An “alarming” number of American parents save unused antibiotics and give them to family members and other people, a new study finds. This type of misuse helps fuel antibiotic resistance, the study authors said. Their report is scheduled for presentation Monday in Orlando, Fla., at the national conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).…  read on >

Children face an increased risk for sleep problems if a parent suffers a serious injury, especially if the parent has a brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study reveals. Researchers used U.S. Military Health System records to identify more than 485,000 children of more than 272,000 parents who were seriously injured in…  read on >

Many kids love a quick bowl of instant soup or tasty noodles, but these fast foods cause almost 10,000 scald burns in children each year in the United States, a new study estimates. What’s more, researchers found that two out of every 10 scald burns that send kids to the ER are caused by microwavable…  read on >

Kids are safer in states with strict gun laws, a new preliminary study reports. Researchers found that the stringency of a state’s firearm legislation has a direct impact on the number of kids killed by guns. Twice as many child gun deaths occur in states with the most lenient gun regulation, compared with states where…  read on >

Price Woodward was the picture of health at age 52. He lived an active lifestyle and ran marathons. He was definitely not the type of person you’d expect to have a stroke. But one night, his wife, Tammy, heard a strange noise coming from the other side of the bed. She turned on the light…  read on >

Social stigma may play a large role in the depression, anxiety and other mental health woes experienced by many people with autism, a small new study indicates. British researchers found that 72 percent of the psychological distress reported in 111 adults with autism was linked to social stigma, including discrimination and rejection. Many people with…  read on >

When stroke patients get an infection while in the hospital, that may raise the chances they will wind up back in the hospital later, new research suggests. Researchers examined data on more than 319,000 U.S. patients who had an ischemic stroke (blocked blood flow to the brain) who were readmitted to the hospital within 30…  read on >

Surgeons have long turned to a minimally invasive means of hysterectomy when treating early stage cervical cancer. However, two new studies could change all that. Both found the approach was linked to a higher rate of cancer recurrence, plus worse long-term survival, compared to more “open” surgeries. “Minimally invasive surgery was adopted as an alternative…  read on >

If your child has a learning disability, your pediatrician may be able to help you and the school system better understand the child’s special needs, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. The pediatrician can assist the school system in figuring out which, if any, special education services the child may be eligible for. Also, the…  read on >

For weeks, Donna Greene got the brush-off when she asked the pharmacist about getting her second dose of Shingrix, the sought-after but scarce new shingles vaccine. Check back next week. Check in two weeks. We just don’t know, she was told at last. Finally, in mid-October, Greene got lucky. “My husband’s friend … said he…  read on >