Ahmedabad, India — Lincoln Pharmaceuticals announced that it has introduced the first injection pharmaceutical cure for tinnitus in India. Using the brand name Tinnex, the injection utilizes the Caroverine molecule, which was developed by Lincoln Pharma under a licensing arrangement and technical collaboration with Phafag AG, Switzerland.

According to the company, cochlear synaptic tinnitus is the most common cause of tinnitus and is due to disturbed interplay of receptors on the postsynaptic membrane between inner hair cells and dendrites. Disturbed interplay creates a state of spontaneous depolarization, causing patients to continuously hear a sound.

Tinnex is described as a glutamate antagonist with a single injection that corrects the spontaneous depolarization state. Receptors start functioning again in a normal physiological way, giving permanent cure from tinnitus to patients, the company claims. It also says that no adverse effects have been noticed during its clinical studies of the drug.

Lincoln Pharmaceuticals says it is exploring other countries to introduce Tinnex. More information is available on the company's website.

SOURCE: Nasdaq News reports and Tinnex

Wireless CapTel® by Sprint® powered by Raketu® lets users read mobile conversations with the aid of captions

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – October 21, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced the availability of Wireless CapTel by Sprint powered by Raketu, an application on select Android phones that increases accessibility in mobile communications for individuals who are hard-of-hearing.

Wireless CapTel by Sprint allows users to read conversations with real-time word-for-word captions on their wireless phones. Wireless CapTel by Sprint users place a call in the same way they would when using a traditional phone – by dialing the number directly on the device. The revolutionary application then connects callers directly to the CapTel service when the phone is dialed. When the receiving party answers, callers can listen to what the other person is saying and also read captions on the phone's display screen.

The application can be downloaded on select Android 2.2 or higher devices from the Android Market for free with an Everything Data plan*.

Wireless CapTel calls are automatically routed through a captioning service. Users simply give friends, family, and other contacts their specialized Wireless CapTel by Sprint phone number to receive captions on every call.

"Sprint Relay is pleased to add another groundbreaking solution to its portfolio – and bring to the market a service that improves our customers' experience," said Mike Ellis, director-Sprint Relay.

For more information about the service, go to www.sprintcaptel.com.

The Wireless CapTel by Sprint application marks another breakthrough by Sprint for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. The company recently marked an industry first with the Sprint Relay ID pack – a bundle of applications, links, tips, icons, and widgets enabling a more robust wireless experience for those with hearing loss. The bundle includes voice mail transcripts, visual and vibrating alerts, and readable captions, all available in a single download. The bundle marks the first time a carrier has developed multiple applications in one package for those who are hard-of-hearing.

About Sprint Relay
Sprint is the largest and most technologically advanced Telecommunications Relay Service provider in the nation with more than 20 years of experience in providing relay services to persons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or deaf-blind or have a speech disability to communicate with hearing persons on the phone. Sprint's experience in this field assures Sprint Relay users receive quality service regardless of the type of relay service they are using. Sprint's relay service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no restrictions on the number of calls placed or call length. For more information, visit www.sprintrelay.com.

About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 52 million customers at the end of 2Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

About CapTel
CapTel is a registered trademark of Ultratec, Inc. In partnership with Ultratec, CapTel services are available as a component of Sprint's array of Relay services. Designed for people who are hard-of-hearing, CapTel users place a call in the same way they would when using any other phone – by dialing the number directly on a special Captioned Telephone. The phone connects callers to the CapTel service as the number is dialed. When the other person answers, callers can listen to what the other person says while reading captions on the phone's display screen to catch words that may be missed. Captions appear nearly simultaneously with spoken words.

Ultratec, Inc. is the world's leading developer of text telecommunications equipment for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Since 1978, the company has been responsible for numerous advancements in telecommunications technology, including a full range of text telephones, public telephones, amplified telephones, and signaling systems for people with hearing loss. Ultratec works extensively with government agencies, emergency services, and local and national advocacy groups to ensure equal telecommunications access for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

About Raketu
The Wireless CapTel by Sprint application is powered by Raketu technology. Since 2006, Raketu Communications Inc. has been developing leading edge applications that provide communications services for customers and businesses, across mobile, tablet, desktop and laptop devices. Raketu has developed and released many first-to-market applications, including mobile video calling, cloud based video calling, and server-less peer-to-peer communications. Raketu currently has users in over 150 countries around the world. For more information, visit the company's website at: www.Raketu.com.

* No voice plan is required for Wireless CapTel by Sprint. Specialized reduced-cost plans for people with hearing loss are available at www.sprintrelaystore.com/wcs. You must have a hearing loss and be a resident of the United States to use the service. If you plan to make regular, non-captioned calls, you may be charged extra if you do not have a cell phone voice plan with a number of minutes allocated.

http://www.sprintrelay.com/doc/press_releases/10212011/index.php

(ARA) - Hearing loss isn’t a harmless condition to be ignored. In fact, hearing loss often coexists with other serious health problems. And a growing body of research indicates that there may be a link. Studies show that people with heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression may all have an increased risk of hearing loss.

When left untreated, hearing loss alone can lead to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions. Impaired memory and the impaired ability to learn new tasks, reduced alertness, increased risk to personal safety, irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension and stress are among its more common side effects. But when untreated hearing loss coexists with a chronic illness, the likelihood is all the greater that the individual will experience exacerbated levels of stress and diminished quality of life.

Here’s the good news: Research also indicates that professionally fitted hearing aids can help improve quality of life for people with chronic diseases when hearing loss does coexist.

“In the vast majority of cases, hearing loss can be addressed with hearing aids to help people hear better and improve their quality of life,” says Dr. Sergei Kochkin, executive director of the Better Hearing Institute (BHI). “I strongly urge anyone with heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, and/or depression to talk with their doctor and make hearing screenings a routine part of their medical care.”

We encourage people to take a free, quick, and confidential online hearing test at www.longislandaudiology.com (link to: http://www.longislandaudiology.com/online_test.php) to determine if they need a comprehensive hearing check by a hearing professional. For more information on hearing loss, visit www.betterhearing.org.

The link between hearing loss and certain chronic diseases

Numerous studies have long linked untreated hearing loss to diminished psychological and overall health. But an emerging body of research is now revealing a link between hearing loss and other chronic health conditions.

For example, hearing loss is about twice as common in adults with diabetes compared to those who do not have the disease, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Another study, published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases found that older adults with moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a higher prevalence of hearing loss than those of the same age without CKD.

Other studies have shown that a significantly higher percentage of people with Alzheimer's disease may have hearing loss than their normally aging peers. In fact, older adults with hearing loss appear more likely to develop dementia, and their risk increases as hearing loss becomes more severe, according to a study published in the Archives of Neurology,. The researchers also found that the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease specifically increased with hearing loss.

The link between unaddressed hearing loss and depression also is compelling. An Italian study found that working adults aged 35 to 55 who were affected by mild to moderate hearing loss in both ears reported higher levels of disability and psychological distress — and lower levels of social functioning — than a well-matched normal control population.

Perhaps the link between cardiovascular disease and hearing loss is the most widely recognized. In a study published in the June 2010 issue of the American Journal of Audiology, the authors reviewed research that had been conducted over the past 60 plus years. They found that the negative influence of impaired cardiovascular health on both the peripheral and central auditory system, and the potential positive influence of improved cardiovascular health on these same systems, was found through a sizable body of research.

“With so much evidence emerging on the potential link between hearing loss and various chronic illnesses, it becomes all the more pressing for people to identify and address hearing loss early on,” Kochkin says. “Talk to your doctor. Get your hearing checked. And be assured that in most cases, today’s state-of-the-art hearing aids, programmed to the specific hearing requirements of the individual, can help people hear better and thereby regain quality of life.”