Ever wonder why kids seem to pick up new knowledge and skills faster than adults? A new study attributes the kids’ mental prowess to differences in a brain messenger called GABA. “Our results show that children of elementary school age can learn more items within a given period of time than adults, making learning more… read on > read on >
More than a billion young people are at risk for hearing loss because of listening to loud music at concerts and using earbuds and other personal listening devices, a new study suggests. “There is an urgent need for governments, industry, and civil society to prioritize global hearing loss prevention by promoting safe listening practices,” the… read on > read on >
Babies born via cesarean section may not mount as strong an immune response after some childhood vaccines compared to babies delivered vaginally, researchers suggest. Antibody levels can be checked in blood or saliva, and babies born vaginally had higher levels of antibodies in their saliva to pneumonia shots at one year and meningococcal shots at… read on > read on >
Uterine fibroids can cause uncontrolled bleeding and infertility in women, and now a new study finds an unexpected culprit: Toxic chemicals called phthalates that are present in everything from fast-food packaging to plastic water bottles. “We detected the phthalate DEHP and its breakdown products in much higher quantities in the urine of women who also… read on > read on >
Increasing numbers of young children are showing up in emergency rooms after accidentally ingesting the cough suppressant benzonatate, U.S. health officials reported Tuesday. Benzonatate is a non-narcotic cough suppressant first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1958 for children ages 10 and up. It works by reducing the cough reflex in the… read on > read on >
U.S. stillbirth rates still need to be tackled at the local, state and national levels because efforts to reduce the risk have stalled, new research claims. Racial disparities remain as well, with Black women more likely to experience stillbirth (the loss of a baby before or during delivery) than white women. “Over the last 40… read on > read on >
A new study that looks at suicide risk among U.S. teens who are lesbian, gay and bisexual finds they have disproportionately high rates of suicidal thoughts, planning and attempts compared to their heterosexual peers. “The major message of this paper is that among a group of survivors of these types of violence, those who identify… read on > read on >
Extracurricular activities may have many benefits for young children, but researchers have discovered racial gaps in who takes part. Among a group of 401 kindergarten students in Ohio, white children were 2.6 times more likely to participate in the most common extracurricular sports than children of other races and ethnicities. The study found similar results… read on > read on >
Illinois has seen a recent surge in the number of kids arriving in the emergency room for suicidal thoughts — both during and shortly before the pandemic, according to a new study. Among kids ages 5 to 19, ER visits for suicidal thoughts rose by 59% across the state between 2016 and 2021, researchers found.… read on > read on >
A growing number of U.S. teenagers are undergoing weight-loss surgery, but the figures suggest many still lack access to the procedures — especially underinsured Black and Hispanic kids. That’s the conclusion of a new study charting trends in bariatric (weight-loss) surgery among U.S. teens. Researchers found that between 2010 and 2017, the annual rate of… read on > read on >
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