Surgeons from London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital used cartilage from a nine-year-old boy’s ribs to construct ears for him. Kieran Sorkin was born deaf and without ears. He had already received a hearing aid implant, but wanted to complete his transformation so he would stop getting bullied.

Surgeons extracted cartilage from six of Sorkin’s ribs. They were cut, shaped, and sewn to resemble the shape of an ear. Then they were then placed into pockets of the skin and suctioned. While the surgery is cosmetic and does not influence hearing, it is has been found to be very successful in boosting people’s confidence and self-esteem.

Scientists say tissue engineering will be used in the near future for this type of reconstructive surgery. Instead of harvesting cartilage from a patient’s ribs, they will be able to grow it from stem cells.

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Sourced from: bbc.com, Boy has ears created from ribs

Some of the most commonly prescribed medications taken by seniors may raise their risk of falling, according to new research. The study pointed out that painkillers and antidepressants brought the greatest risk for injuries in a fall.

The research looked at 64,000 Swedes over age 65 and found that medications that affect the central nervous system were the most concerning.

The researchers found that men and women taking opioid painkillers and men taking antidepressants were 75 percent more likely to have a fall injury. Drugs for ulcers and GERD, calcium, vitamin B12 and some non-opioid painkillers were also linked to a 15 to 75 percent risk of injury from a fall.

Experts say it’s important for people to pay attention to the symptoms caused by the drugs, such as vertigo, dizziness, drowsiness, muscular weakness and cognitive impairment. The researchers noted that the results reinforce why doctors need to weigh the risks against the benefits of prescribing these drugs to the elderly.

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Sourced from: Reuters, Many meds taken by seniors can raise risk of falls

In a study in which they surveyed people about their Facebook behavior and inclinations, researchers concluded that couples who cram newsfeeds with declarations of their love for each other may be trying to mitigate their own fears of rejection.

The researchers from Albright College in Pennsylvania found that users who fall into a certain self-esteem category, called Relationship Contingent Self-Esteem (RCSE), tend to hang their self-esteem to an unhealthy degree on how well their relationship is going. Such people, according to the researchers, tend to post more affectionate relationship content on Facebook. These users were also more likely to brag about their relationship and check up on their partner’s activities via Facebook.

They also found that introverts and neurotic individuals are more likely to spy on their partners on Facebook, as well as show off their relationships.

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Sourced from: Medical News Today, Study examines why couples post ‘lovey-dovey’ updates on Facebook