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Blue light exposure may accelerate bone growth and early puberty in rats

Exposure to blue light, like that from smartphones or tablets, may accelerate bone growth and bone age, leading to early puberty in rats.

15 Nov 2024

Study shows benefits of nature for children's mental health

A team of researchers from McGill and Université de Montréal's Observatoire pour l'éducation et la santé des enfants (OPES, or observatory on children's health and eduation), led by Sylvana Côté, found that spending two hours a week of class time in a natural environment can reduce emotional distress among 10- to 12-year-olds who had the most significant mental health problems before the program began.

15 Nov 2024

MEMPHIS system sheds light on vaccine response differences across ages

mRNA vaccines saved lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, but older people had less of an immune response to the vaccines than did younger adults. Why? Boston Children's researchers, led by Byron Brook, PhD, and Ofer Levy, MD, PhD, have found some answers, while providing proof-of-concept of a new system that can model vaccine responses in a dish.

15 Nov 2024

Obesity crisis in the U.S. expected to worsen by 2050

Over the past three decades, there has been a startling increase in the prevalence of obesity across the USA, at least doubling in adult men and women (aged 25 and older) and older female and male adolescents (aged 15-24 years) since 1990, with the number of people living with overweight and obesity reaching over 208 million in 2021 - a trend set to continue in the coming decades without significant reform, according to a major new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study Collaborator Network, published in The Lancet.

15 Nov 2024

Artemisinin resistance detected in children with severe malaria in Uganda

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at Makerere University in Uganda, have uncovered evidence of partial resistance to artemisinin derivatives - the primary treatment for malaria - in young children with severe, or "complicated," malaria.

15 Nov 2024

Standardized screening leads to earlier autism diagnoses in pediatric care

New research from Drexel University's A.J. Drexel Autism Institute found that the use of standardized autism screening during pediatric well-child visits identifies more children with high autism likelihood at a younger age, including those presenting with more subtle symptoms.

15 Nov 2024

USF study to track long-term impact of digital media on youth wellbeing

A groundbreaking new study conducted by the University of South Florida will track young people through 2050 to learn more about the long-term impacts of smartphones, social media and other digital media on individual wellbeing.

15 Nov 2024

Study finds artemisinin resistance in African children with severe malaria

Mutations in malarial parasites linked to artemisinin-resistance in Southeast Asia have now been found in African children hospitalised for complicated malaria, according to a new study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH).

15 Nov 2024

New insights into how IFITM3 protein protects against severe flu

Researchers have identified new roles for a protein long known to protect against severe flu infection – among them, raising the minimum number of viral particles needed to cause sickness.

15 Nov 2024

Non-invasive, low-cost tool developed for assessing risk of vitamin D deficiency in young women

Vitamin D, an essential nutrient, is naturally produced through sun exposure and certain foods. However, excessive sunburn prevention measures are causing a severe problem of vitamin D deficiency, particularly among young women in Japan.

15 Nov 2024

Researchers use cerebrospinal fluid to unlock pathways in Alzheimer's disease

A multitude of genes have been linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease. Specifically how those genes might influence the progression of neurodegeneration remains something of a black box though, in part because of the challenges of examining in molecular detail the brain of a living patient.

14 Nov 2024

New biosensor technology could revolutionize mpox diagnosis

A new variant of human mpox has claimed the lives of approximately 5% of people with reported infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2023, many of them children. Since then, it has spread to several other countries.

14 Nov 2024

2024 first aid guidelines offer expanded recommendations for emergency care

The American Heart Association and the American Red Cross today released the "2024 Guidelines for First Aid," which provide critical updates that equip first aid responders with the latest evidence-based practices to effectively respond to mild, moderate and life-threatening emergencies.

14 Nov 2024

Zambia study finds limited impact of financial support on teenage pregnancies

Many young girls in low- and middle-income countries become pregnant early, which can be dangerous for them and for their babies.

14 Nov 2024

Measles outbreaks increase worldwide with inadequate immunization coverage

Worldwide, there were an estimated 10.3 million cases of measles in 2023, a 20% increase from 2022, according to new estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Inadequate immunization coverage globally is driving the surge in cases.

14 Nov 2024

Long-term sedentary behavior raises blood pressure in youth

Time spent sedentary beyond six hours per day during growth from childhood through young adulthood may cause an excess increase of 4 mmHg in systolic blood pressure, a new study shows.

14 Nov 2024

Study shows RSV’s severe impact on US adults, urging more testing and vaccination

RSV hospitalizations in US adults reached high levels pre-vaccine, especially impacting those 75 and older, underscoring the need for awareness and prevention efforts.

14 Nov 2024

Maternal RSV vaccination timing optimizes newborn immunity through improved antibody transfer

Maternal RSV vaccination enhances antibody transfer to newborns, with optimal transfer efficiency observed when given at least five weeks before delivery.

14 Nov 2024

Update on diagnosis, risk classification and treatment of Kawasaki Disease

Advances in cardiac imaging techniques and risk categorization have led to improvements in diagnosis, initial treatment and long-term management of patients with Kawasaki Disease, according to a new scientific statement published today in the American Heart Association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation.

14 Nov 2024

Scientists fear what’s next for public health if RFK Jr. is allowed to ‘go wild’

Many scientists at the federal health agencies await the second Donald Trump administration with dread as well as uncertainty over how the president-elect will reconcile starkly different philosophies among the leaders of his team.

14 Nov 2024