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Do probiotics really benefit healthy people?

Recent research in Advances In Nutrition reviews the benefits of probiotics for healthy individuals, highlighting evidence gaps and the need for further study to support preventive recommendations.

14 Jul 2024

Study links OCD improvement to brain activity shift

A recent study from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital has identified a specific neural activity pattern as a novel biomarker to accurately predict and monitor the clinical status of individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who have undergone deep brain stimulation (DBS), a rapidly emerging therapeutic approach for severe psychiatric disorders. The study, led by led by Drs. Sameer Sheth and Wayne Goodman along with co-lead authors, Drs. Nicole Provenza, Sandy Reddy, and Anthony Allam, was published in Nature Medicine.

13 Jul 2024

Testing the effectiveness of youth activism as a mental health intervention

Three hundred Black and Latinx teens in Chicago will be recruited to participate in the first clinical trial to measure the potential health benefits of youth-driven racial justice activism. The five-year study, funded by a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, will assess whether activism can lower depression symptoms in minoritized teens, as well as alter physiological factors known to be increased with exposure to racism, such as blood pressure and markers of stress and inflammation in the blood.

13 Jul 2024

Technology-assisted therapy for kids and young people is as effective as traditional face-to-face therapy

Using technology to deliver therapy for children and young people is as effective as traditional face-to-face therapy, according to new research.

12 Jul 2024

ECHO study sheds light on how neighborhood environment influenced child's well-being amid pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted daily life and has raised concerns about its impact on children's well-being.

12 Jul 2024

Understanding the connection between autistic traits and board gaming

Board gaming is a growing industry, and anecdotally popular among people who display autistic traits.

12 Jul 2024

Study finds early, unnecessary opioid prescriptions for teen surgery

A multi-institutional study found that 1 in 6 youths fill an opioid prescription prior to surgery, and 3% of patients were still filling opioid prescriptions three to six months after surgery, indicating persistent opioid use and possible opioid dependence.

12 Jul 2024

Tiny force sensors in embryos pave way for new birth defect treatments

A group of scientists at UCL have successfully created mechanical force sensors directly in the developing brains and spinal cords of chicken embryos, which they hope will improve understanding and prevention of birth malformations such as spina bifida.

11 Jul 2024

Nicotine absorption is much lower from second-hand vaping than from second-hand smoking

Children exposed to vaping indoors absorb less than one seventh the amount of nicotine as children who are exposed to indoor smoking, but more than those exposed to neither, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

11 Jul 2024

The 16-month milestone: Toddlers engage more brain regions for cognitive skills

Toddlers engage more regions of their brains around 16-months to help them develop important cognitive skills enabling them to follow simple instructions and control impulses.

11 Jul 2024

Distinct T-cell signatures identified in children with type 1 diabetes

A study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland found distinct signatures in CD8-positive T cells in blood samples from children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes and in autoantibody-positive children who later developed type 1 diabetes.

11 Jul 2024

Study highlights the impact of prenatal ozone exposure on early childhood growth and obesity

Childhood obesity is a growing global public health concern, significantly increasing the risk of various health issues later in life.

11 Jul 2024

How did hospitalizations for mental health conditions in children change following the COVID-19 pandemic?

The incidence of mental health conditions in young people before and during Canada's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

11 Jul 2024

COVID-19 lockdown reduced childhood wheezing and bronchiolitis cases

Bronchiolitis cases dropped significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown, leading to fewer wheezing episodes and reduced respiratory medication use in children.

10 Jul 2024

Stem-like cells found to drive growth of aggressive pediatric brain tumors

A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and collaborating institutions has identified and located a population of stem-like cells that initiates and maintains Group 3 medulloblastoma (Gr3-MB) in the developing brain.

9 Jul 2024

UK sugar tax reduces daily sugar intake in children and adults, study finds

Daily sugar intake fell by around 5 g in children and by around 11 g in adults in the 12 months following the introduction of the UK's 'sugar tax', formally known as the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, finds an analysis of 11 years of survey data, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

9 Jul 2024

Study uncovers disparities in boarding rates of children with severe mental health symptoms

A new study led by researchers at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in collaboration with researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Cambridge Health Alliance, has uncovered concerning disparities in boarding rates of children and adolescents with severe mental health symptoms in emergency departments.

9 Jul 2024