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The changing spectrum of cancer of the oropharynx: dilemmas and future directions

The association of HPV in oropharyngeal cancer has identified a ‘new disease’, with its unique biologic behaviour, and challenges for clinicians in selecting therapeutic combinations offering maximum efficacy and minimum morbidity or long-term sequela currently under study in clinical trials....

Smart cochlear device: how biosensors could revolutionise hearing care

Smart cochlear implants could monitor inner ear health, deliver drugs and adapt in real time, merging biosensing, microfluidics and personalised hearing care. From passive hearing aids to smart implants Hearing technology has advanced dramatically over the last few decades, yet...

Plasticity with cochlear implants: individual factors in the outcomes

Andrej Kral gives us an overview of neuronal plasticity in congenital hearing loss, and discusses why it is core to our clinical interventions in hearing loss and rehabilitation. The brain is born immature and undergoes extensive shaping during early development....

The changing landscape of thyroid and parathyroid surgery

How has clinical practice in the management of thyroid and parathyroid disease has evolved in recent years? I perform very few head & neck operations where the patient tells me just one week following surgery that they ‘feel much better’....

Rehabilitation of single-sided deafness with cochlear implants

The relatively recent emergence of cochlear implantation as a potential means of restoring hearing to a deafened ear, in the presence of normal hearing in the other ear, has proved an exciting and yet surprising development. James Tysome explores the...

What’s new in the cochlea?

Prof Furness in this article rounds up the steps and leaps being made by the scientific community to develop therapies to support, rejuvenate and / or replace the cochlear structures. David’s electron microscope images of the cochlear structures are world...

Human immunodeficiency virus and hearing impairment

With an estimated 36.7 million individuals living with HIV / AIDS and literature reporting that these conditions contribute to hearing loss, it is surprising that more focus and resources are not employed to tackle this major hearing health concern. Yolandé...

Diagnosing and managing somatic tinnitus

Interactions between auditory and somatosensory pathways can lead to interesting tinnitus experiences which can be very bothersome. Dr Sarah Michiels describes her pioneering work in this area, and the possibilities of physiotherapy based therapy. Background Somatic (also called somatosensory) tinnitus...

Precision and personalised genomic and epigenomic medicine in audiology/hearing loss

A detailed look at the pathogenesis of acquired hearing loss due to exposure to ototoxicity during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Insights from genomic medicine have shown that, along with environmental factors causing epigenetic alterations, hearing loss may be caused...

Ear wax removal: should anyone and everyone perform it?

Earwax removal is a controversial and much-debated issue in audiology. Risks and public safety call for reforms, sparking discussion on professional standards. Earwax is a natural secretion produced by the ear. It is an amalgamation of desquamous epithelial skin cells,...