NICU study highlights importance of sound
Premature babies often spend the first several weeks of life in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), where, ideally, they are protected from too much noise stimulation. However, researchers at the School of Medicine have found that preemies may be exposed to noise levels higher than those deemed safe by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Antibiotic found to protect hearing in mice
A type of antibiotic that can cause hearing loss in people has been found to paradoxically protect the ears when given in extended low doses in very young mice. The surprise finding came from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis who looked to see if loud noise and the antibiotic kanamycin together would produce a bigger hearing loss than either factor by itself.