Those seemingly random kicks or wiggles a newborn baby makes have a purpose. With each movement, the baby is developing its sensorimotor system, which it will later use to perform sequential movements. The sensorimotor system lets a person control muscles, movement and coordination. Researchers studying these “spontaneous” newborn movements and comparing them to babies a…  read on >  read on >

While 8 of 10 mothers breastfeed their newborns for a short time, the number plummets despite recommendations from experts, in part because milk production falls off. Researchers investigating why that happens found that in women who are obese, inflammation may be the culprit. Prior research has shown that when a person is obese, chronic inflammation…  read on >  read on >

When a toddler or an infant accidentally ingests a prescription opioid medication, the immediate results can prove deadly, experts warn. But another new worrisome dynamic is afoot in the United States, a just-published study reveals: pediatric poisonings from a particularly lethal combo — a potent synthetic opioid known as fentanyl and a powerful veterinary sedative…  read on >  read on >

The Mediterranean diet delivers plenty of health dividends, and new research now discovers it may lower complications during pregnancy. Specifically, women who stuck to the diet had a 21% overall reduced risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, delivery of a small baby and stillbirth, researchers report. “We know adverse pregnancy outcomes are becoming more…  read on >  read on >

One of the hallmarks of a COVID-19 infection has been a lost sense of smell after the infection ends. In a new study, researchers blame an ongoing immune assault on the olfactory nerve cells — cells found at the top of the nasal cavity — and a decline in the number of those cells. The…  read on >  read on >

Young adults with cancer, especially those who are Hispanic or Black, had better outcomes because of coverage available to them under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). New research explored the impact of Medicaid coverage under the ACA, also known as Obamacare, linking it to with better survival for 18- to 39-year-olds. Young adults with breast…  read on >  read on >