Medical Notes: Week of April 12, 2020

A study that says taking large amounts of Ibuprofen may be worse for your liver than we thought. Then, a new study finds that there’s no harm in letting your baby “Cry it out.” Then, hearing aids that help improve the thinking ability of those with hearing loss. Then, scientists have come up with a new way to deliver vaccines without getting a shot. And finally… A study showing Americans are washing their hands more often these days… and taking evasive action by using paper towels to open door handles.

Taking large amounts of ibuprofen may be worse for your liver than we thought. But the effect may be different in men and women. A study on mice in the journal Scientific Reports shows that the equivalent of 400 milligrams of ibuprofen per day altered at least 34 different metabolic pathways in male mice, including some that stress liver cells. But researchers say some of the liver effects in females were completely the opposite. Researchers say the effects need more study, but in the meantime, it’s important not to overuse ibuprofen.

Parents and pediatricians have debated for decades whether it’s okay to let your baby “cry it out,” but there hasn’t been much evidence either way. Now a study in the Journal Of Child Psychology and Psychiatry finds that there’s no harm in letting your baby cry it out. In fact, babies cry less by the time they’re 18 months old if their parents haven’t always intervened when they start to cry. And it makes no difference in the baby’s relationship with its mother, either short or long-term.

We’ve reported that hearing loss can contribute to cognitive decline. In fact, even a mild hearing loss can accelerate cognitive decline by 30 to 40 percent. So it makes sense that getting a hearing aid may protect your thinking ability. A study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine now shows that when people with a hearing loss got a hearing aid, 97 percent of them either stabilized or got better in their thinking ability within 18 months.Scientists have come up with a new way to deliver vaccines without getting a shot. Just pop it in your mouth.

The new method is a lightweight piece of film that preserves antibodies, enzymes, live viruses, and bacteria without refrigeration and releases those vaccine components in a precise way. Researchers say the film withstands weather extremes and is one-thousandth the size of traditional vaccine vials. It could help cut the cost of vaccines around the world.

And finally… Americans are washing their hands more often these days, but the 11th annual handwashing survey by Bradley Corporation finds we were already doing pretty well. The survey, taken just before coronavirus started to hit the headlines, shows that 86 percent of us wash hands after using a public restroom, and 65 percent take evasive action by using paper towels to open door handles.