A USC proof-of-concept study found that OCT imaging can measure fluid levels in the inner ear, which correlate with a patient’s degree of hearing loss. The Keck School of Medicine of USC team used the tool to scan the inner ears of 19 patients undergoing ear surgery. Six patients had normal inner ear function, four had Ménière’s disease, and nine had vestibular schwannoma (a benign tumor on a nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain). During surgery, a thick outer bone known as the mastoid was temporarily removed, allowing researchers to use OCT to collect images of the fluid compartments in the inner ear. OCT images showed that patients with Ménière’s disease or vestibular schwannoma had higher levels of a fluid called endolymph, compared to those with normal inner ear function. Increased endolymph levels were linked to greater hearing loss, indicating that measuring these fluid levels could help predict the severity of symptoms. The researchers are working to develop a smaller, more affordable version of the tool that they plan to distribute and test with surgeons and are working to adapt the technology for clinical use outside of surgery by improving the software and image-processing techniques. 

A new Penn Nursing initiative explores the impact of federally funded international bioethics training programs. The collaborative initiative, published in the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, highlights both the significant achievements and ongoing challenges in building bioethics research capacity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Drawing on a landmark 25-year study that followed Quebec children into adulthood, McGill University researchers have identified two distinct patterns in how suicidal thoughts emerge and the early signs that are often missed.

Suicidal thoughts are increasingly common among youth, but how they begin and what mental health symptoms often precede them are poorly understood, the researchers said.