Plasminogen - safe for treatment of chronic tympanic membrane perforation: a phase 1 randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Background: There is a need for a simpler and accessible intervention to heal tympanic membrane perforations than myringoplasty that is todaýs golden standard. Experimental studies have identified plasminogen as a promising agent for medical treatment of chronic tympanic membrane perforation.

Aims/objectives: This was a phase 1, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study with the main objective to evaluate the safety of injecting plasminogen in the vicinity of the tympanic membrane in subjects with chronic tympanic membrane perforation.

Differing Bilateral Benefits for Spatial Release From Masking and Sound Localization Accuracy Using Bone Conduction Devices.

Objectives: Normal binaural hearing facilitates spatial hearing and therefore many everyday listening tasks, such as understanding speech against a backdrop of competing sounds originating from various locations, and localization of sounds. For stimulation with bone conduction hearing devices (BCD), used to alleviate conductive hearing losses, limited transcranial attenuation results in cross-stimulation so that both cochleae are stimulated from the position of the bone conduction transducer. As such, interaural time and level differences, hallmarks of binaural hearing, are unpredictable at the level of the inner ears.

Psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Glasgow Benefit Inventory in otosclerosis subjects.

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI).

Methods: A prospective multicenter cohort study was conducted. A total of 123 otosclerosis subjects were included in the study.

Cochlear implants before 9 months of age led to more natural spoken language development without increased surgical risks.

Aim: Evidence suggests that cochlear implants are beneficial for language development, but there is no consensus about the ideal age for surgery. We investigated how language development and surgical safety were affected by patients' ages.

Methods: This study comprised 103 children (52 boys) aged 4.

The choice of stimulation strategy affects the ability to detect pure tone inter-aural time differences in children with early bilateral cochlear implantation.

Objectives: To investigate if the interaural time difference (ITD) ability is dependent of stimulation strategy. To examine the correlation between ITD, interaural level differences (ILD) and the ability to localize different sounds.

Methods: Thirty subjects aged 8-13 who were implanted bilaterally before 3 years of age were tested.