Adolescent Health News and Research

RSS

Antibody that targets CXCR6 prevents and reverses multiple sclerosis in mouse model

Multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder, is known to be driven by "helper" T cells, white blood cells that mount an inflammatory attack on the brain and spinal cord. A new study from Boston Children's Hospital pinpoints the specific subgroup of helper T cells that cause MS, as well as a protein on their surface, called CXCR6, that marks them.

4 Oct 2019

Peer pressure at school influencing teen vape use

Vaping or e-cigarette use has been linked to the emergence of a severe lung disease that has affected more than 800 people across the United States, with 12 reported deaths. The largest users of vapes or e-cigarettes are among teens and young adults. A new study points out that schools play a major role in the sudden surge of e-cigarette use among teens.

1 Oct 2019

Smartphone dependency and depression in young adults

Smartphone overuse by young people is linked to an increased risk of later depression, finds a new University of Arizona study. While this has been established by numerous studies, the current research reported in the Journal of Adolescent Health on August 31, 2019, was aimed at finding out whether the smartphone usage was because of loneliness or whether it caused the loneliness in the first place.

1 Oct 2019

Scientists review benefits and challenges of using film in public health research

The research community is increasingly recognizing video as more than just a medium to disseminate scientific findings after a study's conclusion.

25 Sep 2019

Social media use by adolescents associated with greater risk of internalizing problems

A new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media are more likely to report high levels of internalizing behaviors compared to adolescents who do not use social media at all.

11 Sep 2019

Young adults with childhood history of incarceration more likely to have depression, PTSD

Young adults with childhood history of both parental incarceration and juvenile justice involvement were nearly three times more likely to have depression or post-traumatic stress disorder compared to peers without any experience with the criminal justice system, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

4 Sep 2019

Excess social media use harms teen health

The incredible growth of social media over the last decade has fueled many debates on whether it’s actually good or bad. Now, a new study sheds light on the effects of social media on the health and wellbeing in young people.

14 Aug 2019

Standardization of PARCA-R tool to assess cognitive, language development in two year olds

A new paper published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health co-authored by a University of Warwick researcher provides standardized scores for The Parent Report of Children's Abilities Revised questionnaire.

13 Aug 2019

Existing FDA-approved drug could potentially help contain Ebola infection

Amid the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Congo, now threatening to spill into Rwanda, a new study suggests that an existing, FDA-approved drug called nitazoxanide could potentially help contain this deadly, highly contagious infection.

8 Aug 2019

A lock of hair could one day aid in the diagnosis of depression in teens

It's possible that a lock of hair could one day aid in the diagnosis of depression and in efforts to monitor the effects of treatment, said the author of a new study examining cortisol levels in the hair of teens.

24 Jul 2019

New analysis quantifies how stimulant treatment reduces serious outcomes of ADHD

An analysis of three previous studies of children and young adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder quantifies for the first time the extent to which stimulant treatment reduces the development of mood disorders, school problems, conduct disorders, substance use disorders and other problems.

23 Jul 2019

Teenagers who skip breakfast more likely to become obese

Researchers have found that young adults who skip breakfast are more likely to gain weight than those who eat breakfast.

23 Jul 2019

Research opens possibility of developing single-dose gene therapy for inherited arrhythmias

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital report creating the first human tissue model of an inherited heart arrhythmia, replicating two patients' abnormal heart rhythms in a dish, and then suppressing the arrhythmia with gene therapy in a mouse model.

17 Jul 2019

New network for children and youth with special health care needs seeks to improve systems of care

A new research network for children and youth with special health care needs, led by researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Children's Hospital Colorado and Boston Children's Hospital, will lead, promote and coordinate national research activities to improve their systems of care.

12 Jul 2019

Food allergy caused by absence of beneficial bacteria in the gut

A study by scientists at Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, published today in Nature Medicine, makes a strong case that the national epidemic of food allergy is caused by the absence of certain beneficial bacteria in the human gut.

25 Jun 2019

Study offers new clues to autism's underlying biology

Over the past decade, autism spectrum disorder has been linked to mutations in a variety of genes, explaining up to 30 percent of all cases to date.

21 Jun 2019

Tetrodotoxin found in pufferfish can provide potent pain relief when given properly

Opioids remain a mainstay of treatment for chronic and surgical pain, despite their side effects and risk for addiction and overdose.

13 Jun 2019

Doing more harm than good: Scientists uncover harmful effects of dietary supplements

This week, two independent reports highlight the hidden dangers associated with widely available dietary supplements.

6 Jun 2019

Dietary supplements associated with increased risk for severe medical events in children, young adults

Consumption of dietary supplements sold for weight loss, muscle building, and energy was associated with increased risk for severe medical events in children and young adults compared to consumption of vitamins, according to new research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.