Study Challenges Evolution of How Humans Acquired Language
A gene implicated in affecting speech and language, FOXP2, is held up as a “textbook” example of positive selection on a human-specific trait.
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Year: 2018
Oticon Government Services Attends 119th VFW Convention
Oticon Government Services team members met with veterans and military service members from active, guard, and reserve forces to answer questions and provide hands-on experience with Oticon Opn™rechargeable and Oticon ConnectClip.
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FCC Proposes Automating Phone Captioning
As part of a July 18 announcement in the Federal Register on a new proposed ruling, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)—the government agency regulating interstate communications by radio, TV, satellite, cable, and wire—has indicated an interest in utilizing automated speech recognition (ASR) as an alternative to live captioning assistants (CAs) for Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS), making the use of CAs optional.
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Ten Minutes of Social Interaction Per Day May Improve Dementia Care
The Wellbeing and Health for people with Dementia (WHELD) program trained care home staff to increase social interaction from two minutes a day to 10, combined with a program of personalized care. It involves simple measures such as talking to residents about their interests and involving them in decisions around their care.
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3M to Pay $9.1 Million Settlement for Selling Defective Earplugs to Military
As the result of a whistleblower lawsuit, 3M has agreed to pay $9.1 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly sold its dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2 (CAEv2) to the US military without disclosing defects that hampered the effectiveness of the hearing protection device.
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Is Stark Law Reform on the Horizon for 2018?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a request for information about how to address any undue regulatory impact and burden of the physician self-referral law—commonly referred to as the Stark Law. The request appeared in the June 25 Federal Register, and the deadline for comments is August 24.
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Phonak Wins Three Red Dot Product Design Awards
The Phonak Virto B-Titanium, Phonak Audéo B-Direct, and EasyView Otoblock were honored for excellence in product design quality.
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Audigy Medical Announces COPM-C Certifications
The certification represents the knowledge required to guide otolaryngology practice owners and their teams in optimizing business operations and helping to improve the business of otolaryngology itself.
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Oticon Medical Appoints John Sparacio as President, US
As President, Sparacio will have responsibility for leadership of the entire US organization and the advancement of Oticon Medical’s position in bone-anchored hearing systems and cochlear implant solutions in the US.
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Sensaphonics Adds Claudia Pyne, Richard Sandrok to Artist Relations’ and Sales’ Team
Both appointments are effective immediately.
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Dementia Medications May Cause Increase in Harmful Side Effects, New Research Shows
In the opioid painkiller research, a team from the University of Exeter, King’s College London and the University of Bergen highlight a tripling in harmful side effects related to the use of buprenorphine in people with dementia, compared to those on a placebo.
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ZPower Appoints Herb Weigel as COO
Weigel, who has been with ZPower since 2005, will now oversee the daily operations of the company as it prepares for a second growth phase and increased production to meet market demand.
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Sensorion Announces Initiation of Phase 2 Study for Vertigo Drug Seliforant
By comparing the effects of seliforant to meclizine, a drug with known anticholinergic side effects, and placebo, the SENS-111-202 study aims to confirm the absence of anticholinergic effects such as sedation and memory loss in patients receiving seliforant.
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Amplifon to Purchase GAES Group for $616 Million
Amplifon SpA has announced its intent to purchase the privately owned GAES Group, Spain’s largest hearing aid distributor, for €528 million (US$616.6 million). “This major acquisition represents a key milestone in the history of our company and perfectly fits Amplifon’s growth strategy, allowing us to consolidate our global leadership and enabling us to become a market leader in Spain, as well as consolidate our market position in Portugal while also entering the Latin American region,” said Amplifon CEO Enrico Vita.
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MED-EL BONEBRIDGE System Granted FDA “de Novo Clearance”
MED-EL USA, Durham, NC, has been granted FDA de novo clearance for the BONEBRIDGE™ bone conduction hearing implant system for individuals 12 years and older who have been diagnosed with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, or single-sided deafness.
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