Despite what you may have heard, rats and other city wildlife aren’t likely to trigger future pandemics in people, according to a new study. The COVID-19 pandemic has scientists trying to determine where future outbreaks are most likely to start. It’s long been suspected that critters in cities might act as reservoirs for viruses that… read on > read on >
Overweight kids don’t have it easy, and a new study warns they may also at increased risk for type 1 diabetes later in life. “A critical window exists in childhood to mitigate the influence of adiposity [being severely overweight, or obese] on the escalating numbers of type 1 diabetes diagnoses,” said the study’s lead author,… read on > read on >
A serious liver disease that’s struck hundreds of young children worldwide has caused the deaths of three children in Indonesia, bringing the global death toll to at least four. Nearly 170 children in 11 countries have been diagnosed with acute hepatitis in recent months, and the World Health Organization has expressed concerns about its “unknown… read on > read on >
The U.S. Supreme Court is on the verge of striking down the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, a leaked draft opinion shows. In the draft opinion, a majority of the court voted to overturn the 1973 decision that granted abortion rights to all American women. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the… read on > read on >
Babies born to women who are stressed out during pregnancy may be more likely to experience social, emotional and learning problems as they grow up, new research suggests. “Mom’s elevated psychological distress affects not just her, but her unborn baby’s brain development,” said study author Catherine Limperopoulos, chief and director of the Developing Brain Institute… read on > read on >
So-called “superspreaders” aren’t necessarily carelessly mixing with throngs of people. Instead, a new study finds, some people with COVID-19 infections shed the virus for just a few days, while others do so for up to nine days. “Based on that finding, we predict that those people who are shedding virus for more than a week… read on > read on >
For some children with autism, there’s a connection between gastrointestinal problems and stress, anxiety and social withdrawal, a new study suggests. The findings could help efforts to develop personalized treatments for autism patients with gastrointestinal problems such as stomach pain and constipation, the University of Missouri researchers suggested. Such problems tend to occur more often… read on > read on >
Vegetarian diets are a healthy choice for growing kids — though they may slightly raise the odds of youngsters being underweight, a new study suggests. The study, of nearly 9,000 young children, found that those on vegetarian diets were, on average, of similar weight and height as their peers who ate meat. They were also… read on > read on >
Bella Kofner, a 24-year-old graduate student in special education at the College of Staten Island in New York, was 10 when her parents first told her she had autism. Developmental psychologist Steven Kapp, now 35, was 13 when he was told the same. So, is there a best time to tell children they have the… read on > read on >
Occupational therapy or low-impact exercise might be the key to relieving long-haul COVID symptoms like extreme fatigue, breathlessness and brain fog, a pair of new studies from Ireland suggest. The studies reflect two different — in some ways, opposite — approaches to dealing with symptoms that tend to plague long COVID patients. One study taught… read on > read on >
