliated sleep disorder laboratories will be prepared to answer questions from the public about sleep apnea. [click link for full article]

Head and neck cancers will affect more than 55,000 Americans this year alone. Effective treatment options are available; however, quality of life (QOL) factors are greatly impacted by the specific type of treatment employed. [click link for full article]

MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: MOR; Prime Standard Segment) announced that a HuCAL GOLD-derived fully human antibody against a non-disclosed target molecule in the therapeutic area of oncology has been advanced to a Phase 1 clinical trial. This Investigational New Drug application filing, resulting from MorphoSys collaboration with Novartis, triggers a clinical milestone payment to MorphoSys. [click link for full article]

A basic hearing evaluation generally involves the use of tuning fork tests. In the Weber tuning fork test, the tuning fork is hit, causing it to vibrate, then placed on the midline forehead. Patients are asked if the sound forms in only one ear, or is midline. A person with normal hearing would hear the sound in the midline, but certain types of hearing loss will cause the sound to be heard in one ear more than the other. [click link for full article]

Children with severe to profound hearing loss under evaluation for cochlear implantation have traditionally been given a three to six month hearing aid trial to verify that they don’t receive sufficient audiometric and speech benefit from hearing aids before proceeding with cochlear implantation. [click link for full article]

A state-of-the-art new premises accommodating hundreds of cancer research scientists will officially open at UCL (University College London). The UCL Cancer Institute, housed in the £40 million Paul O’Gorman building, is situated at the heart of one of the largest and most prolific biomedical facilities in Europe. [click link for full article]

Two U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agencies will collaborate in the most comprehensive study to date of prescription medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the potential for increased risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problems. Researchers supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the U.S. [click link for full article]

Adult testicles could one day become a common source for stem cells to cultivate a host of tissue types to combat disease, while at the same time avoiding the ethical resistance to embryonic stem cells, say researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, USA. You can read about this latest research in the journal Nature, September 20 issue. [click link for full article]

Researchers from London’s Imperial College have successfully implanted lung cells grown from embryonic stem cells into the lungs of mice. This worldwide breakthrough, presented to the annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) in Stockholm, opens up exciting new horizons for the treatment of lung disease. Tissue engineering and stem cell therapy are giving rise to great hopes for the treatment of many conditions. [click link for full article]