Black women have significantly more preterm births than white women do, and though almost a third of these extra cases can be explained by heart issues and social factors, the rest remain a mystery. However, targeting those known factors could improve birth outcomes, a new study suggests. Social determinants of health include factors such as… read on > read on >
In the midst of a childhood obesity epidemic, a new study is pointing to a way to help school kids maintain a healthier weight: clean, accessible drinking water. The decidedly low-tech solution emerged in a study of 18 California elementary schools that serve largely low-income minority families. Researchers found that when they kicked off a… read on > read on >
Diagnosis of congenital heart defects while a baby is still in the womb offers opportunities for earlier corrective surgery. And that can mean better outcomes for an infant’s neurodevelopmental and physical health, new research shows. “For infants with critical disease especially, getting surgery a week earlier can make a big difference in the development of… read on > read on >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new pill, called zuranolone, that may quickly ease severe postpartum depression and help millions of women regain their emotional equilibrium following childbirth. Taken as a pill once a day for two weeks, zuranolone (Zurzuvae) showed “rapid, significant and sustained” reductions in depressive symptoms when compared… read on > read on >
FRIDAY, Aug, 4, 2023Steroids are often unnecessarily prescribed to pregnant women thought to be at risk of preterm birth, a new evidence review contends. As a result, millions of babies are needlessly exposed to long-term health problems associated with steroid use in gestation, such as increased risk of infection and delayed brain development, researchers say.… read on > read on >
A leading U.S. pediatric organization has reaffirmed its support for gender-related treatments in minors, but also plans a systematic review of the medical research. The move by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to examine research on the treatments is similar to recent moves in England and Sweden. Both limited access to the treatments after… read on > read on >
Los Angeles county is seeing more cases of flea-borne typhus, with 171 cases and three deaths reported in 2022, health officials reported Thursday. That’s a big rise, they noted: Since 2010, when only 31 cases of typhus were reported, fleas have been spreading the disease widely in the California city. While many people who become… read on > read on >
A wave of leprosy cases in Florida has led public health officials to conclude the disease-causing bacteria may be naturally found in the state. In the past, most people with leprosy in the United States had been first infected in some other country where it might be more common. But the U.S. Centers for Disease… read on > read on >
The trauma and unhappy family dynamics of childhood may follow kids into old age, affecting both their mind and body, according to new research. “We looked at self-reported disability, as well as objectively measured physical and cognitive impairment, and learned that early-life stressful experiences can have ramifications all the way into older age,” said senior… read on > read on >
More girls started puberty before age 8 during the COVID-19 pandemic, a phenomenon called precocious puberty, researchers say. The reasons include potential risk factors such as increased screen time and less exercise, according to a new study, published online Aug. 3 in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. In precocious puberty, children’s bodies begin changing… read on > read on >
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