Cutting edge Seminar

 

Speaker:  Nobutaka　Ohgami (Associate Professor, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine)

Title:  Analysis of impairments of inner ears caused by environmental factors

 

Date&Time:  9 Mar.  (Wed.) 2022, 12:00- 13:00

※This seminar can also be attended through ZOOM. Please check the URL on “HIGO Cutting-Edge Seminar” at Moodle.

https://md.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/course/view.php?id=90416

 

Abstract:

Inner ears consist of the organ of Corti and vestibule. The organ of Corti plays an important role in hearing. The vestibule is crucial for sensing gravity and linear acceleration. It is important to clarify factors affecting hearing and balance since impairments of hearing and balance affect the quality of life. Genetic factors and environmental factors are known to affect health (1-3). However, there is limited information about environmental factors affecting hearing except for exposure to audible noise. In our previous studies, it was found that exposure to elements via drinking water caused hearing loss in mice with degeneration of auditory neurons in the inner ears. Our epidemiological studies also showed significant associations of hearing loss in humans with high levels of elements. Thus, our epidemiological and experimental studies suggest that hearing is affected by exposure to elements (4, 5). In this seminar, in addition to the hearing research, I would like to introduce our studies on the influence of low frequency noise on balance in mice (6) and nasal allergy exacerbated by environmental factors (7, 8).

 

References:

1. Ohgami et al. Carcinogenic risk of chromium, copper and arsenic in CCA-treated wood. Environ Pollut. 206:456–60 (2015)
2. Iida, Tazaki, Yajima, Ohgami, et al. Hair graying with aging in mice carrying oncogenic RET. Aging Cell. 19(11):e13273 (2020)
3. Ohgami et al. Loss-of-function mutation of c-Ret causes cerebellar hypoplasia in mice with Hirschsprung disease and Down’s syndrome. J Biol Chem. 296:100389 (2021)
4. Ohgami et al. Exposure to low-dose barium by drinking water causes hearing loss in mice. Neurotoxicology. 33(5):1276-83 (2012)
5. Ohgami et al. Epidemiological analysis of the association between hearing and barium in humans. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 26(5):488-93 (2016)
6. Negishi-Oshino, Ohgami et al. Heat shock protein 70 is a key molecule to rescue imbalance caused by low-frequency noise. Arch Toxicol. 93(11):3219-3228 (2019)
7. Xu, Ohgami et al. Intranasal levels of lead as an exacerbation factor for allergic rhinitis in humans and mice. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 148(1):139-147 (2021)
8. Kagawa, Tazaki, Xu, Ohgami, Kato. Reply. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 148(2): 655-656 (2021)