For decades, the responsibility for birth control has fallen largely on women, but new research suggests a birth control pill for men might one day become a reality. How does it work? It targets a protein required for fertility, scientists report. The protein, called serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33), is enriched in the testicles and is…  read on >  read on >

About 1 in 9 American children have ever received an ADHD diagnosis, slightly more than the number of kids currently being treated for the disorder, a new study shows. About 7.1 million kids (11.4%) have ever been diagnosed with ADHD, according to findings published May 23 in the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.…  read on >  read on >

A mom or dad who vapes at home might be setting their child up for eczema, new research suggests. In a study involving data from over 35,000 U.S. households, children with a parent who used e-cigarettes had a 24% higher odds for eczema (also known as atopic dermatitis) than kids with two non-vaping parents did.…  read on >  read on >

TikTok is full of fun memes, pranks, dances and challenges — and illicit vaping product sales targeting teenagers, a new study reports. Advertising and sales of vaping products is common on the video-sharing platform, according to findings published May 23 in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. What’s more, the users offering these items often…  read on >  read on >

The number of American teens and young adults who’ve been prescribed one of the new GLP-1 weight-loss drugs soared nearly seven-fold between 2020 and 2023, a new report finds. That’s compared to an overall decline of about 3% in young Americans’ use of other types of prescription meds. But how safe are drugs like Ozempic,…  read on >  read on >

In a finding that suggests microplastics may pose a special danger to men, a new study has shown that human testicles contain these tiny bits of plastic at levels triple that seen in animal testicles and human placentas. “They look like little shards, tiny broken bits from very, very old plastics,” said lead researcher Matthew…  read on >  read on >

Fetal exposure to fluoride from a mom-to-be’s drinking water might raise the odds for physical and mental health issues in toddlers, new research suggests. The study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, wasn’t designed to prove cause-and-effect. However, researchers believe the findings are worth investigating further. “This is the first U.S.-based…  read on >  read on >

The nation’s top pediatrics group has reversed its decades-old position on HIV-positive mothers breastfeeding their infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics now says it’s generally safe for moms with HIV to breastfeed or provide breast milk to babies if their infection is properly controlled. The risk of HIV transmission through breastfeeding from a mother who…  read on >  read on >