An AI-enhanced digital stethoscope can help doctors detect a potentially deadly form of heart failure that can occur late in pregnancy, a new clinical trial reports. The AI-driven stethoscope was 12 times more likely than traditional methods to spot heart pump weakness tied to peripartum cardiomyopathy, an uncommon form of heart failure linked to pregnancy,…  read on >  read on >

A new brain imaging study has concluded that autism likely isn’t caused by faulty connections to the amygdala. A prevailing hypothesis of autism spectrum disorder has held that people with the condition have poorer neural connections in certain brain regions, including the amygdala. However, researchers found no evidence that people with autism had amygdala connections…  read on >  read on >

A survey of Australian adolescents finds those who are experiencing depressive symptoms have double the risk of taking up vaping. “In the short term, nicotine may reduce feelings of anxiety and stress, and young people may be reaching for vapes as a coping mechanism,” said study co-author Emily Stockings. “Regardless of whether mental ill health…  read on >  read on >

Cases of menopause occurring before the age of 40 can be a major cause of distress and discomfort for women, but researchers now believe they’ve homed in on the condition’s genetic cause. A team at deCODE genetics sought to understand the origins of what’s known as primary ovarian insufficiency, which triggers menopause an average of…  read on >  read on >

SUNDAY, Sept.1, 2024Backpacks. Notebooks. Folders. Pencils. These are all essentials for a good start to your children’s school year, but what about their nutrition? As summer ends and kids return to classrooms, one culinary medicine expert offers up easy ways to help your children eat healthy foods during the school day. School lunches have gotten…  read on >  read on >

A new, tougher rule on the sale of tobacco products will require retailers to check the IDs of any buyers under the age of 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday. The final rule, which will go into effect Sept. 30, also restricts tobacco vending machine sales to spaces that are limited to people…  read on >  read on >

Teaching schoolkids to practice mindfulness can boost their mental health — and, maybe, even their grades. That’s the takeaway from a new review of more than three dozen research studies on school-based mindfulness interventions, such as seated or slow-walking meditation.  In a nutshell, these programs teach kids to pay attention to the present moment and…  read on >  read on >

Breastfeeding helps women shed those extra pounds of “pregnancy weight,” a new study finds, and the effect is even more pronounced for moms who were overweight before their pregnancy. Among women who exclusively breastfed their baby during its first year, women who were normal weight prior to pregnancy lost weight, but still retained about three…  read on >  read on >