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Legalization of cannabis associated with rising use among adolescents

A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), published by Elsevier reports that the legalization of recreational cannabis in various states in the US has resulted in an increased likelihood of cannabis use in the past month among adolescents and young adults.

28 Oct 2024

Mitigating lead exposure effects through maternal care and enriched environments

Lead exposure is a risk to any human, but children are most vulnerable to the element's neurotoxicity, which can lead to developmental delays, learning difficulties and mood changes among other symptoms.

28 Oct 2024

Study reveals the impact of parenting on child's brain development and mental health

Early exposure to harsh parenting during preschool years can have widespread effects on the organization of the entire brain’s communication. Later exposures affect specific brain areas.

28 Oct 2024

Penn Nursing receives $3.2 million to scale out a secure firearm storage intervention

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) has been awarded a $3.2 million, 5-year grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) to scale out an evidence-based secure firearm storage intervention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

28 Oct 2024

Genetics and childhood attention problems linked to psychotic-like experiences in youth

Researchers at UCLA Health have found that a person's risk of developing psychotic-like experiences may be influenced by both childhood attention problems and their genetic makeup.

28 Oct 2024

Abnormal BMI in children linked to impaired lung function

An abnormal BMI in children - be it high or low - can now be associated with impaired lung function, but if their BMI is normalized before they reach adulthood, the impairment can be offset, researchers from Karolinska Institutet report.

28 Oct 2024

Unlocking the secrets of Usher syndrome

The mistakes are small but carry severe consequences: In Usher syndrome, genetic mutations cause both hearing and vision loss. Cell biologist Professor Uwe Wolfrum from Mainz University is researching the molecular background of this rare genetic disorder - supported by foundations and, not least, by affected individuals themselves

28 Oct 2024

UK to ban disposable vapes in effort to protect youth health and environment

UK legislation banning disposable vapes by June 2025 targets youth nicotine addiction and environmental concerns linked to vape waste and lithium batteries.

25 Oct 2024

Limiting fast-food outlets can reduce childhood overweight and obesity

Research shows that restricting fast-food outlets can lower obesity rates in children, highlighting the role of planning policies in health outcomes.

25 Oct 2024

New NIH grants support research on infant development with innovative technology

Infant sleep patterns and emotional regulation are important for healthy development, but it is challenging to get real-time insights into infant behavior.

24 Oct 2024

New initiative aims to train pediatricians on early mental health detection

One in five children has an identified mental health problem as early as age 3. Early detection is key to earlier intervention, and it also could prevent more severe conditions down the line, such as ADHD, depression and anxiety.

24 Oct 2024

DNA analysis outperforms standard newborn screening, study shows

Early results from a study of newborn screening methods show that DNA analysis picks up many more preventable or treatable serious health conditions than standard newborn screening and is favored by most parents who are offered the option.

24 Oct 2024

Study shows limited benefits of elimination diets for children with atopic dermatitis

Parents of children with atopic dermatitis (AD, also called eczema) know that the allergic condition can mean a heightened risk of developing food allergies.

24 Oct 2024

UNCG study links feeding practices to rapid infant weight gain

A UNC Greensboro (UNCG) study following 299 women and their infants from pregnancy to toddlerhood examined mul ple psychological, biological, and social factors in the context of infants' rapid weight gain.

24 Oct 2024

How your baby’s birth and environment can shape lifelong gut health

Early life factors, like birth mode and green environments, shape infant gut microbiota, with outdoor time becoming crucial in late infancy. Residential greenery impacts diversity only during early infancy.

24 Oct 2024

Innovative pain assessment tool receives $8 million funding

Pain assessment in medicine often relies on imprecise visual rating scales featuring smiling or crying faces, frustrating patients and physicians alike. Children's National Hospital researchers aim to change this with a new device designed to precisely measure pain, backed by an $8-million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Sprint for Women's Health.

24 Oct 2024

Researchers create mini-brains to study autism and test new treatments

Using stem cells generated from patients with a rare and severe form of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, Scripps Research scientists have grown personalized "mini-brains" (or organoids) to study the disorder in new detail.

23 Oct 2024

Parental leave availability influences young adults' norms on childcare

In research published in the British Journal of Social Psychology, investigators examined the relationship between countries' parental leave policies and young adults' perceptions of social norms for the division of childcare duties between mothers and fathers.

23 Oct 2024

Maternal antibodies may hinder malaria vaccine effectiveness in infants

Maternal antibodies passed across the placenta can interfere with the response to the malaria vaccine, which would explain its lower efficacy in infants under five months of age, according to research led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with seven African centers (CISM-Mozambique, IHI-Tanzania, CRUN-Burkina Faso, KHRC-Ghana, NNIMR-Ghana, CERMEL-Gabon, KEMRI-Kenya).

23 Oct 2024

Cannabis use linked to thinning cerebral cortex in adolescents

Cannabis use may lead to thinning of the cerebral cortex in adolescents according to a recent study led by Graciela Pineyro and Tomas Paus, researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine and professors at the Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine.

23 Oct 2024