3D Printed Masks to Protect Athletes with Nose or Facial Fractures

Mask and Image Made by Technology in Motion Over the past few years, the medical 3D printing technology has exploded with researchers being able to print a new ear, trachea, and even the skull to implant into patients. However, a more common application of medical 3D printing technology is to create custom, form-fitting facial protection masks for athletes who have suffered from facial and/or nasal fractures . With such protection, an athlete could potentially resume play within weeks rathe…

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Permanent Hearing Loss From Noise May Depend on Time of Day!

Research out of Sweden have discovered that noise-induced hearing loss sustained at night is more likely to become permanent than if it occurred during the day... at least in mice. Apparently, there are certain genes found to cycle in the cochlea of mice in a pattern that followed the hours of the day. By measuring the auditory nerve activity, they found that mice exposed to moderate noise levels during the night suffered from permanent hearing loss while mice exposed to similar noise leve…

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Hearing Protection and NRR (Noise Reduction Rating)

For all hearing protection devices from ear plugs to ear muffs, there is a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) score that informs consumers how much of a decrease in noise exposure to expect with use. For example, if an ear plug has a NRR score of 30, use of the device would be expected to reduce a 90 decibel sound by 30 decibels resulting in a noise exposure of 60 decibels. If two hearing protection devices are used, an ear plug inside the ear canal followed by ear muffs over the ear, the ultimat…

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Dr. Chang Quoted in Washington Post Regarding Hearing Damage from Noise

The Washington Post on April 8, 2013, published a story about how loud noises can lead to hearing loss, even in young teenagers. Dr. Chang was liberally quoted throughout this informative article . "...That’s according to Christopher Chang, an ear, nose and throat doctor at Fauquier ENT Consultants in Warrenton, who sees patients every day with hearing-related issues. “What he’s hearing is way too loud, because it’s concentrated directly into the ear itself,” he says of my son, add…

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