A study of mental health care in Maryland finds an increasing number of children and teens covered by Medicaid are taking multiple psychiatric meds. This trend towards “polypharmacy” might be happening elsewhere, prior research suggests. In the new study, Maryland kids ages 17 or younger experienced “a 4% increased odds of psychotropic polypharmacy per year… read on > read on >
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is weighing whether to recommend another COVID booster shot this spring, most likely for those who are vulnerable to severe illness. An advisory panel to the CDC is expected to vote on whether to recommend a spring booster during a Feb. 28 meeting, a source close to… read on > read on >
Nearly 15% of Americans still deny that climate change is real, according to a new national assessment from the University of Michigan. Evidence of climate change has been mounting, including science which has shown that climate-related natural disasters are growing in frequency and intensity sooner than originally predicted, researchers said. Nevertheless, climate change is still… read on > read on >
Medication abortion can be delivered safely and effectively using telemedicine, a large, new study concludes. Women who received abortion pills through the mail following a video visit with a doctor fared just as well as women who visited a clinic, researchers report Feb. 15 in the journal Nature Medicine. There were virtually no serious adverse… read on > read on >
FRIDAY, Feb. 16, 2024 When grandparents can lend a hand with little ones, moms are less likely to battle depression. And, in turn, they are less likely to take antidepressants, Finnish researchers report in the Feb. 15 issue of the journal Population Studies. Based on a study that tracked 488,000 mothers of young children in… read on > read on >
A little-known pesticide is likely present in the bodies of most U.S. residents, raising concerns of potential reproductive and developmental problems, researchers report. In the study, the pesticide chlormequat was found in four out of five people they tested. “The ubiquity of this little-studied pesticide in people raises alarm bells about how it could potentially… read on > read on >
A standard blood test can reveal whether a person is at high risk of having a heart attack within six months, a new study shows. Researchers identified dozens of biomarkers in blood linked to the risk of a first heart attack, according to a report published Feb. 12 in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research. “The… read on > read on >
FRIDAY, Feb. 16, 2024 (HealthDay news) — A drug first developed to treat cocaine addiction might also help slow the spread of advanced colon cancer, a new study suggests. The drug vanoxerine appears to suppress cancer stem cell activity by essentially rewiring gene networks critical to tumor growth, the researchers explained. “Tumors treated with vanoxerine… read on > read on >
Women with HIV experience accelerated DNA aging, potentially leading to poorer physical function sooner in life than expected, a new study says. Markers of aging measured in blood revealed that women with HIV age faster than their chronological age, according to results published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. “Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind accelerated… read on > read on >
More than two dozen toddlers and at least 128 pregnant women received RSV vaccines they should not have gotten, U.S. health officials say. The mixup, reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, follows approval this winter of two vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The virus is particularly dangerous to older people… read on > read on >
