Gene Inhibits Hair Growth
Researchers from Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Harvard Medical School among others, have discovered that deleting the retinoblastoma (Rb1) gene causes the growth of new hair cells in the cochlea of the inner ear in mice. Rb1 produces a protein that stops hair-cell regeneration in the cochlea. Mice that had the gene removed began to grow new inner-ear hairs.
Humans are born with about 15,000 of these non-regenerating hairs in each cochlea that vibrate in response to sound waves and allow us to hear. Through the natural process of aging as well as environmental factors such as ototoxins and noise, hair cells die resulting in hearing loss. The study sheds new light on the control mechanisms for hair-cell growth which could lead to clinical applications and eventually treatment of age-related hearing loss in humans.
Background Noise Is Worse Than You Think
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published the results of a study by researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville who have found that background noise not only makes hearing more difficult but may also scramble language-processing activity in the brain. The experiment revealed why merely speaking louder in a noisy room is not enough, by examining how rats’ brain cells responded to target sounds in the presence of background noise. Researchers learned that in addition to masking the target sound, background noise decreased brain activity and interfered with the brain’s ability to process and interpret information about sound. These findings have applications for better designs in hearing aids, cochlear implants and earphones that will decrease background noise, allowing the brain to hear and process important sounds more efficiently.
Are You Ready for This?
The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network, a coalition of 16 national organizations, and the Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons have released the report “Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Communication Access: Lessons Learned Since 9/11 and Recommendations.” According to the report, a top priority is the need for more effective warning systems without which people who are deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) may be unaware of emergencies, unable to learn what steps must be taken to protect themselves and have no access to critical resources in the aftermath of an emergency. The report further claims that emergency planners across the U.S. are establishing systems that do not account for people with special needs.
Reinforcing these recommendations is the recent Maryland court ruling that public places must consider the needs of those with disabilities in their evacuation plans in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The case’s plaintiff, Katie Savage, was trapped during an emergency evacuation in a shopping mall that had no accessible exits for persons with disabilities. To view a full copy of the emergency preparedness report, visit www.nad.org.
