For children, masks don’t mask the emotions of others, a new study shows. It included nearly 300 children, ages 3-6, who were shown 90 pictures featuring actors who expressed joy, sadness or anger. In half of the pictures, the actors wore face masks. In most cases, the children correctly identified the actors’ emotions whether they…  read on >  read on >

A rare inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 in children was more severe in the second wave of patients than in the first, researchers report. For the study, investigators examined the cases of 106 patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) who arrived in two waves at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. In the…  read on >  read on >

Many women dread having to give up coffee during their pregnancy, but new research suggests that consuming a little caffeine while expecting might not necessarily be a bad thing. “While we were not able to study the association of consumption above the recommended limit, we now know that low-to-moderate caffeine is not associated with an…  read on >  read on >

MONDAY, Nov. 15, 2021 Certain commonly prescribed antidepressants appear to substantially lower the risk of dying among seriously ill COVID-19 patients, a large new study indicates. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are among the most widely prescribed drugs for the treatment of depression. They include drugs like Lexapro (escitalopram), Paxil (paroxetine) and Zoloft (sertraline). “We…  read on >  read on >

People suffering from dangerous abnormal heart rhythms can take matters into their own hands and figure out what is triggering their episodes, researchers report. Folks with atrial fibrillation (a-fib) were able to reduce their episodes of the irregular heartbeat by 40% by identifying and then avoiding the substances or activities that caused their heart to…  read on >  read on >

As if suffering through a childhood trauma weren’t enough, new research suggests it might raise the risk of poor mental and physical health later in life. Researchers analyzed nearly 2,900 responses to the 2019 New Zealand Family Violence Survey and found that about 45% of respondents said they had no adverse childhood events, a majority…  read on >  read on >