Living within a few blocks of a shooting increases the risk that a child will end up visiting the emergency department for mental health-related problems, researchers say. The new study found significant increases in mental health-related ER visits in the two weeks after a neighborhood shooting, especially among kids who lived closest to it and…  read on >  read on >

Potentially dangerous symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children are not always immediately recognized by primary care providers, new research suggests. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas fails to make enough insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar used for energy by cells. Between 5% and 10% of cases of diabetes are type 1,…  read on >  read on >

After more than a year at home, children are heading back to classrooms across the country. But they’re also toting heavy bags on their backs again. A backpack that fits properly — and is not overloaded with binders and books — will help prevent injury. “With a focus on getting back in the classroom and…  read on >  read on >

Pregnant women infected with certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) may have a heightened risk of preterm birth, a new study suggests. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause genital warts. Most of the time, the immune system clears the infection. But some strains of HPV become persistent in a minority of people…  read on >  read on >

If a person is diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States right now, it’s almost certainly caused by the Delta variant. The highly transmissible variant, which caused crippling surges in India and Britain this past spring and fueled case spikes in the United States this summer, is now responsible for over 99% of all cases…  read on >  read on >

A study of millions of people vaccinated against COVID-19 has identified those at greatest risk of hospitalization and death after breakthrough infection. The most vulnerable are those who are immunosuppressed from chemotherapy, a recent bone marrow or solid organ transplant, or HIV/AIDS. Also at risk are people with neurological disorders (such as dementia and Parkinson’s…  read on >  read on >